Catastrophic Failure

[TraumaOne]

Yesterday I got all the maintenance done I wanted on my SA, oil changed, coolant changed, new throttle assembly installed, fresh non-ethanol gas and checked the tires. I was a little under pressure to get it all done by tomorrow (today) due to a Michigan snow storm about to hit us. She fired right up with a little choke and was running strong. I hopped on and took it down the driveway and turned around and BAM she fell out of gear. I got off to take a look as it's never had any gear issues, or even the common SA rear end sounds. This is what I saw:







At this point I was spitting nails, but it was getting dark and I couldn't leave it in my front yard. Got the tow strap out and dragged it back up next to the garage. Now it sits on the ground with one wheel high and covered with a heavy tarp. I'm not even sure where to begin on fixing this.

[tst]

broken final drive, not to bad to replace as long as it did not damage the transmission case it bolts to

[Dale Finch]

Bummer! Unfortunately, it appears, from the last photo, that the forward bolt (left in th pix) may have broken out the bolt hole in the differential. If so, it can probably be repaired.
Did it break/damage the axle when it went? Plan on replacing both the differential seal and the inboard final seal (NAPA).
Perhaps the 2 bottom bolts on the final were not replaced or tightened if/when the final was previously reinstalled...they are a bit difficult to access, and easy to overlook.
May have bent the brake rod...should be easy to straighten.

Might as well post looking for "new" left final...

[TraumaOne]

I will say that it broke off pretty cleanly. My concern is that it's out in the weather (snow) but covered with a tarp at the moment. What is the best way to get this old girl back up and out of the dirt? Would a cherry picker work? Bottle Jacks?

Also, do you have any tips on finding the replacement left final drive?

[EZ]

Might rig up some sort of 'ski' under the wheel and drag to a warm shop.

[Jim Becker]

First off, quit dragging it around with weight on that wheel. Horsing it around is going to do more damage and is dangerous. Right now all that is holding the tractor up is the axle sticking into the differential. Get a jack under the transmission housing to hold it up. Be careful and stay out from under it. A stiff breeze is enough to knock it over.

It is very clear from the third picture that the front mounting bolt has not been there for years, can't tell about the bottom ones. If they had been there, this failure would have been very unlikely. Jack it up and pull the final drive housing off. If the axle isn't bent and there are at least 2 good bolt positions left, you can bolt it back together to move it to wherever it is going to be repaired.

To do the actual repair, you need to inspect the transmission housing for damage and broken off bolts, as well as inspecting the previously mentioned axle. Repair or replace each as necessary then bolt on a replacement final drive housing. Note that there are toggle and non-toggle versions of the brakes. You need to make sure any replacement housing will fit your tractor.

[Donegal Cub]

Oh Dear!!!. Great advice from Jim, It may not be easy working at it out in the cold, but you don't have much of a choice. Be very careful when working at it if sitting on a jack. Try and make sure that its well supported and stable and take the weight off the jack, otherwise a further calamity could occur.

[TraumaOne]

That's the plan, it's currently sitting about 20 ft from my side garage door. I luckily have the ability to heat the garage if I plan to work in it. It's going to be a trick to get it up off the ground though.

[ricky racer]

You don't list your zip code so other than Michigan, we don't know where you're located to help find a replacement.

[TraumaOne]

You don't list your zip code so other than Michigan, we don't know where you're located to help find a replacement.

Yea, I'm in the Mid-Michigan area. About 35 minutes or so north of Flint, close to Birch Run. Any help is very much appreciated.

[Glen]

Hi,
The bolts that hold the final drives on Cubs, and the Super A, 140, etc, need checking once in a while, and to be kept tight.
If they come loose, and are run loose, the threads in the housing can wear, and then the bolts won't tighten properly.
People with Cubs have put in thread repair inserts so they can use the original size bolts to hold the final drive on, if the threads need repair.
I hope your transmission housing is not damaged.

You could put an ad in The Vine, on here, saying you need a final drive. Go to Board Index at the top left of the page to find The Vine.

[Saucymynx]

Sorry about your woes. I am going to check and make sure none of my bolts are missing! Steiner tractor is not too far from you in Grand Blanc. They might be able to help you with parts

[TraumaOne]

Hi,
The bolts that hold the final drives on Cubs, and the Super A, 140, etc, need checking once in a while, and to be kept tight.
If they come loose, and are run loose, the threads in the housing can wear, and then the bolts won't tighten properly.
People with Cubs have put in thread repair inserts so they can use the original size bolts to hold the final drive on, if the threads need repair.
I hope your transmission housing is not damaged.

You could put an ad in The Vine, on here, saying you need a final drive. Go to Board Index at the top left of the page to find The Vine.

Will do, thank you.

Sorry about your woes. I am going to check and make sure none of my bolts are missing! Steiner tractor is not too far from you in Grand Blanc. They might be able to help you with parts

Yes, Steiner is not far away at all. I've been to their shop several times. I'll definitely be giving them a call.

[BigBill]

Better now than plowing snow.

My 1955 Jeep tractor the first frame cracked right under the drivers seat while plowing heavy wet snow. I got lucky it was six feet from my welder. I grabbed a piece of 3/8” thick plate, jacked up the Jeep frame mated both parts and added a fish plate I was back plowing in 30 minutes. I had a extra ‘73 cj5 frame sitting here. I boxed the full length of the frame with 3/8’ plate. Changed it all over. The 3/8” plate won’t rust out in my lifetime.

I’m a firm believer in stocking extra parts. I have a complete int154 on shelves. Plus three extra sets of finals, a tranny, front axles, spindles, you name it I have it. I have cub parts too.

[TraumaOne]

I had a few friends over this afternoon with a cherry picker and we managed to get the broken left final drive back on the tractor and push it back into the garage. The tractor was out in the snow for a week, I took my time and got it covered with a large tarp before we got 8" of the white stuff. The initial inspection looks good, nothing glaringly wrong. That may change after some further investigation, I'll also grab some pics for you folks as soon as i can. Now that it is back in the garage, I can seriously start looking for my parts.

Thanks to all.