Brought 57 cub home today

[DJ54]

If your shoes still have a tendency to gouge through the soft driveway when not frozen yet, here's a thought. Here's the blade I have Dad built back in around 1964 for the Farmall A we had at that time. Originally it had a regular cutting edge on it but was too aggressive for the pneumatic Lift-All system to keep up cutting depth when pushing dirt, worse in a soft driveway plowing snow. He flipped the cutting edge for snow, but not good for pushing/cutting dirt so took it off and used it as is. He used it enough pushing dirt he literally wore the corners of the rolled 3/8" moldboard blade off enough you can see the added corner pieces so it was back to gouging when plowing early snows. It sat for 25-30 years until I got my A. I needed something to plow snow for my own place then and it was back to raking stone back on the driveway.

Back 15+ years ago when I discovered these tractor forums I saw where guys were slipping PVC pipe on the cutting edges. Worked great until it got real cold, then the PVC would shatter. I wanted a more permanent solution, and remembered I had some 1-1/4" pipe I'd gathered up someone was going to throw away. I used my plasma cutter using a piece of angle iron inverted on it as a straight edge and cut a slot in it wide enough to slip over the bottom of the moldboard. Cut and drilled 5 tabs you see on the front and put a bolt through them and welded them in place. Had another 5 for the back, welded them on, then drilled through the tabs and holes that were already in the moldboard and used Gr. 5 bolts to hold it on. Works great when plowing snow, pretty well floats over the stone on the drive and pretty well eliminates raking stone back on the drive come Spring. Also prevents the gouging when pushing loose dirt like when making a fill.

I can attest to 6,000+ tons of bank run fill that little tractor and blade have pushed & finished when making new bases for my new building here, plus shaley clay filling in a pond at the other place, plus all of snow I've pushed with it in all these years. It's worn some but impressed it has lasted this long.

All that to say it might be something to consider if the shoes don't hold it up out of the stone.

 

[wolc123]

I like the pipe idea DJ. I have quite a bit of 1” scd 80 grey PVC. I’ll cut one to the width of the snow plow blade and slot it on my table saw. I’d likely only use it when it’s warm and that heavy grey pvc is pretty tough, so I doubt it would shatter.

If it does, I’ve got a pretty good selection of steel pipe on my scrap pile. I don’t have a real good way of slotting that though.

After we get thru winter, I’m going to take off the blade and weld some reinforcing plates to the square tubing on the sides of the plow frame. Beefing it up like that will let me move my boat around with the hydraulic lift front hitch. The boat was a little too heavy for that, when I tried it last summer.

 

[WinterDeere]

Can't remember, but did you have the tires filled on this machine? No doubt it has the muscle to push snow with that blade, thanks to gearing, but I'm doubting if it has the required weight to maintain traction.

 

[wolc123]

Can't remember, but did you have the tires filled on this machine? No doubt it has the muscle to push snow with that blade, thanks to gearing, but I'm doubting if it has the required weight to maintain traction.

Yes the rear tires are filled, as were those on the Cub I had previously. It definitely has plenty of ballast on back now, with the loaded rears and the thick metal plate I just bolted to the drawbar.

When and if the ground freezes, I’ll add the tire chains. All I need now is some snow.

 

[wolc123]

I did a little more work on the Cub today to get it ready for snow plowing. First, I cut a piece of 1” schedule 80 pvc pipe to the width of the plow and slotted it on my table saw. That only took me about 10 minutes. It went on pretty easily. If it breaks, I’ve got about enough pipe on a pile out back to make about 50 more.

Next, I looked around for some semi-clear red or yellow plastic to put over the lens of the back light. That took me a little longer. After much searching, I found an old plastic tackle box in the basement. I ripped the rectangular cover off that, sawed it into two squares, and drilled the corners so that I could wire it in place. If it ever works it’s way loose and falls off, I have a spare.

