1872 - Kohler 28 EFI repower
 

I'm finally getting around to posting my 1872 repower. Things are far from over but today was the first day I was able to drive it around on the new engine. But lets start from the beginning:

A couple years ago I got the Cub bug when I acquired a IH 782. I loved that thing and had no intention of selling it until I happened upon 1872. The 1872 had a blown motor I initially wanted it for the power steering, dual brakes, and dual hydraulics to put on the 782. I wasn't too fond of the KT17 series I that was in my 782 and realized that what I really wanted to do was repower the 1872 with a modern engine, preferably EFI.
I picked up the 1872 and sold my 782 to a gentleman that was retiring and looking for a tractor to restore and play with, so I new it was going to a good home which made it easier.
On to the good stuff:Started tearing her down.
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Down to the frame:
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All cleaned up and ready for a little paint
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I picked up a cast rear end. I loved having the extra weight that my 782 had for plowing.
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I used the internals from the 1872 (used some threads on here to help me through the swap.) New axle tube bearings/seals, and pinion bearings.
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Frame all painted. Time to mount the front axle and tower.
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Engine arrived! Fits pretty nicely just need to figure out how far back I can place it.
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Great pics of your build! Please keep the pics and updates coming.

For the fuel set up I was able to use the factory outlet and mounted the fuel pump down low. I mounted the regulator up off the fuel tank bracket and ran the supply to the other side of the engine. The return was plumbed back into the tank using a bulkhead fitting from Summit. ECU mounted as well and figuring out the wiring.
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Fuel pump relay, fuses, and wiring all mounted.
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Test fit of the throttle cable. At first I used one from the local auto parts store...it was crap. Went to TSC and found one that works perfect.
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For the drive shaft I picked up a engine coupler off a 2185 and a driveshaft off a 3185. I got the splined adapter for the pump from Surplus Center for a great price. I welded the adapters together marked where I needed to drill the hole for the roll pin since that is what the 1872 pump used. Turned out very well.
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The pto was a bit tricky mounting. I had to use a few washers behind the coil plate to get the right placement. I made a spacer to go on the shaft to space the magnetic portion away from the coil. And since the shaft on the new engine was a bit longer, I needed to make another spacer for the bolt. Also, don't forget the diode!!
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0.017...perfect.

And finally, today is the day for the first test drive. I love the EFI start and the way it sounds. Hopefully I'll love the gas savings too. That KT17 loved the stuff.
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I have more pictures floating around here somewhere. I'll post them tomorrow.

On the to do list still:
1) finish exhaust piping through the side and heat shield.
2) possibly cut a hole in the side panel to allow heat to escape from oil cooler properly.
3) adjust/rebuild brakes
4) wire lights to separate switch
5) mount the mower deck and mow some grass!


Possible issues:
After a bit of driving around I shut it down to check for leaks. I heard a gurgling coming from under the seat and found one of the check valves (right on in the picture) all wet. Do I just need new O-rings or a whole new valve?
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The other was I heard a slight howl coming from the rear. I only really heard it while the was maxing out the hydro speed. I'm used to the bevel gear sound from my 782 so it sounded abnormal to me. I guess my question is to those who have used both the bevel gear rear and the straight cut rear gears, if there is a noticeable difference in rear noise? It wasn't enough for me to think anything is wrong, everything was within spec, it's just...different.

Nice job on the repower! That engine is a beast!

You have done a nice job on that one. One issue I see is that the fan is on backwards. Funny thing about it is I have never seen one like that. What did it come off? This is the type I've seen, it's from a 2000 series or a Cyclops. You'll notice that both your fan and my fan are mounted so that the dish in the center is forward but your blades are curved in the opposite direction from the one I have.

Ha...I was wondering about that. I had forgotten which way it went and had a sneaking suspicion that I put it on backward. I was going off which side was cleaner was the side pushing the air; apparently my assumption was wrong. The fan came off the 1872 drive shaft which had the disconnect clutch.

More pictures of the fuel system set up:
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You can just flip the fan around and mount it on the front side of the drive shaft coupler. If the shaft gives you trouble the shaft from a 2284 should bolt in. You may need a different rear adapter. I make them if you do. You should have plenty of Gitty Up with that beast. :beerchug:

Looking at the muffler I'd probably just run the exhaust out through the side considering that the muffler looks like the O2 sensor is mounted in it. Just my 2 cents. Awesome build.

Yeah, I'll flip it around tonight. Shouldn't be an issue. The muffler came with the engine so it had the O2 sensor already mounted. I planned on running the exhaust out the side. The price of a new center output muffler is ridiculous; plus the added headache of welding in a new O2 sensor bung and getting the right placement for a proper reading is not worth it. Also, with the side output adjusting the belt is a little nicer since I won't get exhaust blown in my face.

After flipping the fan around and replacing the leaking check valve with another I had from the hydrostat that came with the cast rear...It's time for the first mow!

