HDS 2135 ground speed?
 

I picked up a 2135 the other day at an auction, it had low hours and its a bit banged up but it runs and drives.
The first thing I noticed the minute I fired it up and drive it on my trailer is that it seemed fast for a small tractor. I also noticed right off the bat that it doesn't stop when I let off the forward pedal. It coasts to a stop and not the usually abrupt stop when I lift off the pedal.
The ride from the auction house down to the truck was through a maze or cattle gates and block walls, I noticed right away that it seemed to go faster than was 'comfortable'.
The next day I tried clocking it against my truck and got 16 mph, (I got 16.8 mph on my hand held GPS).
I've got other machines with a hydrostatic drive, but none are this fast. I even read in a post somewhere online where someone was complaining about these not having enough ground speed.
This thing is fast enough that I'd venture to guess it would flip if you turned too fast, and the steering on these things isn't really precise enough to go much faster than walking speed.
My question is, what on earth would make one of these go faster than stock?
The tires are stock 20x9-8, the engine is a bone stock 12.5hp Kohler Command, and its shaft drive so there's no pulleys to have been changed.
Its not go-cart fast but its fast enough that if you hit something, it would most definitely hurt.
The fact that it don't brake when you let off the forward pedal is also a concern in that you have to consciously lift your foot and step on the brake to turn or stop. I did find that if I tapped the 'reverse' pedal, it stops coasting and stops hard. I also found that doing that if you do that at full speed, you better be ready for the result. I'm not talking slamming down on the reverse pedal, I just tap it lightly and it stops coasting and screeches to the stop.

At full throttle, if I mash down on the forward pedal, it'll spin both rear tires for a few feet on grass.
I've had these around here before, maybe not this exact model but never one that moves like this one does.

The deck is trashed, bent beyond repair, someone hit something hard and turned it into a boat anchor but I wanted it to move trailers around the yard and for hauling firewood up to the house, so it'll do just fine for that. I wish it were a heavier duty machine but for what I paid I cant complain.
I suppose if I stumbled on a good used deck, it would also cut grass again The hour meter is only showing 119 hrs.

there is a little shock on the inside of the left frame rail that is supposed to dampen the hydro controls.
they go bad, I just changed one on my 2185, it was $50 for a new one
cc part number 727-3090, I checked it's the same on a 2135

as for speed, I'm not sure about that one, how fast is it in reverse?
I downloaded a service manual for 2000 series tractors somewhere
just google "cub cadet 2000 series service manual"
I know there is adjustment for the hydro

My 2166 is also pretty quick, but with the foot controls it can also crawl, and that's with bigger tires from an ATV. It's about the same machine, only a little newer with a 16 hp Kohler Command OHV. It would be a dream come true if my 149 had 2000 series foot controls.

My 2166 is still a work in progress, but the wide variety of speed control in the Hydro makes it great for pulling small wagons around nice and slow in my very tight space at home as well as occasionally chasing the kid around on his go-kart.

Everything guyina4x4 said sounds about right.

Reverse seems normal, maybe 5 or 6 mph tops. I did notice it takes a lot of foot pressure on the pedals to make it move, and the harder I push, the harder it 'pushes back' against my foot. (I can feel the hydraulic pressure building as I press on the pedal).
Do these all freewheel and 'coast' when you let off the fwd pedal?

I don't see how a damper will change the foot controls? There's nothing between the foot pedals and the trans that I can see. The deck is lifted manually.

if the shock piston is rusty it will make the linkage move tight therefore not going back to neutral properly [sluggish] as far as the fast speed you're getting ? take it to lawn tractor races...5-6 mph in reverse is way faster than normal too...

Speed should be about 6mph forward and 4 mph backward , someone has really tweaked the hydro to get those speeds
Oz

Where is this shock piston on the tractor?


Another thing I notice is that its got a delay in reacting when I let off either pedal, not much but enough to make it nearly impossible to negotiate closely to anything. Twice I ran up on some rocks trying to get around behind the garage to move a load of landscape bricks. There's no such thing as a gradual take off, its either jerky or it spins the wheels and goes all out. It is variable but only from about 5 to 16 mph. Below that its sort of jerky and intermittent unless I have the throttle way down low, then its delayed a bit needing more pedal pressure to start to move.
Both forward and reverse pedals are hard to move, the fender pan flexes before the pedals start to move.

