Two Dollar Hydro Fix
 

A month ago I bought a 1864 with 500 hours for parts to fix the noisy hydro on my 782. After replacing the hydro and drive shaft, I couldn't believe how bad it jerked when going from forward to reverse. The trunion had no wear except for the pin that slides in the slot. The pin where it was not worn measured .375" and the slot was .390", the slot on the original was slightly over the .375". After welding up the wear spots, filing them to fit and shiming everything, the hydro shifted pretty good.
Then I got to thinking there must be a better way to remove the slop and play. Then it occurred to me to use a spring to keep the pin from flopping in the slot. I tried it on the hydro that came out of the 782. I drilled a hole for the spring and made the bracket with the 2 holes to hold the other end of the spring. It seemed to work good so today I installed it on the tractor. Went to drill a hole in the trunion and found it is hardened. That must be why it was not worn. Went to plan B with the hose clamp, I figured a tywrap might not hold up. Wrapped it up and could not believe how well it worked. Super!!
The bracket is about 1"x 3/4" by 1/8" with a 3/8" hole in one end and 1/8" in the other. The spring is about 1-1/2" long, 1/2" dia. with .038" wire. McMaster-Carr part #9654K912 is close.
About an hour of work was sure worth it. This will work on all Cub hydros.

Have any pictures of that?

Forgot when I posted ..

Hardened--yes indeed. I tried to bend the one in my 2072 many years ago to get it to line up better, SNAP.:bash2:

I may adapt this idea on a couple I have. I like it! Thanks for sharing!:beerchug:

Travis you are welcome. I would be glad to see answer any questions. It works so well for being so simple.

John, the one on my IH 782 was not hard.

Must have been a revision change somewhere along the way. :bigthink: Anyway it surprised the heck out of me. Back then it was about a $50 part, hate to think what it cost now.:bigeyes:
As a point of reference, was your 782 cast iron or alum. rear---just trying to pinpoint about when the change occurred. If it was just a revision to the material then I suppose it won't show up in the parts books, as I would think dimensionally the parts are the same.

EDIT: After looking at the pictures again I think it was the larger piece, the one that goes around the one with the springs in it, that we broke. Sorry about that folks!

why not make the bolt on bracket a little larger and just hook the spring into the existing trunion spring hole

I thought that the way the trunnion springs wear the hole bigger, it would wear the hook off the small spring.
John, I just checked Partstree for the correct spelling of trunnion and the price of the shaft that goes into the hydro with the bracket goes for $275. My 782 was built in 1979 and the 1864 after 1993. I've welded several of the square holes in the older ones including the 782 when I got it, but this is my first newer one.

Or why not fix it right instead of "jerry rigging".

Not everyone's tractors are trailer/garage queens. Some people actually use these things to do work. Down time is not always an option.:beerchug:

I see no reason to knock yerself out if you come up with something that works just as well or maybe even better.

My fix for the same thing was a piece of used rubber fuel hose zip tied on each end of the spring. Has worked fine for about three years.

Cost was for two zip ties at the bulk price you pay in a 100 count bag.

I think IH should have done this from the beginning. Then as the pin wears there is never any play. Kohler does the same thing on some of their carburetors to eliminate play in the linkage.

:IH Trusted Hand:

Two polarizing sides to this issue. Either "fix it back to stock/right" or "there may be a better way/do what it takes to get the job done". I for one am all in for finding a better way. Heck, I had a Cub once (emphases on "had") that the previous owner had jerry rigged a way to eliminated the springs in the trunion. Made the hydro much more, shall we say, sensitive, but it eliminated the potential wear problem associated the springs. So there's a give and take here. :beerchug:

Another way to look at it..........................

Everybody's trunion gets worn, sooner or later. Most people seem to want to fix it by the book. Spend money, time and energy and the end result, they come up with something that will fail, sooner or later.

Why not try something different instead of being a slave to the book? It's only a garden tractor. Not a moon rocket.