Once again, thinking outside the box James is allowing this bag of bolts a new lease on life. Most would have given up on this, but you took some plumbing parts, JB Weld, a lot of ingenuity, skill and made something substantial. I never stop learning on this channel.
When you took out the emulsion tube, a huge chuck of sludge came flying out and landed in front of the yellow float bowl. It might of been the hunting problem. Your camera angle was perfect to show it. Anyways, another great video. I appreciate it!
I used to be loyal to Cub Cadet for lawn tractors 20+ years ago. The last one I bought in 2018 ($2600) was a lemon. Unrepairable fuel injection. Poorly designed bearing surfaces everywhere! Ungreasable deck spindles. This one you fixed shows how cheaply they make them now. I traded in my lemon on a Kubota diesel GR2120, a dream machine. Four times the money but ten times the machine.
What, no radio/internet, how you going to get the kids to mow the lawn? Truly had a great time watching the two videos. I thought that the fix for the steering wheel was brilliant! I had never heard of this brand before, I and I visited their website. There was a text from someone asking the question is my Cub Cadet going to break? His answer was yes, and then proceeded to say everything breaks! Dah! I hope your son wasn't permanently scared when the front panel came off? Kids can take things to heart ❤️. Thanks for being a father. My son is 49 years old & mentally ill. He never goes outside. He is a great person and we are great friends. Peace and love to you and your family! 😎❤️🕊️
I hope the design engineers at Cub Cadet were watching this video. Maybe they took notes on creating a better design in several areas, especially around the steering column. That worked out great. On behalf of myself and my lawn, thank you for bringing back new life to what was my favorite lawn tractor(although the zero turn is pretty cool).
I have 3 of the older Cub Cadets;,A 107,A 682 And a 1710 which is identical the same as the 682 other than the difference in numbers. The new plastic junk that is being sold nowadays has entirely way too much plastic. The older Cub Cadets and the older John Deere garden tractors utilized the Ross steering column and gear rather than the sector gear setup like the newer tractors had. I was quite surprised at the lack of support for the steering which is engineered to fail. The steering columns In all of my Cubs are rebuildable and have a good steering action.
@@TheIronDuke502 Great information. I wish I had done more research on my Cub Cadet when the steering started to get sloppy very early on. By not doing something about it, I couldn’t correct the steering as I got right up to the dwarf apple tree where grass grew right up to the trunk, and ended up catching it with the blade housing, which lifted in the air and came back down on the other side of the trunk. It’s when I put it in reverse to attempt to back away is when it caught the trunk in a weird way that actually caused the damage to the steering. It’s hard to explain and I couldn’t duplicate the incident in a million years. I was in my late 60’s when this happened and never had an automobile accident, so this really pissed me off.
@@PaulMack1249 Yeah, I totally understand. One afternoon I was mowing next to the road and I went to turn the steering wheel in which the next thing that I knew that the steering wheel was freewheeling. I had to grab another tractor and pull a few feet forward and stop and kick the front wheels to straighten them out and pull a few more feet forward until the wheels started turning pretty far over which seemed to be a never ending struggle. I finally got the Cub pulled inside my driveway., Luckily I found a really nice Ross steering assembly on eBay. After pulling the steering wheel from the splined shaft at the top and dropping the mower deck and disconnecting all the steering tie rod shafts, I concentrated on the underside of the tractor in which I used a come a long hooked on a strong tree limb to raise the front of the Cub Cadet up at a 45 degree angle where I could get to the steering box mounting bolts. You have to pull the steering assembly from the underside of the tractor, But was not very difficult to pull out once the bolts were removed. Most all of the older Cubs and John Deere’s that used the Ross steering assembly were very similar to one another concerning the steering.
@IronDuke502 I have to agree this is a very poor design from plastic surface wearing against steel to the attachment of dash to the two vertical tubes. I have a old cub cadet 2146 and it is nothing like this setup. I have had to replace parts of the deck and replace oil seal on front of the engine but mostly a robust garden tractor. I am surprised James cobbled repair came out as well as it did, by the time it gets loose this machine will have not much if any life left, The amount of work needed on this machine not sure it was cost effective but makes a good video.
I've been impressed watching you grow as a mechanic, from working on the floor (And everyone saying, get a bench!), to that is clean enough... I must say, I like the "Let's clean this up before we get started" better... (PS, I know your pressure washer is down, but this was nasty!)
Usually, you always clean everything before putting it back together. You didn't do it this time, why not? I always liked it when you did that and made everything look factory new.
James said his pressure washer needed fixing (another vid for us!) and since he has to strip back the engine for the coil change anyway....titivating can then commence...
I think $450 for that mower is a pretty good deal considering you now know what you have ! You could buy a used one for that amount maybe, but it would probably be worn out. I like the Kawasaki engines, I have a 25 hp Kawasaki engine in my Dixie chopper and it hasn't missed a beat in the 7 years I've had it. Regular service and cleaning, those Kawasaki engines can last a long time I'm told. Great job James , It's also nice to put a face to those tennis shoes that we are always watching !! LOL
I believe that the ignition coil is dipped in laquer that keeps the laminate plates together so they don't come apart Glad you got the parts to fix this mower in running condition again there James condon the generator Man 😊
I was at Home Depot today and noted that their Cub Cadet model was $2400. So yeah, $400 or so is a good deal. Now I am inspired to do some serious cleaning and maintenance on my old Murray lawn tractor.