I let a neighbor borrow it to move some dirt this morning and she ran it through her garage door. She said it wouldn't stop. She's got an orange pedal drive type machine but its one of those 8 speed 'automatic' CVT transmissions, not a hydro. She didn't want to take the deck off her's so she borrowed this one. It took the garage door and track right down, never put a scratch on the tractor. I think the whole mess fell on here though.
She said she let off the pedal and it kept going so she stomped on the brake and it went full bore through the garage door.
I think she might have hit the wrong pedal or both pedals.
No harm done to the tractor but I spent all afternoon trying to put a busted up garage door back up. It finally stopped when it rode up on some bags of fertilizer she had in the garage near the door. It was still running at full speed with the back wheels off the ground when she came and got me. She was so frazzled she never thought to shut off the key. I think the right front tire hit the door first, then it tried to push through or under the door taking it off the first set of rollers. It folded the bottom panel slightly and bent the hinges on the next three panels enough to yank the rollers out of the hinges leaving the door just dangling free of the track with the tractor completely inside the garage. I had to take each hinge off and hammer them back in shape, I put a 2x4 across the bottom panel to keep it straight for now. I felt bad because she thought she broke my tractor. The worse part is that her basement steps are just ahead of where the tractor stopped, another 5 feet and she was headed downstairs through a door into her basement. The house has sort of a Bilco type basement entrance that's inside the garage vs. out in the yard. There's a set of concrete steps along the house side wall inside the garage door. If it had busted up the bags it got hung on a bit more it would have kept on going too. The back tires were only a half inch off the floor and still spinning full speed.

For me, I'm getting used to how it works, so I think I'll likely be fine with it but if the extra speed is something someone done to it, I think that needs to be turned back down. Its likely making too much pressure and will likely cause damage?

Follow the foot pedals down to the cross shafts above the mower deck and it's mounted to the left side frame rail.

What it is supposed to do is dampen the sudden stop when you take your foot off the pedal.

It would not be the cause of the fast speed.

Tractor data.com says 2135 should be 5.8mph forward and 3mph reverse.

Do you pose' someone "tweaked" the hydro for lawnmower competition?
Either swap the hydro, repair it, or sent it back through the auction.
Don't tell the neighbor it was a faulty tractor, or tomorrow her lier will be contacting you for a new garage door and a new pair of undies she soiled, @ minimum.:biggrin2:

I don't see any damper, I lifted the fender pan off and still no damper. I called the dealer and they said the 2135 don't use a damper, its only on the 2130?
He showed me one on the 2130, with the 'automatic' manual gear box model.

I downloaded a parts manual and it looks like only the 'automatic' models have the damper, the hydro model doesn't seem to show one?

I can't imagine what sort of competition would need a 16mph mower? Its just fast enough to be dangerous but not near fast enough to be raced.
If I wanted fast, I'd swap out the Kohler for the GS1100 bike motor I've got in the garage.

What could they have done to make this faster like this? I find it hard to believe an adjustment could make it nearly double the speed it was meant to be.
Here's the parts list for the hydrostatic model, it doesn't look like it uses the damper?
I see where its located on the 2130 model but not on the 2135.

I really don't care about its top speed, I can always just throttle down or be careful but I don't want it doing any damage to the hydro unit or to things in the yard. It can be driven normally, it just takes a careful foot. (And maybe a big heavy front bumper?)

The fact that it went through the auction, & was "cheap"
and does not slow down when you let off the hyd control, leads me to believe it has been modified internally for other than what it was designed for initially.
If it were me, since it already destroyed a garage door and changed your relationship with your neighbor lady by scaring the shit out of her, it is time to either part it out or send it to another auction before something unwanted happens that costs you a lot more than you paid for it.
But i'm just an old fart, that don't need "surprises" like that.
Now hold my beer, and watch this "wheelie" :biggrin2:

It was $6 plus a 10% buyers premium. But two other turn key Simplicity tractors sold for about the same money as well. An older CC with a deck and a 10hp motor went for $60. Lawn and garden stuff was going cheap. Like most auctions, nothing would start, all had dead batteries and stale gas.
I also bought a CC RT45 tiller at the same sale, it was missing the gas cap and had a tank full of rain water from the storm the night before. It sold for $28. I brought it home, pulled the tank and carb, clean out he carb, soaked the tank overnight with some EvapoRust, changed the oil and its as good as new. I had to order a gas cap for it though. I doubt it it was ever even used before by looking at the tines and paint. Just about everything was missing gas caps and sitting in the rain overnight. Its par for the course at most auctions here I guess. They pickup stuff from estates, bang it up moving it and take little to no care of it while its at the auction. Then there's the few who sabotage things to get the price down.

