Diary

• May 28, 2023
  
  • Engine
    I put new gaskets in the grooves of the intake manifold and placed it on the cylinder heads. The bolts are hand-tightened, not torqued yet.

    I cleaned the outside of the carburetor and placed it on the studs. I connected the linkage.

    I installed all of the heat shields. I then torqued the intake manifold bolts to spec.

    I managed to get all of the exhaust bolts started after placing new exhaust manifold gaskets. I also managed to get them torqued, using the new stubby half-cut 1/4" drive Torx bits I received from VIM.

    I reinstalled the air filter housing and air filter.

    I reinstalled the top engine cover after thoroughly cleaning it. I reinstalled the fuel pump.

    I reinstalled the fuel tank, double checked everything and then started the engine. Sounded great. I then mowed the whole yard (3 weeks overdue). Engine ran like new (better than it's been in at least a year). So satisfying to do a top-end tune-up on an engine that needs it.

• May 27, 2023
  
  • Engine
    I reinstalled the left cylinder head with a new head gasket. I put orange threadlocker on the head bolts; I can't find my blue bottle, and no one seems to have the 90ml bottles locally (most stores have none at all). It should be fine, and it's not like I expect to be removing the cylinder heads again anytime soon.

    Most of the work here was prep for this stage. It took a long time to get the head and block mating surfaces cleaned.

    I reinstalled the rocker arm studs. I used orange threadlocker here and torqued to 5% above the original spec. Hopefully this is sufficient to prevent the stud from backing out again.

    I installed the pushrods in the left cylinder head (including the new one for the intake), then reinstalled the rockers. I adjusted the valve lash to .005" per the service manual, carefully torqeing the lock screws to 7.3 Nm.

    I gapped the new spark plug to 0.030" for the left cylinder and installed it.

    I removed the right cylinder valve cover, rockers and rocker studs. I reinstalled the Rocker studs with orange threadlocker torqued to 5% above the orginal spec.

    I reinstalled the rockers on the right cylinder and adjusted the valve lash again.

    I reinstalled the valve covers and the new spark plug in the right cylinder.

    Next up is the intake manifold and carburetor.

• May 23, 2023
  
  • Engine
    I cleaned the combustion chamber of the left cylinder head.

• May 22, 2023
  
  • Engine
    I picked up a new pushrod and spark plugs from Weingartz. I also bought Loctite orange threadlocker to use on the rocker arm studs.

• May 21, 2023
  
  • Engine
    I finished replacing the head gasket on the right cylinder. Mostly uneventful, though the valve lash was a little loose on the exhaust valve. I adjusted both to 0.004".

    The left cylinder, on the other hand... not good. Both pushrods were disengaged from their rocker, and the intake pushrod was bent. Fortunately I don't see any other collateral damage; the valve tappets and rockers look OK.

    The cause... the intake valve's rocker stud (which holds the rocker to the head) had backed out a full .25"! I'm not yet sure what caused the issue on the exhaust rocker, though I did notice that one of the head bolts wasn't very tight. Fortunately the exhaust pushrod is still straight and undamaged.

    I ordered a new pushrod from Weingartz, for local pickup. I also ordered new spark plugs.

    Odds are good that I'll put some red Loctite on the rocker studs and retorque them. I should probably take the valve cover off of the right cvylinder and do the same there, despite having retorqued them when I replaced the head gasket on that cylinder.

• May 10, 2023
  
  • Engine
    I picked up two head gasket kits at Weingartz on my way to work. Now I know why the part number changed: the new gaskets are reinforced. AS a general rule I hate to see this in a head gasket. It means that not enough testing was done to justify the cheaper original gasket design. I've seen reports of head gaskets blowing at under 150 engine hours.

    Fingers crossed that the heads aren't warped; I don't really have time time to deal with having it resurfaced.

• May 6, 2023
  
  • Engine
    Annual oil and filter change, at 450 engine hours.

    I've got a blown head gasket. From what I've seen online, this is a common problem. :( This coming weekend, I'll replace both head gaskets. Looks like a whole day job.

