Mowing with an IH Cub?

[Jay4200]

I've been searching for a GT to use at the mower for my camp. I ran across a 50's vintage IH Cub with belly mower for what I think is decent money - I'm thinking of maybe getting that to mow the grass. Seems the coolness factor and fun of mowing with a vintage Cub would far outstrip any GT I could find. I don't know much about the tractors, I just know I've always wanted one (or an Allis Chalmers B/C). The camp has several grassed areas totaling about an acre. There are a few hills, but nothing too extreme.

Pros and/or cons of using this type of machine as a dedicated lawnmower?

Thanks - JayC

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

If you are talking about a cub 154 lowboy stay away. They are only 14hp. The lack of hp along with the weight of the tractor makes you have to mow at a snails pace. You could mow faster with a push mower.
Bill

 

[Martian]

I've been searching for a GT to use at the mower for my camp. I ran across a 50's vintage IH Cub with belly mower for what I think is decent money - I'm thinking of maybe getting that to mow the grass. Seems the coolness factor and fun of mowing with a vintage Cub would far outstrip any GT I could find. I don't know much about the tractors, I just know I've always wanted one (or an Allis Chalmers B/C). The camp has several grassed areas totaling about an acre. There are a few hills, but nothing too extreme.

Pros and/or cons of using this type of machine as a dedicated lawnmower?

Thanks - JayC

I don't know anything of it as a lawn mower but I can tell you an experienced user on one of these can do wonders. I have a 50's (not sure what year exactly) IH Cub that my great grandfather bought new and has been passed down through the generations. The practically built Consumers Electric with the machine(the main power company in Michigan). Low on HP but if you use it in the right way it can do anything. 60 year old tractor and I would put more money on that thing to start in the dead cold of winter than any other machine I own.

Great machines but unfortunately have no experience with a MMM on it.

 

[wolc123]

If it were not for the hills, an A/C C would be a much better choice. More HP and the trike front are big advantages. With a trike, and good steering brakes, you have a real "zero-turn".

 

[wny770]

If you are talking about a cub 154 lowboy stay away. They are only 14hp. The lack of hp along with the weight of the tractor makes you have to mow at a snails pace. You could mow faster with a push mower.
Bill

I have to disagree.

 

[strum456]

I have used my grandfathers lowboy and cub many times for mowing. I would never buy one for mowing for two reasons.

1. The are underpowered
2. The PTO stops when forward motion stops (cub only)

The AC would have tons more power, but stilll no live PTO. If you want a vintage tractor that would be good for mowing hills, go for something like a ford 600 or a MF35

 

[Code54]

If you always wanted one go for it! Sometime the extra 5 minutes is worth it to use a machine you enjoy. I have a sq. front cub lowboy and think it has plenty of power for mowing. No it won't out pull my Kubota but I think it is fun to have an old vintage tractor to use around the house and mow with.

 

[Grandad4]

There are many old Cub's still working in tobacco fields around here. Used and maintained with care, they will last basically forever. But they need TLC and someone who will keep after stuff and not let it go to pot. The risk with buying anything old is that it may not have had that kind of care previously and now needs work.

Drawbacks: It's a small gas tractor made when gas was $ .25 a gallon. Doesn't have much power, so you're not going to do anything fast and it may not like your hills very much.. Gotta baby it some. Expect to tinker and do some repairs from time to time.

On balance, the good outweighs the drawbacks, but that's a personal decision you'd have to make for yourself.

 

[ronjhall]

Had a CUB with a OEM belly mower. It cut nice. But was under powered to pull the mower threw heavy grass. Enjoyed the tractor though.

 

[lhfarm]

My '64 Cub Lo-Boy was my primary mower for many years. It was not fast and I wanted to cut down my mowing time so got a zero turn. But I still maintain walking trails with the Cub and use it for light snow plow duty in the winter. Even though it doesn't have a lot of HP, it is a great little utility tractor. I have a 4x8 trailer that came with it and the Cub has pulled lots of lots of firewood out of the very hilly woods. When I was still making hay, I used it to pull a rake.

There are several threads around about the old Cubs and a couple of forums dedicated to them. Lots of fans of these great little tractors and a lot of people still using them for mowing. I hope you go for it.

 

[txdon]

I mow with a 1946 Farmall-A +4' belly mower. You can overcome the power issue by cutting smaller widths, it may take a little longer but their is a certain nostalgia about it. Make sure everything is tight on the cub, wheels, steering, brakes or you may have more expenses. Have fun with it and be careful without any safety devices. :thumbsup:

 

[kthompson]

Can not speak on ALL 600 model Ford tractors but some don't have live PTO's. My family had one and still does and it does not. No idea on the MF 35.