This 2135 looks like a new machine other than the missing headlight lens and the battered up grill panel. The way I saw it is that with such low hours, it likely hadn't been used or abuse much. The tires aren't dry rotted at all, so it was likely indoors its whole life and there's absolutely zero sign of it ever having mowed grass. The bottom of the thing is as clean as the top. No rust, no grass, no grease or dirt. Its as if it rolled off the showroom floor a week ago. The engine is clean, the filters were all spotless, the oil was fresh, and the paint shines. Its just the lower grill that's banged up and the missing headlight lens don't do it any favors either. I priced the headlight lens, you have to buy a whole assembly since they no longer service just the lens. I'm not sure I want to put $125 into a $6 tractor just to have a headlight lens. However I don't suppose the headlight bulbs will last long exposed to the elements like they are now.
For what I paid, I think I'd pull the motor out of it and use it in another machine before putting it back in the auction and maybe losing a few dollars on it. I've seen days when lawn and garden stuff doesn't even sell, especially tractors without decks.

The one thing it doesn't do is 'wheelie' it spins the tires but doesn't try to rear up, but I've not pulled back on it and tried to see if it'll stand up either. It does lighten the steering quite a bit in forward making turning in close quarters tough. It tends to just push the front wheels around. I don't think that's a matter of it being so fast, its more a matter of weight distribution. It seems too light up front, especially if I'm pulling something around the yard.

I was thinking of making up a raised trailer ball hitch so I can use it to move the boat in and out of the yard.

Just reading the “ breaking down the garage door and almost going to the basement” story has me thinking of the movie “ maximum overdrive “ be careful with that thing, it seems like it has a mind of its own!

Call it "Christine" just like the '57/58 plymouth:biggrin2:

I don't know about it having a mind of its own but I think I figured out what's happening, or at least part of it.
When the throttle is set high or wide open, if you hit the 'brake' pedal to stop, it takes the forward pedal down with it. This only happens if your moving forward, then let off the forward pedal, then hit the brake. If you tap the reverse pedal, the brake pedal don't affect the forward pedal. To make it worse, at wide open throttle, the key won't shut the thing off, it keeps running until it either runs out of gas in the carb or you pull the the throttle back. For some reason its getting ignition power even after the key is off but only at full throttle.
I was pulling a wagon full of dirt around the yard, I turned past one of the raise garden beds and as I let off the forward pedal, it kept rolling, so I hit the brake pedal, the engine was at full power because I was pulling a 3x4" trailer full of topsoil. When I hit the brake, it surged forward into the raise garden bed and wouldn't stop, I had the brake pedal planted down, the wheels were grinding away in the dirt with the tires against the 6x6 garden box. I turned off the key and it kept running, I finally let off the brake and it stopped pulling and just sat there. The key was off and out of the ignition, but the throttle was at full. When I idled the motor down it shut off. I set the parking brake, and fired it back up and the thing acted fine, I backed it up and and continued forward. I tried pulling the key again, and found that it only runs on if its at wide open throttle. The brake pedal only affects the forward pedal if it was previously moving forward. If I go from reverse to the brake, the thing just stops. Its when its in that coasting state when the pedals move together. They're not stuck together, they work fine otherwise.
I feel it should stop sooner after letting off the forward pedal, but it keeps rolling. Its not 'under power', it just coasts. If I'm going uphill it stops pretty fast, if I'm going down hill, it will roll away if I let off the forward pedal, unless I tap the reverse pedal last. Once I tap the rev. pedal, it stops dead. I'm not even moving the reverse pedal, I'm just tapping it lightly with my foot.
I think if I figure out why it freewheels once I let off the pedal, I'll find the reason it runs away. At least I know now that tapping the reverse pedal is the only way to stop it. Definitely not hitting the 'brake' pedal.
For a guy my size, the pedals on this are a bit awkward, My knees are about the steering wheel when I'm driving it and its a real chore to pull my let up and back to get on the brake pedal. I may try to raise the seat several inches to make it easier to work the pedals. I did that on my other tractors too. On my old tractor, I used two lengths of 2x6" c channel between the seat and the fender pan. It raised the seat enough where I could easily work the pedals without having to lean to the left and raise my whole leg up to get at the brake pedal.
I think with a higher seat, getting to the brake pedal and reverse pedal will be just a move of the foot vs. having to lift my whole leg up. Of course it will also affect center of gravity and with the hydrostatic trans the way it is, it may induce wheelies, so maybe some lower weight is in order as well.