• May 22, 2021
  
  • Engine
    Annual oil and filter change, at 416 engine hours.

• May 15, 2021
  
  • General
    I greased the deck spindle bearings, reinstalled the blades, put the mowing deck back on the tractor and mowed the (deep) lawn.

• May 8, 2021
  
  • General
    I touched up a few spots on the top of the deck with primer and paint.

• May 2, 2021
  
  • General
    Annual mowing deck bottom cleaning, priming and painting done.

    

    

    I also cleaned and sharpened the blades, and put a coat of Eezox on them, mostly just to slow down the oxidation of the blades near the center bearing. Once they oxidize here, crap starts to build up on them. Near the blade ends it doesn't really matter what I do, other than use Fluid Film before I put the deck back on the tractor.

    Still to-do: grease the bearings, reinstall the blades, clean/prime/paint the top side and put the deck back on the tractor. I wish I could have mowed this weekend, the lawn is getting long. But if I don't do the deck maintenance before my first mow, it won't get done.

• June 9, 2019
  
  • Engine
    I finished installing the Fumoto valve setup for draining the oil. A 4" brass nipple, a 90-degree elbow, a coupling and the Fumoto valve. This should be MUCH easier to work with for draining the oil, since it extends past the frame and points downward. And hopefully it won't leak like the stock setup.

    I installed a new oil filter and put 1 liter of new oil in the engine, and will let it sit overnight and check for leaks tomorrow before I put another liter of oil in the engine.

• May 27, 2019
  
  • General
    I put the right side foot pad back in place, using the nylon blind rivets from McMaster-Carr. I reinstalled the pedals.

    I installed the new belt tensioner spring on the mowing deck. I greased the spindle bearings. I reinstalled the newly sharpened blades. I reinstalled the remaining pulley guard. I greased the front wheels, and the front steering spindles.

    I topped off the oil a bit, I'm not going to change it until I figure out the leak. The oil has to be hot to change it anyway.

    I installed a new air filter and precleaner. I attached the mowing deck to the tractor, and mowed the yard, which was VERY deep). Mowing went well, though I had to mow at max deck height and mow twice snce it was so deep (18" or so). I'd love to mow again this week to get to my usual grass height, but it doesn't look like mother nature is going to allow it.

    I forgot to mention that all of the fasteners I've replaced on the mowing deck are now 316 stainless steel. The skirt screws are 1/4-25 flanged button heads. The pulley guard screws are hex head 5/16-18 with stainless washers.

• May 26, 2019
  
  • Engine
    I need to track down an oil leak. My nagging suspicion: leaking oil pan gasket, which requires engine removal to repair (and a new gasket and crankshaft seal). The valve covers are not leaking. I don't really know how long it's been leaking, but I do know it's been worse lately. And given that I think it's dripping just sitting in the garage, it's unlikely to be the head gaskets. Which is not to say that the head gaskets aren't a problem; they might be the root of the problem (pressurizing the crankcase, overwhelming the breather and blowing out the oil pan gasket).

• General
  I bought more Cub Cadet yellow paint and gray primer at Tractor Supply. To-do list before I can mow:
  • Sharpen blades
  • Grease the spindle bearings
  • Install the blades
  • Install the pulley guards on the mowing deck
  • Install the deck

  Alas it has been raining most of the day so I can't mow today. Hence I put a second coat of paint on the underside of the deck pulley guards, and started working on the right side foot rest area. Like the left side, it had some rust under the rubber foot pad. I cleaned it up with degreaser, removed rust ahd loose coating with wire brush and Scotch-Brite pads on the die grinder, scrubbed and wiped with alcohol, then taped off the areas where I don't want overspray (esp. the brand new safety label between the footrests), I then applied a coat of primer.

  I sharpened the mower blades.

• May 25, 2019
  
  • Mowing Deck
    I picked up some parts at Weingartz. New deck wheels and shoulder bolts, new anti-scalp roller pin. They shorted me the new anti-scalp rollor, I'll have to go back during the week to have that corrected.

