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Originally Posted by John TV
First,I’m very new to this and my first Cub. My new to me 149 seems to run quite well with the exception of the 38 inch mower deck. I hope to use this as my cabin mower starting next year. My goal is to make it as reliable as is possible for a 50 year old mower before bringing it up north where I have limited tools etc. That said, this may be a somewhat stupid question but are their items on the tractor/mower deck that seam to be typical trouble spots to check out? If there are old threads that might address this could you help me find them? Thank you. John in Minnesota
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Having rebuilt 3 mower decks after buying 2 cubs in the last couple years, you should completely disassemble the mower deck into the individual parts and make sure everything in the best shape. if it was stored outside and rusted too much you can see if there is a problem. I took the best parts from 2 44 inch decks and made one good quality one and gave the rusted out deck to my neighbor to scrap. The cups that hold the axle bearings can collect water and rust out if stored outdoors or if the previous owner mowed wet grass and didn't keep it clean. Also take all 3 bearing assemblies out and spin them in your hands to make sure they aren't excessively worn. If they aren't and they are good to reinstall, pump a bunch of grease through the bearing assembly to purge out as much of the old possibly contaminated grease. If they are wobbly or you can feel spots where it feels like they sat and rusted then order a new set. then when you reassemble everything I think its a good idea to use all new hardware that isn't rusted or worn. brand new carriage bolts that aren't rusted will have a better fit into the square holes of the sheet metal.
The mower deck is the most abused and worn part of the mower, so if you put some good effort into making sure it works and don't let the blades get unbalanced it will serve you much longer. As long as you regularly grease them the bearings should last for ages. My grandpa had one that I used up into the early 2000's and those bearings where never replaced. Just a couple pumps of grease every couple times you take it out to use it.