108 mule drive help
 

Greetings all,
New guy here with a question/request for information on a cub cadet 108 mule drive. I recently got the old, 72/73ish 108 that my parents had when I was teenager. I remember beating that thing like you wouldn't believe and it kept coming back. It has the Kohler iron block 10 engine that my dad rebuilt a few years ago. The past 3-4 years it has sat at my parents house in an open sided carport and the elements weren't kind to it. With my folks getting older and not needing it, and me wanting it for the bulldozer blade in the winter, I dragged a VERY DIRTY, GREASY AND ABUSED old friend over my wifes rather strenous objections...... her main one.... IT IS BUTT UGLY. Well, I got it home, pressure washed it, scrubbed and greased things that hadn't been greased in years, rebuilt the carb, replaced the ignition switch, and fixed a few minor wiring issues, and hit it with some cans of spray paint to get it looking reasonable again. So the wife doesn't quite hate it as much now. Now you can go out, pull the choke, tap the throttle up just a nudge and touch the ignition and it fires off immediately!!!! It sounds AWESOME!!!
Now here is my problem. I went to hook up the mower deck, and after much greasing and hand spinning the blades, got them turning smoothly, so I slid it under, got the mule drive out, with a new belt and hooked it all up. I love how easily everything hooks up on this thing.... except on rather glaring issue..... I think that my dad rebuilt the mule drive, and didn't get it back together correctly as there it will not sit tight back against the slide pins on the side of the frame without the pulleys dragging on the frame. Can someone get me some good pics of their 108 mule drive to comparte to???

thanks,

John

Let's see if I can add some pictures
 

This is an effort to add some pics of my 108 mule drive.... wish me luck.

Well... that didn't work.... I guess my tablet doesn't like me today. I do have pics in an album on my profile though if you want to look and can help me out.


Thanks,

John

Hi John, did you look in the tech library here? http://www.onlycubcadets.net/pdf/38_...p%20Manual.pdf
The manual should help. If not, I can take pics of my mule drive, in a couple of days. Let me know if you need them.

Tommy,
I have that manual, and did try to adjust the driver according the directions, but I couldn't get the new belt tight though. I am wondering if it is a combination of the belt is a 5/8" vice 1/2". I do know that my dad did some welding and other work on it... so that is why I want some good pictures to compare off of.
Also, are the pulleys supposed to be able to pivot to almost 90 degrees of separation between them??

John

All,
Here is a link to what my mule drive is currently doing.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwn...w?usp=drivesdk

John

Well you didn't indicate what deck you are using bit here are pics of a WF mule what would work on a 44A deck. Something with yours is amuck.

deck size
 

Iron Man,
I have either the 38 or 42 inch deck... I am thinking 38. I will go take a picture of the model number here in a few and post the link.... seeing as it doesn't like me to post the actual pictures.
My drive is a far uglier, but nearly identical, version of yours, but does not have the spring on the shaft or that tab sticking out the front on the same side as the spring.

John

John, on the bottom of page 4 of the manual there is a picture of how the spring on the left side of the mule drive should be set up. I think you're not hooking that spring around the pulley on that side. Page 7 explains how to set the tension. The pulley's won't be able to move that far apart with the spring on. You should be using a 1/2 inch belt and that mule drive is for a 38 inch deck.

Maybe these will help.

Tommy and Ironman,
Here are a couple of more links to some of my pictures. Also the model number of my mower deck. And it looks like I have a 42" deck.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwn...w?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwn...w?usp=drivesdk

And I have set everything up IAW the owners manual but the pulleys are still rubbing on the frame of the tractor.

Any ideas??? Also, I am kinda running one armed at the moment due to shoulder surgery and the wife is not really helpful when it comes to this tractor.

John