Thank you James. These are always fun and educational to watch. I'm now refurbishing my old Snapper rider, that is 40+ years old, and stored under my house for nearly 30 years. I'm doing a video series on its progress on my microscopic UA-cam channel also. (learning video recording, editing, plus Snapper specifics all at the same time). Wish me luck!! Looking forward to your pressure washer vid too.
I'm going to be following that. I had a 1983 Snapper rider exactly like that. Only got rid if it in 2003 because I'd moved and needed something bigger.
Hi James, You are amazing. You waltz through all these small engine repairs better than anyone I know. I realize that since these engines will only get dirty again, but I would start off by cleaning the engine, (as best I could) then start the repair. Also, shouldn't some of those new parts be painted with Rust- Oleum, or at least primed? That's the way I would work. I realize there's an additional cost involved, but working on clean parts is more enjoyable.
Thats an amazing job, the Cub Cadet lives to fight another day, it would have probably ended up in the trash had you have not taken it on, and whilst you carried out a lot of work on it, it is basically a good machine.
That's a heck of a lot of work to a basically through away mower. I give the steering wheel repair 1 season at the most. Very good video. Thanks for the time and trouble.🍻
Good point . He paid o for the mower and a $450.00 investment got a running machine it was well worth it for him but he's got a lot of labor in it. He would have to get $2,400.00 to cover his labor. @@redmondjp
James: Love your channel. Been a long term subscriber. I watch all your episodes. As an individual who works on my boat engines and electrical generator engine, I have always found that cleaning up the engine in advance helps to identify where leaks emanate from. The cleaner the bilge, the easier to diagnose what is leaking (engine oil, coolant, power steering fluid, raw water, etc). I was surprised you didn't hit the engine especially below the fly wheel with a steam cleaner and PB Blaster to clean it all up before starting. Respectfully, I suggest this since you showed that the dipstick tube was leaking. I notice how often you clean other engines and units at the end of the work which is commendable. Thanks for sharing these videos with all of us.
WD40 would have done a good job cleaning. Was really hoping spray it in degreaser and pressure wash. But the pressure washer had other ideas. Not done with it yet, but want to use it a while before finishing it up.
@@jcondon1I have noticed on your videos that you don't seem to do too much cleaning in advance of teardown. On my machines that see mud and/or grass when mixed with oil irs miserable to work on so a preliminary cleaning is first step in the repair process. It allows proper visual inspection, not to mention just nicer to handle clean parts. Your camera angles and editing are top knotch. I have picked up alot watching your videos !!
Been laid up the last 2 weeks post knee surgery, just binge watch your content. Love all your videos. Really wearing me out by not taking the hood off and power washing this nasty mower lol 😂 Either way brother keep it up!
Maybe a piece of standard copper pipe could have been used to take up the extra play in the steering support. Also before you drill the holes to mount the pipe flange, is may have made a difference in reference to the positioning forward or back to the tightness that the gears at the bottom that mesh.
i gotta say James, i admire how you do not give up on dang near any task at hand, the steering wheel/column repair was great, and most likely better than original...GREAT WORK!
Surprised that you chose to struggle with the body panels in place. I always take mine out before servicing. Cub Cadet engineered them for easy removal (at least they did on the older machines)
Yes the older ones had those coned washers and springs,looked almost like an engine remove would have made it easier yet for all the motor work,reseal that sump plate , new crank seals while its off, and he already was having issues with that polley on the PTO side
And yet another great video from diagnosing ,tear down ,and completion!! That was a home run repair in my eyes , doing what you do best , with your determination , patience , repair techniques and the art of editing always good stuff on this channel !!!
Terrible design, great repair (and improvement). The engine is excellent, the steering wheel, shaft, gears are certainly not on the same level. Using those plumbing parts was very thoughtful engineering. Good job. Thanks for another invaluable video.
Could you also have, as an extra refinement, slipped one of those other plastic bushes, suitably thinned down on a lathe, with it's flange upward onto the steering shaft to take up the play in the nicely engineered metal pipe bushes??
Hi James. I am a DIYer 2nd Class. When I see a 1st class DIYer like you, I realize I have a way to go before I obtain my 1st class certificate. Your overhead lift is so lovely to watch in action. Installing one is a great DIY project. I installed one in the attic above my garage.
Glad to see that one has the plenum for cooling air direct to the engine. That makes a LOT of difference in how long one will run. And there's always something else wrong as the deeper you go. God Bless
Man!! To have that much damage, he must have been at full throttle when he took out the apple tree. Hope he was okay :-). Very happy that you got it in great operating and safe condition.
If you want to refine your steering wheel repair even more, Amazon has a two pack of 3/4 OD by 5/8 ID sleeve bearing for $6.25. It looks like they would drop in and remove almost all of the remaining play. My local ACE hardware and Tractor Supply also stocks similar parts.
Prior owner neglect and abuse always amazes me. And the same people are surprised when the machine stops working. Oh well, more good videos from James.
