Oh No! My wife drove the Cub LoBoy for the first time in 10 years! And had clutch problems!

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DonMountain

Well-known member
Well our local city, of which our 100 acre farm has been absorbed by, is having an all you can put out junk day. My wife and her sister started up the Cub LoBoy, hooked it to the trailer and loaded it for all it was worth from the barn, log cabin, log barn, sheep shed and chicken house. She drove it 3/8 of a mile down our steep hilled driveway to the road. And unloaded it all next to the road. When she drove it back up, she told me she couldn't get it into second gear without the gears grinding. She turned it off at the top of the hill behind the house. I went out and started it up, and one push on the clutch and the grinding or vibration of the clutch pedal made my mind race to the throw-out bearing shattered? Well, this morning I removed the mower deck and the clutch inspection hole cover and came in to take a break before looking in there? So, what should I be looking for? And since I am getting more elderly, how do I handle it?
 
The face of the tob should be flat where it meets the clutch fingers. Shine a flashlight through the hand hole and have someone rotate the engine with a hand crank. See if the graphite has broken or if any of the three clutch fingers seem to be out of adjustment or even broken. To be safe, disconnect the battery. You might also remove the shifter cover and see if either fork is loose or broken.
 
DonMountain said:
So, what should I be looking for?
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Hi,
The graphite material sticks out of a new Cub or LoBoy throwout bearing 5/16"
Below is a picture of a new Cub or LoBoy throwout bearing, you can compare it to the one in your LoBoy. The front surface of it has to be smooth.
When using the light to look in the clutch housing hand hole, having the LoBoy in a building is good, so you don't have to look up at the bright sky.
They need greasing at least once a year, so they don't get dry. :)
 

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It was bright sunlight outside as I crawled under to look up at the clutch. The clutch is still shiny and new looking as I had replaced it several years ago. Along with the throw-out-bearing. I started turning the engine over with the hand crank and looking up at the clutch and throw-out-bearing. All the clutch fingers look good. But I did see a piece of something wedged in next to one of the clutch fingers and when I touched it, it disappeared. Feeling around in the bottom of the bell housing I found what appears to be a chip of graphite about 1/2 and inch long, 3/8" wide and 1/8" thick. With one smooth side and one fractured side. Sure looks like a piece of a fractured throw-out-bearing surface. I can feel around the bottom of the throw-out-bearing and it is all smooth. But I can't reach up to the top of the throw-out-bearing with the pressure plate in the way, or see the top of the throw-out-bearing. Any suggestions for inspecting the entire throw-out-bearing?
 
DonMountain said:
And where would I find a cub fest in mid-Missouri? Ever since they changed the format on this web sight, I can't find anything?
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Here's the link to the current calendar. Looks like Barnyard's Bash is next month. Good luck. If you can find a scope you might be able to see the top of the bearing but sounds like that's where the problem lies. Stan
Barnyard

Thread '2026 CubFest & Farmall Tractor Show Calendar'

2025 was here and gone, and we sure had some good times at CubFests. There is no reason for the 2026 CubFest season to be any different. As we head into our 20th year, we hope to see more folks wanting to get out and enjoy Cub camaraderie. We hope many members who have never attended a CubFest will decide to put this on their bucket list this year. All too many times a member will say it is too far to travel. In reality, numerous attendees will travel over 1,000 miles and reserve a motel room to attend CubFests year after year. The CubFest hosts continue to provide great Cub events for...
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Wow! Barnyard's Cub Fest is only 460 miles away? That's quite a ride in one direction? I don't believe that's too practical for me to attend. So, I guess I will have to have my elderly wife help me?
 
