got the cub home

ericlb · Aug 5, 2012

got the burned cub home yesterday, it got hot, extremely hot, [ bent front axle hot], engine locked, no oil, now this was a restored running cub, has a belly mower with literally about 500 feet of mow time on it, deck is bowed, if i can rebuild the gearbox, i got a 966g cat loader at work that can unbend the deck , going to have to pull the head and oil pan and see what i see, the outer block looks good though i dont see any welding or cracks , had perfect tin .. until part of the building fell on it during the fire, hmmm...

ericlb · Aug 5, 2012

this one.s got something i havent seen, there is a 1/2 inch diameter rod attached to the dash and coming up thru the starter rod ring to aid in pulling it, is this a option or just owner installed?

Janicholson · Aug 5, 2012

If it got hot enough to burn the oil out of it, in my opinion, The least trouble will be taking it to the scrap yard. Cast iron looses its cast properties if it goes into transition temps. It can even change shape and tollerance limits. No internal steel components will have stayed below their lower critical temperature, ranging commonly from 800 to 1100 degrees, meaning that the crank and rods might look OK, but they will have lost heat treatment. Gear teeth, and all the ball and roller bearings are also likely to be toast. It is currently dry and ready for the "iron" pile at the yard. If you keep the parts, and use them your self, no liability (other than your investment) is involved. The mower should not be used unless the gear box, shafts, and all moving parts are replaced, Temper lost, or hardness gained can lead to a dramatic self destruct event, scattering parts into the next farm. I teach manufacturing and metals, and seriously recommend you recoup your investment in time at the scrap yard. Even though it was a fresh tractor before the fire, it isn"t. My best safe, opinion. Jim

ericlb · Aug 5, 2012

thats kind of what im afraid of jim, i was going to pull some parts like spindles, final drives, and rebuild them for spare parts for my cub, mine is a '49, and this '51 should be the same, but now i dont know id hate to put nes bushings, bearings and seals in those parts and have it break when i use it, nothing wrong with mine, but those front spindles are prone to breakage, and a spare set would hurt anything even melted the carb off the engine, i mean all of it

Janicholson · Aug 5, 2012

The axle got hot enough to bend, The spindles (at the hub)are probably 4130 alloy and tempered. when heated and allowed to cool in a ash pile, they anneal (become as soft as they can ever be) and will now bend with stress. the threads will be soft, and the spindle shafts (vertical shaft in the housing will also be annealed. If the building was cooled with fire hoses, the resulting quenching can make tough things brittle, exactly the opposite of annealing. The factory heat treatment and hardening was scientific and done well. (even if they do break when stressed). I gotta say unless they are rechecked for dimensional accuracy, and re heat treated (way expensive) they are toast. Sorry, Jim

the tractor vet · Aug 5, 2012

Here is my two and a half cents worth on a CRISPY CRITTER TRACTOR , Don't even waist your time on it she is ODA . as you will not find anything on it worth the trouble going after it If it got that hot that the axle bent she is done for .

got the cub home

ericlb

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ericlb

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Janicholson

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ericlb

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Janicholson

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the tractor vet

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