    I continued the rust protection work. I removed both of the pulley guards on the mowing deck, cleaned the insides and primed and painted them. I also removed the deck washing nozzles and primed and painted the areas surrounding the holes in the deck. I also touched up some other areas of the deck. Unfrotunately one of my cans of Cub Cadet yellow paint from last year doesnt' function, despite never being opened. The problem was inside the can, not the nozzle, so I wound up having to throw it away (no amount of fiddling fixed it). I'll have to buy some more.

    I bought a new grease gun at Home Depot, a full-size Lucase industrial pistol=grip with extender hose. My old gun didn't have an extender hose, and I needed one to get at some of the fittings on the tractor with a little less effort.

• May 20, 2019
  
  • Engine
    I am waiting on a new air filter and air filter precleaner from Weingartz.

    I have a Fumoto valve I'd like to install to replace the crappy plastic oil drain mechanism that leaks. But I also have an oil leak somewhere else that I need to investigate and fix. If I'm lucky, it's the valve covers. If I'm unlucky, it's head gasket or something in the crankcase. Given the hours on the engine, nothing would surprise me at this point.

• Mowing Deck
  I scraped off a couple of areas of bubbling paint on the top of the deck, which are always near stress points. I cleaned them up, then put a coat of primer and a coat of paint on them. Just the usual touch-up.

• Body
  I removed the main safety sticker from the body (between the foot pads), because some rust had formed under it where the left side fastener is located. I removed the rust, primed and painted. I ordered a new sticker from Weingartz. I also ordered stainless steel fasteners and brass and stainless washers to replace the original fasteners. I wll put some Eezox in the fastener holes before installing the new fasteners, and probably some RTV around tne fasteners after they're installed, just to prevent water from being able to pool if it gets under the sticker.

• May 19, 2019
  
  • Mowing Deck
    Over the weekend I scraped the underside of the deck, then used a wire brush and Scotch-Brite pads on the die grinder to clean off the dust. I degreased and powerewashed it. I then applied a coat of primer, and a couple of coats of paint. Much of the paint wears off through the season, but it helps prevent rust in the areas that don't get blasted by grass and debris. And the lower rim of the deck always needs a bit of touch up from scrapes.

    I separately removed the finger guard, center skirt and side skirt, and stripped, primed and painted them before reinstalling.

    I ordered a new finger guard for the mowing deck. The original is bent. To be honest I have the thing since it tends to aggravate clogging in wet grass, but it does help protect the corners of the deck at the output. What I'd really like is just a thick piece of stainless steel. Maybe I'll sketch one up to get a quote from eMachineShop.

• April 25, 2017
  
  • Mowing Deck
    I touched up the paint on the underside of the mowing deck. When it dries I'll start working on the top side.

• April 24, 2017
  
  • Mowing Deck
    Annual mowing deck maintenance. I scraped, needle-scaled and wire brushed the underside of the deck and put a coat of primer and a coat of paint on it. Most of this wears off over the season, but it helps prevent the deck from completely rusting out, especially the areas around the spindles. The deck is in pretty good shape for being a stamped deck that's seen 7 years of steady use.

    I sharpened the blades.

• July 5, 2016
  
  • Engine
    I changed the oil and filter.

• August 5, 2015
  
  • Engine
    After a very rough morning with my back problem, I managed to drive to Weingartz in Farmington Hills and pick up a new Hydro-Gear 918-04270B transaxle. This is the new part number, replacing 618-04270B. It looks exactly the same, but it's possible that the internals are slightly different. I installed it, which was relatively easy (after some Vicodin). I haven't reinstalled the battery or driven the tractor yet. I'll drive it in the morning, and if it's fine, I'll put the mowing deck back on tomorrow evening. I bought some Mobil 1 20W50 at Advance Auto Parts, which is what I intend to use when I change the fluid. I bought it to refill the old hydrostatic transaxle when I rebuild it, but I'll be buying more and probably change the fluid once a season.

