Only Cub Cadets - Let's see your IH Cub Cadets!

I was not looking for a new or another tractor, but periodically I look through the local craigslist ads just to see if there is anything cool there.

The week of Good Friday I was browsing, and saw and ad that read something like, 16 hp Cub Cadet blah, blah rear pto blah blah, no price, blah, blah... and for some unknown reason I called the number.

I talked to a young man for a bit about the tractor and asked if he would text me some better pictures, he did and we texted back and forth a little. He told me that it would run but he couldn't get it started. He quoted me a price that I didn't think was too bad. I told him that if he still had it, I would like to come look at it on Friday.

Friday comes and I go to look, Did I mention that I was NOT IN THE MARKET FOR ANOTHER TRACTOR? it looked pretty junky, it was dirty, it was partially taken apart, some parts were laying around and some weren't, the front tires looked pretty good but were both flat.

About the only positive thing was that it had a 90 degree gearbox on it. I figured that I'd take the gearbox off, clean it up, replace the bearings and set it up to use while another was being rebuilt, just to avoid down time of a unit that is in service. Then I'd sell off or part out the tractor, and hopefully have very little money in the gearbox.

In case no one has realized yet... I WAS NOT LOOKING FOR, NOR DID I WANT ANOTHER TRACTOR... I don't have a use for yet another tractor. But, when you get another tractor, you have to check the condition of the engine, I cleaned and adjusted the points, checked the oil and put a little gas in it. The wiring was all intact but many things were unplugged N/S switch, PTO switch, ignition switch... So I hot wired the coil and jumped the starter.

The crazy thing started up, right there in the garage, it didn't chug, it didn't cough, it just sat there running, and amazingly IT DIDN'T SMOKE. Freak out!

The tractor wouldn't move, it would just set, I played with the lever and could hear it whine, but it wouldn't move.

The next weekend I changed the fluid and filter, washed the rear end out (there was a good little bit of jelly in the bottom but I've seen much worse). I put it back together started it up, played with the lever a little and it started moving like it is supposed to.

I drove it outside and pressure washed 20 or so years of grime off of it, then monkeyed around with it a little, hooked the wiring back up, adjusted the hood/grill shell, put the headlights back in it, replaced some of the parts that were missing, put some new tail lights on it and hooked them up.

The next week, I "modified" a cradle that's been laying around for several years (because I can't seem to throw anything away) and gathered up a mower deck, mule drive and lift brackets that I thought would fit, while I was on my way there I stopped at the auto parts store to look at Moog Bushings... The Moog bushings felt really hard, almost like plastic rather than rubber, Bud (my counterman) suggested that I look at the "cheaper version" of the same bushings, surprisingly they were a considerable amount softer than the Moog brand parts. So I took a set with me.

When I got back to the tractor I raised the engine up took the old cradle out and put the new one in. Please know this, I reused the tops of the old mounts, I put them on the bottom and used the aftermarket bushings on the top. While I had the engine out, I replaced the broken fan on the drive shaft with a new one. I had to fabricate the top piece for the air box because the original was mia, the grill was a little messed up and the springs were missing, so I cut some pieces of metal to hold the grill and used a couple of machine screws to hold it in.

Once everything was all back together I put the "new" deck and related parts on and went outside and cut some grass... It took a little bit to get the deck adjusted so it would cut level, but after a few passes it looked pretty nice, so I finished the rest of the lawn, then drove over to the Step Daughters and cut her grass too. BTW, if anyone cares, it is exactly one mile from one driveway to the other, it took me 8 minutes each direction, (2 stop signs and cross traffic 1 time each direction on a fairly busy street).

I ordered the rest of the missing parts from some fellow members (thanks guys) and put them on this weekend. For what started out to be on old turd that I really didn't want or need in the first place, this turned out to be a pretty nice machine, I think I'll give the 105 that I have been using at that house to my Brother and keep this 1650 to use in its place. Hmmm such a deal, I work my butt off for several weekends and my Brother gets a new tractor... What a bizarre turn of events!

I guess I better start looking for a Wide Frame sub-frame or a Wide Frame blade for this thing, and get the tires loaded and chained... Winter will soon be upon us and I will no longer have anything to push snow with at the weekend house.

It's a good thing this tractor has a good personality, cause she sure is ugly!