My Next Cub will be . . .

[elincoln]

The guy down the street has a 122 and a 129. I went down there and tilled his garden with a green tractor. He said I could get the 122 for gas money. Why would a 122 have the rear lift but no creeper gear? It has a hyd lift also. He has never had it running.

 

[jbaker]

Ed you should be in the main forum, but to answer your question a creeper is not requiered for a tiller although it helps, both the creeper and rear lifts were options, either could be added or removed fairly easy and in 35 plus years of operation unless your the original owner you never know what you will find

 

[jchamberlin]

Ed, I would say you had a Melody Schutz moment, when somebody wants to drop a desirable Cub Cadet on you.

 

[elincoln]

I'm not in a big hurry to pick the 122 up, it's down over a hill behind his place. I have 3 tractors tore apart to paint. I want them back together first.

 

[jchamberlin]

Ed,
A road trip to Washington State is even more than I handle. Hey, wait a minute, I could put out a "call all Cubers" call like Marlin and get it home like he did his "Pup."

 

[jchamberlin]

I've had some more thoughts about my procurement plan, and it occurs to me that I might want to consider a factor I haven't used in my Cub Cadet purchased to date, namely, the tractor's CONDITION. It could well be that my time would be more enjoyable optioning out a tractor in good condition instead of rehabilitating another basket cases, no matter its configuration.
Fixing EVERYTHING on a tractor gets expensive, and a bit boring after a while, I suppose: the same things always wear out.

Just a thought . . .

Of course, the problem with buying anything used is that each item is unique and value truly is in the eye of the beholder, so-to-speak.

 

[jchamberlin]

I've also come up with a rationale for owning three tractors simultaneously.

First Tractor: Must have a tractor that WORKS!

Second Tractor: Must have a backup so that one tractor is always AVAILABLE for work.

Third Tractor: Must have one tractor to WORK ON, even to the point of splitting it.

 

[ljones]

Jeremiah, I have dumped ALOT of money into my 122, I paid $200 for it 3 years ago, and last I checked I had a little over $1,000 in it (I save receipts), and I still need to rebuild the engine. I NEVER get tired of of working on it, when nothing is wrong I buy accessories so I can install them. There is no way I could sell it for what I have in it, but it will NEVER be for sale. I really would like to get 71, 102, and 123 so I could own the whole series, once my 122 is completely rebuilt.

 

[cmiracle]

The imagined use of my imagined 3 tractors-

1200 - for big yard mowing

123 - for general mowing

100 or Original - for show

 

[jchamberlin]

Clark-- Interesting list. I'm curious, why would you take a 1200 gear drive for big yard mowing? I can understand all your other preferences.

 

[jbaker]

my guess on a 1200 is that it can run a 50" deck and you won't loose HP thru the hydrostat

 

[wheinsohn]

Jeff, I run 50" decks on both my 129's. Hydros have infinite speed settings for any conditions. I also run a 48" deck on my 106.

 

[jchamberlin]

Jeff --I'm with Wes, I was thinking a Hydro is much better suited to the task of mowing.

In support of your point, I'm sure it does takes more horsepower to drive a 50" deck, I didn't think of that angle. (It is instructive that IH quietly dropped the 10 HP / Hydrostatic combination with the advent of the Quietline series.)

Finally, you might want to give Ryan McShane a call about finding a 169 to complete your (impressive) wide frame herd. He now has found four (4) of them in less than a year.

 

[ljones]

I really want a hydro for my next cub, it is between a 125, 149, and a 1650. The biggest factor in my decision is the hydro controll lever I like the plain lever on the 125, and 149 a little better the the gated one on the 1650. Which one do y'all like better, pros cons?

 

[jchamberlin]

Lucas: I like the left-handed control on the column such as found on my Model 149. For some reason, I find it easier to manipulate the brakes, shift lever, and steering wheel in that arrangement; the Model 782 seems un-natural to me. As you point out, you have to maneuver through the gate to change direction.

I suppose for someone used to operating heavy equipment the 782's controls are more natural. Some might even argue the gate saves wear and tear on the hyrdro because it is not so easy to use the transmission as a brake (as did the former owner of my 149).

I thoroughly endorse the addition of a hydrostatic to your herd, though. Once you mow with a hydro you won't ever want to go back to the gear-jamin' variety.

 

[dfrisk]

WES - I only had a 44A on my 129, but I never had any problems mowing grass and even used it a few times to "bush-hog". For normal mowing they should run a 50A just fine.

I'm a die-hard gear-jammer but a hydro does work good for mowing, you always have the right speed.

Takes me about 2-1/2 hrs to mow with the 982 & 50C deck & the 129/44A did a better job, it fit in tight places better, in 2 hr 45 min. I could have run either tractor faster to reduce mowing time but I wanted it to look nice afterwards. With the old 72 & 38 in deck it takes something between 4 & 5 hrs crawling along in 1st gear. The fast 19T 2nd is a little too fast for many conditions. The slower 16T 2nd in the older Cubbies was a great mowing gear. If I mowed with the old 70 in 2nd, It would take about 3 hrs.