Finally, what is probably the original 1957 canvas cover on the Cub’s steel pan seat was worn thru on one corner. I pulled the “non-denominational” one that I bought for my Ford 8n a couple of years ago off of that. One with “Ford” on it would have cost me about $30 more back then. Now, I am really glad that I didn’t get that one. I don’t use the 8n in the winter anyhow.

 

[DJ54]

I think you'll like that pipe on there. made a world of difference in mine.

 

[wolc123]

I think you'll like that pipe on there. made a world of difference in mine.

I hope so. Cleaning them stones out of the grass, so that I don’t knick up my lawn mower blades, is a job that I dread every spring.

I’m just dying for some snow now, so that I can use the Cub. Last winter, we got over 12 feet of it in two blizzards, while the Cub was at the mechanics getting reconditioned.

One other little tweak, I might do to it while I’m waiting for snow, is moving the rear rims in to the narrow setting. They are set now to 53” outside width. That exactly matches the snowplow width when the blade is set straight.

If I move the rear rims in all the way, then it will still be wider than the tractor at the maximum left and right blade angle settings, and match the track of the front tires. As long as the rear tire chains still fit between the fenders, I think I will go ahead and do that. It will also make it a little easier to store the tractor in my barn.

 

[DJ54]

Not sure why they made the blades so narrow, especially with plowing snow in mind. Our school had a 50's era Cub Lo-Boy they mowed and plowed snow with. I do remember they had extensions on the end of the blade on both sides maybe 8" wide, so you could set the blade at full angle and keep the tires out of the unplowed snow especially when making turns. Don't know if they were OEM, or they had them made. With the 3 bolt holes in the end of the blade, they'd be easy enough to mount. If you have a local fab shop that can roll steel plate of equal thickness I wouldn't think it would cost too much to have a pair made. I did a quick look and saw a pair made of heavy belting, but not sure how well that would hold up.

I have to laugh now, but the above moldboard pictured made out of 1/4" plate and 6 ribs rolled out of 3/16" angle iron cost Dad $50 back in '63-'64 and he just threw a fit having to spend that much money. Yet 60 years later it's still going strong and has pushed more than its share of snow and dirt.

Happened to notice the front tires too. Looks like it's about due for some new ones. Better now than in the middle of a snow storm..!!

 

[wolc123]

I looked at moving in the rear tires today and it looks like a bigger job than I want to take on right now. Besides the tires being loaded, there are heavy iron weights that would have to be removed from the hubs, then put back on.

It would definitely be easier to weld some extensions to the sides of the blade and make that wider. I did that on a lawnmower blade that I put on my old Cub, and it worked pretty good.

The front tires do look pretty rough, as do the rear rims. Hopefully, I can get another (6) years or so out of them. That’s when I’m going to retire from my day job and I’ll have a little more time for “unnecessary” repairs.

Not sure why they made the blades so narrow, especially with plowing snow in mind. Our school had a 50's era Cub Lo-Boy they mowed and plowed snow with. I do remember they had extensions on the end of the blade on both sides maybe 8" wide, so you could set the blade at full angle and keep the tires out of the unplowed snow especially when making turns. Don't know if they were OEM, or they had them made. With the 3 bolt holes in the end of the blade, they'd be easy enough to mount. If you have a local fab shop that can roll steel plate of equal thickness I wouldn't think it would cost too much to have a pair made. I did a quick look and saw a pair made of heavy belting, but not sure how well that would hold up.

I have to laugh now, but the above moldboard pictured made out of 1/4" plate and 6 ribs rolled out of 3/16" angle iron cost Dad $50 back in '63-'64 and he just threw a fit having to spend that much money. Yet 60 years later it's still going strong and has pushed more than its share of snow and dirt.

Happened to notice the front tires too. Looks like it's about due for some new ones. Better now than in the middle of a snow storm..!!

 

[lilranch2001]

I have no real need for an old cub, but I’ve always wanted one…..

 

[wolc123]

I have no real need for an old cub, but I’ve always wanted one…..