I rebuilt the 50C spindles with new bearings and seals. Had some extra POR15 so I coated the underside to combat some rust and hopefully let the deck clean out better.
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Had to repair the right wheel/deck, it was cracked along the old weld. I'll add a brace to give it more strength soon.
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I also made a heat shield from an extra set of M18 shrouds I had. Turned out well and definitely helps with the heat.
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Good work! Enjoying your thread.

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After 1.5hrs of mowing everything ran great. Love the power of the new engine and I really love the power steering. The 1872 seems so much easier to drive and turns tighter than my 782 did. I have a few hills and RPMs hardly dropped going up. Gas consumption was noticeably less. It seems now my ground speed is limited by how much the deck can handle, however I was going much faster than I did on my 782 and in 6" tall grass; running about the 2nd indicator mark on the hydrostat.

The only issue I did see was air/oil coming out the breather of the cast rear. Not sure if this is normal on the fresh rebuild (just working excess air out of the system.) It seemed to stop by the time I was done mowing.
Overall...I love this thing!!

Outstanding! I have a 20hp N/A Command to go in my 1872 when the Mag gives up but currently it is running strong with 1020hrs on it...

cyr2872, very nice job on your build.:clap:

Awesome rebuild! Enjoyed your thread.

Great job!! That thing has to be a beast! Great write up and pics, Thanks! :beerchug:

Bill

Finally got the left side panel on and extended the exhaust. I had some high temp paint so I painted the heat shield and exhaust.
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Some may cringe at this ( I kinda did when I was doing it), but I cut a hole in the side panel where the oil cooler is located. Without the hole there is no way for the heat to escape and this engine puts out some heat. I cut three sides then bent the metal back towards the oil cooler creating a smooth path for the hot air to escape. Future plan is to add a cover that makes it look clean and factory.
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Looks great to me! I would have done the same thing and I bet Cub would have also if they ever had that engine back in the day.

Great job! Thanks for the pics.

Great job.:beer2:

The tractor has been running amazing so far. I did a few more customizations' today. I picked up a pair of 1882 foot pads to put on in the place of the originals. Give a little extra padding and protection to the fenders.
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I also like having the top cover on the mower deck but I hate having to drop the deck/belt if I want to clean under it. I had an extra top cover that was a bit beat up from a 50A deck. I cut out the center and made easily removable covers, kind of like the 60in decks.
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Looking good. I like what you did with the belt cover! :beerchug:

Sweet machine!!!

Me too! I will do that to my 44&50c when I get them mounted. My 48GT comes off quick too. Had to pull them Sunday when the belt jumped off. :bigeyes:

Enjoyed your thread!! Nice build :beerchug:

Nice mods to your Cub! I like 'em.

Do you think the exhaust pipe penetrating the side panel will put off enough heat to affect the paint on the panel since it is not high temp paint? Just wondering...

Great job! Enjoying your thread.

I was curious about that myself. The air gap around the exit pipe is 1/8". I haven't seen any deformation in the paint yet. Next time I mow I'll use my infrared thermometer to take a reading. It's possible I may need to increase the air gap or maybe use some exhaust wrap I have left over from another car project.

Got the 3 point all painted yesterday. I used the POR-15 toughnose light yellow and brush painted it on. Seems to match the Cub yellow fairly well. That's some tough paint! Probably put it on the tractor this weekend. *Sorry for the blurry pics; was in a hurry and snapped a few quick ones.

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Got the 3 point installed a few days ago, it looks great.
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And just in time since I got 15 yards of driveway gravel delivered on Saturday. I'll be going to pick up this rear blade on thursday to help spread it around.
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But for a little bit of bad news...the tractor and I had our first fight. And boy was it a 'hot' one. I was mowing the backyard when I started to smell a faint fuel smell. Sometimes I smell it coming from the vent on top of the tank, but this was much stronger. I idled it down and shutdown just as a fireball erupted under the hood. Luckily I've learned to always have a fire extinguisher full and ready somewhere. I sprinted up to the garage and was able to put it out before any major damage.
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And this was the culprit right here. This was the plastic 'fuel injection rated' fuel filter that came with the engine kit. It looks like it got a hot spot on the outside and the fuel pressure pushed the plastic out until it started to spray on the engine. Luckily on the side with no electronics.
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Luckily no major damage. I replaced the fuel filter with a metal WIX fuel injection rated one and she started right up.
Cleaned, buffed, waxed, and ready to get back to work. The old paint shined up very well. New decals are the next on the list.
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3 pt looks great! Glad you were prepared, that could have been disastrous!

Bill

Thanks all for the compliments. Definitely lucky it wasn't worse.

Is that an extreme 3 point kit?

Glad you got the fire out before it got out of control. Couple suggestions.
1: I'd move the fuel filter to the other side of the fire wall
2: May want to rework the ducting at the front of the engine a bit.
3:I'd run it for a while with the side covers off just to keep an eye on it.

Pic is how the duct work is on a 2284.

Yep. Haven't had a chance to test it out yet.