I've landed

Soloboss · #1 07-22-2014, 10:05 PM

Hi guys. I've landed in a new forum. I've been a lurker for a while and I like what I read - informative and polite. And very personable. I like that and I'm gonna like it here. I can bug you guys with my questions rather than bother my friends who think I'm simply goofy about old iron.

I'm retired - early and not by choice. My dear wife started working as an accountant at a school across town. The school needed lawn care. I was offered the opportunity, but I have an old Lawn Boy walk behind and the school has 2 acres of grass and trimming and such. I found a deal on a John Deere 160 at a local dealer. It's ready to mow, I was told. The shifter was out of whack, the deck was crooked in both directions and it had no brakes but it had no serious problems. A week later I had a full set of skinned knuckles and a big grin! What a wonderful little tractor - 12 hp and 38" cut. 27 years old. It turned a tight turn, bagged everything and ran flawlessly. But after I had made twice what I paid for it, I sold it for what I paid for it. I was spending 4 1/2 hours mowing 2 acres. I like old stuff but if something fails there goes my profit line. Time to shop. The dealer who had the JD had a Cub Cadet 2185. Being a Deere dealer he knew nothing about the CC. The CC didn't have a working hour meter. I passed on that one.

I went to a long time dealer to learn about Cubs and he directed me to a very clean 2206. That got me an extra 10" of deck width, enough power to maintain my ground speed and hydrostatic drive. It was ready to go to work I was told. $1500 later it was following me home bouncing along happily on the trailer. Lopsided deck was also nose high. Front wheels were out of alignment, the deck was a mess, steering wheel loose - the list is endless. People don't care. I thought it was set up. I started at page one of the owner's manual and went through everything and I have a dandy tractor now. I researched mulch kits -then made my own. I have an excellent mulcher with tons of blowout. More research. Made a blowout kit. It works wonderfully. I can sneak up on fallen leaves. hehehe. . .

I don't push my equipment but it has to work for me. The 20hp Kohler Command uses no oil. The aluminum transaxle is good. I have bent the warped stuff on the deck pretty much back into shape and it's true and mows wonderfully. So now that I have a really sweet 2206, what do I have? It will be a mower. That's all I ask of it.

ACecil · #2 07-22-2014, 10:12 PM

Welcome to OCC! Glad to have you.

Soloboss · #3 07-22-2014, 10:32 PM

I used to work for IH - heavy truck design in Fort Wayne, IN. Most of us had Cubs, trimmed with Lawn Boy, drove an IH Scout and an IH Pickup did the hard work. You have a nice looking pair of Cubs. There's something so satisfying about old iron restored. You know it'll do the job if it can. If not, it won't break. And I hate to see old iron discarded.

bocephus1991 · #4 07-22-2014, 11:12 PM

Hello and Welcome! I hate seeing old iron scrapped too! What trucks did you help design? You will like it here a lot of friendly helpful people!

druwl · #5 07-23-2014, 08:11 AM

Very nice! Sounds like you've already started having fun.

Trekrider60 · #6 07-23-2014, 08:13 AM

Welcome Soloboss from southeastern IN. I grew up in Allen Co. I'm sure you will love this site.

dbuck · #7 07-23-2014, 10:28 AM

From Ft. Wayne.

Maxwelhse · #8 07-23-2014, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soloboss

I used to work for IH - heavy truck design in Fort Wayne, IN. Most of us had Cubs, trimmed with Lawn Boy, drove an IH Scout and an IH Pickup did the hard work. You have a nice looking pair of Cubs. There's something so satisfying about old iron restored. You know it'll do the job if it can. If not, it won't break. And I hate to see old iron discarded.

LOL... Same place, different time! I used to work for Nav at TDTC and the "old timers" still had their Scouts and Cubs. Not too many of them were around by my day though.

Welcome to the forum!

Soloboss · #9 07-23-2014, 08:05 PM

I started at IH in Special Equipment - extremely cool stuff there. That's where the oil field thumpers and custom trucks come from. I moved to Medium Duty a few years later and worked on the original S-Series trucks in the electrical department - mostly underhood electrics. I was working in the Scout department when the boss came out one morning and called the department together. We learned that the IH Scout had been killed. We were to finish all the drawings and file triplicate copies of everything for archive. Rumor has it that the Scout died. I found it interesting that the next generation Scout back in styling (still in clay) looked EXACTLY like the first year of the Jeep Cherokee. Could it be???

Maxwelhse · #10 07-23-2014, 09:04 PM

HA! We would have bumped elbows for sure in different times. I worked on the MDs too on the mechanical side of powertrain. We still did LOTS of custom trucks for assorted customers but the SE division pretty well "died" in the early '90s as I understood it. There were some absolutely crazy offroad trucks that we did. One was a 14x14 with 3 steering axles. Sadly I just talked to the guys that did those. My job was still fun most days though.

Some of the old timers lamented the passing of the Scout and the closing of the factory quite a bit. Lots of bad blood was created during those times. Even more so considering the absolutely huge SUV boom that happened in America in the mid '80s. There are still lots of Scouts around here. My buddy's brother has one. I think it's an 800. I'm not certain.

The Natmus museum in Auburn has a Scout III prototype on display. You're right, they do look a little bit like the XJ Cherokee in the front. I think the one at Natmus is tucked deep in the mothballs somewhere. I didn't see it the last time I was there. It's really not as much of a museum as it is a grave yard.

Here's a III prototype for the guys that have never seen one.