#1 - PTO Belts "In Waiting" Replacing the twin PTO belts on a 154/184/15 takes a lot of time, and on a 154 and 185 you will probably have to move the engine forward. This is certainly no fun. But--with a little planning--you can easily cut the long-term time you spend changing these belts in half. Here's how: When replacing your PTO belts, put a second "spare" set around the driveshaft, then use ties to "attach" the belts anywhere they fit well and ARE AWAY FROM MOVING PARTS (Make sure they're not touching any moving parts!). Then, the next time your PTO belts need changing...simply cut off and remove the old ones, then "untie" the spare set and slip them in place. Hamiltonbob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #2 - Steering Wheel Removal Some Numbered Cub owners find their steering wheel comes off rather easily with simply a firm tap after removing the retainer bolt. But, most owners find steering wheel removal a lot more "interesting". (I once went as far as to hook a chain to a steering wheel, and try to lift it with a boom pole from a large tractor...the result was the entire 185 being lifted off the ground, but the steering wheel still in place). Somewhat often, a good soaking with PB Buster (let soak a few days), and using your knees to lift a leveraged 2X4 will remove the steering wheel. If its a more difficult one, you'll want to try a large bearing puller. You do not want the "3 finger" variety puller, as it will just rip the rubber off the hub. You'll want to use a puller with a full surface area that makes as much contact as possible with the underside of the hub. The above will work most of the time. But, if the wheel is still stuck, you may need to destroy the wheel to get it off. When destroying the wheel to remove it, you'll want to be as careful as possible not to damage the threads (keeping the retaining nut on helps). Then, break off the rubber/hub and use any bearing puller to take it off. Hamiltonbob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #3 - Shield Clip There are two parts on a Numbered Cub that are often very difficult to remove...the steering wheel, and the rear PTO pulley. In fact, these parts are so difficult to remove that they are often destroyed when folks try to remove them. But, unfortunately, these are also 2 parts that sometimes must be removed to access other areas of the tractor for repair. So, what to do when you need to remove either of these parts, but they seem likely to break before coming off? Well, perhaps consider a "last resort" alternative if breaking the part seems unavoidable...do some cutting! No, you don't want to cut the pulley or steering wheel (although sometimes frustration may make you think you want to cut them). Instead, you may want to cut the metal around them. Specifically--for the steering wheel--if you need to access under the dash, you can cut a "V' shape, starting at the steering shaft and widening towards the back of the tractor. After removing the dash screws, you can hacksaw the "V", and slide the dash out of the way. The same general idea applies to the rear PTO pulley. You can cut a "V" under the rear shaft, into the rear PTO cover. Then, the cover can be removed by sliding it off, without having to remove the pulley. Of course, either of these methods is going to leave a permanent cut in your dash or rear PTO cover. But, given the alternative, a lot of folks would rather have a cut out rather than destroy the steering wheel or rear pulley. Hamiltonbob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #4 - Vibrating Mower Repair If your mower is vibrating and rattling when mowing, the cause may be worn bearings that are not holding the spindle shafts securely. On most IH mowers, these worn bearings can be "re-tightened". Begin by removing your mower guards. Depending on your model of IH mower, you may also need to remove the pulley. You'll notice there is a washer with "ears" holding the large bolt on the top of the shaft. Bend the ears down so you can turn the large bolt. Tighten the large bolt snug, then loosen 1/4 turn. Check to see if the shaft is snug in the bearings. You want the shaft to be snug, but to turn with a little resistance. You may need to loosen or tighten the bolt a 1/8 turn, or so, to get it just right. If this does not fix the vibrating, or if you have a Woods mower, the next option is to consider replacing your bearings. Hamiltonbob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #5 - Really grease the throw out bearing The grease fitting on the throw out bearing retainer greases the area where the driveshaft slides through, but does not grease the bearing itself. However, the bearing does need lubricating, so its important to keep it greased. I recommend that anytime you have your throw out bearing out of the trator, you take the time to grease the bearing. The best way to do this is just simply an old-fashioned packing. If by chance you are not familiar...to pack the bearing, simply put a glob of bearing grease in you hand, then hold the throw out bearing in the other hand, and force/squeeze the grease into the small opening in the bearing. If you keep repeatedly working it, the grease in your hand should eventually disappear because it will all be in the bearing. It will take some time to do this. When I am working the clutch on the 154 I mow with, I like to take a glob of grease and the bearing and sit under a tree in some shade...it makes for a nice "break" while working on the tractor. Hamiltonbob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #6 - Solve Grinding Gears If your gears are grinding during shifting, there is a decent chance the cause is an under-adjusted clutch brake . You may be able to adjust the clutch bake without having to remove the seat and fenders. The clutch brake is the two-part mechanism that is bolted to the front of the transmission. It houses two button-shaped friction pucks that push forward to stop the rear flywheel when you depress the clutch. The stopping of the flywheel (and the transmission gears) is what allows shifting