Cub Cadet 123 with Loader Rebuild
 

Hello everyone. New to the site, but thought I'd start a thread on my 123. This will be a slow project that I've been putting off until my new shop was complete.

A little background: this was my late father-in-laws tractor that he used in a cattle operation. He was paralyzed in the Korean war and this little tractor was low enough for him to get on from the wheelchair.

The tractor has been sitting in a corner of the dirt floor barn for the last 35 years or so, and is a little rough-lol. It has a front end loader in pieces and a tiller on the back. I'd like to get it going and use it to till the garden and move a little dirt when my Kubota tractor isn't available.

In all it's glory!

Starting the inspection
 

To start, I just wanted to check out the motor. Bought a new ignition switch since the key was broke off in the old one. New coil, condenser and plug. Cleaned points. Ordered a cheap carb since the original was in pretty bad shape.
Hey, what do you know, it has good spark and turns over! Whoops, no compression. Decided to pull the head and see if it's rings or what. Hmm, exhaust valve stuck open, but cylinder looks good. Apply Kroil and tap valve closed. Turn over engine and repeat several times until it frees up. Works great now!

:Welcome2: How cool is that! This just might keep you busy for a while, but well worth it for the family. :GoodLuck:

Well, the head went back on fine, so rigged up a plastic bottle for fuel (gas tank is full of dried nastiness). It fired right up! Holy cow these Cub Cadets are built like tanks. If I can figure out how to upload a video, I'll post it up.

Yes, the family will get a kick out of seeing it again. It won't be quick or cheap though. I shudder to think of what the loader hydraulics and hoses alone will cost:bigeyes:

Looks to be an interesting project. Hydraulic hoses might be cheaper than you think. I'm not certain but I believe it has a fairly low pressure hydraulic system (someone here should know for certain). Call around a couple shops and see what lower pressure hoses are going for. Our Deere dealer makes about any kind of hose you could need, so does a nearby Oreileys and a lawnmower repair shop.

It's likely that valve will stick once the engine warms up. Should have pulled it and cleaned the valve stem and guide. Rust and gunk will wear the guide out.

Good luck to you on your project there Gravel Road :ThumbsUp:

And hey, :Welcome2:

I may just do that. The head is going to get pulled again anyway for a new head gasket and painting the brackets. For now, I need to be able to run it enough to check out the hydrostat after it gets an oil change.

Your father -in-law is appreciated for his service!:American Flag 1:

Really cool tractor and great back story. Love to see you get it going again!:beerchug:

Thanks for the points, and I bet the hydraulic shop will know at a glance what they are and what is needed.

The hydro will be fine. Use a Cub Cadet filter, or a Wix 51410, or Napa 1410. Those are the 3 correct filters.

Make sure to plane the head before permanent installation.

John is right, the hoses really only need to be single or double braid, but hoses are pretty cheap. If you need a new pump, that's where the expense will be. Or if the cylinders leak, which is likely.

Single "braid" which is considered one wire it is for suction only. 2 wire would be for pressure up to 3400 PSI. Both hoses are available from 3/16 to 2". You could use 2 wire hose for both suction and pressure lines but 1 wire is cheaper and fine for the suction side. Figure out what ends you need and check out this site. Local hydraulic shops make most of their money on hose assemblies and tend to over charge .

https://www.discounthydraulichose.co...blies_s/74.htm

Curious as to the make and model of the loader.
Hose may be cheap but the fittings are not.
I wound up with close to $350 for complete setup new hose and all new fittings for my 2149 DanCo.

Check out the link I posted. I have saved thousands upon thousands by using them. Most of what will be needed for that loader will be female #4 and #6 JIC fittings. Thats about the cheapest fittings out there. Nothing crazy on that set up.

That seems excessive for no more than it is. Where did you get them made?


Really. So you have one, or have rebuilt one?

I'm not talking about suction hose. It's not "braided". I'm talking about single wire braid hose. It's good for up to 3000 PSI.

Like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Aeroquip-FC30...gle+Wire+Braid


Once again, you think I have no idea what I'm talking about. :bash2:

No, Not that model danco anyway. But have had and or replaced hoses on other very similar models. Looks like the danco has 90 degree MPT to #6 JIC females on the cylinders. So the hoses would be male on that not female as I said earlier. But that will only make the assemblies even cheaper... This aint rocket science.

Jon. I did not say or even elude to you being wrong.. Relax man..

Hydraulics may not be "rocket science" to you and me, but it seems to be for most people. They really struggle with it.

Most of the actual fittings on the loader are NPT, with an adapter.... maybe. Some used all NPT fittings. A lot of the pumps use o-ring, so you may end up with several different types of hose fittings, or using an adapter. No, it's not rocket science, but if you don't know what types of fittings are available, where to get them, how to adapt, have pressure knowledge and all that..... yeah. Hydraulic shop will just "assume" that your working on a Cat loader and sell you the best thing they have. Seen this on here many, many, many times.

Can't argue with you there.. Thats why I was talking about what type of fittings he likely has. We, You or I could easily tell him what fittings he needs crimped if he would like to provide a picture. That areoquip hose might be overkill.. 5 bucks a foot and he would still need access to a crimper and fittings.

I wasn't suggesting using Areoquip hose. I just used it as an example of type.

I'm sure he will figure it out.

I used a local shop
There were 42 fittings and 34 feet of hose total.
Like I said, I replaced everything.
Maybe I got screwed, IDK
But it sure beat running all over the place and/or waiting on the mail.
They worked with me 100% letting me take home hose and fittings to mix and match to see what I could improve upon in the way of cleaning up the installation. The most expensive fittings were the male swivel pieces.
I wasn't about to scrimp and cut corners just to save a few rusty tee's, elbows and swivel fittings.

