Cub Cadet project

[MushCreek]

I started this project 25 years ago, but life got in the way. I took a junkyard Cub Cadet Model 70, about 1964 model, and got the bright (?) idea of mounting Farmall Cub tires and wheels to it. I made adapters for the rear, and a custom front axle assembly to get everything to fit and sit level. The rear fenders are off of a Farmall Cub, too. I have a couple motors to go through to see if I can get one running. For now it's just a roller to make sure it would all go together. I didn't modify the actual tractor, so it could be returned to its former glory if wanted. I can't decide whether to call it a Hi Crop or a Super 70. Once it's all painted and pretty I'll have some custom vinyl graphics printed so it looks 'factory'. I knew I'd get in trouble once I retired!

 

[BassProCamaro97]

That's awesome. Please keep the thread updated!

~Jim~

 

[csp]

Very cool! I have a '63 Model 70 that's been sitting in my shop for 10+ years waiting some degree of restoration. It runs great, I just haven't made any time for it.

I wonder how long the steering linkage will last turning the larger tires. Seems to be an area where a lot of slop forms fast in the balljoint linkage ends, at least with mine.

Would you mind measuring the diameter of the steering wheel? I think someone put a larger diameter wheel on mine, as the hood had to be bent to clear the steering wheel when opening it.

 

[36truck]

That makes a very cool tractor. Might need some better gears to turn them tires.

 

[MushCreek]

The steering wheel is just under 13", and the hood touches it as you open it. Most old CC's I've had have this problem. Probably just the slop in the bolts holes as it's assembled.

I bought new rod ends from McMaster-Carr. They seem a bit more robust than the factory ones. It steers easily on pavement, although there's no motor in it yet. The increased dimensions will be harder on everything, from the steering to the drive train to the rear axle bearings. This is a toy that will be brought to a few tractor shows and run around the property. It won't get anywhere near the hours a working one would.

The most slop in my old CC's is in the steering box. It is adjustable, but the once the worm gear gets worn, there's just so much you can do. There's a kit with a ball thrust bearing that's supposed to greatly improve the steering box. I'll definitely put one in this tractor.

 

[homebuilt burner]

If you run into gearing problems you could put a creeper drive in.

 

[MushCreek]

I am putting a creeper in it, which reduces it 4:1. I was making the driveshaft today.

 

[htmdude57]

Yes, you are going to get in a heap of trouble from both the Cub Cadet and Farmall purists! But me, I love it! I think what csp was referring to is the gear teeth at the bottom of the steering shaft (if there are any there?) wearing. Also, I had a Cub lawn tractor that got slop in the roll pin where the steering link hooked up to the king pin (like above your left front wheel).

 

[bugnut]

Mush looks like fun to me!

 

[nsula_country]

Looks like a fun project.

What is the story with the Ranger in the background?

CT

 

[MushCreek]

Looks like a fun project.

What is the story with the Ranger in the background?

CT

That's a '72 Camper Special that I should be working on, but it's too hot out, and I don't have room for it in the shop right now. It runs and drives, but needs lots of TLC. I did put new brakes front and back. When the summer weather breaks, it will move up the list.

 

[nsula_country]

Nice. I'm working on a 1979 F250 Explorer currently.

Documenting it in my "What's Going On in Big Red Barn" thread.

CT

 

[jd_1138]

That's a '72 Camper Special that I should be working on, but it's too hot out, and I don't have room for it in the shop right now. It runs and drives, but needs lots of TLC. I did put new brakes front and back. When the summer weather breaks, it will move up the list.

Nice tractor project and Ford truck. Did Camper Specials come with 390 V8s only or could you get a 300 Truck Six in it too along with the other engines?

 

[nsula_country]

A Lot of them had 360.

CT

 

[MushCreek]

Mine has a tired 360 in it, but I'm putting a fresh 300 six in it, just to be contrary.

 

[jd_1138]

Mine has a tired 360 in it, but I'm putting a fresh 300 six in it, just to be contrary.

It's a great engine and durable -- plenty of torque for pulling normal trailers.

 

[MushCreek]

The 300 has long been my favorite Ford engine. I'm going to be running a small chamber head, aluminum intake with a 2 bbl, split late-model exhaust manifolds, and some kind of cam. Not a hotrod by any means; just warmed up a little.

 

[MushCreek]

It's alive! After 30 years of hibernation, the little Kohler fired right up. All I did was rebuild the carb and put fresh ignition components on it. I took it for a little drive, but I don't have a throttle cable yet, so I couldn't really test it out. It drives fine, and doesn't feel tippy or squirrely. The creeper drive is a necessity, as even in 1st gear it's too fast and underpowered to do any real work. After I get the cable (and a muffler!) I'll drive it some more before tearing it back down to clean it up and paint it. Since it's just a toy, it at least needs to look good.

 

[BigMike782]

These folks have the decals you’ll need,
http://www.maplehunterdecalstexas.com/
Be careful of the creeper. They were only intended for cutting ground speed but some folks think that means increased pulling power. They are relatively fragile and some parts are getting hard to find.

 

[MushCreek]

OK- Good to know about the creeper. Thanks for the link- he's got really good prices on decals compared to others I've seen.