    I removed most of the windshield washer fluid from the rear tires, since I know it puts extra load on the transaxle. It's worth noting that I need new rear hubs; the old ones are loose on the new axles (more lash than there should be). The old part number was 618-04228, the current part number is 918-04228. Direct from Cub Cadet, they're $23.30. From Weingartz, they're $26.99.

    I also need a new reverse/ground harness, since mine is broken. The part number is 725-04791A. $12.99 at Weingartz.

• August 4, 2015
  
  • Engine
    The fluid change in my hydrostatic transaxle made no difference. Looks like I need to rebuild the transaxle. However, my schedule doesn't permit it right now. I'm overdue to clean up some things in the yard from a storm, and I need to pull my cart around to do that. I'm also overdue to mow. So I'll need to pick up a new transaxle and install it. I'll later rebuild the old one and sell it or perhaps keep it as a spare.

• August 3, 2015
  
  • Engine
    Last weekend, my hydrostatic transaxle stopped working when the tractor was warm. Today I changed the fluid in it (20W50). I did this using my Mityvac topsider, since there is no drain plug on the transaxle. The fill plug takes a 1/4" allen. I couldn't get it out with an allen wrench since there isn't room to put torque on it. Since I don't have any impact rated SAE hex bits for my impact wrench (I only have metric ones), I bought a 3/8" drive 1/4" hex bit at Sears. This worked fine in my impact to remove the fill plug. I ordered VIM impact-rated bits so I'll have them the next time I need to remove the fill plug.

    I don't expect this to fix my problem. I believe my transaxle needs a rebuild. My transaxle is a Hydro-Gear 618-04270B. I suspect I need a new motor, part number 70331. The pump block is the same part, and it probably would be wise to buy both. I'm hoping that the bypass assembly and other parts are fine. The motor block assembly is roughly $60.

    If the fluid solves my problem, I will refill again in a week with Mobil 1 20W50 (which I can get at Advance Auto Parts on Dixie). Right now I'm using Castrol 20W50, half conventional and half partial-synthetic (their "high-mileage" formula). I did this due to availability the night I bought the oil, and because it saved me a few bucks on oil I knew I'd be replacing soon.

• July 12, 2015
  
  • Engine
    I changed the oil and filter at 203 hours of runtime.

• Mowing Deck
  I cleaned the underside of the deck and resharpened the blades which were pretty beat up from spring mowing.

• July 5, 2015
  
  • Engine
    I replaced the air filter and pre-filter at 200 hours of runtime.

• May 2, 2015
  
  • Mowing Deck
    I primed and painted the underside of the mowing deck after applying some iron phosphate. It will need a second coat of paint.

• May 1, 2015
  
  • Mowing Deck
    I continued cleaning/stripping the underside of the mowing deck. I started this last weeekend but didn't get very far since I need a new powerwasher. Tonight I used a pneumatic needle scaler to get the tough stuff off, then scrubbed with an abrasive sponge and used the die grinder with a 3" Roloc paint removal pad. It's nowhere near perfect yet, but tomorrow I hope to get it to the point where I can prime and paint the underside. Finishes never last long on the underside, my main objective is just to get it smooth again so grass doesn't easily stick to it. I do this annually, but last year I was a bit lazy about getting it clean and smooth before painting.

• April 19, 2015
  
  • Transmission
    I installed a new drive belt and hydro fan. It was very difficult to remove the old hydro fan, since there's no easy way to hold the shaft while removing the nut. I wound up cutting the remains of the old fan into a shape where I could get a large pipe wrench on it to hold the shaft in position, then used my air ratchet to get the nut off. I used my impact wrench to remove the drive pulley from the engine so the drive belt could be removed.

• April 12, 2015
  
  • Transmission
    Something dislodged the drive belt today while towing a small broadcast spreader loaded with weed and feed. This destroyed the hydro fan. I ordered a new hydro fan and drive belt from Weingartz and should be able to pick them up tomorrow.