 

[ljones]

Jeremiah, I like the left hand controls better too since I'm left handed. When you say wear and tear do you mean permanent damage or is it fixable? I don't mow with my cubs, that's what the Scag Wildcat is for.

 

[jchamberlin]

Lucas: I'm still investigating how much damage has been done to the hydro and linkage by using it as a brake. The trunnion really took a hit and I just discovered that I need to torque down the nuts on the control's shaft so that the tractor doesn't try to go full speed around the yard all the time. It was really funny using the 42" deck for the first time: mowing the yard with my foot firmly on the brake to keep it from running away from me!

The tractor seems really slow in reverse, so even if I get the shaft calmed down I may still have to "find neutral" as Charlie advised me to do the first time I brought the tractor home, even though it stays stopped when I depress the brake

.

So, long story short (!?), I'm still sorting it out. I just think its poor practice to just jam the transmission into reverse to stop the tractor because a body is too lazy or ignorant to service and/or adjust the brakes.

Edit: I'm right-handed, but I still like the controls on the left.

 

[dfrisk]

JEREMIAH - Actually, Hydro's slow & stop by just moving the speed control lever to neutral. No need at all to put the hydro into reverse. On my 982 with steering brakes the left pedal doesn't even apply the brakes enough to stop the way I have them adjusted, saves wear on the linings. If I want or need brakes I use the individual pedals on the right.

The newer hydro's, Q/L's and the red tractors, have the gated shift pattern on the right side of the dash, makes it easy to hit neutral and not go into reverse. I think IH did that for a reason, saves wear & tear on the transmission. The wear on the trunnion is something to be expected on 30 to 50 yr old equipment. My 982 is 32 yrs old and I welded up the trunnion 4-5 yrs ago. Works fine now.

 

[jchamberlin]

Over two years ago I started this thread and after getting feedback from several forum members, and posted the following <font size="+2">"Conclusion"</font>:

[Begin Quote]
By Jeremiah Chamberlin (Jchamberlin) on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - 07:34 pm:

All:
Art Aatay's words really had an effect on me,
[Art had posted, in part, "Based on the tractors you already own, my advice would be to find a narrow-frame/gear-drive tractor, as they really are a different animal from the tractors you already own."]

and especially after Dennis Frisk mentioned on the main forum that gear drive tractors are better for spraying. I had a really difficult time spraying my yard for the first time, although the speed of the tractor wasn't the biggest problem.

After all the feedback and thinking about the features that matter to me, I join with Lucas to go after a tractor without the fiberglass dash. I was quite taken by a 122 I noticed on Craig's List recently, but it is very far off. I like the thought of a 12 HP engine behind a gear drive, I'll bet it IS powerful.

So, barring a Melody Schutz moment (where I stumble unexpectedly on a good deal, or someone drops off an Original at my door), I'm looking for, in order:

Model 122
Model 102
Model 71
Model 72

Although I wouldn't turn down a Model 100, a Model 70, or an Original if the price was right.

Since I'm not in desperate need for a tractor (in fact, I have to make room for what I have even now), and since a lot of people seem to want the same amount of money for any old tractor, I'm plan to analyze offerings based on their configurations (does it have a creeper gear, lights, etc.) and their accompanying attachments.

I've definitely got my eye open.
[End Quote]

A few days later I posted an <font size="+2">"Addendum"</font> to my Conclusion:

[Begin Quote]
By Jeremiah Chamberlin (Jchamberlin) on Saturday, April 28, 2012 - 08:38 am:
I've had some more thoughts about my procurement plan, and it occurs to me that I might want to consider a factor I haven't used in my Cub Cadet purchased to date, namely, the tractor's <font size="+2">CONDITION</font>.. . .

Just a thought . . .
[End Quote]

Well, wouldn't you know it, my "dream tractor" appeared on Craig's List in near mint condition (compared to the other tractors I own) less than two hours from where I live. It doesn't have lights, hydraulic lift, spring assist, or a creeper gear setup. The front tires are "fat" not narrow as I expected (but the tractor may have come from the factory with wide front tires, I'm not sure), and the seat is junk. I thought the engine was knocking, but it may actually turn out to be the PTO making the noise: the "anti-rattle" springs were not installed. At any rate, I am thrilled at my new purchase. I posted pictures in the "Look What Followed Me Home" thread (also in the Sandbox), and I'll post some more here when I get it running, hopefully in short order. For the record, I'll repost a few here as a "place keeper" as it were.

Just wanted to follow up with the action which resulted from all the thoughts and insights expressed in the discussion on this thread.

My Next Tractor IS an intrepid little demon (I hope):

Tractor SN: 157125 produced near the end of May 1966
Engine Model: K301AS
Engine Spec: A7598
Engine SN: B119159

Again, more pics to follow.