12.5 swap 127 - Page 4

cheesedawg82 · #1 12-07-2018, 07:07 PM

Hi all. I'm new to Cub Cadets. I've been looking for a good garden tractor for my expanding garden, and i"ve got a limited budget. I want to pull a plow and a cultivator, maybe a rototiller in the future. Bonus points if the kids can run it in the garden tractor pulls. The Cub Cadet looks to be the best tractor for the job regardless of budget, and parts are everywhere Sweet!

Now I go on Ebay looking at stuff and start dreaming. I'll be honest, I don't have $500 lying around to spend on a tractor all at once, let alone picking up the attachments. Maybe someday, right? I bid on this 127 about 60 miles away. It's $25. No way I'll win, right? Wrong! I actually got my tractor. A week later we take a road trip, and now there's a clapped out 127 rusting in my back yard. The K301 has a broken rod, no carb, generator, or exhaust. The front wheels are missing, as is the lift and gas tank. The rest of the machine is pretty much there, and it's in nice shape. I'm excited. 4 year old loves it so much my girlfriend let me park it by the swingset, too

A few months go by, and a friend asks me to come get this tractor out of her garage. It's got no deck, the tins are gone, and the wiring harness is bad. It's Cub Cadet 2135, 12.5HP Kohler Command OHV. The burnt harness was an easy fix, and this one starts up and drives.

Before spring, the plan is for these 2 tractors to enter my garage, and have one tractor leave. I'm mechanically inclined, but I'm not too familiar with garden tractors, so I'm hoping you folks can give me some tips and tricks and pointers. I'd like to fabricobble as much as possible, and build whatever I can from the empire of dirt if possible. If I do have to buy parts, I generally prefer the long-term cost effective option. With that said -

1. I'd like to know what to look for in the front end of my 127. I have to get it in the garage and look for myself but the guy said the spindles are hosed. There's no front tires. - Is the 2135 front end even a consideration? If not, is there a good, solid farmer fix where I can use what I've got, or should I just bite the bullet and look for spindles and wheels from a wide frame and be done with it? Spending heavy here might mean skimping somewhere else.

2. 12.5 Command OHV. This bad boy looks like it will bolt right in, drive shaft flange, electric PTO and all. I read in another forum about how to use briggs carb parts to eliminate the fuel solenoid, which I did. Is this too good to be true? What surprises will I find along the way?

3. Hydrostatic Transaxle. - What do I do to service it, and what can i do to give it a little extra? This is going to pull a plow all day long, one day a year. once a month, it's going to pull weeds real quick. Harvest time, it may dig potatoes. I've got a toddler that would love to run it in the tractor pulls. If I've got it out and apart, what can I do to it to make it better? I'm totally ok with drilling holes, grinding, and porting, but I haven't got a clue as to how hydrostatic transaxles work, so if there's a thread please link it. -- (side note, can this run hydraulics?)

4. Bang for my buck. What parts should I make sure I don't overlook? What are the best upgrades, and the must haves? I know I'll have to add a kill switch so the kids can run it in the pulls.

Thanks for all the help! Hoping to free up space in the garage by new years. When I get 'em out from under their tarps and inside, I'll post pics!