A better suggestion for the ZIP ties. Use ADEL cushion clamps sizes for the tubing and then hardware for attaching the dash panel to the ADEL clamps. I have used many for firewall forward to attach and isolate wiring, fuel and oil lines in building experimental airplanes.
I have a John Deere with the same engine. This mower was given to me because it wasn't running well and the John Deere shop wanted 1800.00 to make repairs. It ran good at high speed but seem to run only on one cylinder. I miss diagnosed it as a bad coil shower however found out it had overheated due to clogged cooling fins and was leaking compression by one head gasket. I tightened the head bolts it's running great now. As far as surging I also cleaned the carb but did not stop the surging. After reading the owners manual found out the surging is normal under a no load condition. It does not surge under load. Hope by cleaning your carb you stop the surging. Mine is a 17hp.
Hi James, Just for your information, you mentioned the thread on the oil pressure switch as a pipe thread it is actually a British Standard Pipe Thread (BSPT) and as such it is a "Tapered Thread" Keep up the excellent work cheers mate.
Love your channel and the professional nature and patience you put into each project you do. I’ve learned so much myself and plan on doing my own later next spring hopefully. I. Have a 1957 2 1/2 hp 2 cycle mower I’m going to attempt to restore hasn’t run since 1980. Also have a 8.75hp craftsman I believe is a Briggs motor a yard machine rider given to ma with 17.5hp motor and a 1970 Troy BILT horse tiller to begin with. I live in southern Indiana a mile north of Louisville, Ky. Just wanted to thank you for the channel you do here and what I’ve learned about motors etc. I just got lucky that I have an Echo CS-400 chainsaw it’s been in storage for 4 1/2 years with old fuel in it. To my amazement it started and idled perfectly on first pull. I topped off fuel with fresh, cleaned sharpening chain and adjusted tension on chain and filled bar oil. Literally ran better than when I bought it new. Again thanks to you for everything you teach us here. Your appreciated.
I had a new personal best on a carb job yesterday. My mom's Troy Bilt tiller was acting up due to a carb issue. I removed, cleaned, and reinstalled the carb in 14 minutes. It ran perfectly. I'm proud of that one. The main jet was clogged.
Great job James, refurbishing old equipment like that is always a crapshoot, you never know where it stops until you get there. I did a restoration on a 1973 ariens snowblower a couple of years ago, all in it was about $700.00 bucks when I was done, we are talking paint, labels all new bearings,belts, bushings. It looks and operates like a brand new machine!!! Where can you get a 32" 12hp machine for that money
Great video, its amazing how durable a Kawasaki engine is, Getting all fixed up, will run like new when your done, That film of oil has really protected the frame from rusting
Another job well done. Interesting how you think you only have one or 2 problems, yet the deeper you go the more you find. I agree, it was worth the extra work. For what I have in my murray, about $400 I'm sure no one would be willing to pay $500 . That's ok, I enjoy it, it does a great job of cutting the grass. I swapped the original 12.5 horsepower Briggs for a 25 horsepower Kohler V twin. No grass to thick or too tall, it cuts it all. 😊 (40 inch cut)
very clever fix for the dash....love it! Jim can do miracles with a few couplings, bushings, grommets, JB weld, etc. The cub cadet will probably outlive most of us!!
Great job is always James. I worked on a few of these machines they are MTD build Cub Cadet branded. Most people would have just parted out the machine cuz it has a great engine and the rest would have been scrapped. Great job once again!
Love your attention to detail James, but I do think you should consider getting a small metal lathe to make your own bushes and parts. Regards Robert UK
Hello James: The conclusion was not a disapointment. The way you repaired the slop in the steering shaft almost identical to the same repair on my old garden tractor. I never thought of using a bulkhead fitting. Would have saved me several hours of work. The Craftsman old enough it did have a metal dash so that was a bit easier than the JB weld. You should get many years of service from the unit now. You are absolutely correct the time and cost of repair well justified. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to both the zero turn and pressure washer videos you sent out the hook for. You caught me.
Grease up your rack & pinion that you replaced as your first job and also grease it up every once in a while . Great video on part 1 & 2 , did a lot of work but as you said it was worth it. Thanks !
Brilliant solution to the worn dashboard where the steering column passes. There are many individuals out there who have Cub Cadet specific scrapyards, especially for the older IH style versions.
Excellent job. I knew these were light duty, but I never dreamed how light. We used to use those threaded fittings to hold a shower rod up at the camp...
I enjoyed this series. My only two suggestions, you should have put a touch of grease on the plastic steering bushings and definitely put some thread sealant on the oil pressure switch. It's a common leak point due to the vibration of the engine. Good work overall.
Just watched part 1, spent the last 20 minutes wondering why you didn't remove the side panel, it takes about 15 seconds, glad you finally got there :D.
Your solution to that steering wheel problem is pure genius! I don't expect you to answer this question, but when watching your videos, I often find myself wondering what it is that you do for work, in real life?
Awesome repair. I have not priced new machines since I bought my Poulan Pro in 2017. Mine cost $1,300 back then. I need to address my steering wheel slop soon but other than that I have no issues. I do regular maintenance & keep it clean. One good feature of my 19HP B&S motor, it has the oil drain where I put on the clear rubber tube, then twist and pull the drain. This is to ensure draining oil clears the frame. This is the first year I have replaced the blades. I have a jig to sharpen them with a diamond wheel, & a balancer. I don't know how junk gets into the fuel tank, but I have had to remove it twice to empty & clean it out as well as replace the fuel filter.
