Cub 5252 drive shaft vibration...

L

LJ3

Member
While working on the used 5252 I purchased I noticed that the drive shaft was shaking pretty bad. I put a dial indicator on it and its 1/10th of an inch wobble in it. There is no sign of damage or even being removed. Has anyone else had any trouble with there drive shaft wobbling and causing a lot of vibration?
 
Two things I would check. 1. Loose engine mounting bolts. 2. Bad bearings in the drive shaft couplers.
 
Not knowing a 5252 , but I will ask does it have drive barrels at either end of driveshaft , round soft little things that look like 1/2inch kegs
If yes replace the lot
 
The U joints should be replaceable but CC thinks we are too stupid to do it. Provided we know what style and size we can usually find u-joints depending of the correct size and type. But installation can be tricky at times. I had needles to go awol at times ruining the setup.
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But of the industry is constantly changing so some will be NLA.
 
LJ3 said:
While working on the used 5252 I purchased I noticed that the drive shaft was shaking pretty bad. I put a dial indicator on it and its 1/10th of an inch wobble in it. There is no sign of damage or even being removed. Has anyone else had any trouble with there drive shaft wobbling and causing a lot of vibration?
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These driveshafts are a royal pain to work on. Only worked on one on a Cub Cadet, and one on a Grasshopper. Never again.
 
Well I pulled the drive shaft out and set it up in my lathe and the run out or wobble if you prefer is in the front u-joint. It seems the bearings are pressed to far to one side of the yoke on the splined end of the shaft. My question is can I put the yoke in the hydraulic press and push on the cap on the side that's out to far and just push it into proper alignment with out damaging anything?
 

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Oh, the splined end is covered with a steel tube to set the running length of the drive shaft.
 
I purchased a new OEM drive shaft and it shakes just as bad as the original one does. Apparently there is no balancing done by the manufacturer or quality control for that matter! I ran the motor without the drive shaft and it runs super smooth. I don't know why this kind of vibration would be acceptable to any brand. When at operating RPM for mowing your feet will go numb in about two minutes.
 
You may need to take a shop that balances drive shafts.

But here is a question is it clock properly? If not clocked it will vibrate.
 
There is a spot weld between two of the splines. So it's clocked properly. Only fits one way. I was thinking about a shop that balances drive shafts, but I don't think anyone should have to pay a shop to balance a brand new drive shaft. I even tried hose clamping a small weight to the shaft moving it 16 times in equal distances. No improvements.
 
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