Well it is possessed for sure!
Sounds like you need to investigate why Christine's linkage is doing the things you describe, that it ain't posta do.
Is all your insurances paid up? :biggrin2:
Is that little MTD lawn tractor, what you really need to pull things around, and do yard work?
Just thinking, I don't know your needs.

Its fine for what I need it for, I don't need a mower, just a mover.
I have a small yard, but its on a slight slope to the rear. I've got two boats and a camper that sit in the back yard behind my fence. The whole back yard is septic system so I can't drive my truck on it. I use the tractor to park the bass boat and the 19ft bay boat behind the house, and to drag the camper out to the road when I need it. I had an Allis Chalmers 916H but it won't turn sharp enough to get the boat in where I need to park it. The CC can turn around in a small area where the AC can't.
The CC pulls the trailer out in one shot, the AC can't make the turn and can't maneuver back and forth without unhooking and reconnecting twice.

I picked up another 2135 this morning at another auction for $5, its in better physical shape with 200 hours on it. It runs but won't move forward.
It back up but only slowly, and when I step on the forward pedal it only moans like its building pressure in the pump. The brake pedal just flops up and down. It goes down and sets the parking brake but there's no pressure and no tension. Its as if the brakes are stuck, but it rolls freely with the lever pulled out on the back The fluid is clean and full. This one is also missing its deck and headlight lens.

Something else I noticed different between the first 2135 and the second one I just brought home, the first tractor shakes a lot at idle side to side, while the second one is dead smooth. Both seem the same at higher RPM. The first one has a lot of side to side rocking motion going on at a dead low idle. They first one revs faster too.

Both have Kohler single cylinder OHV engines. There was a 2130 there too but I got outbid on that by a few bucks, I really only wanted the 2135 thinking it could be a spare trans if I got it cheap enough. The 2130 went for like $24 and it had over 1000 hours on it and looked rough.
All the other tractors were cheap green models from Home Depot and such, they all sold for way too much money in my opinion.
There were a couple of 60's Cub Cadets in the sale but they went for over $100 each and were far from running condition.
Two CC 1440's went unsold in running condition. I'd have grabbed one or both but I only had room for the one 2135 on my trailer.

Any idea why the one 2135 won't go forward? It back up fine, but just moans when I try to go forward.

No offense intended but go back to the auction and bid on the 1440's. They'll be much better choices for what you're trying to do.

I don't know where you got your parts pic. ? go to the top of the page and click on cub cadet parts look up put in 2135 model # and click transmission controls and you'll see part # 8 or #20 depending on serial # is the damper shock you've been told about . the 2130 doesn't use the damper shock I've got one here and I went and looked at it . the parts list don't show it either...

I probably would have bid on the 1440's but I had already bought the 2135 and my trailer was full. They'll likely still be there next week. They've been there for a few weeks now. No one showed any interest at all in them this week. I think the reason no one was interested is because they grouped them together as a pair.

The parts diagram came from the 'Cub Cadet Series 2000" repair manual.
I had the fender pan off the first tractor, it looks like the diagram in the pic, I don't see any holes where one was removed either.
The second tractor seems to be the same.
If you look at the parts pics, the models ending in '0' have some sort of 'Cruise control lever' on the right fender. The models ending in '5' do not, they have a cup holder there and the linkage looks like the pic I posted.
Could it be an early and late model only part? Something that all models didn't have through the production run? When I look at the pedal quadrant, and compare it to the pic you refer to, it doesn't have that hole where the damper would mount.