Nice fix for the upper steering issue! That's why I keep my stable of '60-'00 Wheel Horse tractors! All metal for the older and all metal where it counts for the newer ones.
Thank you for posting this excellent video. Watching these brings back memories of my father riding a much older Cub Cadet model in the 1960s. I was a kid back then. I am pretty sure it was a Cub Cadet mower. The family did not have it for long. I'm not quite sure what happened to it. One of my uncles also had a riding mower during the same time period, but I'm not sure what brand and model it was. He unfortunately reversed it into his very young son with the mower blades running. The boy survived but had severe leg injuries. I think a lot of the older mowers simply had no safety features at all. A backup camera connected to a computer which could stop the tractor and mower blades if an obstruction was sensed would be so good. I hope modern mowers are safer. I've never had a need for riding mowers -- my yard space is almost entirely planted with shrubs and trees, there is very little grass.
Good job on thinking of the cleaning, too! One of the worst things for these engines is that oily grime sticking to everything after a leak. It affects the cooling a lot more than one´d think. Not only on the cylindre fins, but on the whole block. I usually degrease everything with gasoline and brake cleaner/acetone as good aspossible, I basically wash down the whole engine with a brush and gasoline. In combination with a fixed leak, this greatly prevents buildup and therefore temperature regulation issues on the engine.
Watched a few of your other videos during the holidays. You repaired a snow plough with same problem, petrol suction tube , you replaced whole tube with right sized brass pipe and put petrol valve filter on the end of it ,
Hey, James! Nice one - I like good long repair videos! 😁 There’s a couple things I would have done differently. I would have pressure washed that engine compartment after removing the hood and both sides. The dirt and oil on the engine and cooling fins would make it run hotter. I really like your solution for stabilizing the top end of the steering shaft, but the washers are what’s preventing most of the slop due to the difference in size between the inside of the brass liner and the shaft. I would have tried dimpling over the bottom edge of the brass and inserting a piece of Delrin shim stock from above to provide a near frictionless spacer with less chance of long term wear. Maybe. Just a thought. 🔧👍
How old was this mower? It looked like it was about 30 years old, judging by the styling. That Kawasaki engine is something you don't see every day. I've never even worked on a Kawasaki engine on a mower. Thanks for sharing this one, and giving it a new lease on life.
Thank you for these two videos , they have helped me a lot , I am starting to see why my junk runs the way it does .Maybe now I can get it to work, maybe .......
Good job. Glad you mentioned the cost. I have a John Deere x540 garden tractor and it was 7600 new and snowblower, bagger, and tiller brought the total up to 11k. Only repair I've made is putting a new belt on the PowerFlow for the bagger and that was $47 bucks. Robbery.
Hi James loved the video, as I love them all. I was impressed with your steering wheel bushing. i personally own a John Deer like the one you showed at the store they go for around £2500 over here in the U.K. Take care
Awesome job! Kawasaki engines are by far the best IMO. On that steering shaft bushing I wonder if a simple 3/4” electrical chase bushing might have worked too, although I guess you really needed the extra support of the bolts with that terrible dash design.
Jim, congratulations. You certainly earned that victory lap around the yard. What patience and perseverance!
Once again, thinking outside the box James is allowing this bag of bolts a new lease on life. Most would have given up on this, but you took some plumbing parts, JB Weld, a lot of ingenuity, skill and made something substantial. I never stop learning on this channel.
When you took out the emulsion tube, a huge chuck of sludge came flying out and landed in front of the yellow float bowl. It might of been the hunting problem. Your camera angle was perfect to show it. Anyways, another great video. I appreciate it!
For those curious it's at 25:56
I used to be loyal to Cub Cadet for lawn tractors 20+ years ago. The last one I bought in 2018 ($2600) was a lemon. Unrepairable fuel injection. Poorly designed bearing surfaces everywhere! Ungreasable deck spindles. This one you fixed shows how cheaply they make them now. I traded in my lemon on a Kubota diesel GR2120, a dream machine. Four times the money but ten times the machine.
The sad thing is this one was built in 2003. They are even worse now.
Wow, the whole repair of this mower was great. The magic you did with the steering wheel slop was genious.
What, no radio/internet, how you going to get the kids to mow the lawn? Truly had a great time watching the two videos. I thought that the fix for the steering wheel was brilliant!
I had never heard of this brand before, I and I visited their website. There was a text from someone asking the question is my Cub Cadet going to break? His answer was yes, and then proceeded to say everything breaks! Dah! I hope your son wasn't permanently scared when the front panel came off? Kids can take things to heart ❤️. Thanks for being a father. My son is 49 years old & mentally ill. He never goes outside. He is a great person and we are great friends. Peace and love to you and your family! 😎❤️🕊️
I hope the design engineers at Cub Cadet were watching this video. Maybe they took notes on creating a better design in several areas, especially around the steering column. That worked out great.
On behalf of myself and my lawn, thank you for bringing back new life to what was my favorite lawn tractor(although the zero turn is pretty cool).