without grinding. With two short 1/2" wrenches, you may be able to adjust the linkage to the clutch without having to remove the seat and fenders. Adjust just far enough so that the buttons stop the flywheel when the clutch pedal is fully depressed. If you need to remove the seat and fenders, note its almost always easiest to leave the fenders attached to the seat frame as you remove it from the tractor. Hamiltonbob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #7 - Throttle Lever Tightening If you find that your throttle lever is sliding itself down to a lower speed after you set it, you can adjust it to tighten its hold and keep it in place. There is a bolt near where the lever fastens to the dash frame. Tighten this bolt to the desired tightness. You may be able to unbolt and remove the dash just enough to access the bolt, without having to remove the steering wheel. Hamiltonbob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #8 - Quick Hot Wire Have you ever had a tractor that would not turn over, and you didn't know where the problem was? You can hot wire your tractor in a few minutes to eliminate a starter problem. Simply take the non-distributor side of your coil wire and attach to the positive side of a good battery. Connect the negative battery terminal to a ground on your tractor. To start, run a jumper from your positive battery terminal and touch firmly to the starter bolt that the large wire runs to. **SAFETY NOTE-- PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: In hot wiring the tractor, you are bypassing the clutch safety switch. So, you'll want someone on the tractor to be sure the clutch is depressed, and the PTO is disengaged.** Hamiltonbob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #9 - Rear Main Seal Replacement If you have a rear main seal leaking, and decide to spend the time to replace it, a word of caution… At some point in the past, IH changed the rear main seal. We have heard from many customers who have said the seal fits too loose in the rear cover, or-worse yet-have replaced the seal only to find it still leaks after all that work. When replacing the seal, you want to be sure the rear engine cover has a part number stamped on it that ends in “R2”. If you use one that ends in “R1”, you are likely to encounter problems. Also, take your rear cover directly to the dealer where you are buying the seal. This way, you and the dealer can inspect the fit to be sure it is seating properly. Changing the rear seal is a pain…but changing it twice is twice the pain. Hamiltonbob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #10 - Mower Blade Nut Removal I have disassembled many 154s, and often the toughest part of the tractor is the nut that retains the mower blades. Getting them loose is challenging, but, finding a way to keep the spindle shaft stationary for removal is even tougher. The best way to get it off is to use a pneumatic wrench. The pounding action of the wrench gets the nut off with minimal turning of the shaft, saving a lot of effort and headache. Hamiltonbob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #11 - What Model is my mower? We often hear from folks who are trying to figure out what kind of mower they have. Knowing your mower type is important, especially if you ever need parts for it, as all of the Lo Boy mowers use different parts. There are actually 4 different models of 59" mower that could be under your 154/184/185: 3160, 3260, 3160A, and Woods. Determining your mower type is best done by answering 2 questions: How many total belts does the mower use? And, What shape is the spindle plate? Below is a list of the 4 mowers, with belt and spindle information. You can use this information to verify your mower type: 3160 - 3 total belts (1 mule, 2 deck), square shaped spindle plate 3260 - 2 total belts, triangle shaped spindle plate 3160A - 2 total belts, square shaped spindle plate Woods - 1 total belt, circle shaped spindle plate (Hint: One mistake folks often make is that they believe the "3160" and "3160A" are the same mower. In fact, these 2 mowers are probably the most different of all the mowers) Of course, if you have any questions about your mower type, don't hesitate to give us a call! Hamiltonbob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #12 - 3160 Center Pulley Removal I guess there must be a special tool to remove the center pulley off the 3160 mower…but I've never heard about it. I have found that prying the pulley will only break it. Here is the way I found works best to remove the pulley… First, remove the bolts that connect the mower deck to spindle casing, and let the unit drop flush. Then, raise the deck so the spindle hangs freely. Remove the 3 bolts that connect the pulley hub to the pulley, then PB blast (or, WD-40) the entire area. After letting it soak for a day or so, use a metal dowel to drive the shaft down, with the mower deck catching the lower side of the pulley. This isn't a full-proof method, but I've found it to be the best way to go about removal. Hamiltonbob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #13 - Carburetor and Manifold Power We know that IH put their small carburetor on the 154, and, upgraded to the larger, more powerful Zenith carburetor for the 185 and 184. This larger Zenith carburetor picked up about 2HP over the IH carburetor. While 2HP may not seem like a lot, an increase in power from 12HP to 14HP is quite noticeable. It is interesting that the IH and Zenith carburetors will use the same manifold, so they can be easily swapped out. I have always wondered why IH made a slightly different manifold for the Zenith carburetor. This "different" manifold had a slightly larger flange, but, the exact same bolt pattern and inflow port size. So, the 2 manifolds function identically to each other, even though one looks slightly different due to the flange size. I once had a customer tell me that he used a 1" bore bit to enlarge the port hole from 7/8", and noticed even slightly greater power pickup ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------