It's time to try the solid motor mounts on a QL.

[Grant]

I'm ready to replace a 10 year old pair of ISO motor mounts on my QL and have to say that I think it's time to go to solid mounts. This is my go to machine and I'm not too satisfied with the 10 year lifespan of the rubber mounts. No, I didn't do the rail upgrade at the time (didn't know about it) but since the solids have a money back guarantee, I think it's worth the risk. I just hope my Kohler doesn't want to blow up after a few dozen hours of being bolted to the frame!

[BigMike]

Grant,I have done the front and rear ISO upgrade on a 1250 and my 1450 and would never even consider solid mounts.The 1450 runs a smooth as any Cub I have.

[Grant]

Thanks for the input, Mike. The rail bracing with ISO mounts will be the next step if the solid mounts are just bone jarring!

[Grant]

Installed the solid mounts on the rails without pulling the engine, but I now realize I'm missing a few engine mounting bolts! Can someone tell me the proper size bolt between the rail and the engine?

[BigMike]

Rail to oil pan is 3/8-16 I believe
1" or 1-1/4" should be long enough.

[Tom Scott]

Big Mike, you probably meant 3/8-16 for standard coarse thread.

Grant - To be sure, look it up at one of these sites: http://www.partstree.com or http://www.messicks.com. There are others out there, but these are just the ones I like.

[dale campbell]

i think 3/4" or 1" is plenty long if you go too long they will break through the oil pan and it will leak oil also the threads sometimes are stripped out in the oil pan so you may end up pulling the engine and using helicoils to fix the threads or replace the oil pan dale c.

[mgonitzke]

They are 1" long, and don't forget the lock washers.

[BigMike]

Tom,you are so right
I seem to have trouble remembering the simplest things lately.

[AJGross]

I'm really curious to see how these solid mounts work. I hear everyone saying they wouldn't use them, but I really don't see how it would be any different than any other cubs. They solid mounted the engines before the QL's and they went back to the solid mounted engines after the QL's. How is this any different?

AJ

[vince_o]

I too would like to see how they hold up. There was a guy that would bring his 1450 in to the shop for us to work on and when I hit the starter it looked like the eng was going to come out of the frame!

[Jlaws]

AJ ,
My loader tractor is a 1450 and I did the cradle upgrade and went to solid mounts and don't regret it.

Now if it was a 800 or 1000 I'd probably would have gone back with rubber isomounts , but it seems to me that the 1450's and 1650's are harder on isomounts , I know they do shake more especially at the mid throttle position

Besides with the engine mounted on rubber isomounts , I was having problems keeping the proper belt tension on my loader pump that was mounted solid on the frame .

After I put the solid mount in I'd compare the 1450 to my 169 for vibration . Its alot better than it was .

[TWheaton]

I put a aqs 12hp out of a 1250 QL in a 149 and solid mounted it. I raised it high enough to see the timing hole just above the top of the
frame. I ran it around the property and 3 -4 days at the Flywheelers Show, but never worked it. No problems at all, but don't know what the situation would be had I worked it. It's jacked up waiting for my interest in it to take it all apart for prepping it for painting and other cosmetic stuff.

[dday2613]

Just my 2 cents but when I rebuilt the engine in my 1450 I decided to go with the solid mounts (40 buck kit off ebay). Ran it for 1 day and pulled her back in the garage and pulled the engine and put new ISO mounts in it. I didn't do the frame rail upgrade either (probably should have but don't have welder). I guess what it comes down to is this: the solid mounts nearly shook the fillings out of my teeth, with good ISO mounts it is so smooth that the steering wheel barely vibrates. I would never thought it would make that much of a difference but somehow it does on those damn QL's. Go figure...........

[mgonitzke]

I think the reason that solid-mounting a QL engine is because even if it is solid-mounted, it is less rigid than the solid mounting in the 1x8/9 and earlier tractors, in which the engine bolts directly to the frame. In the QL tractors, the engine bolts to a set of steel plates and then to the frame, which is not as rigid, allowing the engine's vibration to be more pronounced.

[Jlaws]

I could see where if you didn't do the cradle upgrade and went with solid mounts there could be some increase in vibration . The whole ideal of the cradle upgrade is to give the engine a more stable mounting platform .

As for the rubber isomounts , its been posted before that they come in different hardnesses depending on which manufacturer kit you buy .
I'm sure that the vibration amount also changes depending on how much or little you tighten the isomounts down .

I guess it boils down to your personal preference as to rather you iso or solid mount your QL engine .

[Grant]

Does anyone have the eye-to-eye measurement for the oil pan bolts to do the cradle upgrade? I want to compare that side by side with the solid mounts.

[Grant]

I've been using the 1250 with the solid mounts for several weeks now and thought I would 'report back'. So far, so good. The tractor doesn't feel any more rough than it did and it doesn't feel any shakier than my 1450 with ISO mounts (no cradle upgrade). When I am at WOT it hums. No foot numbness, rattling fillings, etc. like I was warned of. I really like them so far. Good price, easy install (didn't have to remove the engine), seems to work.

I did have a local shop weld up the cradle upgrade with the 8 1/2" measurements in the second photo from this page - http://cubfaq.com/isomount.html I don't have a spare oil pan to bolt into it, so I'm still looking for the eye-to-eye measurement as I see other measurements that recommend 8 3/4" spread.