no power?

[54farmallguy]

did a light restore on my 54 cub, put it all together, ran fine, had good power. PTO worked great. hauled it from ohio to northern MI, now doesnt make enough rpm or power to run the mower deck that I have on it when it did before. just dies when I try to engage PTO. tried adjusting the carb, but turning adjustment screw does nothing. I can manually pull on the governor linkage and RPMs come up like they are supposed to but go back down as soon as I let go. all linkages seem tight, a bit confused. maybe a stuck float in carb? trying to run a small snowblower with it this winter but kinda need some power for that. help?

[Eugene]

Complete engine tune up starting with dry then wet compression tests. Valve tappet clearance, then ignition system.

What does a light restore consist of?

[54farmallguy]

just a tear down of the body ie hood, fenders, wheels, basically took everything I could take off the tractor without digging into the engine or splitting the tractor. stripped, primed and repainted the whole thing, did a tune up, points, condensor, rotor, wires and cap.

[54farmallguy]

not the greatest pic, can post more later

[Eugene]

The adjustment screw on the IH carburetor is an air bleed adjustment, used to smooth out the carburetor's transition from low idle circuit to high idle circuit.

Systematic approach to the problem. Compression tests, tappet adjustment, ignition system correct, then fuel system.

Did you try operating the mower after you finished the restoration and before you moved the tractor?

Did the tractor mow grass prior to the restoration?

Can you get the tractor to rev up when moving the throttle lever at the operators platform?

What is the history on this tractor?

Nice looking tractor.

[randallc]

Did you adjust governor to carb linkage?

[Matt Kirsch]

Sounds like a governor problem to me.

If the engine revs up normally when you pull the throttle rod to the carb, then the input from the throttle lever is not reaching it. The governor is in between, so that is the place to look.

"Run a small snowblower," I hate to burst your bubble but unless the snowblower has its own engine it will not work in anything but a couple inches of fluff. A Cub moves much too fast with the engine revved up to run the snowblower off the PTO. All the commercial snowblowers for Cubs had/have their own engines mounted on the drawbar at the rear.

If you've ever run a walk-behind snowblower in several inches of snow, you are moving at a slow waddle. Even in 1st gear, a Cub moves at a brisk walking pace.

[54farmallguy]

this tractor belonged to a church since it was new or very close to it, various church members used it for years to mow the church lawn or used it for their own personal use like plowing up their own gardens or things like that, most of the people who used it got older or died and the younger people thought it was uncomfortable to use, (I think its great myself) it had taken a beating though. had been rolled a time or two and ran into the church on a couple different occasions. by the time I got my hands on it it had been sitting in the barn for almost 10 years. I put new fuel in it, put a charge on the battery and after a few spurts of starting fluid it started right up. I got attached to it pretty quick and thought it was a shame to let it sit there and go to waste so I asked the pastor if I could restore it, he agreed that it was a good idea so I went to it. got it done the day I graduated college and had to move back to MI the next morning, so we took a few pictures with it and I thought I would never see it again. about a month ago one of the members of the church called and wanted to know what I thought it was worth because they wanted to sell it. well, I couldnt pass up the opportunity so I offered 1500 and they agreed. now its mine.

as for your other question, yes I did run the mower after the restoration and it worked great, didnt play with the carb or governor either. just seems like it didnt like the trailer ride up to MI. caught some bad vibrations Im guessing

[54farmallguy]

I will keep that in mind about the blower, either way still love the tractor and it will be good to mow the 5 acres we have that needs to be mowed in the summer

[bythepond88]

Agree with the others about a blower on a cub, but get a 54 or 54A blade mounted in front and it will push a lot of snow.

Good looking cub, and props to you for rescuing her!

[54farmallguy]

would honestly rather use a blade than a blower, just trying to use what I have on hand, was thinking it may not be to hard to make my own rig, Im fairly handy with a welder. just need to find a small blade

[54farmallguy]

wow, this website is so useful, wish I would have found it sooner. great info on here!

[offrink]

Have you checked the fuel line? A piece of crud could have plugged the line and partially blocking it or a filter. Otherwise I the engine runs strong until going up a hill or turning on the pto the. It could be another issue like the governor.

[Don McCombs]

it had been sitting in the barn for almost 10 years. I put new fuel in it, put a charge on the battery and after a few spurts of starting fluid it started right up.

Did you get oil pressure when you started it the first time? Or any time since?

[54farmallguy]

my oil pressure is actually running a bit high