Cub Cadet 129 steering upgrade
 

I figured I would post a fresh listing of the parts for this upgrade. I can't find where I originally found these numbers. This is for putting a thrust needle roller bearing on the steering pivot (at the box) to reduce friction. Some folks use a regular bearing, not sure on those numbers but it should be easy to find a 5/8" bearing that will work.
mcmaster carr numbers
5909K32 - cage assy for 5/8" shaft diameter, 1-1/8"OD thrust needle -roller bearing ($3.02)
5909K45 - .032" thick washer for 5/8" shaft diameter, 1-1/8"OD thrust needle -roller bearing (need 2 0f these - $1.07ea)
94945A230 - grade 8 steel nylon-insert 5/8"X18 thread ($8.09 pack of 5)

5 minute job if you have the tools out, belly pan off and don't spend 30 minutes cleaning/regreasing everything. I have not got to test this yet, as the 129 is in rehab for a few other jobs, but it can't be anything but better. This cub's steering was OK as it was so I did not get into the box rebuild. I did pull the foam gasket assy and clean that area as much as I could

That's how I do all of my cubs. Somehow we ended up with the same part numbers lol

Thanks for the part numbers. Just ordered 4 sets for future use. Plus a few other things that I realized I couldn't live without!!:biggrin2:

Was it from page 5 of this topic?http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...le+Dick&page=5
That up grade will only help if you take the time to pull the steering assembly apart, clean and replace or refurbish the cam follower stub. Add a bearing to the top of the steering assembly helps to make you Cub Cadet steer easier.

I wouldn't use a nylon insert lock nut. Oil products like grease and oil and heat sometimes don't mix very well with nylon locknuts. McMaster-Carr has a distorted thread hex locknut that does a better job.

Yes that is where I found the #'s.
I guess I don't understand why this won't help unless you rebuild the box? The stock assy relies on a washer to interface between the housing and the rotating bolt, I would think replacing that washer with a bearing would help with that friction.:HeadScratch:
Either way I will probably say it drastically improved as I have done a few things all at once w/o testing each "fix" :biggrin2:. The 129 is on blocks so I pulled the front wheels and discovered the kingpin castle nuts did not have cotter pins and were quite loose. I was happy to see that once it was all cleaned up and properly snugged, the kingpins are still nice and tight

Every steering box I had apart had dried up grease in them. Some had dirt inside them. Some had the plastic bearing cages that holds the ball bearings in place broke. The cam follower stub needs attention in most if not all steering boxes.

One thing I learned in 40 to 45 years of turning wrenches is to take a little extra time to clean everything and inspect all the components involved. It may take a little more time.....worth it in my book. It aslo shows someone that you are willing to take the extra effort to make the component just as good as new or better than new. It aslo could eliminate some work in the future.

The washer/bearing set up will allow someone to adjust the lever and bolt assembly a little tighter than the orginal set up which in turn could make less play in the steering.

How do you keep dust and dirt out of a open needle bearing? I prefer the nice 605 as they are sealed much better to the elements.

Good question.

That area doesn't attract very much dirt and dust. The flywheel on the engine help pull dirt/dust and air from the steering box. What little dust and dirt it attracts gets wipe off when I change oil. The nice 605 cost more and does the same job the set up I use.

I used the same thrust washer/bearing setup. It has worked great. I packed it with grease. I plan to lube it periodically. I looked into the Nice605, but my local bearing house didn't stock them and need to order 10 to get them. I chose the thrust washer/bearing setup for two reasons. Price. Availability.
No issues so far.

I thought about a ball bearing, but I wasn't sure how the forces would work out. How do you ensure the bearing is doing the work? It seemd to me that either the inner race or the outer race would end up doing the job the washer used to do