Differential set up & tooth pattern

[bob in CT]

I thought I would post a picture of what a good tooth pattern looks like. If you replace the ring and pinion, you need to check the set up with marking compound.
I replaced the entire gear set from another box, in this case a Cub Cadet, so I was starting from scratch. The goal was to keep the original casting date transmission with the tractor

To do this set up the ring and pinion with the as close to the original shims as possible and measure the backlash in the ring gear. Use your hand in the transmission to lock it in place as you don't want any slop when you rock the ring gear. You are looking for .002 to .005 so you need a dial indicator.

If the lash looks good, then mark the pattern by painting a few of the teeth on the ring gear and with one hand put some drag on the ring gear and then rotate the transmission for several revolutions. If the pattern is in the middle, like this you are good to go. If this pattern was on the top of the tooth, as this one was, then the pinion needs to move back, so a shim needs to come out of the pinion shaft at the front of the box. Then you need to re-set your lash. Assuming your preload was properly set up, you need to remove a shim from the right and put it in the left side to loosen the lash. Once the preload is set you can move shims from one side to the other but you can't remove any shims.

[cowboy]

Great job Bob

It takes time and patience to get it right.

Billy

[dakcub]

Very well done......should last another 6o years....
Robert (never done that job) Miller

[Boss Hog]

Just to add one thought, if you are using old gears, if at all possible use the same shims that the gears came with. The gears will be worn to riding in a certain place. If you have to use different shims you stand the possibility of having some gear noise.
just because the bears are meshing good that does not mean they were riding in the same place originally. Most of the time if it has noise from this issue it will be in high gear when the ring and pinion are turning the fastest.
Boss

[bob in CT]

In my case the gear set came from another casting and I did not take it apart. If I had, I would have measured the lash and tooth pattern before it came apart to try to duplicate it. I think the gears and bearings are made to a high tolerance and the variation is probably coming out of the machining of the casting. So you probably want the shims to follow the case as a baseline but the lash and tooth pattern from the donor gear set. If that makes sense.