DonMountain said:
Wow! Barnyard's Cub Fest is only 460 miles away? That's quite a ride in one direction? I don't believe that's too practical for me to attend. So, I guess I will have to have my elderly wife help me?
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You're closer to LA Cubfest at Bogalusa I think but whatever you do, just observe the safety precautions for splitting the tractor especially like wedging the front axle, take plenty of time and you'll probably be fine. I've done it before with on other tractors with NO help. First thing is get a TOB and start soaking it in oil for a while before you break into it. While you're there, it's never a better time to replace the rear C/S oil seal with one of tst's units that the retainer has been machined to fit the seal. His is an excellent replacement with a very high success rate of NO leaks and his price is really great. JMHO Stan
 
DonMountain said:
What is a rear C/S oil seal?
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It's the rear crankshaft oil seal, and the retainer that holds it in place bolts to the rear of the block behind the clutch/pressure plate assembly. My comment was made because the tractor has to be split at the bell housing/torque tube to replace the TOB bearing so if there is a leak at the engine rear seal (or the seal has been there a long time) it's wise to consider replacing it while the tractor is split rather than splitting it again later to replace the seal. Cost for parts will be less than $100 if you use tst's replacement assembly. JMHO Stan
 
Hi,
Below is a picture of the rear crankshaft seal, and it's holder. The flywheel has to be removed to get to the holder and seal. The part to the upper left of the holder is the oil pump.
If the seal isn't leaking oil out, you can leave it like it is, if you want. No telling how long it will work without leaking, if it is old.
They have said on here that the oil seal sold nowadays to replace the rear seal is too small an OD, and doesn't fit tight in the old holders. tst sells used holders that have been machined to a bigger size, so an oil seal with a slightly bigger OD will fit tight in it.
You can read about splitting the LoBoy in the Cub and LoBoy service manual. You have split it before.
 

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I thank everybody for your recommendations so far. I am not up on these new cell phone accessories, like that camera device. And in fact my phone doesn't work for me most of the time. I will ask the son who got these phones for us about the camera device, buying one and getting it set up. And try to make mine functional all the time. I had the engine rebuilt at an engine shop about 25 years ago, and the rear seal is still holding up just fine. I had clutch trouble 4 or 5 years ago as one of the clutch fingers had broken. So the pressure plate, clutch disk, and throw out bearing was replaced then. I soaked the throw out bearing in oil for a week before installing it and greasing it. And have greased it several times since then. It still is of the original thickness as it appears. It just fractured on the top face of it for some reason? I still need to inspect it more closely before I go disassembling it to actually find the fault in it. But I am in the midst of planting the vegetable garden and mowing grass around the farm right now. So, time is tight.
 
I understand your concerns about the TOB and the maintenance history you provided gives some insite as to what you might be facing. JMHO if your problem is limited to the TOB it's unlikely that a total failure will cause any further damage to other parts, it will just cease to engage/disengage the engine-transmission when it fails. And that might be at a rather inconvenient time when you need the tractor. On the other hand it seems as though the part that broke off might not be critical to the operation and it might work for a while. Good luck with your decision to make the repairs. If I were doing it myself and working without any assistance a day's effort should be time enough to do the job. Take a look at the HOW TO forum for some ideas and tips on the repair. Under the topic Specialty tools there's several good ideas for splitting stands. This link should take you there: https://farmallcub.com/community/forums/specialty-tools.144/Stan
 
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DonMountain said:
I thank everybody for your recommendations so far. I am not up on these new cell phone accessories, like that camera device. And in fact my phone doesn't work for me most of the time. I will ask the son who got these phones for us about the camera device, buying one and getting it set up. And try to make mine functional all the time. I had the engine rebuilt at an engine shop about 25 years ago, and the rear seal is still holding up just fine. I had clutch trouble 4 or 5 years ago as one of the clutch fingers had broken. So the pressure plate, clutch disk, and throw out bearing was replaced then. I soaked the throw out bearing in oil for a week before installing it and greasing it. And have greased it several times since then. It still is of the original thickness as it appears. It just fractured on the top face of it for some reason? I still need to inspect it more closely before I go disassembling it to actually find the fault in it. But I am in the midst of planting the vegetable garden and mowing grass around the farm right now. So, time is tight.
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I have replaced my 1948 Cub TOB several times - once with that metal replacement with bearings - don't do that it will last about a year.
I've also had some problems with the graphite bearing, when I bought a 3rd party aftermarket bearing. A few years ago I replaced it with a CNH OEM bearing. No problems -- today it looks like new, no cracks or problems. If possible buy anew one from CNH (Case). It will be very expensive -- but well worth the money. If you can get it, It will be the last time you will have to replace the TOB.
 
In Jim's link, scroll down about 9 posts to the first on splitting stands. There are about 7-8 including one by Kodiak about 3 from the end of the second page; which is the design I use and like.
 
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