This is the second one I’ve owned. They were most well known as a special purpose cultivating tractor. Their claim to fame was the offset engine “cultivation”. I bought my first, very well used and nearly completely worn out one, specifically for that purpose.

I had lost the tractor that I first used for that job (my grandads old John Deere model M), which has been the first tractor on our farm, when my mom and dad moved onto her parents farm. They took that tractor with them, leaving me with just my Ford 8n, on dad’s parents old farm.

I tried a cheap used 2-row 3-point cultivator on the 8n, but it didn’t work so great. I picked up a tricycle front Allis Chalmers model c and modified it to fit that, but it still didn’t work so well.

Finally, I got my first Cub, that came with mounted cultivators. That worked better, but I honestly never liked the “cultivation”. That forced me to hunch over and look down at the row. I much preferred to keep my head up and sight down the rows, like I always did on the old John Deere m.

One thing I really did like that old cub for was snowplowing. I had made a plow for it, using an old one that was originally made for a riding lawn mower. I welded plates to the sides of the blade, to make it wider, and pipes to the back of the frame to make it longer.

The back of those pipes mounted to 2 holes on the back underside of the tractor under the fenders. A short chain underneath and connected to the cultivator brackets let me lift it with the tractors hydraulics. It took less than 15 minutes to install that plow, and it worked great.

While I hated the offset “cultivation” for cultivating, it was wonderful for snowplowing. You could really see what you were doing without the engine blocking your view.

Mt biggest problem with that old Cub was that it was badly worn and suffered frequent breakdowns. When I lost some barn storage area and had to thin the herd, that cub was the first to go.

My father in law had given me a real oem snowplow for it. I traded that plow to a guy for another 3-point cultivator, and that one worked a lot better than the first one I had on my Ford 8n. I sold the Cub to a coworker for $ 750.
I figured the like new rear tires and rims and the mounted cultivators alone were worth more than that, even though the rest of the tractor was worn out.

About 5 years after I got rid of that first Cub, I really started to miss it for snowplowing. I had also built a new barn, so I had more storage space available. When they put this “new” cub up for auction at work, I put in a bid of the most I was willing to pay, to the penny ($783.17). It hadn’t ran in 18 years but had very little noticeable wear.

I paid my mechanic buddy $ 445 to get it going (needed a new carb, radiator hose, tune-up, and all fluids changed), and I spent $200 on the drawbar, and $ 14 for the front light bulbs, and $ 15 for fuses.

So I now have about $ 1500 into it. One of my favorite things about it is that it is easy to haul in the bed of my full sized pickup truck. Definitely my favorite thing about it is how fun it is to plow snow with.

 

[wolc123]

We got our first measurable snow of the season today. Just over 2” on the driveways when I looked out this morning. It is supposed to get up into the upper 40’s in a couple days so I’m sure it would have all melted on its own had I just waited.

I was wanting to see how the new blade and rear ballast modifications I did recently would work, so I tried it out. It worked very good. I doubt that I got more than a stone or two on the grass, while plowing the stone part of our driveway. The schedule 80 pvc pipe on the bottom of the blade did good.

It pushed very good with no chains on the tires. The rear R1 tires are loaded and have iron weights on them, plus I added a couple hundred more pounds with the big steel plate I bolted to the drawbar. Put my 200 plus pounds on the seat, and that little 10 hp glorified snow shovel can really push. I couldn’t get it to spin the tires at all, it just kept on pushing until I lifted the blade.

I’m not going to put the chains on the rear tires until the ground freezes up good, and it might not happen this winter, the way it’s looking. This thing works great for light snowfalls. The only thing I didn’t get to try was the lights.

 

[lilranch2001]

Looks like a sweet little toy!

 

[wolc123]

Looks like a sweet little toy!

It definitely is. I’ve done snow removal with quite a variety of light and heavy equipment, from little walk behind blowers to big heavy wheel loaders.