• February 4, 2015
  
  • Snowthrower
    I replaced the Lovejoy coupling between the gearbox and impeller on the snowthrower attachment again. This one had a lot of visible wear on it before it broke. The good news here is that Amazon has the coupling halves for $5.88 each and the Hytrel spider cushions for $12.69. This is much less expensive than the MTD part. I need to get in the habit of just replacing the coupling at the start of each season, and avoiding the chunks of hard stuff left behind by the county trucks.

• June 29, 2014
  
  • Engine
    I changed the oil and filter at 150 hours of runtime.

• May 18, 2014
  
  • Mowing Deck
    I had to remove the mower deck again to attach the transmission disengagement rod that should be connected to the brake pedal. At some point the clip that holds it to the brake pedal bracket fell out. Probably because someone at the factory installed the clip backward, and it has no clearance when the brake pedal is disengaged; the clip hits part of the frame. Shoddy design on MTD's part, but so be it; it's fixed now. I used a stainless steel washer between the clip and the bracket in hopes of preventing movement from working the clip out. The original washer was of course gone, but I'm sure it wasn't stainless steel since stainless hardware is expensive.

    I reinstalled the deck, only to realize later that I had not positioned the PTO clutch correctly. Hence it pulled on its wiring and shorted against the frame, blowing the fuse that's near the back plate of the mower frame (i.e. a PITA to reach). It took me a while to find it and get a new fuse in place (glad it was ATC, I always have spare ATC fuses on hand).

    I was able to do a quick mow, but didn't do any of the trimming. It was getting dark by the time I finished. I did expand the mowed part of the yard a little bit, to the east of the house. Unfortunately I hit something big and hard, and I didn't find what I hit afterward. I apparently missed something when I picked up a few weeks ago, but it probably bashed up one of my blades. I'll have to look at things next weekend.

• Battery
  I picked up a new battery at Advance Auto Parts. The original battery had been essentially dead since late winter. It's one of the reasons I need to order a 25A stator kit; the charging system on the tractor is weak, the battery should have lasted more than 4 years. I use the tractor year-round, it's not as if I let it sit for months at a time.

• May 17, 2014
  
  • Mowing Deck
    I coated the bottom of the deck with Mo-Deck since I still had some around. I then reinstalled the deck lift arms and the deck (the deck lift arms had been removed to install the snowthrower drive).

• May 16, 2014
  
  • Mowing Deck
    I removed the blades from the deck with my pneumatic impact wrench. I sharpened them with the new Porter-Cable bench grinder and reinstalled them.

• May 14, 2014
  
  • Mowing Deck
    In the morning I quickly put another coat of Rust-Oleum primer on the underside of the mowing deck. In the evening I put a coat of Rust-Oleum farm implement paint on it, Transport Yellow. It's not a perfect match, but I don't care; this is sacrificial coating that will be gone after a couple months of mowing. I'll put a second coat on tomorrow. This weekend, I'll be doing the first mow of the year. I should've done it this previous weekend, but it being Mother's Day weekend, I didn't have time to do the spring maintenance and mow.

• May 13, 2014
  
  • Mowing Deck
    I did a quick cleaning of the underside of the mowing deck, then put a coat of Eastwood Rust Encapsulator and a coat Rust-Oleum primer on it. Nothing lasts on the underside of the deck, this is sacrificial treatment.

• June 1, 2013
  
  • Maintenance
    I changed the oil and oil filter at 87.6 hours of runtime. It did not look very dirty. The engine now has a liter of John Deere 10W30 SM/GF-4 and a little over 500 ml of Pennzoil 10W30 in it.

• May 18, 2013
  
  • Maintenance
    I replaced the air filter and precleaner.

    I cleaned the underside of the mowing deck, then primed and repainted it.

    I greased the deck bearings.

    I installed new mulching blades that I bought at Weingartz.

    I installed new pins to hold the front brush guard in place. I misplaced the originals when I put the snow blade on in the winter.

