IH Garden Tractor ID Question

[Duke4AZ]

Vague and ambiguous is all I can give you on this one, but hopefully someone can get me close.

Another short story long, but what else have you guys got to do except read this diatribe.

So, I am on a little forced march across NM, CO and KS to pick up my wife's grandmother in western Kansas and return her to AZ for the winter, or at least until it is planting time on the old homestead back in KS. 2350 round trip miles in 3 days, with a day in between to see lots of relatives . . . hers. I have been contemplating and working the idea of buying another tractor for a rebuild project. Knowing that eastern CO and KS are pretty target rich in old farm iron, I decided that this trip is going to be a scouting trip for spotting potential project candidates that I will go prepared to trailer home next July when I go back there again for a reunion. Oddly enough the wife was into the whole idea and she did some of the spotting for me. Of course when it comes time to actually trade cash for steel, I will bet it is not so exciting for her, but that is a few months away. Perhaps I will leave her at the relatives when the actual transactions take place.

But I digress so let me get back on track.

As I have not determined whether I want to start small with a classic IH Cub, or Cub Cadet type garden tractor or go intermediate with something like an Oliver 550/Ford XN sized unit we are looking at almost everything we can find along the route. After spotting tractors on the way up to KS, I mapped a couple that I want to check out a bit closer. I have pictures of some, but found two garden sized units that I did not get photos of and need some help getting some information on.

The first was a cream and yellow cub cadet with what I thought were the numbers 1800 on the hood. I have looked for that model and have determined that I must have been mistaken as those numbers do not come up. The hood is an old style squared off style but I am sure it is got to be later that the '60's models. I am not as concerned with that one as there seemed to be a plethora of CC's of that size in between CO and KS.

The other one, however is a bit more vague and is going to take someone with some real knowledge of this genre of tractor to help, I am sure. It was a small garden sized tractor. It was IH red and the only distinguishing markings that I can recall, but can't find on any photo galleries anywhere, is the iH logo. On the side of the hood toward the front and high on the side was the letters "IH" in a circle. I have seen know IH Cubs with that logo on it and am thinking that it may just be a lawn tractor made by IH sometime in the '70s or '80s, but I can not find it anywhere. Neither of the tractors was 4WD as far as I could tell, but may be mistaken. Nor did either of them have ag tires, turfs all around.

So, as I promised, short story long, and a vague and ambiguous puzzle to solve. If anyone has any input on either of the two units, I would certainly appreciate the information. I have the address where they were being held and am going to write and inquire as to their availability, but I would like to do a little research on them so I have a footing when it comes to possibly discussing purchasing one, or both.

Thanks for the help,
Duke

 

[bontai_Joe]

Boy oh boy, photos sure would be a BIG help. There are 18XX models of Cub Cadets, but they are made after 1980 by MTD, so are not really a true IH vintage machine that I'm guessing you are looking for (example of one on ebay would be item number: 300053152903 to which I have no connection, just offering it as an example) As to the red one, I have no real info to share.

 

[SATOHBULL]

In 1981, after Cub Cadet was sold by IH, the Cub Cadet Corp made several models of Cub Cadets for sale by IH dealers. These were red and had IH markings. Other than the paint, they were identical to the Yellow/Cream Cubs. Models included 582, through 982. Maybe you saw one of these.

 

[Fordlords]

As far as I know the '82' series were the ONLY Cub Cadets to be factory painted in IH red and white. They were made by International Harvester starting in 1980 continuing through Cub's buyout by MTD in 1981. These would be models 482, 582/582S, 682, 782, 982, and 1282. There were also small lawn tractor models 182, 282, 382. Although these models had the traditional IH logo on the grille and on the back, nowhere was the logo in a circle. The '82' series GT's were also available in the yellow/white scheme but not until after the MTD takeover. MTD built '82's also substituted the IH logo for a "C" emblem on the grille and back. All the other models Cub Cadet made were the traditional yellow and white.

Which leads me to believe... the tractor you saw Duke was most likely a CCO (Cub cadet Original) that someone had repainted IH red and placed their own decals or emblems on at some point in time.... OR.... It might have been a Massey Ferguson Garden tractor, which were red and gray and had a round emblem on their hoods indicating engine horsepower in the 60's and early 70's:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/data/524/2519517_1.jpg

My avatar is an International Harvester built Cub Cadet 682 model, they are styled after International's farm tractors at that time in the late 70's.

International Harvester Corporation suffered many woes during the late 1970's, including slow farm tractor sales due to the economy, a multitude of quality issues with their mistake to go in to the automotive manufacturing sector with the Scout utility trucks, and last but not least issues with Kohler KT17 twin cylinder engines used in Cub Cadet 682 and 782 tractors that spelled the end of their lawn and garden tractor manufacturing efforts. The company has long since sold out and split its name in to Case International Farm equipment and Navistar International highway trucks on the global market.


-Fordlords-

 

[Duke4AZ]

Thanks for the information. I am in contact with the equipment owner and am trying to get more definitive information. These two tractors are rough so if I can land them both, I will have some project photos in the future.

Thanks again,

Duke.