Sending equal power to both wheels???

[Matt Kirsch]

BigBill, you're pushing this awfully hard. That's a heckuva nice ad in the first post of the thread, and this last post screams "customer testimonial."

(comment deleted due to inappropriate content)

As a suggestion, you may want to look into expanding into lockers for Hs and Ms too. There are lots of people who pull, and lots of H and M tractors on the pulling circuit that could benefit from locking diffs.

From a practical standpoint, I agree that they'll have limited market and limited use. Most people simply don't go mud bogging with their old Cubs, or do anything that a locking diff would be beneficial for these days. Tillage is about the only practical application, and very little of that. If people were plowing 5 acres a year with their Cubs, yeah, but most plow a small garden, and the expense of a locker, not to mention the effort to install (even if minor, many people are afraid of wrenches or simply don't want to venture into the rear end), isn't worth it. They can ride the brake to plow that 20x30 patch in the back yard.

[Into Tractors]

I sort of agree with most. The Cub is a pretty small tractor compared to most of the others. You hear about folks wanting to get more out of the engine in order to get more power to the wheels, the mower deck, etc.

You have to remember though, that the drive train of the Cub while it is somewhat significant, it's still a little on the weak side, so adding a locking differential might lead to other things failing if you over-tax the thing?

I love to tinker and been playing around with a used Turbo Charger I got from a friend, just to see if I can retro-fit it to something. "WHY" because it give's me something to do and I enjoy tinkering around with things. Sort of like the 6V to 12V up-converter I've been trying to build. Not many folks will want one, but if I can get it to work, I'll be able to use my 12V electric sprayer cart with my Cub, and not have to change the Cub's electrical system to 12V to do it.

As Matt said:

If that's your intention, to have a bunch of lockers custom made for the Cub, and sell them

then go for it, and keep us informed on the progress and of course the price. But as Matt also mentioned, the majority of folks who would be interested in something like that would be the guys that are into tractor pulls, and of course they use the "Bigger" tractors, so I'm not sure if there is a market for the Cub?

[evielboweviel]

one thing most people don't realize is the amount of qwheel slip when plowing hard ground. Having plowed with a dual on the land side because it was easier to take only one dual off. Sometimes when breaking virgin ground the furrow wheel will slip resulting in crooked furrows due to the extra traction of the dual wheel. a locker would only make this worse. also when plolwing with single wheels and you hit a wet spot the land wheel will slip causing problems that a locker would make worse.
NOW when pulling a disk, drag or other implement then a locker would help and probably also with the blade.
I personaly would not install one. NOW if i was hauling firewood in, etc then it would make senze and probably would. Thing to keep in mind is that a bigger tractor does bigger damage to the ground when wet.
Pluses and minuses to a locker just like there is to stock. Each person needs to decide what they need and are comfortable with.
For me I prefer duals for the flotation and traction for somebody else who needs the narrow width then a locker would be better. For mowing the yard singles with no weights, then duals, no locker ever.Tractor pulling a locker yes,yes and yes
Ron

[evielboweviel]

as far as pushing the clutch in when the tires sink that is a good way to get stuck!
I have spun my way thru many a wet spot and drug chains out too. Lot to be said for knowing you are just going down and when you still have a chance of getting thru.
Never been in one that I could back out of once I stopped. Need to know how to read the ground before driving on it
Ron

[trac48]

Bill.
This should help you; this little green monster I found a while ago has a set up that may interest you "locking rear wheels" I will post a picture of the setup later: very simple with a pin to lock the right, and a knock off left nut to free the left wheel if needed :roll if you look closely to the rear wheel you can see the center
knock off this was poduce by Bolens it's a 800 model.

[WKPoor]

I have the locking option on my Deere and only once has it offered any help. If one spins almost always both will too.

[Matt Kirsch]

as far as pushing the clutch in when the tires sink that is a good way to get stuck!
I have spun my way thru many a wet spot and drug chains out too. Lot to be said for knowing you are just going down and when you still have a chance of getting thru.
Never been in one that I could back out of once I stopped. Need to know how to read the ground before driving on it
Ron

Nonononono! I said when your FORWARD MOMENTUM stops, push the clutch! I've personally never been stuck where, once the forward momentum has stopped, chewing down deeper has achieved anything but getting the machine even more stuck

Don't quit until you can't go anymore, but don't keep trying after you can't go anymore. Know when to say when, as the beer brewers say. There are situations where the bottom just drops out and you're up to the axles before you blink, but those are far and few between. The rest are just the "manly men" who think they can dig out by digging down.

A 4x4 can usually back out of a mudhole, actually, and I've been able to back out on occasion if I'm not towing anything or if the trailer hasn't dropped down in.

[TexCub]

Man I got lucky a couple months back trying to mow near the ditch in front of my place. It'd been two weeks or so since we had gotton rain, but that was when we had about 9 inches in two weeks. I used both Matt & Ron's techniques to get out. I was able to back out after "rocking" back and forth like you'd do in a truck. Well, really not rocking. Rocking in theory, only in really slow motion since I hate to hear gears grinding and would rather dig the cub out with a teaspoon than chew up the transmission!!!!

But I prayed if the good Lord would get me out of there I'd stay clear of that situation again. I was at about the only angle that would have made it near impossible to pull out from the road. What I learned from that was to watch for one particular grass that grows where it stays wet. Hardly like looking for cattails, but just enough difference to give me an indication of where to tread with care. You guys are exactly right!

Dave

ps. Full disclosure: I got a pickup stuck near the same spot about three weeks ago. Hopefully the Lord is more forgiving than I've been sometimes!!!! But this time I REALLY learned my lesson....

[BigBill]

I have nothing to do with the manufacture or sales of lockers, i'm just the end product user with lots of experience in using them. I'm not into mud boggin thats for the 4x4's. I'm into beating less on my machince and having more traction does just that. I think if your like me which i think there are many farmall cub, int cub and cub cadet owners who would like the advantage of a locker in the differential.

My point is if you just mow amd plow snow having a locker could make a big difference in traction. It may work out in the field plowing dirt too.

If a manufacturer of lockers had an interest in making lockers for our tractor they would only make one to fit the farmall cub, int cubs and the cub cadets since there all the same differential/tranny.

As far as getting stuck you have to know when to back off too. This spring i watched one front wheel sink to the axle while going forward. When i tired to back up the other front wheel sank too. I tried one more time and the rear wheels started to sink too. I put it in netural and got my 4x4 jeep tractor to pull it out..........I wrapped a chainon the 3pt tool bar and out she came of the mud. It was that easy the jeep has lockers.

Right now i'm using a cub cadet for pushing dirt doing all kinds of land scaping.(small jobs) I think having a locker in it would be awesome because its 50% more traction. I don't use tire chains too. I don't use wheel weights too. I been thinking of adding 1200 ag tires on the rear with wheel weights.