Cub 2284 Kohler CH23 Swap???

[Sam Mac]

You don't want to do that, the SAM ignition was nothing but trouble.

[ccpullin]

The spark advance module actually retards the timing on start up with the other necessary parts of the system being the flywheel (with the key slot actually offset to advance the timing), both mags, and necessary wiring. Most of the time they work fine, although occasionally some do act up, usually causing a hard start due to the timing being advanced during start up. Now the good part! The spark advance system (module, flywheel, mags & wiring) will actually increase the engine 2 horse power from a 20 to a 22 hp (small bore) and a 23 to a 25 hp (medium bore) and 25 to 27 hp (large bore). Back in my pulling days I ran the flywheel only advancing the timing all the time, so to prevent hard starting I also had a kill switch on the dash allowing the engine to crank over before I threw the spark to it.

[jpswift1]

Thank you for the education on this, gentlemen. I never knew about any of the SAM box stuff or how it worked.

Now, here's a strange twist in all of this.......the CH22 engine in my Cub "2284" didn't have a SAM box on it. There were 4 screws on the blower housing where the SAM box would be mounted, but no SAM box was present. I bought the tractor and the plastics were destroyed from the previous owner and there was no grille, hood, or side panels. Luckily I had a nice set of plastics from a 1641 that I parted out, but anyway, I assumed that it was a 2284 because of the engine. I started checking the numbers on the tractor and it's actually a 2084, but why it had a CH22 with no SAM box is a mystery to me. My theory is that someone replaced the original CH20 engine with the CH22 and then they swapped the CH20 ignition components on the CH22 engine, eliminating the SAM box.

Here's the good news, since my CH23 doesn't have a SAM box and this tractor is a 2084, this should be a direct, bolt-on and go swap. Would you guys agree? Thanks again for all the help.