Archive through November 12, 2013

[dtanner]

No snow here just Rain . What a pain as I need a few days of dry weather to get the rest of my outside work done. Heading to my shop to get the heat going in the wood stove. I will be glad when I start the infloor heat and don`t have to mess with wood for a warm shop.so much to do

 

[sblunier]

It was blizzard like around here last night.....still have +/- 1/2" on the ground yet this afternoon, even with the sun out. Way too early for the first accumulating snow in Central IL!!!!!!

 

[dfrisk]

STEVE - It'll be gone in a day or two. 3 weeks ago in Davenport SON had 2-1/2 inches on the ground one morning when he got home from work about 6:30 AM. It was pretty much all melted by Noon.

It was 17-18 degrees (F) this AM, 30 and sunny but windly now, supposed to warm up to almost 50 by the weekend.

There's been combines running corn around here all morning. I suspect TOM H is back "farming". Beans have all been done fr several weeks now.

 

[dtanner]

Denny

You guys are to far North from me. I just put my MC away for the winter. so I know some are still running there bikes , My baby sitter for when my children were young has traveled USA to compete in the hrs miles challenge. Beth Penny is an awesome lady . look it up .


Frank C wanted to see this Cub . He told me I can not put a 14 K in this frame. Well I would like to have a 14 k with a std trans and creeper to see how my 149 hydro measures up.
OK Frank here are the pictures

And then ; We are getting snow flakes that melt!

 

[fcurrier]

What model did you tell me that is?

 

[thoffman]

Frank and Donald, ....Why can't you drop a 14hp and have a gear drive in there????? BTDT (and more than once to boot)

 

[dtanner]

Tom

This Cub thing gets to be where parts to build a Cub get interesting lol. I think it would work nice using a 14 k and creeper and all Cub parts. I have blades and both snow blowers and a Cab for this build. Tom ; fill me in !

 

[bjamison]

I've got a 14 hp Kohler engine in the basement from a 147 or a 149. I plan on putting it in my 109 this winter.

Sometimes I think (and that in itself is sometimes a problem) that a custom IHCC might be the ticket - find a tractor and add whatever options/mods you like to get the job done.

An example: the 126 is still a bit fast for me with the turns and obstacles that I mow around at the camp when in 2nd gear. I'd like to try a 1x8 and drop the 14 hp in it. Then add the 50 inch deck. Plenty of power, a little slower 2nd gear ground speed, nice wide deck. Add the super steer mod and an electric or hydro lift and that's a nice tractor.

OTOH - haven't really came close to stalling the 126 when mowing with the 48 inch deck - even in the taller grass (we mow usually every other week at the camp) and like the 10 hp on my 109, the 12 hp in the 126 is really a thrifty engine on gas.

So many tractors, so many options, so little time, so little patience on the part of my Wife/Boss when spending time or $$$'s that would otherwise be used on a remodel project at the house...

 

[dfrisk]

DON, FRANK - That's a 1X8, wide frame, now if that's a K321, it's a "148". In case you haven't heard, (I've only posted about it a MILLION times) I dropped a K321 in my 72 several years ago. NARROW frame, with NO wings like the 147's had, small flywheel & blower housing off my old 129. Works great even without a creeper. Who needs a creeper when you've got MORE HORSEPOWER. I really don't do anything where I need that slow of gears.

DON, not sure if we're more north than you, have to look at a map, but there were MC's running by here all weekend with temps in the 40's & 50's F.

TRUE story (like all of mine) One night right after I started in the shop at FARFMALL I walk out at Midnight with six inches of snow on the ground. There was a CB-350 Honda MC parked at the curb with yes, six inches of snow on the saddle & tank. Bet he had fun riding up the hill into Rock Island! The snow plows hadn't been out much yet. Next night when I walked out I didn't see the Honda, but I proved the old explorer's tale about if you spit on the ground and your spit crackles when it freezes before it hits the ground the temps are below Zero F. My spit froze and crackled and it was below zero.

I used to keep my old dirt bikes out and ride them all winter. Just took shorter rides between warm-ups and wore LOTS more clothes. I remember going up to the corner from our farm one afternoon, had a sleet storm, wasn't safe to walk on the road it was so slick. Made it up to get the paper and started down the first hill and the Harley Rapido 125 CC 2-stroke "Hiccuped" and broke the rear tire loose and the rear end slowly passed the frt going down the hill, about 5 MPH. I had my feet out like out-riggers. I ran the rest of the way home on the road bank in the weeds, better traction by far!

 

[dfrisk]

BILL - You've been around here and probably heard me say I'd like to build the Super Garden tractor IH should have built instead of the 982. Instead of starting with a Cub Farmall rearend, I'd like to use the trans & rearend from a FARMALL A or B, even a C would work. Four speeds, stronger gears & shafts by far than the Cub. I'd probably make reduction drop housings like Kraig's big Allis 620 has for more ground clearance and run 15 or 16 inch tires which also would make more room under the frame for a taller mower deck. And the deck would be at least 60 inches wide, maybe 72 depending on what I use for an engine.

