The story of your first Cub

[johncub7172]

Just thought I'd put a face to the name. My first cub cadet was an original. Got it when I was about 10 or so. Started working when I was 14 and drove it to work pumping gas back in the day. We owned and operated a full service garage called Vern's Sohio in Middlefield, Oh. for about 40+ years. About 6-7 wreckers. My favorite was the '57 B-61 Mack with twin swinging booms.

[cumminsjeep]

About eleven years ago while moving to my new house in the ‘country’, I spied what I thought was just a forlorn riding mower next to the road with a sign on it that read ‘free, take it’. Being 100% East TX redneck, I stopped to look at the little mower. It was missing the seat assembly, the fenders, and the wiring harness had been cobbled together with very poor workmanship, the 38in mower deck had two spindles that had a huge amount of slop in them, and the blades were worn down to little nubs. Since it was also missing the spark plug, I stuck my thumb over the hole and tested for compression. Yep, it was OK. I then tested the transmission by selecting each gear and rocking the input shaft. Well, I thought, at least the price is right. Since it also had four flat tires, I quickly found that I could not budge it from its resting place. As there was a front-end loader doing some work in the neighborhood, I enlisted the help of the operator to help me move it to the house. One of my friends took one look at my latest treasure and commented ‘that will be a flowerpot, for sure’, not realizing that he had just thrown down the gauntlet, and it WOULD be fixed now, come heck or high water. One week later, run it did. After replacing the wiring harness, the two loose spindles, a set of blades, a new voltage regulator, two new front tires (and tubes) and supplying a new battery, I had a ‘new’ lawn mower.
Why, might you ask, would a perfectly sane individual spend about $500 on a nearly 40 year old riding mower? Well, let me just say that after I vicariously drug this gem to the house, I remembered something my grandfather had said many years ago, to the tune of ‘if you ever get a cub cadet, it will be the last mower you ever buy’. After working on the beast, I figured out why. This thing is HEAVY!! Without any options or implements attached, it weighs in at nearly 600 pounds by itself! The motor has a cast iron block, the nosepiece is cast iron, the frame is heavy steel, the rear end is composed of cast iron, and it has something other ‘mowers’ only dream of, a driveshaft. I started learning then, just how tough this ‘mower’ was and learned that even small pine saplings were no match for the mower deck, and I only had to push them over with the front end to chop them up into kindling. Needless to say, I was hooked. After a few more years, I learned that this was not a ‘lawn mower’ or a ‘lawn tractor’ but a ‘garden tractor’ and had many implements with which to perform several useful tasks. Yes, I still have ‘Old Faithful’ and he is currently outfitted with homemade fenders, factory lights, NF-Hydro, Tiller gear box (for the #1 tiller I have used)(note the iris bed in the picture), Ag tires, 70lb wheel weights, and usually gets mowing duty on our approx. 2.5 acre yard with the 48in mowing deck. I have since obtained several more IH cubs, 3-100’s, 2 more 124’s, two and a half trenchers, a 71 that came complete with a #1 cart, creeper and tiller, a 72, a 108, a 122, a 127, 2-149’s, and maybe some more around here somewhere….

[ACecil]

Great story and pic! Thanks for sharing!

[Methos]

That's awesome story!

[MrGitrdone41]

I got my first cub in march of 2010 it was a model 86. I bought it off of a friend for 100$ The 8 horse motor was shot so i put a 12 horse in it off of a guy for 150$. I restored it and i take it to shows and cut grass. It cats grass great! I can't upload pics!The computer says a sever error?

[Mooner]

Grampas149...great story! I got a 149 a week ago, and each day I can't wait to work on it in some way. I'll wait until warmer weather to do some sandblasting, primer, and paint. I love that thing!

well i was looking for lawn equipment and i knew of my Dads best friend AJ. he had a lawn sweeper that he never used. well i called him up and asked if he wanted to sell the sweeper. he said no =( but. before i hung up he said "wait hold on. you want a cub?" i said "sure" i knew he had a really old cub cadet that still ran and he plowed snow with it. i came down with the truck and trailer and he said load it up and take it away. i asked him how much and he said just take it. restore it and make it pretty again and thats payment enough. so....thats how i ended up with my Cub Cadet 122. im in the process now of restoring it. adding things like hydraulic lift, creeper, 3pt and stuff like that to make it a caddy! haha

[MrGitrdone41]

Those are great storys of your cubs! I'm going to put a 3pt hitch on it soon. I'm only 14 and I love the old cubs!

[Flatbedford]

I have wanted some kind of tractor for as long as I can remember. When i was a kid, I ran my friend's Gravely and his grandfather's Jacobsen. My family never had a tractor. In '88, the year I graduated high school, I got my dream summer job. I got to cut a friend of my father's 5 acre lawn! He had, what I am pretty sure was a 128. I have a picture of me on it somewhere. It took about 5 hours to do the whole lawn and he paid me $10/hour to sit on his tractor and burn his gas. Perfect! I did that for a few years and then was tractorless for years. My wife and I bought our house in '03. It is on only 1/4 suburban acres. I still wanted my tractor, but my inherited Honda 21" walk behind, wheelbarrow, and snow shovel were adequate for our "land". I kept telling my wife that I wanted a tractor and she always told me that I should just get one. I have a few friends who live on smaller lots and own tractors and I call them lazy for having a tractor on such a small lot. This spring I finally became a "lazy" man. I figured that I could justify buying a tractor if I found a cheap one and it could be used for snow removal too. I started my search on Craig's List. At first I wasn't searching for any particular brand, just something strong enough to push or blow snow and haul a cart of firewood. I saw a listing for a 127 with a blade and deck. I even talked to the seller and made plans to see it on my next day off. In the mean time I read up on Cub Cadet tractors. The tractor sold before I could get out to see it, but after my research, I decided that I wanted to find an older Cub. About a month later I found my 125 on Craig's List. It was close to home, came with a deck, snow thrower, front blade, chains, wheel weights, and an Agri Fab sweeper. I called the seller and made arrangements to see it the next morning. I had planned the day off for my wife's birthday. I got up early, threw some 2x12s, straps, and a come a long in the old truck, stopped at the bank and went to see it. I was sold immediately. We made a good deal on the price and I loaded my wife's birthday present onto the old flatbed! It wasn't until I was 40 that I finally got my first tractor! I sure am glad that ended up back on a Cub Cadet after all these years.
Here it is loaded on the truck for its ride home.

The birthday girl

[ACecil]

Awesome stories, guys!