What is the difference between the trans in a 2130 and a 2135?

2130 is a auto gear 6 speed you're supposed to push the pedal down the whole way this applies the forward or reverse clutch if the pedal isn't pushed the whole way down the clutch is slipping and will eventually be ruined ..the 2135 is hydrostat you vary the speed by how far the pedal is pushed

Is a 2130 worth anything to me as a parts machine for the two 2135's?

I sort of figured things like the engine and wheels will be the same, but how about the rest of the machine, is it just a different transmission?
Or is the 2130 the better machine?

Kid clocked my 2166 this weekend, 6-7 MPH max in forward, 4mph reverse. It has big ATV tires out back, increasing speed via final ratio.

I got the second 2135 up and running right this morning, it tops out on my GPS at 7.21 mph forward, and 3.9 mph in reverse. Not even close to the speed of the first one. Both run the same other than the speed. The pedals on the second machine are more sensitive, I don't have to push as hard on the pedals to make it move and the pedals aren't pushing back. On the first machine, I have to put a good bit of effort into either pedal to make it move, and the reverse pedal doesn't make the tractor move till its flush with the floor.

A buddy of mine picked up two 2130 tractors for me where he works, they picked them up on the side of the road somewhere marked FREE.
If I'm not careful, I'll have a yard full of these things. By the end of the week I'll have four here and I found a 2185 for $40 with a deck for sale too. I think the 2185 has bigger tires?

2185 has 12 inch rear tires and a command 18 in it. Great score for that one. Repower option for an older cadet

So last year after renting a rototiller and pushing a wheelbarrow, I decided I wanted a garden tractor, and I accidentally bought a parts 127 on eBay for like $20. My girlfriend and I drove 5 hours round trip to bring it home. That was around June. Soon after, I bought a 106 and got it running. Somewhere in the meantime my lawn tractor broke, so I cast it off into the back yard and bought a new used one. A friend found out I had the beginnings of a home for wayward tractors, so she gave me the broke down 2166 project that she inherited with the passing of her grandfather. Somewhere along the way, 2 old MTD's followed me home for "reasons." My girlfriend fell in love with one, had me drag it to a certain spot in the yard, and she planted flowers all around it. The youngest loves to play on it.

Amid all that, I started accumulating attachments. Turns out I'm gonna need a creeper to run a tiller on my 106, and the K241 would have to work hard. Oh what's that? A good deal on a tiller AND a running 149? Can't pass up that deal. Neighbor kid wants to trade me a 1315 that's complete garbage and a 1330 in only slightly better shape for one of the mowers in the back yard? Sure, why not, some day I'll build a wagon out of the frames. It'll be neat. Wait, he's got an old go-cart for sale, too! The kids will love that!

Oh, the oldest blew the motor on the only one of your 8 lawnmowers that actually cuts grass? Better go buy another broken lawnmower of a different brand, and get every single attachment made for it. Really, though, you should keep the old one because the motor in the one she planted flowers in is still good, and it'll fit. If not, it has a Peerless 700 gear box and the kids will want it for the go cart. Just tuck it back behind the chicken coop...


You have no idea how true that statement is, my friend. What makes it even worse is that you've been on this site long enough that you've probably read up and become aware of how awesome of machines Cub Cadet garden tractors are, and you know damned well that you have got to take that pair of 1440's home with you this week.

I was told that the 2185 has a Briggs & Stratton Vanguard engine in it but I've not seen it with my own eyes yet. I won't get up there for a week or two to grab it. My cousin really isn't much into details of that sort of stuff. He just emailed me the numbers on the side of the hood and what he read on the engine itself. I suppose someone could also have swapped out a motor over the past 20 or so years. (Its hard to believe these things are that old already, I remember when they started making tractors with the rounded off hoods and thought how odd they looked compared to what we were all used to for so many years).

