Save my Lawn Tractor's Rockshaft Cylinder

The Junk Drawer is for those Off Topical discussions where we can ask questions of the community that we feel might have the ability to help out.

Moderator: Harold_V

User avatar
SteveHGraham
Posts: 7788
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:55 pm
Location: Florida

Re: Save my Lawn Tractor's Rockshaft Cylinder

Post by SteveHGraham »

Thanks. This may actually work. I actually have spots on my lawn where spurts of hydraulic fluid killed the grass.
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
User avatar
SteveHGraham
Posts: 7788
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:55 pm
Location: Florida

Re: Save my Lawn Tractor's Rockshaft Cylinder

Post by SteveHGraham »

I got it fixed. What a nightmare. I should post this to the thread about stupid engineers.

To get at the cylinder, you have to remove the tractor's deck. To do this, you have to remove a lever in the floor, detach the ridiculous seat kill switch, and pull the tail lamps. Yes, my lawnmower has taillights. Because I obviously need them.

The lever in the floor unscrews, and it has a hex on it for a wrench, but the hex is BELOW the floor, so you can't put a wrench on it from above. You have to hold the deck up with one hand (or prop it with a block, which I eventually did) and turn the hex a tenth of a turn at a time. Naturally, it was seized with rust, so it took forever just to get it to move.

When I got it out, I loaded it up with anti-seize, and I reinstalled it finger-tight. I may weld a T-handle to the top (duh, John Deere engineers).

The tail lamp sockets are easy to pull out, but pushing them back in is nearly impossible. I had to grease them, and pushing two sockets in still took over 10 miserable minutes.

The seat switch (rendered inoperable with a twist tie) has a cable that has to be stuffed through a tiny hole before the deck can come off. Then you have to stuff it through the hole again, from below, to put the deck back on.

The deck and seat probably weigh 60 pounds, and you have zero leverage when you lift it. It's like lifting an ironing board with a fat kid sitting on the far end. I can't believe I did it.

I would say I put in 6 hours. Even if I had known what I was doing and had help and better tools, it would have taken 4.

I really hope this thing doesn't screw up again.
05 24 19 John Deer Tractor partially dismantled small.jpg
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
spro
Posts: 8016
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: mid atlantic

Re: Save my Lawn Tractor's Rockshaft Cylinder

Post by spro »

Well Steve, you got it done. I looks like a pita but you will feel much better when it's mowing in style.
User avatar
warmstrong1955
Posts: 3568
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:05 pm
Location: Northern Nevada

Re: Save my Lawn Tractor's Rockshaft Cylinder

Post by warmstrong1955 »

And you now know, that they design them to be assembled on the line, and not to work on!

:)
Today's solutions are tomorrow's problems.
User avatar
NP317
Posts: 4557
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: Northern Oregon, USA

Re: Save my Lawn Tractor's Rockshaft Cylinder

Post by NP317 »

Goats are looking better, I suspect.
~RN
spro
Posts: 8016
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: mid atlantic

Re: Save my Lawn Tractor's Rockshaft Cylinder

Post by spro »

Some of these interlock switches require a bridge within the socket. It must have a connection or the ignition doesn't work. When my Jacobsen flipped into a deep ditch, it was dripping gasoline on me while I was scrambling to get out from under it. If not for one of those switches, I would have been really burned or dead.
User avatar
SteveHGraham
Posts: 7788
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:55 pm
Location: Florida

Re: Save my Lawn Tractor's Rockshaft Cylinder

Post by SteveHGraham »

Maybe goats are the answer. If they eat the shrubs, I can forget about trimming. Turn the place into a rock garden.

The safety switch is a royal pain, because you can't bypass it when you're doing jobs that require you to get off the tractor. I may install a boat switch with a lanyard. You attach the lanyard to yourself, and if you fall off the boat (or tractor), it pulls a little doodad out of the switch and kills the ignition. I could use it while mowing sloped ground and leave it on the shift handle when I'm getting on and off the tractor.

https://www.amazon.com/Five-Oceans-Univ ... B00JRHRI1Q
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
User avatar
SteveHGraham
Posts: 7788
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:55 pm
Location: Florida

Re: Save my Lawn Tractor's Rockshaft Cylinder

Post by SteveHGraham »

Because of the annoying shift lever that has to be removed every time I take off the pan, I finally ordered crowfoot wrenches today. I want to avoid turning fasteners two degrees at a time in the future.

I am not totally familiar with crowfoot wrenches. I assume the flared ones are only for flared fasteners. Is that right?
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
User avatar
warmstrong1955
Posts: 3568
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:05 pm
Location: Northern Nevada

Re: Save my Lawn Tractor's Rockshaft Cylinder

Post by warmstrong1955 »

No. You can use them on anything. They are designed with a wide enough opening to fit a fare nut on tubing. On some hydraulic fittings, you have to grind the opening a bit to get them to slide over.
I have open end and flare nut styles, and a bunch that have been attacked with a grinder, both inside and out, to fit into tight spots.
Today's solutions are tomorrow's problems.
User avatar
SteveHGraham
Posts: 7788
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:55 pm
Location: Florida

Re: Save my Lawn Tractor's Rockshaft Cylinder

Post by SteveHGraham »

Thanks.

Looks like it's not hard to find USA-made used ones cheap on Ebay.
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
User avatar
warmstrong1955
Posts: 3568
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:05 pm
Location: Northern Nevada

Re: Save my Lawn Tractor's Rockshaft Cylinder

Post by warmstrong1955 »

I have bought a variety of flavors. I have some Proto, Mac, and Craftsman made, but also have some cheapies.
Really, I’ve done well with the cheap ones, and I don’t feel so bad when I have to hack on one to get it to fit in a place a bug won’t go.
Same with combo wrenches. Sure hurts to take a torch to a SnapOn and make it look like a snake. With a Horror Freight wrench.....no big deal. You can buy a whole wrench set for less than the one SnapOn wrench.
Today's solutions are tomorrow's problems.
spro
Posts: 8016
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: mid atlantic

Re: Save my Lawn Tractor's Rockshaft Cylinder

Post by spro »

Crow foot and flare nut wrenches/ attachments are special. They can look okay but it doesn't take much wear, for them to damage things. I would say avoid HF, for these were already loose. HF may have tightened the quality but I'm not falling for it again. It is reasonable to find quality tools on Ebay but we have to remember the sizes we need, are the wrenches that were used a thousand times. The tolerance is so important that if it isn't gripping, it is rounding the edges off the union.
Post Reply