Here's a pic of the loader nameplate. I'm really not too worried about the hydraulics yet, since there are so many things to do on the 123 and the parts are easily sourced. The pump rebuild is more concerning, but I haven't even researched parts for that.

The Aeroquip FC300 series hose can assembled with a reusable socket and fitting. One of the socket part number(s) is 1210-(hose size). The hose can be cut to length, clean the ID, screw the socket on, and them screw the fitting on.

I used to work for Aeroquip(Eaton now owns Aeroquip). I worked in a proto type department that build special fittings, hose and tube assemblies. One day I would build the fitting and the next day I build a hose assembly that used the fitting I made the day before.

A good hydraulic shop will ask you what the hose assembly will used on before they build a hose assembly and operating pressure.

The group I work for would used a hose and fittings twice the normal operating pressure (example-1000 psi....used a hose and fitting(s) rated for a 2000 psi max pressure) .

Maybe you guys should buy stock in Kroil penetrating oil, because I've been using the heck out of it on this tractor. The hydro lever was frozen down by the steering column, but a good soaking and letting it sit overnight and it came unstuck.

The quality of the materials is pretty awesome on these, although it seems like a puzzle to take things apart. It seems like you have to take 5 things apart to get 1 out. The steering column assembly (?) sure has a lot of bolts and parts for as simple as it looks.

Right now i'm leaning towards a total disassembly so I can do a better job of painting.

It also needs new tires, as the old ones are dry rotted pretty bad. They were filled for weight and are leaking all over the shop floor.

It's surprising to me that the engine oil looks like it was just changed before getting parked, and the Hydro fluid looks great. Of course, they are getting changed as they are old and who knows how much water is in them. At least they aren't black as tar.

Dale,
We used to run Aeroquip hoses at Republic. I actually really like them. The reusable fittings were really nice on hoses that had to flex a lot, or were prone to rubbing due to the flexing they had to do. There are hoses on those stupid garbage trucks that had to be replaced constantly because they rubbed holes in them. (They finally got smart and sleeved them.)

Running twice working pressure rating is a good idea. There is surge pressure to consider. :beerchug:

Kroil is great stuff.... but I still can't budge the wheel on my O. :-)

I've used "parker" reusable hose ends/fittings many times and still have a couple of 5 gallon pails of assorted fittings.
Most places have gone to one time crimp-on fittings as they are less expensive.
Hell even Tractor supply around these parts make custom hoses.
They also have an assortment of ready made hoses in various sizes and lengths.( from China)
Note: I'm not sold on the UV resistance of those china hoses.
I have a few on the old IH TLB and they look weather cracked after a few years.
Not a problem with the Parker hose.:bigthink:

The reusable fittings are great. I keep a few different brands and sizes for different hose on hand. I only use them in a pinch though to fix a hose quickly in order to run a machine until I can replace the hose. Only issue I have with them is they are damn exspensive. I would not use them to re-hose a machine.

I can't agree with you more about high $$$
I was able to pick them up here and there, on the 'net, auctions and other jobs/places.

Great project and story!!! It has the original hydraulic pump, rear light, and it looks like wheel spacers on the back with some homemade weights or maybe that is the hub of the rim for offset. It just looks wider than normal from the picture of the rear end.

It could be that the reason the oirl in the engine looks so good is that it has settled over the years. I would still change it out anyway. Glad to see this 123 and loader are getting the attention it deserves!!!

Cub Cadet 123

Awesome job on saving the 123/Danco and +1 on thanking your FIL for his service.

I pulled all the hoses off of my Kwik Way loader and dropped them off at my local mom & pop auto parts store and said "make me new ones". I didn't ask how much and ended up spending a little over $300 for about 8 hoses....ouch:angry: They fit perfect and work great.

Here is where I go now for my stuff.

https://www.surpluscenter.com/

Keep us posted on the progress and don't forget to feed us pics. Good luck and have fun.:beerchug:

The 123 and Danco loader are going to be a great restoration project. I am really looking forward to seeing your progress as you move forward. When I bought my 1650/Kwik-Way loader tractor the seller had a 127 with a Danco Loader attached and I tried to buy it but he decided that he wanted to keep it. When you get it finished what are your plans for it? The wife and I really like our small loader tractor for chores around the house and yard. I just used mine to back fill a trench I had dug to replace the sewer lines from my shop to the septic system and it worked great. Easy to maneuver and less yard damage than a large tractor. Keep up the good work and thanks for posting.

Wow, the support on this site is incredible. I was more than a little worried about this project because I wasn't sure of parts availability, let alone if there was any quality information out on the net. Those fears are way less now! It appears that there is quite a following on these little machines, and I can see why.

Here's a shot of all the twine wrapped around just one side of the rear axle. Lots of cutting and pulling to get both sides clean. I rear elsewhere on the site that you may as well put in new axle seals if you're in the diff. Any issues with that?

Tires are shot and the rims need some work to see if they are rusted through or not. Man, those weights didn't want to come off the rims. Took a hammer and pry bar from the back side to pop them out.

I really only plan to use it to till the garden and parts of the yard for reseeding. I have a 6ft tiller on my tractor, but isn't always here and I don't like using it on the garden for soil compaction reasons. The loader is always handy to have around to get heavy items out of the truck bed, etc. It has forks with it too, so that'll come in handy for pallets.

Suppose you could post a pic of the pump, and mount/drive? I have a 1000, that I'm considering to add hydraulics, and looking for ideas.

Thanks,

Oops! Never mind. Forgot to look at the tractor series. Hydro has it's own pump.

Looking forward to this build thread.:beerchug:
You've come to the right place for help, and information on everything Cub Cadet.
Between all the members, whatever you may get hung up on, someone's "been there, done that".

The loader would have a separate pump.