So....Hood #3 (06 GT2554)

[turbojerk]

So, after I replaced the original hood because of heat warpage and subsequent cracking near the latch after only 25hrs, now the replacement #2 hood has followed in it's foostep's in the same fashion with just over 50hrs. Now I was smart and had the dealer get me #3 replacement hood at the end summer and my warranty last year. Since the warping and cracking has gotten to the point of causing damage to the grill (128hrs) it's time to put the 3rd replacement on. At this point I don't want to cause any more damage to the grill than what has been done (minor) and I want to put the new hood on, but I'm very reluctant to do so since this will be the last one that I get from CC under warranty and at the stiff price of $400+ I don't want to be buying hoods every other year. I bought this tractor to last me for years and years and I already have a mental picture in my head of me mowing my lawn on a hoodless POS tractor....

Now the solution....

Since I know that the heat blowing across the motor and then the exhaust has been the culprit of the damage I fab'd up an additional heat shield to help direct the hot air down and away from the hood (see pic). Today was the first test and after mowing for close to 2 hours it seemed to be fine and appears to be doing as I hoped, although I'm kind of leery about altering the cooling path of the motor. Does anyone see a problem with this design??

Also has there been any recalls on these crappy hood or anything like that?? Now that my warranty have expired I feel kinda left out in the cold about this reoccurring and expensive problem....

Thanks
Troy

 

[CCinCT]

Your heat shield appears to be about 3" longer than the redesigned one. The attached photo shows my original heat shield retrofitted with an extension that Cub issued back in late '06. '07 models came with a longer 1-piece heat shield. Did you have the extended Cub version on prior to your custom one?

In any case, I don't see a problem with what you did. Does the same thing as the redesigned one, just carries the air further down.

Re: recalls... yes, there was an issue with the original latch design. It would fail (slowly over time) in such a way to allow the hood to sit higher and higher. Eventually this would partially block the exhaust, causing the grill to have heat damage. The latch was fixed in late '06/early '07.

Nice fab work, btw.

 

[turbojerk]

Your heat shield appears to be about 3" longer than the redesigned one. The attached photo shows my original heat shield retrofitted with an extension that Cub issued back in late '06. Did you have that extension on before this custom one?

In any case, I don't see a problem with what you did. Does the same thing as the redesigned one, just carries the air further down.

Nice fab work, btw.

No it originally didn't have the extension, but there where 3 holes in the exhaust cover that where empty that I used to attach my addition. Did the dealer forget to install this??

 

[CCinCT]

He may have, or he may not have seen a notice from Cub. I don't really know how Cub notifies dealers. My dealer told me about the redesigned latch and heat shield when I brought it in for it's 25 hour service in December of '06. Whether he went looking for info or was told by Cub, I don't know.

I've since put about 75 hours on it and haven't had any heat issues. But as a precaution I had my dealer install the Kohler oil cooler kit in late '08. I even went a step further by replacing the stock headlights with LED's: less heat near the grill.

 

[turbojerk]

I've been considering adding an oil cooler for a while now. Maybe I should follow through with it finally....

While on the subject of lights and grill, is there any way to retro-fit the sealed beam headlight system that's found on the compact tractors that I've seen at the dealers?? I really dislike the cheesey headlight system on the 2500's

 

[micman32]

Cub Cadet just needs to forget this plastic hood and go back to the metal one. Any money they saved by going plastic has to be lost in all these replacements and retro-fits and what ever else they try to do to mask the real problem. I know some don't like the 3 piece design of the metal hoods but I feel it works better than having to replace the plastic one.
I know I would be pissed off if the warranty runs out and then stuck with the cost of a clearly bad design.

Michael

 

[savageactor7]

Nice mod turbo. I just wonder if anyone ever tried drilling some well placed holes in the hood so the air could cool it more?

Ask your dealer about doing that before taking the 3rd hood...what the heck it's not like they will send it back to MTD anyway. It'll just end up in the local recycling bin.

I do like the oil dip stick I see there...I hate the one that came with the 2550...it has an O ring that must be press fitted correctly or it will blow oil all over.

 

[jdkalb]

Troy

Where did you get that oil drain valve?

Is that a Fomoto?

If so what model number is it that fits pipe threads instead of an oilpan?

John

 

[diesel_nut]

YOu can get a product to wrap the exhaust pipe at most hop-up shops, dirt bike shops. It's called header wrap. Will at least insulate the exhaust pipe area. May help keep heat down under the hood. I'll try to find a pic. It is very common to use on the headers of new 4-stroke dirt bikes.....supposed to increase exhaust flow also from higher temps inside the pipe (or so they say ).
.


http://www.thermotec.com/exhaust-insulating-wrap.html?gclid=CJ3R3JWV35oCFSMeDQodPgIrzQ

 

[turbojerk]

Troy

Where did you get that oil drain valve?

Is that a Fomoto?

If so what model number is it that fits pipe threads instead of an oilpan?

John

Its a homemade drian made with stuff from the local plumbing supply store. I beleive that it's 1/2"ﾘ pipe thread. Someone back me up here cause it's been a while since I did that...