Cub 1864 Restore for Garden Duty
 

I picked up an 1864 recently from FB Marketplace. The description didn't mention the model, but I spied this from the pic. (This is my pic. Seller's pic was from far away and hard to see.)
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cx...g=w870-h652-no

Power steering! Which I do not have for any of my current machines. I picked it up in the middle of a rainstorm, with no front wheels, just as you see it. :00000060: The 54" deck had to be removed first. and we winched it onto the trailer.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vI...I=w870-h652-no

The seller said the engine would run.... but you know how that goes. It's a Kohler Command V-twin. When I got some free time, I put some oil in, hooked up the charger/starter, and fired some starter fluid down the carburetor. It ran! He wasn't kidding.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3n...4=w870-h652-no

So the next day I went to the mower repair/boneyard and they just happen to have an 1862 or 3 with everything but the engine. I bought the front wheels and bolts.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gc...A=w870-h652-no

I got it running well enough to go for a ride. I think the fuel in the tank was bad. I changed out the oil and filter. and drove around the yard. Love it!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uP...I=w870-h652-no

Now on to the issues:
1.) Reverse wasn't very fast and it failed my test hill going up in reverse. There was hardly any oil in the transaxle. I added a quart and it brought it to the Low mark. Not sure if it is leaking?

2.) The lever for hydraulic deck up/down seemed to be frozen, but I gave it a little tappa-tappa from the back side and it works now.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ud...g=w870-h652-no

3.) It is a filthy, oily mess! The engine leaks oil just sitting there. It peed on my garage floor and I had to lay down rags.

4.) The hood mounts are broken. Here are two pics of it just kind of sitting on there.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Q4...g=w870-h652-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0Z...Y=w870-h652-no

So I need to pull the engine and find the leak, or leaks. Then investigate changing the transaxle oil and fixing slow reverse. If I'm successful with everything I want to do, then this tractor will replace my John Deere 212 which has full-time garden duty.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/M4...8=w870-h652-no

The 1864 needs a plow to replace the 212, and I was having trouble finding something that would fit. Now a 1440 pops up for sale, with a plow, so that appeared to be a no-brainer. :tango_face_grin: It also came with a 42" deck, but no pic of that.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OT...s=w870-h652-no

This one has a 14hp Briggs Vanguard. Seller said it ran when using a gravity-fuel tank. He also said not to fill the original tank because the petcock seals were leaking. I noted these issues and proceeded to fire up the engine. It ran on starter fluid but not the gravity tank that I added. I did notice this strange wire not connected to anything.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/W2...M=w870-h652-no

It appeared to be going to the anti-backfire solenoid on the carb. I tried putting power to it but heard no click from the ABS. Just for fun I unscrewed the ABS just a little (fuel was leaking out), and then cranked the engine; it ran! I drove it around for a bit. Forward and reverse worked great. Steering was a little stiff compared to the 1864 but I guess that's to be expected :tango_face_wink:

So I stopped there and pulled the engine and cleaned it. The valve covers had been leaking oil for quite some time. I resealed the valve covers with Threebond.

The hood is marginally better than the 1864. The mounts aren't broken, but there has been many repairs done to the inner structure. I guess it will become a donor for parts. I will say that if I had bought the 1440 first, it would also replace the JD 212. Here is what it looks like currently.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RT...c=w870-h652-no

I'm thinking the Vanguard engine will go in the 1864 while I find the leaks on the Kohler.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/UP...g=w870-h652-no

I was trying to figure out how to operate the plow using the hydraulic deck control when the 1440 hooks the plow up to the lever.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/s0...0=w870-h652-no

On the 1864 there's this thing which I thought was plastic and only there to show the deck height.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7c...E=w870-h652-no

I flipped it around and realized it's steel and could be used for plow actuation. I'll have to figure the rest out later. Must do engine work first.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pD...U=w870-h652-no

Something I noticed about the Kohler; The engine mount bolts are larger and in a different location from the Briggs. Kohler shown below.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j...w=w870-h652-no

Briggs bolts on the 1440.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cM...M=w870-h652-no

So The whole mounting plate had to be removed to get the front bolts out. Ugh, more oily mess.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mX...U=w870-h652-no

The Vanguard engine needs a diode on each coil kill wire so they can't interfere with each other. I had to remake my harness. The original harness was completely busted.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/g5...Q=w870-h652-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4H...4=w870-h652-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Vl...A=w870-h652-no

Much better. I'm trying to sort out any wiring issues before everything goes back together. It's much easier to access stuff when the engine is out of the tractor.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/N5...I=w870-h652-no

I also replaced the battery terminals. They were pretty beat up and not making good connections.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/nx...A=w870-h652-no

Here is something I've wanted to do for all my tractors. Critter-proofing.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HW...4=w870-h652-no

Both engines have seen problems with mice nests. I'm hoping this prevents any future problems. It's much harder to remove the cooling shroud on a horizontal engine vs. a vertical.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mY...M=w870-h652-no

The cooling shroud is back on and I just need to install the exhaust heat shields. Then the engine can go back in. That's as much as I felt like doing today.

Some tips on the Cyclop series
https://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/...ad.php?t=33244

If you want the Cyclops service manual you can join Cub Cadet Cyclops
https://www.facebook.com/groups/6662...?ref=bookmarks

:beerchug:

Thank you. I'll check them out.

Got the oil changed.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ix...Y=w887-h665-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ku...Q=w887-h665-no

I placed the engine on the frame and realized the driveshaft was too short. I needed to pull the 1440 driveshaft and swap.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Z2...M=w887-h665-no

This is where I left off last night.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3Y...A=w887-h665-no

Good to see your progress.:ThumbsUp:

Today I finally tackled the last electrical connections.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/R1...E=w887-h665-no

I connected the kill wire, fuel solenoid power, and the alternator. The other two are taped off for now. I'll hook them up some other time.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ux...4=w887-h665-no

I tried to start the engine and no-go. Two problems; the pulse line for the fuel pump was cracked, and the fuel solenoid is junk. I fiddled with it and thought I had it fixed, but I finally ended up cutting the plunger.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2w...4=w499-h665-no

It starts, runs, and is clean enough to see leaks, which I found. How much work is it to fix this? It appears to be coming from the seal at the top of the steering.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QN...4=w887-h665-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ID...o=w887-h665-no

Also, how do I make reverse faster? I was in full reverse (so slow) and pushed on the spring and it went faster! Any tricks to this? Do I need a different plate as shown below?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ym...Q=w887-h665-no

Received this package the other day.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Qi...I=w887-h665-no

Got the pump out, but it fought me most of the way.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OD...Q=w887-h665-no

Found the leaking seal, and replaced it, along with the others.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uR...Y=w887-h665-no

Reassembled, added some hydraulic fluid and fired her up. No leaks! Well almost. :bigthink:

I had fixed an obvious valve cover leak, but the head gasket is also leaking. Now I need to pull the engine.... again.

I also played with the forward/reverse linkage to try and make reverse a little faster. So far, no adjustments made it any better.