Bum 129 Resto

[jrkendall]

I picked up this 129 with hydraulic lift last month off a young man over near Richmond Indiana and have slowly but surely been working towards getting a mechanically sound tractor before the first snowfall.

The tractor appeared to be in very good condition overall and I was hoping it just needed a little carb work. It turns out that there have been a list of items that I have found wrong with it but am working on straightening all these issues out.


Issues:

• Carb Problems
• S/G turned out to be burnt up
• Hydraulic Valve was stuck
• Hydro Release Valve Stuck
• Wrong Rear Rims
• Ignition strung out and in bad shape

And I'm sure that I've left a few items out ...

[jrkendall]

The first thing everyone should know about me is that I am a cheapskate but hate to do anything halfway ... At the same time I also love to experiment with different ideas and change things around for a personalized touch.

Since I had an extra Kohler K321 with a ring gear starter - I started this project by pulling the flywheel and changing the S/G to a gear starter setup with stator. I personally prefer this starting system myself but to each and their own.

Second course of business was finding out that both of the crankshaft seals needed replaced which was a little intimidating at first. The steps I used to replace the PTO seal were as follows:

• Thoroughly clean the crankshaft with emery cloth
• Wipe the crankshaft off with solvent to remove metal particles / rust
• Drill a small hole into the seal 3/4 of the way through and wipe off metal
• Screw a drywall screw through the seal
• Pull the seal with the help of the screws
• Polish the sealing surface being careful not to get anything into the case
• Clean with solvent
• Apply Grease to the ID and OD of the seal
• Tap Seal into case to a depth of 1/8" from the surface

The front seal you just need to take the bearing plate off and knock it out with a punch or screwdriver. Grease the seal and tap the seal in until it bottoms out on the plate.

In case you didn't know you can pick these seals up at NAPA for a fraction of the cost as genuine Kohler.

All done!

[jrkendall]

I want to try and keep this informative for others as well as being a project logbook so the crankshaft seal numbers from NAPA are:

• Front Seal: 7-04002
• Rear Seal: 7-04003

The saga continues and I have plenty more to upload but I will hold off until tomorrow. Hope you enjoy the pics until I can upload more

[Cub Cadet 123]

Looks like you have your project well underway! The problems you listed are minor and can easily be worked out and some, like the rear rims, is not that big of an issue as it will run just fine on those rims. Also, I know that young man that you picked that up off of--he is a fine young man and very enthusiastic about these tractors (He's also a member in this forum!). I was going to pick up that same tractor, but I'm out of room so you beat me to it before I could get any space. That will be a great tractor for you and prove to be a labor of love. The 129 with hydraulic lift was a special order option and often difficult to find, as I have 3 129's and none of them have that option. Keep us posted on your progress!

Cub Cadet 123

[jrkendall]

You are correct most of the problems are minor but they seem to stack up against you when you're wanting to get a project completed by first snowfall.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think I can use the wheels as they are offset too much and the valve stems are "chaffing" the brake calipers.

This isn't my first rodeo on these Cubs just my first documented project. I love the engineering and thought that we're put into these old machines. Not planned obsolescence here!

The rarity of the hydraulic lift was what sold me on the tractor not knowing what all the problems were before I started.

I wasn't trying to sound like the seller swindled me as we did some trading and ive been happy thus far. The young man who sold it to me is an EXCELLENT person and knows WAY too much for as young as he is. We've kept in touch and I've kept him up to date on the mishaps that I've found along the way and he has been nothing but apologetic about the issues. I told him not to worry himself as he didn't claim it to be in perfect order

[Cub Cadet 123]

Originally Posted by jrkendall

You are correct most of the problems are minor but they seem to stack up against you when you're wanting to get a project completed by first snowfall.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think I can use the wheels as they are offset too much and the valve stems are "chaffing" the brake calipers.

This isn't my first rodeo on these Cubs just my first documented project. I love the engineering and thought that we're put into these old machines. Not planned obsolescence here!

The rarity of the hydraulic lift was what sold me on the tractor not knowing what all the problems were before I started.

I wasn't trying to sound like the seller swindled me as we did some trading and ive been happy thus far. The young man who sold it to me is an EXCELLENT person and knows WAY too much for as young as he is. We've kept in touch and I've kept him up to date on the mishaps that I've found along the way and he has been nothing but apologetic about the issues. I told him not to worry himself as he didn't claim it to be in perfect order

I'm not sure why your valve stems are chaffing the brake calipers. The tires appear to be the appropriate size, but I cannot see your rims from the angle of your picture in the thread. Maybe someone rewelded the hub at a different offset, but you can get different, angled valve stems if you want or run duals on the back. Looks like you are enjoying the work and I'm glad to hear that the purchase was amicable for both of you!

Cub Cadet 123

[GERKS 149]

Just wanted to mention the rear wheels valve stem issue. I have a 1250 that I purchased and the stems hit the rear calipers also! The person I got it from told me of this problem. The stems should be on the front side of the rims.

[Tater305]

Never thought of checking NAPA for the seals I will have to look to see if they have the ones for the M18. On a side note I am in Eaton,OH not far from Richmond small world