I got the two 2130's home, both need deck work, both need batteries, both cracked and leaking tires. The one has a few big holes blasted through the deck and a few small rust holes around the brackets, the other is rusted pretty back all around the front of the deck from the chute flap around to the left front area. Both are missing their belt tension springs that connect to the belt release lever. Both started right up with a jump start and some spray down the carb. Both have badly rotted fuel hoses, the one has a leak back near the tank, the other one right below the fuel filter. The fuel hose is hard as stone and brittle, most of it has lost its outer rubber and is showing the nylon inner casing.

They need a bit of work but with just fuel lines, batteries, a couple of springs, and air in the tires they will cut grass. Cosmetically they're about an 8 out of 10.

I go the 2185, its definitely a Briggs Vanguard 18hp in it. The model number is 134-288-100, serial number is 239223. Its complete but with a rusted out deck. The deck is rusted all along the right front from the middle to the chute.
Its got 4 lug 12" wheels. and 8" front wheels. Does the 2135 and the 2185 use the same transmission?
The original 2135 I picked up is in a lot cleaner shape, I'm thinking of just swapping the larger wheels over to the 2135. I'd put the motor on the shelf and part out the rest of the 2185. I was told its got a bad hydro trans. It moves around fine but I've not put it under any load or run it long enough to really know what's up with it.
Step one will be to take the pressure washer to it, its covered in grass clippings and mud, I can barely see the transmission and the engine is covered in grease and dust. Its showing 339 hours on it.

2185 is Kohler powered.

http://www.tractordata.com/lawn-trac...adet-2185.html

What we said, see post #28 as well. But........your model does designate it as a 2185. I had a 2165 for a while that had the 16 Vanguard B and S in it. Let’s see some pics, maybe has had a heart transplant? Or data is wrong and there were multiple engines available?

Sam did Briggs make an 18 vanguard?

Yep. I'm guessing that the OP doesn't know a B&S from a Kohler. This thread makes my head hurt.

The engine says Cub Cadet/mtd 18 hp V-Twin in gold and blue on top of the air cleaner. Its definitely is a Briggs engine. I can make out the model number but not the other numbers on the one valve cover, 356447-0304 but I can't make out the rest of the number. It doesn't look like the engine has been changed anytime recently but it is over 20 years old. Anything is possible I suppose. With the thought that the air cleaner says Cub Cadet on it, maybe it came from another model CC?

I took a pressure washer to the 2185 this morning, it took two hours of blasting and scrubbing to get it clean. I blasted the trans clean top and bottom and pulled the engine shroud back and blew out all the fins as well.

I hitched it up to a yard trailer with a load of dirt and ran it up and down a hill here about a dozen times and what I found was that as the trans gets hot, it starts getting noisy, it starts making a ratcheting sound under load but it takes a lot to get it to that point. Maybe a fluid change would help? When it starts making noise it sounds like gears stripping but it keeps moving regardless of the noise. When it first starts, raising the throttle a bit stops the noise but it eventually gets to where there's no more throttle to increase.

Looks like a Briggs & Stratton Vanguard to me?
I'm leaning towards it being swapped out of another machine but the hours are kind of low for this to have had a motor swap unless someone killed the original motor early.
Isn't there also wiring differences between Briggs and Kohler? I don't see any obvious wiring modifications?

Since the 2185 has trans issues, can I just swap this engine and the wheels over to the 2135? Of course, I don't really think another few hp would make much difference for what I'll be using it for. The V twin is a lot quieter though.

Well it looks like someone repowered it with a Vanguard. :bigthink:

The throttle damper was inboard of the pedal under the running board not down the back
It used a short gas strut
All 2000 series had either Kohler or Onan according to brochures from MTD
Onans in non-hydro models
Oz

When they get this old its hard to tell what's been done in the past.
Since the a/f cover reads Cub Cadet, chances are they took it from another machine that did use the 18hp Vanguard.

Is the crank shaft height the same on the Vanguard and the 12.5hp Kohler?

I looked at a few 2165's online that have the Vanguard, so if its not a repower, its not a real stretch to think they could have used a BS motor in some of these if supplies got short.

I've yet to see one with a Kohler twin or an Onan yet.

My 2165 definitely had a Briggs Vanguard 16 from the factory. I’m thinking the OP may be right about it being a factory engine even though it states it’s a Kohler. Would like to hear from anyone else that has a 2185 and what engine they have as I have found tractor data to be wrong once in a while too.