 

[strum456]

Can not speak on ALL 600 model Ford tractors but some don't have live PTO's. My family had one and still does and it does not. No idea on the MF 35.

You are correct. It would need to be a 660 or a 661. They are fairly common. Chances are you have a 640 or a 650. Live pto is an option on the MF too. There are plenty of these tractors that have it.

 

[strum456]

I mow with a 1946 Farmall-A +4' belly mower. You can overcome the power issue by cutting smaller widths, it may take a little longer but their is a certain nostalgia about it. Make sure everything is tight on the cub, wheels, steering, brakes or you may have more expenses. Have fun with it and be careful without any safety devices. :thumbsup:

A Farmall A would rip a cub in half!

 

[Soundguy]

If you are talking about a cub 154 lowboy stay away. They are only 14hp. The lack of hp along with the weight of the tractor makes you have to mow at a snails pace. You could mow faster with a push mower.
Bill

he said 50's era.. that would be a straight cub with rounded nose. if a lowbow, then he is real close tot he ground.

not much of a snails pace ither.. 3 spd trans, even in 1st gear is a decent clip.

I have a 66 cub.. taller brother of the lowbow, and mine has the more squared metal.. sme chassie unde the sheet metal as a round nose.

mine's battery ignition.. not maggie..

I would not clip heavy lush grass with it.. but regular cutting will be fine.. and they are decently maneuverable.

PS.. 14hp on a TRACTOR is not like 14hp on a LAWNMOWER

huge DIFFERENCE.

mY 10HP ALLIS G AND SLIGHTLY MORE HP IH CUB will drag around the yard a 24hp craftsmann till the lawnmowers tires fall off.. ( yes.. BTDT )

soundguy

 

[deereman75]

PS.. 14hp on a TRACTOR is not like 14hp on a LAWNMOWER

huge DIFFERENCE.

I agree. The amount of torque the cub has is way beyond anything a lawn mower would have. How many lawn mowers do you see with an inline 4 engine.

 

[Soundguy]

I agree. The amount of torque the cub has is way beyond anything a lawn mower would have. How many lawn mowers do you see with an inline 4 engine.

yep. I had a neighbor that made fun of my small hp cub.

I drug him all over his yard with his crapsman wheels spinning. when i headed toward the blacktop he gave n as he didn't want to strip out the zinc/aluminum/plastic/potmetal drive gear assembly his 24hp lawnmower had.

i even gave him a good chance by letting him start to pull me backwards with my clutch in, then I eased the clutch out and started to go.. my rears never once spun. his made tracks all over his yard..

soundguy

 

[Jay4200]

I have used my grandfathers lowboy and cub many times for mowing. I would never buy one for mowing for two reasons.

1. The are underpowered
2. The PTO stops when forward motion stops (cub only)

The AC would have tons more power, but stilll no live PTO. If you want a vintage tractor that would be good for mowing hills, go for something like a ford 600 or a MF35

Hmmm....no live PTO. Didn't consider that, although maybe it's a don't care. Kind of a safety feature actually. Does it operate while you're in reverse?

As far as HP, my two current mowers have 11Hp and 16Hp respectively - plenty for cutting grass (it's a lawn, not a field).

My other question is that the tractor in question is supposed to be early 50's, but it is yellow. Re-paint or actually a later model? How do I tell?

I'm also interested in an A/C model C (wide front) with a bucket. That's similar money, but doesn't have a deck. I do like the orange...

JayC

 

[flusher]

Hmmm....no live PTO. Didn't consider that, although maybe it's a don't care. Kind of a safety feature actually. Does it operate while you're in reverse?

As far as HP, my two current mowers have 11Hp and 16Hp respectively - plenty for cutting grass (it's a lawn, not a field).

My other question is that the tractor in question is supposed to be early 50's, but it is yellow. Re-paint or actually a later model? How do I tell?

I'm also interested in an A/C model C (wide front) with a bucket. That's similar money, but doesn't have a deck. I do like the orange...

JayC

Typically, you get around the "no live pto" issue by installing an overrunning clutch in the pto drive line. It's easy to do for mowers that attach to the rear hitch and are driven off a rear-facing pto. It may be a problem installing an ORC in your Cub if you're using a mid-mount (belly) mower.

 

[JESSE1]

When I was going to elementary/high school, our school groundskeeper used a Cub for all the school mowing, football field and baseball field. Had a 4' belly mower. Even had a small dozer blade for pushing around dirt. Tough little tractors.

We had a Cub 154 Loboy. Good for mowing but not much else.