[HD-JD110Fan]

I ran into a problem with the fit of replacement throttle and choke cables for my '66 110 round fender and would like to know if others have encountered this. I've traced the fit problem down to the pitch or spacing as you'd call it of the wound wire coils of the conduit which is the outer casing of the cable. My photos will help explain this better. I bought cables quite a while back from Hapco well in advance of when I'll be needing them and have now found that they don't screw into the bottom sleeve of the original John Deere throttle and choke control brackets. This caught me by surprise as I certainly wasn't expecting to have any problem with the fit of cables supplied by Hapco. I talked to Hapco about it and they stated that the cables they are supplying are all having the same specs and they don't have any alternative to offer.


Original JD 110 RF throttle cable and Hapco cable

Comparison of original JD cable to Hapco's

The difference in pitch or spacing of the coil wind becomes more apparent when viewed side by side next to the scales as shown in the above photo again with the original JD cable in the upper position and the Hapco cable in the lower position of the photo. The pitch which you may more easily relate to in reference to a screw or bolt thread pitch, is different between the two, the original John Deere cable having a pitch of 18 threads per inch and Hapco's being 20 threads per inch. The John Deere cable screws into the original throttle and choke cable control brackets at least three and almost four full turns. I'm not able to get the Hapco cable to go in more than one turn before it locks up tight and starts to expand the outer conduit wire coil making further inward turns not possible. With only one coil of the cable conduit into the throttle or choke control bracket, I feel it will most likely pull out while in use. I checked the outside diameters of the cables with a micrometer and the original John Deere cable measures .185/.187 with the Hapco slightly larger at .193 in diameter. This difference isn't enough to create the fit problem since another old cable I have of unknown origin measured at .193 outside diameter and it still threaded into my brackets with no problem since it has the correct conduit coil pitch of 18 threads per inch.





Cable Conduit Coil Wire Pitch Comparisons with Bolt Threads as Reference

I've shown the cables in the photo above with a piece of 5/16-18 all thread next to the original cable and 1/4-20 all thread next to Hapco's for the comparison relative to common bolt threads. Unfortunately the difference of 2 threads per inch is enough to make a big difference in proper fit of the cable coil conduit into an original John Deere throttle and choke control bracket.

I haven't intended to post this thread to imply that parts supplied by Hapco are of inferior quality, and quite the contrary, I've normally been very pleased by other parts I've purchased from them. I definitely feel that they try their best to supply high quality reproduction replacement parts for John Deere lawn and garden tractors and feel that we're fortunate to have them as a valuable source of many parts that are hard to find. They told me that if I'm able to find a manufacturer of the outer cable conduit coil to please let them know and they'll gladly make the change to that supplier. I contacted my John Deere dealer and it is possible to order them from John Deere but they're quite pricey at $39.41 per outer conduit coil not including the inner control wire. Unfortunately I didn't discover the fit issue until after I'd had sent my lot of cadmium plated parts to the platers last year or I would have had my old outer cable coils cad plated. I'd appreciate hearing from any of you who have encountered this outer cable conduit coil fit problem and if you were able to find a brand that fits original John Deere throttle and choke cable control brackets. I know we all try to stretch our restoration dollars wherever we can and in the mean time I'm doing further searches of other alternatives. I'll be glad to pass along any positive results for you. Thanks.

 

[Kster526]

Wow would not have expected that either.
Not even sure how you could rethread them to match.
A little tack weld to hold them in place ?
I have always reused my old ones I just clean them well and a little spray bomb on them either with a grey or silver.
Then I use a little cable lube from the bicycles and spray it in them

 

[HD-JD110Fan]

Thanks for your reply on this. I may well reuse my old original cable conduits after giving them a coat of silver paint. I've found that the Chrome Aluminum paint from Ace Hardware is an excellent match for cadmium plating which I have a pint can of. I'm not sure if it's available in a spray can but I'm going to check. I also have a great lubricant for cables in a spray can that has a very effective clamp that attaches to cables to inject the lube and works really well. Unfortunately rethreading the original control brackets would be not very practical since it requires a special tap, this being what's called a knuckle thread like the type of threads on gas tank caps, etc. I've found too that retapping threads that are dissimilar sometimes doesn't work out well even if you have the right tap. The inner control wire is no problem to get and I could easily use the those that came with the cables from Hapco. I also ordered a new old stock vintage universal cable that was still U.S. made in the 80s by the Arnold company to try out that I saw on Ebay for only $10 so I'll see if this works out and I'll post results on this later on. It may well be that Arnold, Wesco, or a similar company supplied these cable conduits for John Deere back in the 60's. Thanks again for your info, I appreciate it.

