Transmission drip
 

My name is Brad and I have a 1975 Cub Cadet 1450. The hydro has been flushed and refilled with a new rear gasket. I noticed a small drip from underneath the tractor. The relief valves are not leaking. Could it be the cork gasket from the Hydro pump? How hard is it to install. Second question, the Cub fires right up in the summer but as soon as it becomes colder I have a hard time starting it. The battery appears to crank slower. When I jumped it with my car battery it fired up. Is there any real good tractor batteries out there?

I'd pressure wash the rear end and get it nice and clean which will help you pinpoint the leak, it could be the cork gasket but it could also be the trunion seals so its best to be certain before you start throwing parts at it. I recommend deka batteries which is what comes in the newer cubs, I've had several in different tractors over the years and have never had a bad one that wouldnt start my cub on the coldest days.

Pretty much what Tim suggested. Considering the age of the tractor it's probably due for all the seals in the hydro pump, the cork gasket and the axle seals. The job is not as overwhelming as it sounds. I've done 5 of them in the last year.

Just finished mine last weekend, was easier than I thought initially. It took longer to adjust everything correctly afterwards than replacing the gasket. Welcome to OCC.

Getting a pump and rear end sealed back up is a big job, but if you break it down into bite size pieces it isn't all that bad (if it's your first one, probably not something you can do in one evening).

Old Cubs aren't that much different than any other old vehicle, when my trucks come up to 150,000/200,000 miles I pretty much expect them to drip a little. You can either track down the drips and fix them, or just deal with the drip.

Wasn't there some discussion a little while ago about the cork gaskets leaking after they were replaced? And did anyone ever come up with a solution for this problem?

I replaced a non ported pump with a ported one this past summer, the tractor sets in a closed in carport with a gravel floor, I haven't taken the time to really get into it, but I believe that it may drip a little.

The point is, if there is a possibility of a problem, I'd rather help the OP out with a solution before he starts on this project so he doesn't have to do it over again.

As for the slow cranking in cold weather, olds45512 may be right, deka might make better batteries, I don't know.

For my cold weather tractors, I try to get the batteries with the most Cold Cranking Amps from the local farm store and make sure all my connections are clean and tight. Depending on how cold it is, once in awhile they will need to be jump started the first time, but after they are warmed up they are usually alright.

On your 1450, you may want to check the ground cable that goes from the frame to engine.

Make sure it is not something simple like at where the pickup tube screws into the axle housing. Or even the sheet metal plug above it.

After pressure washing it and it is dry, you could toss some flour onto the suspect areas. Leak source will show up real obvious.

I sell Deka batteries and put an 11U1L rated at 350amps @0*F/410@32*F in mine and can tell a difference.