• January 16, 2013
  
  • Snowthrower
    In the process of clearing the dirt part of the driveway at night, I broke one of the auger shear pins and the flexible coupler that connects the right-angle drive box to the main worm shaft of the MTD 190-032 snowthrower attachment. Something got into the impeller. The snowthrower is brand new, I don't know what I hit but I'll check tomorrow.

    The disappointing thing about this coupler is that it's a cast part, and hence broke fairly easily. Maybe it's intended to be sacrificial, but at $90, I'd prefer to have a shear pin or shear bolt through the main worm shaft somewhere. It's not all that easy to replace this part, the snowthrower has to be removed from the tractor and partially disassembled. The snowthrower side of the coupler broke in half, and I've only found half of it. Which means the other half is in my driveway somewhere (buried in snow), waiting to give me trouble with the snowthrower or mower. :-( This side of the coupler is prevented from spinning on the main worm shaft via a machine key, which was still on the shaft and not broken. the coupler broke right at the edge of the machine key keyway, which would be expected. Of course I ordered a new machine key. The other half of the coupler is held to the right angle drive box output with a Woodruff key. That half of the coupler and the Woodruff key were still in place and appear to be fine, but you can't order just half of the coupler.

    If I had time, I'd probably machine my own coupler out of a more robust material and use a softer machine key. Or replace the machine key with a shear pin. But I've got other things to do, including shoveling the front walk and driveway. And finding the other piece(s) of the coupler.

    COntinuing to miss my old Craftsman 46" thrower. It used pulleys to turn the belt 90 degrees instead of a right-angle drive box, and didn't have an expensive flex coupler to break. If the impeller was somehow stopped, it likely would just cause the belt to slip. It was a much beefier unit than the MTD 190-032. I just found one for my mom this past weekend, and installed it on her tractor this week.

• April 22, 2012
  
  • Maintenance
    I broke the linch pin that secures the mowing deck's front support rod. The local big box stores don't have one that fits, and Weingartz is closed. I ordered some new ones from McMaster-Carr, part number 90170A650.

• August 15, 2011
  
  • Maintenance
    I changed the oil and filter at 35 hours of runtime. I changed it once last year, but unfortunately I didn't document it. I believe it was at 5 hours of runtime (post break-in). The manual recommends every 100 hours or annually. Obviously I don't put 100 hours on the tractor in a year, so it winds up being annual. Most of my usage is in the summer where I run it for 1.5 hours every week or two.

• January 29, 2011
  
  • Dozer Blade
    I lowered the dozer blade by shimming the upper mounting bolts with washers. I then installed the wheel weights (50 lbs. each) and plowed the driveway. The plow works well now, I had no trouble clearing the driveway. I'm now glad that I got the plow instead of a snowthrower. It was a lot less money, it's more fun to use, and it'll be useful for more than just snow.

• January 16, 2011
  
  • Dozer Blade
    Since I'm waiting for wheel weights to arrive, I put 4.5 gallons of windshield washer fluid in each of the rear wheels. It was not difficult, but was time-consuming. After removing the wheels, I let the air out of the tires, broke the bead on one side, poured in the fluid, then reseated the bead and put a bit of air in them. I don't think this will be enough weight to do any snow plowing, and I'm not thrilled with the chains I got (they're 4-link, no one had any 2-link chains locally). My driveway is long and steep.

• January 15, 2011
  
  • Dozer Blade
    I bought the MTD 190-833 dozer blade and a set of chains from Tractor Supply. No one had any wheel weights locally, so I ordered the 190-874 50 lb. wheel weights from Amazon.

• August 17, 2010
  
  • DashLighting
    Parts arrived from Digi-Key for the dash lighting. I apparently typoed my order, there are only 5 LED holders instead of 6. However, I'm only using 4.

    I drilled the holes in the dash for the LED holders, created the harness for the LEDs with current-limiting resistors, installed the LEDs, and took some pictures with the LEDs on. Very nice, though probably brighter than I want. I will probably add a current-limiting resistor to the hot wire that feeds them all to bring the brightness down a little bit.

