Gasket material

52DAVE

Active member
Last fall after I finally got my new to me cub home after a major motor overhaul I started to replace the rest of the fluids. Both the steering and trans. had over twice as much gear lube in them than they should have had. I got about 6 qts. out between the two of them. Now that it's getting warm enough to start working on it again I want to do the final drives. I would like to save some $ and make my own gaskets. There are several types and thicknesses of material to make gaskets with. Does it matter what I use? I also want to replace the one for the shifter plate that is leaking. I will likely also replace others in the future. Is there a way to tell what to use where or doesn't it matter. Dave
 
Dave, I don't think the gasket material is as important as the sheet metal of the final drive bottom covers sealing surface being flat. I believe the gaskets were made from cork which offers some compression and would be a good choice for any homemade gaskets. It's a good idea to maybe spend a little time with a hammer and dolly to get the surface as flat as possible and don't over tighten the screws.
 
Take a look at the gaskets on TM Tractor Parts website. That will give you an indication of the material used in the OEM gaskets. For the two gaskets that you mention, the thickness is not critical. You could even use a cereal box for the shifter gasket.
 
Pick up an assortment of sheet gasket material from the auto parts store and some RTV. Black RTV for the finals pan gasket.

I purchase the large cork gaskets because they are difficult to get exact.
 
I recently bought a roll of gasket material to replace the one I bought 20 years ago. The roll I got from McMaster -Carr, after a couple hours of researching the best type of generic or all purpose gasket material. I wanted something thick enough and soft enough for gasketing thin sheetmetal to hard cast surfaces, but strong enough for intake manifold and water outlet/inlet purposes.

What I ended up buying was 1/32" thick "Paper Fiber/Buna-N Rubber Blend, Water-Resistant Lightweight Fiber Gasket Material." Here'the link to that product page - https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/3946/9556K114

I'll see if I can post a snapshot.
Nope, can't attach a snapshot...
 
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