I have 3 of the older Cub Cadets;,A 107,A 682 And a 1710 which is identical the same as the 682 other than the difference in numbers. The new plastic junk that is being sold nowadays has entirely way too much plastic. The older Cub Cadets and the older John Deere garden tractors utilized the Ross steering column and gear rather than the sector gear setup like the newer tractors had. I was quite surprised at the lack of support for the steering which is engineered to fail. The steering columns In all of my Cubs are rebuildable and have a good steering action.
@@TheIronDuke502 Great information. I wish I had done more research on my Cub Cadet when the steering started to get sloppy very early on. By not doing something about it, I couldn’t correct the steering as I got right up to the dwarf apple tree where grass grew right up to the trunk, and ended up catching it with the blade housing, which lifted in the air and came back down on the other side of the trunk. It’s when I put it in reverse to attempt to back away is when it caught the trunk in a weird way that actually caused the damage to the steering. It’s hard to explain and I couldn’t duplicate the incident in a million years. I was in my late 60’s when this happened and never had an automobile accident, so this really pissed me off.
@@PaulMack1249 Yeah, I totally understand. One afternoon I was mowing next to the road and I went to turn the steering wheel in which the next thing that I knew that the steering wheel was freewheeling. I had to grab another tractor and pull a few feet forward and stop and kick the front wheels to straighten them out and pull a few more feet forward until the wheels started turning pretty far over which seemed to be a never ending struggle.
I finally got the Cub pulled inside my driveway., Luckily I found a really nice Ross steering assembly on eBay.
After pulling the steering wheel from the splined shaft at the top and dropping the mower deck and disconnecting all the steering tie rod shafts, I concentrated on the underside of the tractor in which I used a come a long hooked on a strong tree limb to raise the front of the Cub Cadet up at a 45 degree angle where I could get to the steering box mounting bolts.
You have to pull the steering assembly from the underside of the tractor, But was not very difficult to pull out once the bolts were removed.
Most all of the older Cubs and John Deere’s that used the Ross steering assembly were very similar to one another concerning the steering.
@IronDuke502 I have to agree this is a very poor design from plastic surface wearing against steel to the attachment of dash to the two vertical tubes. I have a old cub cadet 2146 and it is nothing like this setup. I have had to replace parts of the deck and replace oil seal on front of the engine but mostly a robust garden tractor.
I am surprised James cobbled repair came out as well as it did, by the time it gets loose this machine will have not much if any life left,
The amount of work needed on this machine not sure it was cost effective but makes a good video.
I've been impressed watching you grow as a mechanic, from working on the floor (And everyone saying, get a bench!), to that is clean enough... I must say, I like the "Let's clean this up before we get started" better... (PS, I know your pressure washer is down, but this was nasty!)
Usually, you always clean everything before putting it back together. You didn't do it this time, why not? I always liked it when you did that and made everything look factory new.
James said his pressure washer needed fixing (another vid for us!) and since he has to strip back the engine for the coil change anyway....titivating can then commence...
James. @43:32 a shiny new bolt drops from under the mower, better check it out. 👍🏴
I think $450 for that mower is a pretty good deal considering you now know what you have ! You could buy a used one for that amount maybe, but it would probably be worn out. I like the Kawasaki engines, I have a 25 hp Kawasaki engine in my Dixie chopper and it hasn't missed a beat in the 7 years I've had it. Regular service and cleaning, those Kawasaki engines can last a long time I'm told. Great job James , It's also nice to put a face to those tennis shoes that we are always watching !! LOL
Sick upgrade on steering shaft. Ingenious!!😊
I believe that the ignition coil is dipped in laquer that keeps the laminate plates together so they don't come apart Glad you got the parts to fix this mower in running condition again there James condon the generator Man 😊
I was at Home Depot today and noted that their Cub Cadet model was $2400. So yeah, $400 or so is a good deal. Now I am inspired to do some serious cleaning and maintenance on my old Murray lawn tractor.
Thank you James. These are always fun and educational to watch. I'm now refurbishing my old Snapper rider, that is 40+ years old, and stored under my house for nearly 30 years. I'm doing a video series on its progress on my microscopic UA-cam channel also. (learning video recording, editing, plus Snapper specifics all at the same time). Wish me luck!! Looking forward to your pressure washer vid too.
I'm going to be following that. I had a 1983 Snapper rider exactly like that. Only got rid if it in 2003 because I'd moved and needed something bigger.
You are a lawnmower repair genius props on your VICTORIOUS yard laps
Hi James, You are amazing. You waltz through all these small engine repairs better than anyone I know. I realize that since these engines will only get dirty again, but I would start off by cleaning the engine, (as best I could) then start the repair. Also, shouldn't some of those new parts be painted with Rust- Oleum, or at least primed? That's the way I would work. I realize there's an additional cost involved, but working on clean parts is more enjoyable.
Nice to have a tractor for that big yard!
Hopefully the kid will cut it for ya!
The Cub sounds sweet and looks good!
This was the most severe service tractor I've ever seen everything was covered in something or needed fixing great job!
You could press a bushing in to that brass fitting the size of the steering shaft.
Thanks Paul! This has been a great adventure, sorry about your apple tree.