    

• HydroCooling
  Parts arrived from Digi-Key to make the hydro fan harness. I've yet to order the fan or figure out how I'm going to mount it. With the fall approaching, I might put it off since the temperatures outside should be dropping in the next month.

• August 14, 2010
  
  • Headlights
    I mounted the headlight relay near the right-side headlight, using the existing grill mounting bolt. I may or may not leave it here, I'm not sure how strong the relay mounting tab is (it flexes pretty easily). If it has problems, I'll Dremel off the mounting tab and use VHB tape to mount the relay on the headlight housing.

    

    I crimped and soldered receptacles on the pushbutton end of the headlight harness, and inserted them into the AMP sealed Mini Universal Mate-N-Lok shell.

    I did all of the crimping and splicing for the relay bases near the right-side headlight, and plugged the base into the relay.

    

    I soldered wires and the LED resistor to the headlight pushbutton, then crimped on the pins.

    I installed the headlight button, then put the pins from the pushbutton into the AMP shell.

    

    I plugged it into the shell that leads to the relay and headlight, and tested things. All is well; when I push the button to close its switch, the relay closes, the headlights come on and the pushbutton's LED lights up. I'm only running 10mA through the LED (it's rated for 20mA), but it's visible in daylight.

    

• August 13, 2010
  
  • DashLighting
    I ordered LEDs, LED holders and resistors from Digi-Key for dash lighting.

    

• HydroCooling
  I placed an order with Digi-Key for some AMP Sealed Universal Mate-N-Lok connectors, some AWG16 wire, some resistors for LED feedback, some LEDs and an AMP pin extractor for Sealed Mini-Universal Mate-N-Lok connectors.

  
  
  
  

• August 11, 2010
  
  • Headlights
    I ran the harness wires for the headlight switch through the existing split loom for the headlights, then up behind the fuel tank. I used Halar braided sleeve for abrasion protection.

• August 9, 2010
  
  • Headlights, HydroCooling
    The button panels arrived from Front Panel Express. The dimensions are exact. I test-fitted them in the indicator panel, they look nice.

    

• August 7, 2010
  
  • Headlights
    I put one of the #796 bulbs in a headlight and left it on while mowing today. It didn't blow, and it didn't melt the bulb socket. I think I'm good for using these bulbs, and they're brighter (and whiter) than the original bulbs.

• Headlights, HydroCooling
  I drilled the holes for the pushbuttons in the instrument panel, and tested fitment of the Apem IP pushbuttons. Fitment is fine, I'll put harnesses on the pushbuttons and install the label panels on Monday. The nut for the pushbuttons is 14mm, but I suspect I'll snug them down with a small crescent wrench since I don't want to mess up the harnesses.

• August 6, 2010
  
  • Headlights
    The #796 halogen bulbs arrived. They have a warning on the box to not use them in plastic sockets. However, they don't draw that much more current than the original 25W bulbs; 2.7 amps versus 1.9 amps. Given that I'll only be using them in the winter when snowthrowing, I'm not overly concerned about the heat at the moment.

• August 4, 2010
  
  • Headlights
    I ordered four #796 halogen bulbs from Amazon for $6.43 each.

• August 3, 2010
  
  • Headlights, RearWorkLight, HydroCooling
    I still need to order some wire, and some resistors for the LEDs in the pushbuttons. I'd prefer wire that's good for at least 105C, if not higher.

    The relays, relay bases and fuseholders arrived from Eastern Beaver.

    

• August 2, 2010
  
  • Headlights, HydroCooling
    The button panels for the headlights and hydro cooling shipped from Front Panel Express today. They should arrive on August 9, 2010.

• August 1, 2010
  
  • 25A Stator
    Before I go too far with electrical work, I should order the 25A stator kit from OPEengines. The part number is 54 755 03-S, and it's $145.88.

• Powerlet
  I need to order a Powerlet socket and a fuseholder from Eastern Beaver.

• July 29, 2010
  
  • Headlights, RearWorkLight, HydroCooling
    The relays, relay bases and fuseholders shipped from Eastern Beaver.

