Calling all "O" experts
 

Hey Guys,

I have a late (June 63) production Original. We have known the tractor well since it was new.. The original owner bought it as a recoil start but later had the IH dealer add the electric start kit. The tractor to this day is still very original and unchanged.. still retains the K161T Rope start engine.

My question is the air cleaner.. Mine has the 70 style dry paper element.. and according to the original purchaser it came that way... It was like that when we bought the tractor in the late 70's for sure.

I read that IH knew the oil bath had some efficiency issues and planned to change the 70/100 series to dry cleaners.

My theory... some of the last Originals may have started getting the newer filter??

Anyone else have a late Original that left the factory with a paper filter?

Comments, experiences, and knowledge welcomed.:beerchug:

That is a good question..... I do not know the answer. I do suppose that it could have came that way. I have seen a lot of O's with the paper element, but always just assumed they had been changed over. He doesn't by some luck have the original sale bill does he? (I don't usually save stuff like that, but some people do....)

Jon,

The original owner passed away 20 years ago.. He did give me some verbal history in the late 70's about the tractor. I asked him about the paper air cleaner... he said that is the way it rolled out of the showroom.. As far as he knew the only thing changed/modified was the addition of the electric start kit several years after it was new.

I did read somewhere that IH was not satisfied with the performance of the oil bath and requested a change to dry paper during pre production on the 70/100... just don't have proof how soon it happened:bigthink:

I'm doubting that performance was the issue..... maintenance may have been. IH was making the switch to paper elements about that time. Plus, the automotive world was already using them. I'm sure they had some warranty claims due to the oil bath's being ran dry. The truth of the matter is, that an oil bath cleaner is far superior to dry... it's just messing and a pain to deal with. They do a much better job at filtration though.

I agree the oil bath is better at getting dirt...if it is serviced properly... im sure most weren't.. Paper canister style had to be way cheaper also...

I just wondered if the switch actually came near the end of the Originals but before the intro of the new series?

Well, it's very possible, but I don't know if they did or not.
I DO know that we have seen change overs like this in other series tractors. For example: The 1X8/9's came out with yellow engines. But, in the later machines it was common to see them with a black original engine. The assumption is that Kohler or IH started painting them black getting ready for the QL series.

I don't think a late 63 Original would have came with a re-coil start? It sounds like it has had some changes over it's life time. I also think the fuel filter would have been the oil bath, not the later one. :bigthink::beerchug::beerchug:

It's true. Oil bath fuel filters are few and far between.:biggrin2::biggrin2:

Ronnie,

I know the recoil was original... we have known the tractor since new.. Original owner told me he bought it new with recoil. as he got older he had issues cranking it.. he had the electric start kit added in the late 60's or early 70's. He also told me that nothing else had been modified or changed.. My question was the dry air cleaner... I wondered if anyone had another late Original that had the dry air cleaner.. We have owned this little tractor since the late 70's... it is very original and untouched... My thoughts were that IH had already specified a change to Kohler for the model 70 that was coming up and I wondered if they started putting dry aircleaners on some of the very late Originals?:bigthink:

Jay can you share the serial with us? I'm assuming it's in the 50k or 60k range without looking at a chart? That might let some O guys that have the same or later Serials let you know. Or maybe find that old registry site or another one with serials and pics and see if they did or not. Just some ideas, I'm curious too

Ronnie, pull start was standard equipment on the Original, 70,71 and 72. So yes, it was still very standard in 1963.

While I know very little about Originals, I decided for the fun of it to consult the online parts book from Cadet. It appears some of them had 8hp engines and those had paper filters while the 7hp models had oil bath. So was 8hp really an option or late game upgrade, or is this a screw up scanning 50 year old papers and putting them into a computer database?

http://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/AR...______________

8 HP was an option.

Mike,

I will have to check... best I remember it's somewhere in the 58K to 59K range.. Dad bought this thing for me when I was about 9 years old! He and I together got it running... the magneto was bad so we converted it to a full battery ignition since the generator and wiring had already been added... He bought me some of my own tools and I learned to wrench on it all by myself when he was at work.. It smoked and the drive belt began to slip toward the end but I loved it!! By the time I was 15 or so I had lost interest in it because I had moved on to cars, girls and friends!:biggrin2: Mom got tired of it being in the garage and around the house, so Dad took it to the farm and put it in a storage barn... it's been untouched since then!! (about 1986). I keep thinking I will get it out and finish what I started 30 years ago! Too many projects and not enough time. But one day I will do it!!:biggrin2::biggrin2:

It was also a replacement when they made no more 7hp engines.

Serial tag on engine say's K161T... so I doubt it's an 8hp.. I had never heard of an 8hp till later in the game... but who knows!:biggrin2::biggrin2:

7hp tin with the tag on it will fit the 8hp. But, if you don't think it was replaced then it is probably a 7hp. But, you could buy a short block 8hp and use the original tins.

My 72 has a K181T replacement engine from the dealer on it,it is black. BMF'n log splitter had one also,it came off a leaf blower.

That's a good story Jay. Awesome that your dad kept it too but he likes Cubs just as much as you do! I have a k181T I converted from mag to batt ign too in one of my O's. I don't think you've shown the O before. Get that baby out of the barn!

Mike,

It's been tucked away so long I don't even have a picture of it!!:biggrin2: I'll have to drag it out soon... so much dust on it you can't even tell what color it is!:beerchug::beerchug:

I personally have never seen it written anyplace where an original ever came with anything other than a 7 hp engine. The 8 hp engines were used as replacement engines when the 7 hp engines were no longer available.

My parts book states that "Complete replacement engine will be Kohler K-181" it goes on to list two different spec numbers along with two different part numbers.

I would bet that the original carburetor/air cleaner were replaced sometime and no one remembers.

Great story there Jay. Cool that you still have the tractor.
I will try and contact the old boy I talked with in regards to the placement of the tails lights when I did my "O". He worked next to the guy who assembled the originals at the local IH dealer.
He remembered a lot of things from back then, and just maybe he would remember. If he's still here...

Todd,

That would be great if you could do that... at this point i'm thinking that something must've happened to the oil bath and the guy just forgot to tell me... I think the IH dealer did all his service so they may have changed it and he never knew or realized it.. He did have somebody to paint the tractor in the mid 70's and somehow it got re decaled as a 70... but he told me that wasn't right.

Heck all this was so long ago maybe I forgot part of it!!:bigthink::biggrin2::biggrin2:

I imagine all Originals came from the factory with the oil bath air cleaner.

Called the old boy up today. And he doesn't recall any coming out of a crate with dry element air cleaners. His recollection was they weren't available as original equipment on the tractors till the next model. (which would be the 70 and 100)
But he did say they had people bring their original in later in years and had the oil bath replaced with the dry filter system. I asked what they did with the oil bath they took off. He said in most cases, "just chucked them"...
He did mention, he was not 100% sure, but what he remembered that was what it was.

Well, we learn something new all the time on this board. If you need an Original carb and oil bath cleaner, I have a nice rebuilt one.:biggrin2:

I do recall my dad's "O" was a 1963 year model and it had the oil bath on it when he bought it new.