Thats an amazing job, the Cub Cadet lives to fight another day, it would have probably ended up in the trash had you have not taken it on, and whilst you carried out a lot of work on it, it is basically a good machine.
I think your the " Bob Ross" the painter of small engine repair bud..Very enjoyable to watch...
Great video, nice to see your smiling face once in a while 😊
But this isn’t a real cub cadet 🤷♂️ it’s an MTD KNOCKOFF 👍😝
Thanks James, for the carburetor information you provided me with. It matches almost exactly and thanks for another interesting and informative video.
That's a heck of a lot of work to a basically through away mower. I give the steering wheel repair 1 season at the most. Very good video. Thanks for the time and trouble.🍻
But Spitter, the “throw away mower” is now $2200-2400 at all of my local box stores. So still worth saving if one has the time to do so.
Good point . He paid o for the mower and a $450.00 investment got a running machine it was well worth it for him but he's got a lot of labor in it. He would have to get $2,400.00 to cover his labor. @@redmondjp
James: Love your channel. Been a long term subscriber. I watch all your episodes. As an individual who works on my boat engines and electrical generator engine, I have always found that cleaning up the engine in advance helps to identify where leaks emanate from. The cleaner the bilge, the easier to diagnose what is leaking (engine oil, coolant, power steering fluid, raw water, etc). I was surprised you didn't hit the engine especially below the fly wheel with a steam cleaner and PB Blaster to clean it all up before starting. Respectfully, I suggest this since you showed that the dipstick tube was leaking. I notice how often you clean other engines and units at the end of the work which is commendable. Thanks for sharing these videos with all of us.
WD40 would have done a good job cleaning. Was really hoping spray it in degreaser and pressure wash. But the pressure washer had other ideas. Not done with it yet, but want to use it a while before finishing it up.
@@jcondon1I have noticed on your videos that you don't seem to do too much cleaning in advance of teardown. On my machines that see mud and/or grass when mixed with oil irs miserable to work on so a preliminary cleaning is first step in the repair process. It allows proper visual inspection, not to mention just nicer to handle clean parts.
Your camera angles and editing are top knotch. I have picked up alot watching your videos !!
Been laid up the last 2 weeks post knee surgery, just binge watch your content. Love all your videos.
Really wearing me out by not taking the hood off and power washing this nasty mower lol 😂
Either way brother keep it up!
Happy mowing with the remade club cadet best save 🎉🎉🎉
Maybe a piece of standard copper pipe could have been used to take up the extra play in the steering support. Also before you drill the holes to mount the pipe flange, is may have made a difference in reference to the positioning forward or back to the tightness that the gears at the bottom that mesh.
i gotta say James, i admire how you do not give up on dang near any task at hand, the steering wheel/column repair was great, and most likely better than original...GREAT WORK!
Surprised that you chose to struggle with the body panels in place. I always take mine out before servicing. Cub Cadet engineered them for easy removal (at least they did on the older machines)
Yes the older ones had those coned washers and springs,looked almost like an engine remove would have made it easier yet for all the motor work,reseal that sump plate , new crank seals while its off, and he already was having issues with that polley on the PTO side
My CRAFTSMAN mower has a hood that can be removed without any tools.
And yet another great video from diagnosing ,tear down ,and completion!!
That was a home run repair in my eyes , doing what you do best , with your determination , patience , repair techniques and the art of editing always good stuff on this channel !!!
Terrible design, great repair (and improvement). The engine is excellent, the steering wheel, shaft, gears are certainly not on the same level. Using those plumbing parts was very thoughtful engineering. Good job. Thanks for another invaluable video.
This episode was also definitely worth watching until the end.
Could you also have, as an extra refinement, slipped one of those other plastic bushes, suitably thinned down on a lathe, with it's flange upward onto the steering shaft to take up the play in the nicely engineered metal pipe bushes??
Hi James. I am a DIYer 2nd Class. When I see a 1st class DIYer like you, I realize I have a way to go before I obtain my 1st class certificate. Your overhead lift is so lovely to watch in action. Installing one is a great DIY project. I installed one in the attic above my garage.
thank you for giving me something to watch on this wonderful thursday morning!
Glad to see that one has the plenum for cooling air direct to the engine. That makes a LOT of difference in how long one will run. And there's always something else wrong as the deeper you go. God Bless
Man!! To have that much damage, he must have been at full throttle when he took out the apple tree. Hope he was okay :-). Very happy that you got it in great operating and safe condition.
These videos are like going to the movies. Maybe I should get some popcorn
If you want to refine your steering wheel repair even more, Amazon has a two pack of 3/4 OD by 5/8 ID sleeve bearing for $6.25. It looks like they would drop in and remove almost all of the remaining play. My local ACE hardware and Tractor Supply also stocks similar parts.
I was thinking there had to be something in the McMasterr Carr catalog to take up that slack, too.
Prior owner neglect and abuse always amazes me. And the same people are surprised when the machine stops working. Oh well, more good videos from James.
A better suggestion for the ZIP ties. Use ADEL cushion clamps sizes for the tubing and then hardware for attaching the dash panel to the ADEL clamps. I have used many for firewall forward to attach and isolate wiring, fuel and oil lines in building experimental airplanes.