• July 26, 2010
  
  • Headlights, HydroCooling
    I ordered the button panels for the headlight button and the hydro fan button from Front Panel Express. I don't expect them to be here for at least 2 weeks; I used the cheapest service (7 business days) and the cheapest delivery (UPS Ground).

    

• July 25, 2010
  
  • Headlights, RearWorkLight, HydroCooling
    I created label panels in Front Panel Designer. They're 23mm x 35mm. The pricing for 1 is about $20. That's with 1.5mm aluminum, black anodizing and filled engraving. I can fit 2 of them on the display panel, and 3 more between the steering column and display panel.

    I ordered relays, relay bases and fuse holders from Eastern Beaver.

• July 24, 2010
  
  • Snowthrower
    I'm considering electric controls for the snowthrower chute. It's been done before, but I want mine to be a little different; I'd prefer to use a joystick (already have some) instead of buttons. There's already a good spot for it in the console. Moving left and right would move the chute left and right. Moving the joystick forward (up) would move the chute down, and moving it back (down) would move the chute up.

• July 23, 2010
  
  • Headlights, RearWorkLight, HydroCooling
    I poked at Front Panel Designer a bit to see what it'll cost to have aluminum panels made to identify pushbuttons. I need to do a real design with actual dimensions, but the price looks to be reasonable.

• July 22, 2010
  
  • Headlights, RearWorkLight, HydroCooling
    The Mouser order with the IPR1SAD5-LOS pushbutton arrived. The picture on the left is the pushbuttons, the picture on the right is the Tyco/AMP sealed Mini Mate-N-Lok 4-pole connectors.

    

• July 19, 2010
  
  • Headlights, RearWorkLight, HydroCooling
    The Mouser order with the IPR1SAD5-LOS pushbutton should arrive on Thursday 7/22/2010.

• July 17, 2010
  
  • Headlights, RearWorkLight, HydroCooling
    I ordered some of the parts from Mouser. They didn't have the 2-position connectors in stock, so I left those off of my order and will get them elsewhere.

• July 15, 2010
  
  • HydroCooling
    I started creating the parts list for the hydro cooling.

• July 10, 2010
  
  • Headlights
    I started creating the parts list for the headlight switch mod.

• RearWorkLight
  I started creating the parts list for the rear work light.

• June 29, 2010
  
  • General
    I'd like to add an oil cooler. I believe Kohler P/N 24 755 120-S will work, even though it's not listed for my engine. The oil filter connection is the same as the engines listed, so I suspect it's just the blower shroud that's different. To be honest, I don't really care about the blower shroud, since I'm not that keen on cutting it. I'd rather use a larger cooler that's mounted above the engine, optionally with electric fan(s).

• June 20, 2010
  
  • General
    I bought a mini grease gun to take care of the deck spindles. From what I've seen on the forums, I should grease them every 10 hours of operation instead of what's in the manual.

    I'm looking at a few different tire options to resolve the traction issues on my yard. I like the Maxxis Ceros and the Maxxis Bighorn 2.0. For a little less tread, I like the Maxxis Turf Tech II. I also like the Carlisle All Trail.

    I like these for tire chains that won't scratch asphalt: rubber tire chains

• June 19, 2010
  
  • General
    Weingartz delivered my Cub Cadet SLTX 1050 today. Prepped, a full tank of gas, ready to mow.

    It took me 75 minutes to mow the bulk of the lawn. That's down from almost 240 minutes with the pushmower. Hooray for more free time!

    I removed all of the clippings from the deck afterward, and washed the tractor. I did not use the built-in deck washing system, it doesn't look very effective to me. I was going to powerwash the deck underside, but there appears to be something wrong with my powerwasher (it's leaking fuel like a sieve). My normal practice is to use my blow gun to clear off clippings and the like, but at the moment it's a bit difficult to get an air hose all the way out to a clear spot in the driveway. I'll probably put a small air compressor in the detached garage to address this problem.