Cub Cadet 108

[mwilson]

My MIL's crappy little riding mower took yet another dirt nap last month. I decided that I had worked on the wretched thing for the last time.



Seeing that the wife usually mows down there I dug out the big gun.



This 108 was purchased brand new in 1974 I believe by my step-father. I remember it still being in the shipping crate. I can't even begin to calculate the hours that would be on it, all I can say is that it has mowed a lot of acreage over the years. My mother retired it 3 years ago on the advice of her new hubby and he went and bought a piece of crap Craftsman at that time. She called and asked if I would like to have it.



My response was "Frigin' right I want it, it's family!!!"... . So hauled it up here and put it in storage.



When it came time last month to put put it back onto front line duty I gave it an oil change, a grease job and a new battery. Still had 3 year old gas in it (with Stabil). Hit the key, pulled the choke all the way out in typical Kohler fashion and it lit right off.



Took it down, mowed for an hour before a squeal developed with the PTO engaged. Mule drive idler pulley bearing was bad. Ordered a pair of them, a new mule drive belt and a new runner for the chute side of the deck. Installed it all, even sprung for a new spark plug!!! It is mowing right now.



For those of you wondering "What is a Mule Drive?" I have provided a picture. .

Not bad for a machine that is almost 40 years old IMHO.



The Craftsman one that the new hubby bought crapped out this summer and had to have a bunch of welding done on the frame and mower supports before it could even be used. This would be it's third summer, HA Ha, should'a kept the Cub around!!!!



Wife happily mowing away... ..... and that lawn is SOAKING WET, but the Cub don't care.

 

[Bob V]

So you know about the TWO set screws in each hole on the motor sheave hub. I learned the hard way (about 40 years ago)

 

[JR]

You just can't beat the vintage mowers. When they were still considered a "tractor". About 10 years ago dad gave me his old wheel horse 210-5 as a house warming gift when I bought my first home. He has a picture in his office of the 2 of us mowing grass together when he first purchased it. Me sitting in between his legs steering while he ran the rest of the controls. I've since passed mowing duties over to my 10 year old. He runs hot laps with that thing like it's his little Honda 4trax quad and it cuts like a champ...

Coincidentally, he replaced the old Wheel Horse with a newer model Toro... . he's had more issues with it in 10 years than the two of us have had with the old 210 combined. They sure don't make em like they used to. I've been considering buying a new mower just to get a bigger model but I would literally have to spend $6k + to get a comparable replacement. So for now I just keep squeaking "another year" out of the old girl...

 

[Wayne M.]

Hey Mike, that's looks just like the same routing as a corvair fan belt!
A friend has a similar model cub. Yea in the city lol.
Has anyone heard of a Panzer tractor that was made in Pa?

 

[jgillott]

http://www.panzertractors.com/

 

[GCroyle]

IH Cub Cadet 100

Mike,



Got a IH Cub Cadet 100, we're the 2nd owners. It was about 2 years old when we got it. 10HP Kohler its never been out of the frame, GY turf rears never been off the axle. Mower deck and snow plow and chains. It has a plastic steering wheel and the rest is IH steel and iron. It uses the same PTO routing and I did replace the PTO clutch about 12 years ago or so. It is the most unique (i think) waffle diaphragm spring, should'a kept the used one for show and tell.



Mowing, leaf collecting and chopping, a mess of small scale but super important snow plowing and my version of small scale firewood logging back in OH.



Riding it is like therapy, that Kohler kinda thumping away. I've used it so much I actually wore out the throttle plate shaft bore in the carb, got a new carb kept the old one. Also have the original owners manual. Think it was built about 63-64 or so.



Those new ZTR rigs are fast and fancy but don't think they're therapeutic like the old Cub. My Dad ran it, I ran it, my Son ran it and I've taken Grandson for a ride on it. 4 generations.



Thanks Mike.



Gary

 

[Wayne M.]

http://www.panzertractors.com/

Yep that's the one. It uses a chrylsler 8 3/4 rear axle.

 

[jhenderson]

My next door neighbor has a couple of Panzers.

 

[rscurtis]

Here is a 1976 1650 I used at my rental store for moving equipment. The first photo is the tractor after the December 1990 fire when the shop building was destroyed by a lightning strike. The second is the same tractor many years later at its day job- moving this 5000# chipper and assorted equipment trailers. I sold it for $900 in 2007 when I liquidated the business. I'm a Gravely person myself, I bought this 16G in 2010 on ebay for $2000. What can you get in a box store for that kind of money? That's its original finish, and that's just the way I got it. It's a 1991 model. Were these still made, it would sell for $12-15,000 today.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Yep, I know about a Cub Cadet Mule Drive Belt and Pulley. A former owner of a Cub Cadet 127 (12-hp Kohler, Hydrostatic Trans. ) and a Cub Cadet 782 (17-hp V-twin Kohler, Hydrostatic Trans. , Hydraulic Mower Lift). I bought the Cadet 127 used from a commercial grounds care operator. The mower deck was completely worn out an the Kohler engine had a hole in the block. I rebuilt the tractor and installed a new mower on it. It worked faithfully until I purchased the Cadet 782 new. As far as I know both the Cadet 127 and the Cadet 782 are still mowing.

