Redoing as little as possible in a Transmission

Howdy,

About this time last year, I bought a non-running '48 cub. Over the summer. I worked on the engine and I have had it running enough to hear growls from the transmission. The noise occurs in neutral and is worse when the PTO is engaged.

I knew that there was some vertical play in the PTO shaft when I bought it. I pulled the transmission (another story) and there is also some play with the input shaft. Will I need a shop press to replace the front and rear spline shaft bearings and the PTO bearing?

I have been reading the How-Tos on transmission and PTO rebuilding. They mention pressing the bearings out. I have this hand held set but I not know if it will be enough for this job.

Another question: the Countershaft bearing retainer cap has a small hole which leaks oil. I assume that that is not normal and I should plug it before reinstalling it.

Here is my opinion. On the Cub, any gear that looks OK will be reused. Any bearing that is not absolutely perfect will be replaced. If just one gear must be replaced, it is almost certain that some transmission noise will be evident thereafter, especially if the replacement is a new after-market part. The bearings hold the gears in proper alignment and are crucial!
If the bearings are OK, the gears should last a very long time even if a bit noisy. But the transmission will be very noisy with bad bearings-- and the gears will wear abnormally quickly.
Only an opinion.

Hi Paul, the rear bearing is pressed in to the case, it needs to be driven out towards the PTO, the front is held on to the imput with a snap ring, remove snap ring, some slide off, some need more persuasion, I have an extra cap you can have if you need it
Tim

Bus Driver, I plan on replacing the three bearings on the input shaft and PTO but not replace the counter shaft or the gears. I just want to make sure that is a safe thing to do.

Tim, Thanks, I do have another cap to use if I can not fix this one. The hole is very small. I did not see the hole until I saw a droplet of oil on the cap.

Paul, also check the bushing on the imput shaft where the pto slides in to it, they get worn out also
Tim

I probably did not ask the correct question. I used "Redoing" in the title but I should have used "Removing"

Since I planed on changing the three bearings, I was wondering if I had to remove the differential to get to any of the bearings. Tim pointed out that the rear bearing for the drive shaft has to be pressed out towards the rear, so I think the differential needs to come out. The service manual shows the differential removed before working on the transmission, but I wasn't sure if that was necessary.

Fortunately for me, I have a spare transmission on the shelf and I installed that today. I will work on the noisy one over the winter, or wait until the next cubfest.

On a related note, what do people do with broken torque tubes ? I now have one broken bolt hole where the transmission attaches. It was standing in the driveway next to the tractor I am working on so I put a board on top and used it for a place to put tools. Oh, I had a spare torque tube on the shelf next to the spare transmission so everything is back together and running.

.........Since I planed on changing the three bearings, I was wondering if I had to remove the differential to get to any of the bearings. Tim pointed out that the rear bearing for the drive shaft has to be pressed out towards the rear, so I think the differential needs to come out. The service manual shows the differential removed before working on the transmission, but I wasn't sure if that was necessary..........

For the rear driveshaft bearing you just have to get the PTO and rear plate out of the way and remove the shifter and driveshaft. I would say "knock it out" instead of "press it out". Pressing it out sounds like you need all kinds of fancy tools and makes it way more involved than it really is. To knock it out you just need a hammer and an old chisel or screwdriver to hit.

replacing the transmission with a cub cadet original transmission or gear/ bearing sets from most any gear drive cub cadet is by far the least expensive and quickest method of repair, as long as there are units available. then you replace all the gears including the ring and pinion, and all the bearings.

Several Forum members have used defective torque tubes as tool stands (grinder, wire wheel, etc.).

Bob

Several Forum members have used defective torque tubes as tool stands (grinder, wire wheel, etc.).

Bob

That is what I had in mind. I may leave it outside the garage and use it as a plant stand during the summer. I have a couple of extras in the shed, I may put one next to each garage door as accent pieces. My wife will love that and it will clear up some floor space.