I have a John Deere with the same engine. This mower was given to me because it wasn't running well and the John Deere shop wanted 1800.00 to make repairs.
It ran good at high speed but seem to run only on one cylinder. I miss diagnosed it as a bad coil shower however found out it had overheated due to clogged cooling fins and was leaking compression by one head gasket. I tightened the head bolts it's running great now.
As far as surging I also cleaned the carb but did not stop the surging. After reading the owners manual found out the surging is normal under a no load condition. It does not surge under load.
Hope by cleaning your carb you stop the surging. Mine is a 17hp.
Hi James, Just for your information, you mentioned the thread on the oil pressure switch as a pipe thread it is actually a British Standard Pipe Thread (BSPT) and as such it is a "Tapered Thread" Keep up the excellent work cheers mate.
No it's not. 1/8" NPT
Love your channel and the professional nature and patience you put into each project you do. I’ve learned so much myself and plan on doing my own later next spring hopefully. I. Have a 1957 2 1/2 hp 2 cycle mower I’m going to attempt to restore hasn’t run since 1980. Also have a 8.75hp craftsman I believe is a Briggs motor a yard machine rider given to ma with 17.5hp motor and a 1970 Troy BILT horse tiller to begin with. I live in southern Indiana a mile north of Louisville, Ky. Just wanted to thank you for the channel you do here and what I’ve learned about motors etc. I just got lucky that I have an Echo CS-400 chainsaw it’s been in storage for 4 1/2 years with old fuel in it. To my amazement it started and idled perfectly on first pull. I topped off fuel with fresh, cleaned sharpening chain and adjusted tension on chain and filled bar oil. Literally ran better than when I bought it new. Again thanks to you for everything you teach us here. Your appreciated.
I had a new personal best on a carb job yesterday. My mom's Troy Bilt tiller was acting up due to a carb issue. I removed, cleaned, and reinstalled the carb in 14 minutes. It ran perfectly. I'm proud of that one. The main jet was clogged.
Inline filter installed in fuel line today?
Nice... The Cadet finally graduated from The Condon Academy. Thanks for sharing. Best to You and Yours.👍🏁
I really liked the bushing set up you made for the steering shaft. Very ingenious! Overall, a great overhaul!
Great job James, refurbishing old equipment like that is always a crapshoot, you never know where it stops until you get there. I did a restoration on a 1973 ariens snowblower a couple of years ago, all in it was about $700.00 bucks when I was done, we are talking paint, labels all new bearings,belts, bushings. It looks and operates like a brand new machine!!! Where can you get a 32" 12hp machine for that money
Great video, its amazing how durable a Kawasaki engine is, Getting all fixed up, will run like new when your done, That film of oil has really protected the frame from rusting
Great video as always. Very innovative fix on the steering column.
Another job well done. Interesting how you think you only have one or 2 problems, yet the deeper you go the more you find. I agree, it was worth the extra work.
For what I have in my murray, about $400 I'm sure no one would be willing to pay $500 . That's ok, I enjoy it, it does a great job of cutting the grass.
I swapped the original 12.5 horsepower Briggs for a 25 horsepower Kohler V twin. No grass to thick or too tall, it cuts it all. 😊 (40 inch cut)
very clever fix for the dash....love it! Jim can do miracles with a few couplings, bushings, grommets, JB weld, etc. The cub cadet will probably outlive most of us!!
Wow you fixed everything on that tractor.That's a lot stuff you fix awesome thank you for the video
Jim you are magic, but I do wish you had cleaned all the old muck off the poor thing, or am I jumping the gun!!!
I noticed that 8:45 you didn't clean the rusty magnets. Rusty magnets will give you a weak spark.
i needed some bolts with he shoulder, but couldn't find them i made shoulders out of short pieces of tubing and it worked fine.
Great job is always James. I worked on a few of these machines they are MTD build Cub Cadet branded. Most people would have just parted out the machine cuz it has a great engine and the rest would have been scrapped. Great job once again!
MTD builds for a lot of different brands. The question is who does the engineering. Is it MTD or Cub Cadet. Or Craftsman. Or Yardman
Love your attention to detail James, but I do think you should consider getting a small metal lathe to make your own bushes and parts. Regards Robert UK
Hello James: The conclusion was not a disapointment. The way you repaired the slop in the steering shaft almost identical to the same repair on my old garden tractor. I never thought of using a bulkhead fitting. Would have saved me several hours of work. The Craftsman old enough it did have a metal dash so that was a bit easier than the JB weld. You should get many years of service from the unit now. You are absolutely correct the time and cost of repair well justified. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to both the zero turn and pressure washer videos you sent out the hook for. You caught me.
Grease up your rack & pinion that you replaced as your first job and also grease it up every once in a while . Great video on part 1 & 2 , did a lot of work but as you said it was worth it. Thanks !
Brilliant solution to the worn dashboard where the steering column passes.
There are many individuals out there who have Cub Cadet specific scrapyards, especially for the older IH style versions.
Excellent job, James. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent job. I knew these were light duty, but I never dreamed how light. We used to use those threaded fittings to hold a shower rod up at the camp...
Great Job Jim, on finally getting the Cub Cadet running and cutting great again..
