Greetings! And a question of course....
 

Hello,
Glad to have found such a forum out here in the Wild Wild Internet.

My family has owned a Cub Cadet lawn mower since I was about 5 or 6 and I'm now north of 50 so I have had a long appreciation for them. I kind of wish I still had the one of my youth (1972-ish IH Cub Cadet) but I believe it is in good hands and being restored.

I bought a new 1641 around 1998 or so and its been with me ever since. The old girl has been rock solid for these past 22 years. I have only had to regularly change oil, lube the chassis, and the like. Suffice it to say its been an incredible value.

Last weekend, however, I had my first bit of trouble out of it. First thing that happened is that it would die sometimes when I would kick on the PTO to cut the grass. I initially noticed that happening last summer and it only happened when the engine hadn't completely warmed up. Then recently that became more frequent. Last weekend, however, it went a bit further and sometimes wouldn't turn over to start. Then it would and then it wouldn't. Gradually, it just wouldn't turn over at all. To clarify, "wouldn't turn over to start" means that literally I would turn the key and I would hear the starter engage but the engine did not spin.

At first, I thought it was the battery and then the battery cable. The cable did need replacing but the battery probably didn't (fortunately, it was a free replacement under warrranty).

I ended up popping the side covers and then used a wrench to turn the engine over. It was real hard to turn and then I could feel something give and would suddenly free up and turn. Then I would hit another bad spot and it would be hard again. One thing I noticed as I did this and tried to isolate the issue is that parts of the PTO would move (it was like it was engaging and/or disengaging) at the hard spots and as long as they moved back to a certain position, I could turn it easily. Once it moved again, it was hard to turn over again briefly.

Is it safe to assume that I need to replace the PTO as it feels like something is locking up on the PTO? The engine was running pretty good prior to that happening so I don't feel like its an engine issue.

And, how hard is it to replace? I have not yet looked at it in depth to see how it comes off but I assume its not all that hard and I am very adept and engine repairs.

Thanks in advance!

Greetings and welcome.

Have you taken the belt off the PTO and tried cranking it? That would be the first step to See if Its a PTO issue or an engine issue

I bought a 1641 a few years ago from a women that thought the engine had seized up, turned out to be a bearing in the PTO had bought the farm. Not a big deal to replace the PTO. Pull the PTO and start the engine just to make sure it's not an engine issue. :beerchug:

Not yet. I was planning to do that but haven't had time.

Thanks. I will give that a try. Is it just the center bolt to remove it?

It should only be the center bolt but post the serial number of your tractor and I'll check.

You will probably want to remove the hood and grill to make it easier to work on. 1/2" socket with an extension and a ratchet make it an easy job to get at the two bolts that go up through the frame on each side in the front.

Looks like the PTO was definitely the issue. I finally had time to pull it off last night and you can see in the pic what I was left of it. I think I might have shed a few ball bearings! :bigthink: Ha!

I did start the engine just fine following removal.

Pulling it off was a breeze - one hit with the impact wrench on the center bolt and then it slid right off. It took me longer to disconnect the wiring harness than anything else. I am not sure why they wound that thing around under the engine mount and made it tough to deal with. I'll do something better than that when it goes back in (like maybe a wire tie to keep it where it needs to be). BTW, I didn't end up removing the hood - just the grill (well...technically it doesn't really stay in but it was not there). It was very easy to access with just a socket and an extension.

Any recommendations on the best replacement PTO? Also, will the replacement PTO come with everything set (I believe there is a gap that gets set by the 3 bolts surrounding it).

BTW, my serial number is 881738

This is the best deal I can find

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Replaces-...187781&veh=sem

Sam beat me to it, but his link shows out of stock.

try this one:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Replaces-...rade/425187781

I have ordered two such clutches from walmart for Quiet Line tractors and have been very happy with them. Watch out for falling prices.