I currently own a 13 year old John Deere 345 (22-hp V-twin water cooled Kawasaki, Hydrostatic Trans, Hydraulic Mower Lift & Power Steering) that I bought new. The Cub Cadet 782 was never back at the dealer for a repair; however, the JD has had three or four trips back for repairs. I bought a JD655 z-turn mower last summer which cut my mowing time in about half. The JD 345 is in "semi-retirement".

Bill

 

[GCroyle]

Maybe one more reason that I'm a fan of my 100 is the 3 speed real manual transmission and its dry single plate clutch that only uses ONE side of the friction material to do its job. Still the original but worn clutch. Maybe later I'll snap a pic of its unusual design. I toured Raybestos in PA many years ago and I really think I saw the friction disc hanging up as a display product sample.

 

[Wayne M.]

Boy, I'd love to grab one of these beauties- just to tinker with. I caught this string of cubs at a "days of the past" show a few years ago.

FYI, this is the flyer for the show. It's this weekend and I gotta work...

 

[EDankievitch]

I have to agree there is nothing like old school tractors. My Grandfather had a Sears surburban 7 with all the attachments. That tractor had over 40 years of hard service when I sold it. I just couldn't find parts anymore. I steped into a 1983 Johndeer 216. Used that at my Grandmother's farm for mowing the 5+ ackers only thing I had to replace was the varrator pully assembly. You couldn't kill it or the Koller engine. The snowblower worked well. It was a real tractor. And it's true nothing runs like a Deer. Oops this was a Cadet thread... . The pitch forks are being sharpened as I type... lol

 

[PToombs]

When I was growing up we had a Cub Cadet like the 1st one in Waynes pic, no duals or fenders though. Had the high/low range, that must have been rare, over the years of going to tractor shows I have only seen a few that style with it. My father used it, I used it, then I sold it off to a buddy who traded it for a John Deere that I ended up with. I wish I had it now, it ended up with a collector so it's taken care of anyways. I have a JD 110 round fender I'm going to resurrect with a Perkins 14hp 2 cylinder diesel this winter. It should run the 48" deck I have for it real nice, and anybody that has run one knows how nice those old Deeres mow.

 

[Wayne M.]

Hi Pete. I didn't know Perkins made an engine that small.

 

[Bill Stockard]

When I was growing up we had a Cub Cadet like the 1st one in Waynes pic, no duals or fenders though. Had the high/low range, that must have been rare, over the years of going to tractor shows I have only seen a few that style with it. .

Wasn't that a "creeper" gear on the low side? On gear drive Cub Cadets, a creeper gear was required in order to run a rear mounted tiller. Without the creeper gear the ground speed was too fast in 1st gear to successfully till the ground.



Bill

 

[PToombs]

Hi Wayne! Yup, it came out of an auxiliary power unit for a big rig, a Rigmaster. 2 cylinder liquid cooled. It runs pretty smooth for a 2 banger. In the APU it ran the AC compressor, 5k generator, and charged the batteries and supplied hot water to the heater in the bunk. Pretty cool little unit, I paid $200 for it complete and had to help strip it out of the truck.

Bill, I believe so. As far as I was concerned, 1st was too darn slow as it was! lol

 

[Gonzo 1066]

I have 2 782 Cub Cadets, one I bought in 1986 the other I got 5 years ago. Both of them are 1984 tractors, both are used every summer for mowing lawn, both have outlived many box store or Sears tractors. I just keep changing oil and they keep on working, great little tractors.

 

[Bill Stockard]

I have 2 782 Cub Cadets, one I bought in 1986 the other I got 5 years ago. Both of them are 1984 tractors, both are used every summer for mowing lawn, both have outlived many box store or Sears tractors. I just keep changing oil and they keep on working, great little tractors.

I purchased my Cub Cadet 782 when I did because I knew they were the last of the I-H built tractors using real cast iron before the spin-off to (CCC) Cub Cadet Corp which was later sold to who knows who and built with pot metal. Our sister store in Fort Worth TX sold and serviced Cub Cadets at that time and I picked mine up still in the crate. The secret to longevity on their 17-hp. V-twin Kohler engines is regular oil changes and never let them be even a little bit low on engine oil when mowing on a slope. It's owned by its third owner and still faithfully mowing grass.

Bill

 

[rscurtis]

Bill, I think you're referring to the KT "series I" opposed piston engine, the Command V-twin never had such issues, and was used in the later 3100 series. I worked on an HDS 3185 several years ago, and it pales when compared to an original CC, and was built like a cheap box-store tractor when compared to my Gravely.