Cub 108 Engine Swap Question
 

I'm new to this club. I've always been a two-wheeled Gravely man but always wanted a Cub cadet. I finally found a nice 108 in my price range and I'm excited about getting it running and prettied up. Here's my question. The engine is froze up, but I'm a competent mechanic and it wouldn't be a problem rebuilding it. However I have a K301 12HP engine I salvaged from a Ford tractor and it's in excellent condition. The main difference is that it has a gear starter and flywheel alternator. It looks like it will fit okay but just wondered it anyone in the group has done this before. I know I'll need to replace the generator regulator with an AC rectifier/regulator. Any cautions, suggestions, exclamations? Thanks, Bear

i bolted a motor from a wheelhorse to my 108. the only thing about a WH was the motor itself bolted to 2 "engine cradles" very similar to a QL set up. i simply removed those from the engine and mounted the engine directly to the frame of the 108 and swapped the driveline parts over to WH motor. you can search my previous posts and see pictures of it. some told me i couldn't swap them and some said i could, i did. lol someone will be in here and give you a better answer. jeff

Thanks Jeff, The proposed replacement engine is a K301AQS which indicates it has a special oil pan. It's also a quiet model but I already suspected I'd have to mount it directly to the frame without vibration mounts so the shafts would align. You just confirmed it.

I just searched back to your re-power project and there's a lot of useful info there. I've got to do some more reading and measuring but I think it will work. The K301 from the Ford looks just like the one from the Massey. It has an electric PTO clutch too. Rebuilding the original Cub engine is starting to look more appealing.

They are actually quite easy to work on and rebuild. I think you would be much happier going the rebuild route, but is just my 2 cents. It cost me $40 to bore the cylinder and $40 bux to turn the crankpin. You may not have to do one or both. And the best part is, once you have the engine built, it's good for oh another 40 years or so .. :biggrin2:

Was that the one on the Connecticut Craigslist? I called the guy, he was supposed to email me pictures and I never heard from him. Rebuilding it probably wouldn't be that bad, that's the route I would go. If you dig into it and find its beyond repair then you could try the other motor.

Not from Craigslist, I pulled this engine out of a Ford garden tractor about 10 years ago. I'll pull the one from the 108 and rebuild it anyway. I'll still play around with the 12 horse just to see if it would fit. If not I'll have the original ready to go. I'm really looking forward to Summer so I can really get into it. I'm heat activated like a reptile, just can't get moving in cold weather. Only exception - when I can play in deep snow with my Gravely Snow Cannon! That will change when I get the Cub running. Thanks again guys!