 

[BigMike782]

Having had a hundred or more Cubs over the years I learned a few things

 

[MushCreek]

Here's a couple more pics before I tear it down for paint. I have a throttle now, so I could do more test driving. In third gear, it's fast enough to blow your hat off. Theoretically, it should do over 11 MPH at WOT. The steering is very light, and the steering box needs going through, so you're kept pretty busy keeping it in a straight line. It steers a lot easier than a stock CC, I guess because it's just riding on the center rib. have a long punch list of things to address while it's apart. It'll probably take me a while to paint it; hopefully by spring, depending on what else comes my way.

 

[jhn9840]

Looks like a great project. Look forward to seeing it all finished. What model Ford is that in the background?

jhn9840
John

 

[MushCreek]

1965 3000 (gas). That's my working tractor, with a number of attachments. Some winter I'm going to go through it and paint it up. The engine is kind of tired, but keeps pluggin' along.

 

[BigMike782]

Is the 3000 gas?
I think I see a carb.
How does it run?

 

[MushCreek]

It's runs pretty good now, although it's hard to start in cold weather. I kept screwing around with the original Holley carb with poor results, so I put a 'new' type Zenith on it, and it runs great. My fuel pump also crapped out, so right now it's gravity feed. The fuel pump is a bear to get at, and from what I read, there isn't a decent replacement available, not even from Ford. They **** out in a matter of months, after hours of work to replace. No one sells a rebuild kit, either. When I get around to it, I'll put in an electric fuel pump and be done with it. The gravity feed works as long as you don't let it get too low on fuel on a hill.

I bought the tractor cheap with a front end loader, which is still waiting my attention. First up was new tires and rims all around, which added considerably to the budget. Other parts have been dirt cheap so far.

 

[BigMike782]

I have a 4000SU. 3cyl gas. Have worked on the carb quite a bit, it runs ok but back fires almost every time you shut it down.

 

[Mike.ASC]

That's a neat looking tractor project you have there , it's definitely got the look.

 

[MushCreek]

I'm running into issues as I tear it down for paint. I took the rear cover off of the transaxle, and there was a couple inches of crud about the consistency of grease at the bottom. I need to tear it all down and flush that crud out of there. The bearings on the differential are pitted, so I removed them. After I got all the crud off of it, I can see that about half the teeth on the ring gear are pitted as well. Hmmm. I'm wondering how long that gear will hold up just putting around at a tractor show? I can get a used one in good shape for about $50, but I'm not finding pinion gears for sale. It's also a lot more involved to take that pinion shaft out. One tooth on the pinion gear has some pitting, too.

Decision time- put it all back together and use it til it breaks, or fix it? I have another transaxle, so I'll pull the rear cover off of it and see what it looks like inside. Complete transaxles are rather cheap on these tractors, but at 150 lbs., shipping is out of the question, and Cub Cadets are relatively scarce here in the southeast.

 

[BigMike782]

I would put it back together and run it until you have reason not to.
The factory fluid in there was called Hy-Tran. It was designed to encapsulate the water, that's the goo at the bottom of the case.
If you end up needing gears log on to http://www.cubcadetcollectors.com/forum/
Post what you need and you will likely find it can be shipped to you.

 

[MushCreek]

Yeah, I have Hy-Tran in a 5 gal. bucket, as my Ford uses it, too. I imagine the gears will destroy themselves eventually, but since this is a toy, it may only get run 10 hours a year. Might outlast me!

 

[58Yeoman]

I can't believe that I missed this thread. Cool project.

 

[Jay H 237]

For $50 I'd grab that rig gear while it's available just to have as a spare.

 

[txvwnut]

If all it is is a show tractor put it back together with the existing gears. If you were going to work it where you’d be putting the gear set under strain I’d say change R&P.

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

Subscribed!!

 

[MushCreek]

Moving forward. I checked the other transaxle I have, and it's perfect inside, and clean. I'll just use that one for now. In fact, it occurred to me that I could change over from stock to 'Hi-Crop' in under an hour.

 

[BigMike782]

I had forgotten all about this thread.
Very cool build. Back in the "golden era" there were a handful of people that built some really neat customs. Paul Bell from Louisville built a Hi Clear Cub Cadet.
Almost makes me want to get my restored 100 out.......almost.

 

[MushCreek]

I finally finished it up! I wound up stripping everything and repainting. I just work on it when there's nothing else going on, so it's been a slow process, but I want to take it to a tractor show Labor Day weekend, so I made a push to get 'er done. The paint colors aren't exact because the factory colors are $$$. I just used stock Rustoleum with a hardener. Close enough. I splurged on a decal set, custom 'High Crop' stickers, and a fancy seat cover. The IH logo on the front axle is actually milled into the steel, then I filled it with paint.

 

[BigMike782]

Very nicely done!
I painted my early 100 with Cub Cadet dealer paint. I did not use hardener because I have a beard and I was/am terrified of isocyantes and it chips pretty bad.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I started this project 25 years ago, but life got in the way. I took a junkyard Cub Cadet Model 70, about 1964 model, and got the bright (?) idea of mounting Farmall Cub tires and wheels to it. I made adapters for the rear, and a custom front axle assembly to get everything to fit and sit level. The rear fenders are off of a Farmall Cub, too. I have a couple motors to go through to see if I can get one running. For now it's just a roller to make sure it would all go together. I didn't modify the actual tractor, so it could be returned to its former glory if wanted. I can't decide whether to call it a Hi Crop or a Super 70. Once it's all painted and pretty I'll have some custom vinyl graphics printed so it looks 'factory'. I knew I'd get in trouble once I retired!

I like that! Cool project. I previously had two Cub Cadet older models and they were tough.