 

[hydroharry]

Dennis - hey bigger isn't always better. Although it sounds like it would be a really tough machine, did you really consider the overall weight of the tractor when you're mowing grass. (And with the operator weight increasing these days you have to do something else).

Don T- it does have to be a CC 14hp to fit and line up. Tom didn't mentioned but sorta implied.

 

[thoffman]

I have a 108 with a 14hp. AQS engine out of a 1450 sitting in the garage waiting for me to finish it right now. It will be a "1448" when all is said and done. ALL Cub Cadet components too. I also have a "1600" a 1200 with a 1650 engine and a "120" a 100 with a 12hp. in it. These things just bolt together. IH may now have intended to make a higher horsepower gear drives but they sure are nice.

 

[bjamison]

Tom H - A 1200 with a 16 HP engine out of a 1650, sounds like a drop-in fit. Hadn't thought of that - interesting idea.

Dennis F - somehow I missed your ideas of a Super garden tractor. I read of the Haban decks, but did IH offer anything bigger than the 50 inch deck?

 

[hydroharry]

Tom H - I remember discussion of a so called 1448 before, but not the details. Off hand it would seem a 108 with a 14hp would be a 148 (which I'm certain I recall you already having). I guess a 1448 would have to be the 108 with the 14hp AQS style engine (integrated starter, electric PTO (if you retained it), muffler thru the front grill housing. Is this what you're doing to make the 1448?

 

[dfrisk]

HARRY - What makes you think weight is a "problem"? I run 2-3 pair of wheel weights on both my mowing tractors ALL the time.

Tractordata says an A/Super A weighed 2400# compared to a CUB's 1400, so subract the extra weight of the bigger engine, tires, etc there's only 200-400# more weight in the tractor's drive train but you gain an extra gear speed and a BUNCH more strength. There were around 225,000 A's & Super A's built... there should be at least one with a good drive train and a bad engine around. Dropping down to 15 or 16 inch rear rubber should slow the tractor down to give three good working gears plus a good transport gear. Biggest challenge will be making it narrow enough. Spec's say a Super A was 55.8 inches wide narrowed up so it may not be as hard as I thought.

I guess what I'm after is a 1939 vintage Compact Utility tractor similar to the little hydrostatic diesels that are so popular today. I lurk on a different brand's site and the new offerings for at least that brand seem to leave many dissatisfied customers after they spend their $20,000 for their imported tractors.

BILL - Yes, biggest IH deck was the 50A or 50C. The Haban was 60" wide. Not sure what all IH may have made for the Cub 154, 184/185 or the 100/130/140 series. The school district I went to 20 miles east of Rock Island used a 140 to mow ALL their property all summer for many years. I suppose they use a fleet of zero-turn mowers now.

Years ago I saw a slightly used Land Pride rear pull type mower I could have pulled with either of my Farmall's, cut a 14 ft wide swath with the three 3-bladed decks. But the $20,000 asking price for the used mower scared me off. Plus there were too many places it wouldn't have fit between my trees!

 

[dgregg]

Dennis

The B/BN/A rearends are all bassicly the same, just a bigger version of the Cub's. The C while bassicly the same engine has a large case rear end with no final drive reduction on it. This would rule it out what you want to do.
The transmission case for the B/BN/A are the same, just different axles housings. B/BN have a long housing on both sides with the BN's being 4" shorter that the B. The A has no housing on the left, the final drive drop is attachehed dirrectly to the transmision case. It uses the same length housing for the right side as the BN.
By using the drive axle/shaft from the left side of an A, you can remove the axle housing from the right side and mount it tight to the transmission case. To make it even better the final drive housings can be clocked or rotated 90 degress forward to lower the transmission and shorten up the wheelbase. This clocking is bassicly what was done with the Cubs to create the cub lowboy.
Hebard Company made what you are looking for from IH componats in the 40's. I found this U tube on them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qdqTSvWHM8

 

[thoffman]

Dennis,
A 1939'ish vintage compact tractor would be the McCormick-Deering W-12. I had a Fairway 12 and it was pretty nimble.

Harry,
That's what I'm makiing. The only diference is the exhaust is going to be underslung and then split into duals dumping out to the side just behind the foot rests. I'm pretty close to having it done with exception of repainting the hood (messed that one up the first time) and the exhaust.

 

[vthomley]

Tom, on your 1600 and maybe your 1448 are you using ISO mounts? Or did you bolt it directly to the frame via some solid motor mounts? And did you do anything to the clutch?

I just finally torqued the head bolts on my K341 that I'm installing into my 1000. Tins should be installed tonight. My progress sheet, an Excel file, shows I took apart this K341 on December 16, 2012 - I'm hoping to drive this Cub before this December 16th...maybe

 

[thoffman]

Vince,
The 1600 currently has the flex disc 3 pin driver and ISO mounts but I see solid mounts and old style 3 pin driver in its future. The 1448 is solid mount.

 

[digger]

Is this off topic Wednesday?