My 2005 model GC2310 did not come equipped with the hydraulic filter skid plate cover, so I ordered the kit from my dealer. While under the frame checking out fitment, I saw my nylon six bladed cooling fan was down to its' last two teeth (blades). Thanks to reading threads here on TBN I realized it was a fairly simple fix and decided to do it myself. At my age I greatly prefer standing up working down rather than lying on my back working up. I decided to remove the floor pan.
1) The side panels enclosing the engine came off easily on both sides. There is one screw on the left side that is holding a brace piece for anchoring the sheet metal. It was long enough that the threaded end touched the radiator cooling hose and over the years has worn a divot into the rubber hose, just short of the braided core. No leak (yet)! When I reassembled the sheet metal panels I reversed the screw so the round head was in the engine compartment with the threaded end facing out.
2) The mid-mount mower height control wheel is attached to its' shaft with a drive pin. A few tries with a punch did not move it at all, so I somehow wrassled the loose floor pan around enough to clear with the wheel attached. Replacing the pan over that control wheel took some sustained cussing and a screwdriver pry bar to get it back over -- next time I'll get that knob off even if I have to cut the shaft! I don't use a MMM.
3) Loosening the clamp bolt on the engine drive shaft was easy and it came off the transmission splines clean. It collapses toward the engine with a slip joint enough to clear. The fan has just two hex head bolts and in ten minutes I had it swapped with the new fan. When I went to slip the drive shaft back onto the transmission splines for some reason I checked what play I had and pulled the shaft right out of the engine housing! ******. Well ... at least it practically fell out in my hand, so it will be a piece of cake to slip back in through the tunnel into the engine output female splines. WRONG! It took another twenty minutes of cussing, head scratching, and spitting fire before my dim bulb lit up. "Maybe it is keyed?" Sure enough, a close look at the engine end of the shaft revealed a non-machined 'bridge' of metal in between the valley of consecutive splines. Leaning down with an eye down the shaft tunnel to the engine socket and I could see where the keyway was sitting at three o'clock. Lining it up the shaft slipped right home. WHEW!
4) While I had the cowling under the dashboard out, I replaced the rubber washers that isolate the four bolts holding the steering pump. No leaks there, thankfully. My steering wheel was awfully wobbly side to side and front to back. I replaced all four washers but still found more play than I should. That is when I found some rotten rubber half-moons that had fallen out and discovered that there are FOUR MORE rubber isolating washers UNDER the steering pump plate that I did not see at first. I had to really work them into place because they really should have a flat on the round edge because the mounting holes are too close to the pump body to slide a completely circular washer in place. But I got it done. Lesson: There are eight total washers, not four. But my steering wheel is now held firmly in place again.
4a) Rubber steering isolators are about five dollars apiece from the AGCO parts catalogue. Go to True Value and buy some generics.
5) I looked for eight hours over three days trying to figure out where there might be enough room to mount a horn. It finally hit me: since I don't use a MMM and have the leading control arms cranked all the way up, why not drill a single hole and mount the horn to the control arm under the floorboard. Now I have an "A-OOO-gah!" horn.
All in all I found the job well worth my time, learning my way around the intimate details of my tractor. While I had it taken down I examined the notorious hydraulic pump, how it was mounted and plumbed, and how much work it takes to split the cases for my future reference.
-Phil
1) The side panels enclosing the engine came off easily on both sides. There is one screw on the left side that is holding a brace piece for anchoring the sheet metal. It was long enough that the threaded end touched the radiator cooling hose and over the years has worn a divot into the rubber hose, just short of the braided core. No leak (yet)! When I reassembled the sheet metal panels I reversed the screw so the round head was in the engine compartment with the threaded end facing out.
2) The mid-mount mower height control wheel is attached to its' shaft with a drive pin. A few tries with a punch did not move it at all, so I somehow wrassled the loose floor pan around enough to clear with the wheel attached. Replacing the pan over that control wheel took some sustained cussing and a screwdriver pry bar to get it back over -- next time I'll get that knob off even if I have to cut the shaft! I don't use a MMM.
3) Loosening the clamp bolt on the engine drive shaft was easy and it came off the transmission splines clean. It collapses toward the engine with a slip joint enough to clear. The fan has just two hex head bolts and in ten minutes I had it swapped with the new fan. When I went to slip the drive shaft back onto the transmission splines for some reason I checked what play I had and pulled the shaft right out of the engine housing! ******. Well ... at least it practically fell out in my hand, so it will be a piece of cake to slip back in through the tunnel into the engine output female splines. WRONG! It took another twenty minutes of cussing, head scratching, and spitting fire before my dim bulb lit up. "Maybe it is keyed?" Sure enough, a close look at the engine end of the shaft revealed a non-machined 'bridge' of metal in between the valley of consecutive splines. Leaning down with an eye down the shaft tunnel to the engine socket and I could see where the keyway was sitting at three o'clock. Lining it up the shaft slipped right home. WHEW!
4) While I had the cowling under the dashboard out, I replaced the rubber washers that isolate the four bolts holding the steering pump. No leaks there, thankfully. My steering wheel was awfully wobbly side to side and front to back. I replaced all four washers but still found more play than I should. That is when I found some rotten rubber half-moons that had fallen out and discovered that there are FOUR MORE rubber isolating washers UNDER the steering pump plate that I did not see at first. I had to really work them into place because they really should have a flat on the round edge because the mounting holes are too close to the pump body to slide a completely circular washer in place. But I got it done. Lesson: There are eight total washers, not four. But my steering wheel is now held firmly in place again.
4a) Rubber steering isolators are about five dollars apiece from the AGCO parts catalogue. Go to True Value and buy some generics.
5) I looked for eight hours over three days trying to figure out where there might be enough room to mount a horn. It finally hit me: since I don't use a MMM and have the leading control arms cranked all the way up, why not drill a single hole and mount the horn to the control arm under the floorboard. Now I have an "A-OOO-gah!" horn.
All in all I found the job well worth my time, learning my way around the intimate details of my tractor. While I had it taken down I examined the notorious hydraulic pump, how it was mounted and plumbed, and how much work it takes to split the cases for my future reference.
-Phil