The Cub is more fun than any of them. The clutch and hydraulics are very smooth on it and 2nd gear and reverse give just the right speed range.

Having the engine offset to the side and the snow blade up front is really nice for visibility. The padded seat cover was nice also, and it back drags quite well.

 

[DJ54]

On a stone driveway, you more than likely won't have to worry about chains until you get some ice underneath for one reason or another.

It looks like you're rear tires are running in a bit of the plowed snow. Not much of a problem with 2" of snow but guessing with deeper snow, snow may roll back in the wheel track.

Glad the PVC pipe on the cutting edge worked for you, hope it holds up. If it doesn't you can always opt for steel pipe like I did, now that you see how well it works. Good to see an idea I saw on a tractor forum (maybe this one) is being passed forward.

Don't know if you're in the path of the big storm coming this week, you may get to put it to a bigger test. It's going to the North of here thank goodness.

It looks like you've had enough experience clearing your drive, you know to push snow to the far side of the drive at the end. I plowed snow for ODOT here in Ohio for 32 years and the amount of people that pile snow on both sides of the drive then complain we plowed the snow back on to their drive still amazes me. Push it all to the far side in the direction the road snowplow travels, and the problem is solved. I even push the edge back 10' or so before the driveway to give the road snowplow a chance to clean out. You'll still get the snow off the road surface, but not like they are kicking the snow along the edge, or what's piled alongside their driveway they pushed up on there too. I've actually had people ask why we don't pick up our plows when we go by driveways, and not plow the snow back in they piled up on the "wrong side of the drive." When you explain to them to push all snow to the far side of the drive, you normally see the light bulb come on.

Worst of all are the one's that push it right back out on the road. I've stopped more times than I can remember and tell them if they are out that if someone hits that snow they pushed out there and causes an accident they are liable. I always got the same deer in the headlight look, but they quit pushing snow out in the road..!!

 

[lilranch2001]

I think I first read about the pipe on the leading edge of the bucket back in 2009 when I first joined TBN, and I do not think it was a “new” idea then…..

 

[Tinhack]

All find and dandy, but all this thread did is remind me I've got to work on the 1956 JD-420C this year.

It needs steering clutches and some undercarriage work. It runs great, but only makes left turns. Getting it back to the barn was a chore after a long day on the driveway. Had to stop and go backwards holding the left brake to turn right. The left track is about to fall off because the front idler wobbles all over. I hate her, but dang, she's a fun ride.

She spent her life as a pipe layer, so it has a small front blade and a boom. The boom cables are driven by hydraulic winches--One for lift and one for boom up/down. It helped move my 30T Toledo Punch Press and my Bridgeport Mill among other lifting duties. She could use some new makeup too.

 

[DJ54]

I think I first read about the pipe on the leading edge of the bucket back in 2009 when I first joined TBN, and I do not think it was a “new” idea then…..

I'm thinking I did mine in the fall/winter of '05. One of several of the first piddle jobs I did with my plasma cutter cutting a slot in the pipe to fit over the edge of the blade. I didn't get the plasma cutter until the Spring of '05 when I got it as a retirement present for myself.

It wasn't a new idea either, I just happened to catch a thread on it one here, or other tractor forums. You never know when a newbie will join, or old hands looking for new answers/suggestions like this. That's how I came across it, hopefully others will too.

 

[wolc123]

It will be interesting seeing how long the piece of 1” schedule 80 pvc that I cut for mine on my table saw will last. There’s nothing really holding it on there other then the press fit from the difference between the 1/4” plow thickness and the 1/8” saw blade thickness.

I thought about drilling a few holes and putting bolts thru, but opted not to, because that would have taken longer than just cutting and installing another piece of pipe.

 

[lilranch2001]

I’ve always intended to cut a piece of PVC and try it but I really don’t have that much issue with the stone and 15 min or half hour in the spring I can clean up usually the messes that I make and then what little residues left the grass grows around it and limestone tends to sweeten the clay soil so it’s not been a huge problem for me