# Cub GT 1554 Spindle Woes



## FS5500 (Apr 12, 2011)

Hi Guys,

I was wondering if anyone has run into a problem with the Cub GT 1554 spindle
shafts bending repeatedly.

I have this model Cub that has been in the dealer every year since it was new
to have the left and sometimes the center spindle replaced.

This year, the spindle was replaced again and lasted about 30 minutes or 1/2 an acre.

Anyone have any ideas?
Belts and pulleys look good, deck is mostly level, and blades seem to be flat and straight.
I'm not hitting ant stumps, stones or buried vehicles... that could cause this kind of damage so fast..

Thanks in advance,
Chris


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## jhngardner367 (Apr 5, 2011)

What point on the shaft are they bending?


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## FS5500 (Apr 12, 2011)

jhngardner367 said:


> What point on the shaft are they bending?


Hey there,
Thanks for the reply.
Looks like they bend at the upper part under the pulley.
Possibly a belt not routed right or deck not level?

Even Cub Cadet techs say they never see this problem.

Thanks again
Chris


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## TractorLarry (Oct 2, 2006)

FS5500 said:


> Hey there,
> Thanks for the reply.
> Looks like they bend at the upper part under the pulley.
> Possibly a belt not routed right or deck not level?
> ...


Under the pulley?

You got me man. I can't even think of anything remotely that would cause this.

Are you sure there isn't a little Lawn Gnome jammed up in there somewhere, and he's trying to beat his way out ? Makes as much sense as anything else I can think of 

Surely Cub Cadet has a way to figure this out. You may need to either try another service center, or even call CC and ask for a field/area supervisor to look into it.

There _has _to be an answer.


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## FS5500 (Apr 12, 2011)

*Cc 1554*



TractorLarry said:


> Under the pulley?
> 
> You got me man. I can't even think of anything remotely that would cause this.
> 
> ...


Hey TractorLarry

I'm stumped too.
I have a small engine shop and have seen LOTS of people do awful things to their mowers but this is new to me.
I did call CC and they were scratching their heads too.

Looks like it's bent between the pulley and the housing.
I think it's haunted too, but if the gnomes have to hang out in the tractor, they could at least mow the grass

I'll call CC again and ask for a high level tech and stuporvisor and see if I can get anywhere with that route.

Thanks,

Chris


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## jhngardner367 (Apr 5, 2011)

Chris,when you call them,ask if the shafts are hardened,and if so check to see if you can file/cut them,easily. They may have a problem with being too soft,due to machining,at the factory.
I had an MTD that did this,and,when I got the new shafts,I heated/re-tempered them,before I installed them,and they've been on the machine now, for 5 years,with no problems.


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## FS5500 (Apr 12, 2011)

jhngardner367 said:


> Chris,when you call them,ask if the shafts are hardened,and if so check to see if you can file/cut them,easily. They may have a problem with being too soft,due to machining,at the factory.
> I had an MTD that did this,and,when I got the new shafts,I heated/re-tempered them,before I installed them,and they've been on the machine now, for 5 years,with no problems.


hngardner367,
Hey there, 
Thanks for the speedy answer!

Definitely a possibility to be shafts too soft.

I did find when I pulled the machine apart that the pulley on the left...the spindle that gives the trouble...was worn almost to nothing where it bolts to the spindle.
It also appears that the "Cub Dealer" put the spacers in the wrong place and way overtightened the bolt that holds it on.
As a result, the blade or the pulley would turn by hand depending on what you pushed or pulled on without the shaft moving.
I also believe that the belt is a bit too short for the 54 inch deck.
Heck, It's not even a genuine MTD belt, so who knows what it might be besides a NAPA brand.

I'll shove a new spindle in and put the right belt on and let you guys know if it did the trick.

Thank you all again!
Chris


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## FS5500 (Apr 12, 2011)

FS5500 said:


> hngardner367,
> Hey there,
> Thanks for the speedy answer!
> 
> ...


jhngardner367,

I forgot to ask,
When you re-tempered the shafts, what type torch did you use to do it?
Wondering if I have the stuff available...

Thanks again,
Chris


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## jhngardner367 (Apr 5, 2011)

I used an oxy-acetalene torch,to heat them,then queched them in old oil(cautiously!!),then I P.O'd my wife,by heating them ,in the oven @500*for 10 minutes. (pre-heat the oven). If you don't have an oxy-acetalene torch,heat them in a bed of bbq briquettes,until they get yellow/orange color. I had old motor oil,in an old tub,outside,andquenched them until they quit smoking.After hey were cool,I cleaned them and used the oven to temper them,and let them air-cool.


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## FS5500 (Apr 12, 2011)

jhngardner367 said:


> I used an oxy-acetalene torch,to heat them,then queched them in old oil(cautiously!!),then I P.O'd my wife,by heating them ,in the oven @500*for 10 minutes. (pre-heat the oven). If you don't have an oxy-acetalene torch,heat them in a bed of bbq briquettes,until they get yellow/orange color. I had old motor oil,in an old tub,outside,andquenched them until they quit smoking.After hey were cool,I cleaned them and used the oven to temper them,and let them air-cool.


Thanks again.

Rounding up the stuff to take on this project.
I'll let you guys know how it goes!

Chris


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## Mickey (Aug 14, 2010)

Would be nice if you had some pictures to show. Since drive belt is tensioned by a spring, don't see how the belt could assert enough pressure to bend. Next, as the shaft rotates, either the shaft is flexing constantly when turning (not likely) or there has been some kind of impact force applied to the shaft when not turning.

Taking a WAG, how fast is the engine turning when you engage the deck? Wondering if it possible shaft(s) getting bent from high impact load if deck engaged with high engine speed. This with the combination of soft shaft. Just thinking.

Along the same line, is the shaft that bends on the side driven directly from the center pulley or the side that has the tensioning pulley? If on the directly driven side, that could add credence to the impact load at start-up.


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## FS5500 (Apr 12, 2011)

Hi all,

I got with MTD and they have agreed to send a new spindle free of charge.
They want to see the old one as well.
No problem here.
jhngardner367, I did ask if the shafts were hardened and tempered. The tech says that they are.
We'll see what happens once the parts arrive.

Thanks again all,
Chris


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## FS5500 (Apr 12, 2011)

OK Guys,

Got the new spindle from MTD.
Installed and greased, replaced the pulley too.
It looked like a mack truck hit it. I believe the 'Cub Service Dealer' attempted to weld the pulley to the shaft as it was egg shaped and had evidence of a bluish weld mark on top.
Of course that won't hold up against the torque of engaging the blades, especially if the hole in the pulley is egg shaped and obviously way too large for the shaft to fit tight.
All assembled and purring like a baby kitty now.
So far I've mowed 2 very large yards and a couple of small ones without any sign of trouble.

Thanks again!
Chris


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## FS5500 (Apr 12, 2011)

Grrr!
Way so angry with the CC dealer.
Got the deck spindles, belts and all working great.
Now that the deck is quiet, I can hear squeaking in the idler pulley 
system for the tranny. Pulled all apart and imagine finding washers, spacers, and other various parts either missing
installed wrong and just plain ole wore out, as well as the engine pulley frozen to the crank.
I ended up pulling the engine to cut it off with an air chisel. You guessed it..no anti-seize on the crank when the pulley was put on at the last drive system belt change...something that MTD specifically states in the service manual.

MTD should pull these morons from their Authorized Service Center list


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