preventative maintenance how often do you do it or not?
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 9:35 pm
I mentioned this before I'm going to add more.
I replace head gasket on every used cadet. Everyone so far of my 14 or so cadets needed a head gasket.
The ones that have blow-by a little I notice a few score marks in the cylinder walls. Then I checkout the air cleaner and find a ragged, torn air filter. I install a new air filter with a foam pre-cleaner. But the engine will last a while longer if no smoke is coming out the exhaust. The crankcase breather needs to be cleaned and make sure it's assembled in the proper order.
Now comes a good one. I purchased a ugly cc100 for $100 about 6 years ago with the creeper. I installed the rear tiller on it. It starts up every spring and fall to till the garden. I use seafoam in it to keep the gas stabilized. Now my son was tilling with it when it stopped dead. He checked all the belts for a stick and the tiller for a rock. He checked the tiller gear boxes and the mule drive pullies for a frozen bearing. We took off the pto
belt next. We went to start the engine and the starter was grinding. We removed the starter and took it apart.
It lost the rear sleeve bearing in the cover. My point is how often do we/you service and maintain your starter/generator?
I clean and lube every starter/generator when I go thru a newly acquired cadet/tractor before I fire it up. Now I'm second guessing myself that once isn't enough. We need to do maintenance on it often. This is on all s/g with the rear cover having the sleeve bushing in the rear cover.
Note, the int 154/185 have double ball bearings. No sleeve bearing.
Now this brings up the subject about the overall maintenance our tractors need. I find with having so many tractors I can't keep track of it all. With old age settling in I need a log book for maintenance. I have lots of extra parts but I hate to waste them because of lack of maintenance.
How often do you??
Clean & Sharpen & Grease & Check your Belts & Idler pulley bearings on your mower deck?
Check and change your engine oil?
Check and change your tranny oil?
Grease your steering box, oil your tie rod ends?
Check and adjust your clutch and brakes?
Check for looseness and lube your front wheel bearings? Unless there sealed on both sides these cost more.
Check the air pressure in the tires?
Lube your clutch teaser spring and pressure plate spring?
Ever check the wire harness were it goes around the engine base on the narrow frames for frayed wires from the vibration?
Think about it? Sometimes because there running we take things for granted.
If these cadets are in excellent condition maintenance wise Thell last for many more decades maybe another 50 years?
Please if I miss anything feel free to say it?
This is why we see so many cadets sitting parked in yards next to newer mowers that are parked too.
About 99% of the cadets I get are sitting because of bad gas or dirty points or both. Unless there are broken parts from abuse.
I purchased a very abused cadet 1000. The connecting rod was snapped, no oil in the crankcase, bad bearings in the pullies on the mule drive. Bad clutch disc, broken teaser spring. They were mowing when the rod broke.
Talk about a tough machine?
I usually do it all often.
I replace head gasket on every used cadet. Everyone so far of my 14 or so cadets needed a head gasket.
The ones that have blow-by a little I notice a few score marks in the cylinder walls. Then I checkout the air cleaner and find a ragged, torn air filter. I install a new air filter with a foam pre-cleaner. But the engine will last a while longer if no smoke is coming out the exhaust. The crankcase breather needs to be cleaned and make sure it's assembled in the proper order.
Now comes a good one. I purchased a ugly cc100 for $100 about 6 years ago with the creeper. I installed the rear tiller on it. It starts up every spring and fall to till the garden. I use seafoam in it to keep the gas stabilized. Now my son was tilling with it when it stopped dead. He checked all the belts for a stick and the tiller for a rock. He checked the tiller gear boxes and the mule drive pullies for a frozen bearing. We took off the pto
belt next. We went to start the engine and the starter was grinding. We removed the starter and took it apart.
It lost the rear sleeve bearing in the cover. My point is how often do we/you service and maintain your starter/generator?
I clean and lube every starter/generator when I go thru a newly acquired cadet/tractor before I fire it up. Now I'm second guessing myself that once isn't enough. We need to do maintenance on it often. This is on all s/g with the rear cover having the sleeve bushing in the rear cover.
Note, the int 154/185 have double ball bearings. No sleeve bearing.
Now this brings up the subject about the overall maintenance our tractors need. I find with having so many tractors I can't keep track of it all. With old age settling in I need a log book for maintenance. I have lots of extra parts but I hate to waste them because of lack of maintenance.
How often do you??
Clean & Sharpen & Grease & Check your Belts & Idler pulley bearings on your mower deck?
Check and change your engine oil?
Check and change your tranny oil?
Grease your steering box, oil your tie rod ends?
Check and adjust your clutch and brakes?
Check for looseness and lube your front wheel bearings? Unless there sealed on both sides these cost more.
Check the air pressure in the tires?
Lube your clutch teaser spring and pressure plate spring?
Ever check the wire harness were it goes around the engine base on the narrow frames for frayed wires from the vibration?
Think about it? Sometimes because there running we take things for granted.
If these cadets are in excellent condition maintenance wise Thell last for many more decades maybe another 50 years?
Please if I miss anything feel free to say it?
This is why we see so many cadets sitting parked in yards next to newer mowers that are parked too.
About 99% of the cadets I get are sitting because of bad gas or dirty points or both. Unless there are broken parts from abuse.
I purchased a very abused cadet 1000. The connecting rod was snapped, no oil in the crankcase, bad bearings in the pullies on the mule drive. Bad clutch disc, broken teaser spring. They were mowing when the rod broke.
Talk about a tough machine?
I usually do it all often.