 

[tsb3]

I am very glad that you posted this. I currently have one cable in my hapco cart. My throttle cable is froze up bad, can’t get it moving.
I will wait and see if that eBay cable works.

 

[HD-JD110Fan]

I am very glad that you posted this. I currently have one cable in my hapco cart. My throttle cable is froze up bad, can’t get it moving.
I will wait and see if that eBay cable works.

You would be wise to hold off on ordering throttle or choke cables from Hapco for now since you'll very likely run into the same fit problem I did. In the mean time try soaking your cable really well with a product like Aerokroil spray. I've had good luck with it on freeing many rusted parts since it reacts chemically to break down rust. Another very good way to dissolve rust off parts is to soak them over night in a citric acid solution. I get it in dry powder form from McMaster-Carr company in a 2 lb pail and it lasts a long time.. You only use about 1/2 cup of citric acid powder per gallon of water and soak a part over night. Rust amazingly brushes right off the next morning right down to bare metal and it's very safe to use, is not harmful to skin or highly toxic. Plus its reusable and can be saved in plastic jugs. You should be able to Google other sources also. I'll post info on the other cable I've ordered on Ebay soon also.

 

[tsb3]

Thanks for the tips on the Aerokroil and Citric acid. I will definitely try those to save my throttle cable. 👍🏻

 

[pullin400]

Can say that the Aerokroil is some really good stuff !! Have used it on several different things . I have found that if you can get the cables off of the tractor and put the each end of the cables in a vise to make a U shape and spray the ends and let it soak they will usually free up.

 

[HD-JD110Fan]

Can say that the Aerokroil is some really good stuff !! Have used it on several different things . I have found that if you can get the cables off of the tractor and put the each end of the cables in a vise to make a U shape and spray the ends and let it soak they will usually free up.

That's a great tip on letting this solvent work in from both ends. Aerokroil or Kroil as it's also called has worked for me on many parts I never thought I'd get apart. This company has an impressive offering of specialty solvents and lubricants. They may cost more than the common spray solvents but for me something that works this well is worth every penny and a can of Kroil lasts me several years. They have a great website at Kanolabs.com or Kroil.com.

 

[tsb3]

Well I did purchase a can of Kroil. My throttle cable is in a U shape in my vise and as been receiving a small squirt of it about every other day.
HD-JD110Fan any update on the fitment of the eBay cable?

 

[HD-JD110Fan]

Well I did purchase a can of Kroil. My throttle cable is in a U shape in my vise and as been receiving a small squirt of it about every other day.
HD-JD110Fan any update on the fitment of the eBay cable?

Yes regarding the 110 RF throttle and choke cable fitment problem I encountered I can now post this update. I did order two Arnold brand Universal Throttle Control cables model number TC-101, from different sellers on Ebay to try out both with a marking Rev 9/86 which likely indicates the month and year of manufacture. The pitch or distance between the outer coils on these are correct equating to the 18 threads per inch that my original cables have. The first cable I received threaded into the control lever mechanism about 2, maybe 2 1/2 turns and went in a bit more than the ones I got from Hapco. The second Arnold cable I got went in perfectly, all the way up into the control lever like the original did. I think that the reason the other one didn't go in as far was due to its outside diameter which measures .190/.192 outside diameter vs the .188 diameter of the second one I got. Both cables are workable though, came with a plastic throttle control lever which you need to disconnect and discard and the cables just need to be shortened to work out ok. It's not hard to find these earlier Arnold cables on Ebay and I'd say if looking for one stick with the cables that are labled 'Made in U. S. A.' I've seen Arnold cables that are made in Taiwan and I don't know if these would be as compatable. The ones made in U.S.A. in 1986 or earlier should work out ok and I got both of these for only around $10 each.