128 (Final Update)

[Carolina Cubber]

Got some more work done on the 128 this week. Here's a pic of the coupler
i made and used hardened bolts instead of roll pins. Alot of the noise i was
hearing was the worn coupling.




I welded and redrilled the holes in the clutch arm and hanger and used a
bent pin so it will not spin. I didn't think much of gear drives when i first
got my 71, but after getting everything tight and working as it should
with resurfaced plates they work smooth as silk.



I thought that the front bearings were bad, but found out it was the spindles
where the bolts go thru the cast iron. The holes were egg shaped big time, so
i welded them up and redrilled. The bolts were also worn, so they were replaced with shoulder bolts.





pic of the rebuilt pto



The deck that came with the 128 was in bad shape, so i took the 42" deck from my 105 and put on the 128, with new blades also. So now i think i have a pretty good back-up mower. Thanks for looking

[CBH]

Very nice work!
My 128 may be my favorite out of all that I've owned. It is a very tough decision between it and my 126!
The 128


The 126

[Diz Jr.]

Nice work Carolina Cubber. Great pictures also.

[jcrews]

Carolina Cubber
Nice Job!
I also use hardened bolts in the drive shaft instead of the roll pins. If there is any need to disconnect the shaft it sure beats using a punch being able to unbolt.

[Matt G.]

Looks great, but I'd rethink those bolts in the coupler. Spirol pins are used for a reason. It's impossible to PERFECTLY align the driveshaft, so the coupler also acts as a crude U-joint to prevent problems that result from the driveshaft and transmission input shaft not being exactly coaxial. The spirol pins are supposed to flex slightly. Those bolts won't, and as a result, the coupler is going to wear, and so will the the driveshaft and input shaft. You don't want to know what that input shaft costs. I've had a couple of tractors where the PO put in Grade 8 bolts, and they made a mess of the coupler and input shaft. I'd go back to spirol pins ASAP if it were mine.

[Merk]

by Matt G
Looks great, but I'd rethink those bolts in the coupler. Spirol pins are used for a reason. It's impossible to PERFECTLY align the driveshaft, so the coupler also acts as a crude U-joint to prevent problems that result from the driveshaft and transmission input shaft not being exactly coaxial. The spirol pins are supposed to flex slightly. Those bolts won't, and as a result, the coupler is going to wear, and so will the the driveshaft and input shaft. You don't want to know what that input shaft costs. I've had a couple of tractors where the PO put in Grade 8 bolts, and they made a mess of the coupler and input shaft. I'd go back to spirol pins ASAP if it were mine.

I agree with Matt......been there done that-they can be a pain to remove.

[ACecil]

Awesome work Todd! Thanks for sharing the great pics.

[RPalmer]

Great pictures. VERY nice tractor (s). And good work on those repairs. Matt makes a solid case as to why to use the pins. I'd listen.

[Yosemite Sam]

Carolina Cubber

Very nice tractor and great work, you should be proud.

I have to agree with the other guys though, the roll pins will absorb a lot of shock, and cause the holes in the coupler drive shaft and input shaft to last a long time where the hard bolts will "woller" all the holes and cause them to wear out, then it will get expensive to repair.

[drysumpjet]

Agreed with others with the coupler issue.

To add another "twist" to this, even with normal use, the frame flexes a bit which makes for additional alignment challenges.

I seen several extreme high hour use wide frames crack in a few spots, welds for the steering box cross bar, and just under the engine, where the frame rail is joined to the front axle support. These cracks are evidence that things are flexing. No big deal though, just weld them up and keep going!

Really liked the idea of keeping the pin for the clutch from turning, nice!