Converting a 782 to gear drive

[olds45512]

Gear drive>hydro.... Nuff said.

[IAMBEN]

Thanks for the replies guys. Im going to go through the adjustment procedure and see where that leaves me. Then maybe tweak it a little to make it a little more usable.

[zippy1]

I would bet your trunnion is all slopped out if it's as jerky as you are describing. Sounds just like my 149 was when I brought it home. Check it out, look for groves in the corners where the caps are off center. Get it fixed and you'll be surprised at the difference it'll make.

[Rmowl]

My 782 only tills with a no. 2 tiller and it's amazing. What's up with yours that makes it a burden? I do like plowing w a gear drive better but hydros are fine too. when I'm home I till a lot of friends gardens and it goes through some rocky soil superbly

[twoton]

I've heard it said that if you plow with a creeper you will break it. So what if you are tilling with a creeper that's in a 782 with a 17hp engine. Would the creeper be able to stand up to that level of power?

[yeeter]

And dont overlook the maintenance of just changing the filter and hydro fluid. I had one that needed to be pushed all the way forward, then would pause, before it would start moving. Changing the filter and fluid made it back to normal.

And as mentioned here, the trunion (also check for side to side and play in the mechanism).

Then you will know they hydro is running as well as it can.

[J-Mech]

Originally Posted by twoton

I've heard it said that if you plow with a creeper you will break it. So what if you are tilling with a creeper that's in a 782 with a 17hp engine. Would the creeper be able to stand up to that level of power?

You don't need a creeper to plow because you need to move faster than that. It would be silly to plow that slow, and it wouldn't work.

I think it's a myth about creepers breaking under load anyway. I'll have one soon and we'll see.

As far as using a creeper while tilling, no you won't hurt it. There is no load pulling a tiller. It pushes you. Have you never ran one?

[twoton]

So one of the 1200’s I have has a creeper, I think you could order a creeper on a 582 that has a 16 hp engine and, Roland you said a 1806 was a 18HP Gear Drive tractor. Could that tractor be ordered with a creeper, or could you add one? What I’m getting at is, is a creeper a creeper a creeper? One unit for all HP engines or are they HP specific. Could I add a K341 in place of my K301 or could IAMBEN add a creeper/transmission/rear end from a 1200 into his 782 and have it survive, the creeper I mean.

Yeah Jonathan, I did use a tiller once, I think,… only a walk behind, and no it did not pull me around, but I think I have a few more pounds on my frame that you, maybe that’s why I always get that job every year, and running the overseeder, and the aerator…and the…

I think that there is some load while running a tiller, on the PTO, churning that tiller through this New England soil, not quite like what we used to have out there in Irving. Hence the desire for some more Horse Power!

[Yosemite Sam]

So many questions all at the same once...

All of the IH built gear drive tractors were available with a creeper up to and including the 1200. And yes a 582 (and 1806) were also available with a creeper and I believe several if not all of the later gear drives were, although somewhere along the way (after the 82 series I believe) they were changed from cast iron to an aluminum housing other than that the creepers are all the same.

I don't know of anyone who has successfully tilled a garden with a gear drive Cub Cadet that did not have a creeper gear installed. Not saying that it hasn't happened, but I've never seen it NOR have I seen pictures of it. Surprisingly, here in the Midwest a lot of horse power is not really required for using a tiller. My Brother uses a #1 tiller with one extension on a 10 hp 129 and I use a #1 with one extension on a 128 and we both have power to spare. There is a member here from Northeast Indiana who uses a #1 (no extensions) on the back of a 70 and claims that he has no power issues.

One does not use a creeper gear when pulling a moldboard plow.

I personally do not condone pulling heavy loads on a regular basis with a tractor that is equipped with a creeper gear. Please understand that I'm not saying that you will break a creeper every time out, but a creeper is in fact, the weak link in the drive line, weather engaged or not. I see no need to "abuse" a creeper gear who's parts are either terribly expensive or NLA.

I believe that Zippy1 and yeeter are correct, check your trunnion and repair if necessary and you might want to change the fluid and filter, it could very well make a huge difference.

I tell you what though, there ain't nothin as sweet as tillin with a Wide Frame gear drive that has a hydraulic lift. If I just had gps so I could keep my rows straight and know when to turn around...

[J-Mech]

Originally Posted by twoton

I think you could order a creeper on a 582 that has a 16 hp engine and, Roland you said a 1806 was a 18HP Gear Drive tractor.

A 582 can have a creeper, yes. It was an option
The 1806 came factory with one.

Originally Posted by twoton

Could that tractor be ordered with a creeper, or could you add one? What I’m getting at is, is a creeper a creeper a creeper? One unit for all HP engines or are they HP specific.

What tractor???
Yes, all creepers are the same inside, and the same mounting pattern and can be interchanged. BUT, there were 5 different creepers. Two for NF, a WF, a cast iron for an '82 series and an aluminum for an '82 series. With the exception of the aluminum housing one, the only difference is the handle.

Originally Posted by twoton

Could I add a K341 in place of my K301

Yes.

Originally Posted by twoton

or could IAMBEN add a creeper/transmission/rear end from a 1200 into his 782 and have it survive, the creeper I mean.

A 782 is a hydrostat. No creepers allowed.

Originally Posted by twoton

Yeah Jonathan, I did use a tiller once, I think,… only a walk behind, and no it did not pull me around, but I think I have a few more pounds on my frame that you, maybe that’s why I always get that job every year, and running the overseeder, and the aerator…and the…

You completely miss the boat here. I don't care if you weight 500# or 100#, if you don't hang onto the handles of the tiller, it will take off by itself. I wasn't talking about a walk behind anyway, we are discussing rear tractor mounted tillers.

Originally Posted by twoton

I think that there is some load while running a tiller, on the PTO, churning that tiller through this New England soil, not quite like what we used to have out there in Irving. Hence the desire for some more Horse Power!

Yes...... there is load on the engine. Again, not what the discussion is about. We are talking about the drivetrain. When tilling with a tractor the tiller pushes against the drivetrain. You can actually feel all the slack in the gears reverse load as it starts pushing against the engine. The motor is actually holding the tiller back. Unless you are in really soft soil, then you have to pull it, but effort is very, very minimal. You will not damage a creeper with a tiller or a snowblower. Only concern is trying to..... I dunno, pull a house down with 8 wheel weights on each side so you have good traction. More than likely, you'll pop it then. Personally, I don't think with no added weight you could ever load the creeper enough to break it. Others may disagree. (It would also depend on the weight of the operator. All factory test were done assuming a 175# operator IIRC.)