I enjoyed this series. My only two suggestions, you should have put a touch of grease on the plastic steering bushings and definitely put some thread sealant on the oil pressure switch. It's a common leak point due to the vibration of the engine. Good work overall.
Very involving but a good watch. Inventive solution on the steering.
Just watched part 1, spent the last 20 minutes wondering why you didn't remove the side panel, it takes about 15 seconds, glad you finally got there :D.
Your solution to that steering wheel problem is pure genius!
I don't expect you to answer this question, but when watching your videos, I often find myself wondering what it is that you do for work, in real life?
Awesome repair. I have not priced new machines since I bought my Poulan Pro in 2017. Mine cost $1,300 back then. I need to address my steering wheel slop soon but other than that I have no issues. I do regular maintenance & keep it clean. One good feature of my 19HP B&S motor, it has the oil drain where I put on the clear rubber tube, then twist and pull the drain. This is to ensure draining oil clears the frame. This is the first year I have replaced the blades. I have a jig to sharpen them with a diamond wheel, & a balancer. I don't know how junk gets into the fuel tank, but I have had to remove it twice to empty & clean it out as well as replace the fuel filter.
Nicely done. Can't wait see you repair the pressure washer.
A rare glimpse of the man himself!
3:33 You should take a page from Mustie1's book and write the date and hours on the end of the oil filter in white paint pen.
Nice fix for the upper steering issue! That's why I keep my stable of '60-'00 Wheel Horse tractors! All metal for the older and all metal where it counts for the newer ones.
Thank you for posting this excellent video. Watching these brings back memories of my father riding a much older Cub Cadet model in the 1960s. I was a kid back then. I am pretty sure it was a Cub Cadet mower. The family did not have it for long. I'm not quite sure what happened to it. One of my uncles also had a riding mower during the same time period, but I'm not sure what brand and model it was. He unfortunately reversed it into his very young son with the mower blades running. The boy survived but had severe leg injuries. I think a lot of the older mowers simply had no safety features at all. A backup camera connected to a computer which could stop the tractor and mower blades if an obstruction was sensed would be so good. I hope modern mowers are safer. I've never had a need for riding mowers -- my yard space is almost entirely planted with shrubs and trees, there is very little grass.
Nice job, James
James, time to get a mini lathe, turn a bronze bushing to get perfect clearance on the steering
You lost a bolt at 00:43:30 when you release the brakes. As usual very nice videos, you are a true handyman.
Great workaround on the steering shaft.
You make it so easy , I’ve learned more from you in past few month than any other channel. Thank you!
Genius fix on the steering bushing - way to go!
Nice fix!! Runs great, & cuts great!!
I love the thinking out of the box to fix your problem
That was some great thinking on how to fix that poorly designed dash, excellent work bringing that mower back to life James!
Good job on thinking of the cleaning, too! One of the worst things for these engines is that oily grime sticking to everything after a leak. It affects the cooling a lot more than one´d think. Not only on the cylindre fins, but on the whole block. I usually degrease everything with gasoline and brake cleaner/acetone as good aspossible, I basically wash down the whole engine with a brush and gasoline. In combination with a fixed leak, this greatly prevents buildup and therefore temperature regulation issues on the engine.
Watched a few of your other videos during the holidays. You repaired a snow plough with same problem, petrol suction tube , you replaced whole tube with right sized brass pipe and put petrol valve filter on the end of it ,
Hey, James! Nice one - I like good long repair videos! 😁
There’s a couple things I would have done differently.
I would have pressure washed that engine compartment after removing the hood and both sides. The dirt and oil on the engine and cooling fins would make it run hotter.
I really like your solution for stabilizing the top end of the steering shaft, but the washers are what’s preventing most of the slop due to the difference in size between the inside of the brass liner and the shaft. I would have tried dimpling over the bottom edge of the brass and inserting a piece of Delrin shim stock from above to provide a near frictionless spacer with less chance of long term wear. Maybe. Just a thought. 🔧👍
How old was this mower? It looked like it was about 30 years old, judging by the styling. That Kawasaki engine is something you don't see every day. I've never even worked on a Kawasaki engine on a mower. Thanks for sharing this one, and giving it a new lease on life.
This one was 20 years old.
Thank you for these two videos , they have helped me a lot , I am starting to see why my junk runs the way it does .Maybe now I can get it to work, maybe .......
You do great work. It was fun watching you bring this one back to life.
Your just darn good bud..Very well done job
Good video James 👍
Good job. Glad you mentioned the cost. I have a John Deere x540 garden tractor and it was 7600 new and snowblower, bagger, and tiller brought the total up to 11k. Only repair I've made is putting a new belt on the PowerFlow for the bagger and that was $47 bucks. Robbery.
Hi James loved the video, as I love them all. I was impressed with your steering wheel bushing. i personally own a John Deer like the one you showed at the store they go for around £2500 over here in the U.K. Take care
Thanks!
Thanks David
Gotta say I would have angrily removed that deck bar pretty quickly if that was me😂🛠
Well done James. 👍
Awesome job! Kawasaki engines are by far the best IMO. On that steering shaft bushing I wonder if a simple 3/4” electrical chase bushing might have worked too, although I guess you really needed the extra support of the bolts with that terrible dash design.