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58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:25 am
by Fawn cub
Looked at a 58 cub today. This cub had the front pushed all the way out. It also has wheel weights on the inside and the outside of the front wheels. Now the rear was strange. The rear wheels are out with the weights on the inside. There is also a spacer between the final drive and the tractor on the drivers left side of the tractor. The spacer is about 6" long. It appears as if this is a original IH part. There also appears to be some type of leaver on the spacer facing the rear of the tractor.

This cub looks strange by the way that it is spaced out front and back. Does anyone have any idea as to why or what the spacer on the rear is. Or why the tractor would be spaced all the way out? The tractor also has a sickle bar, quick hitch and the deluxe seat. All the parts appeared original, nothing looked home made.

Sorry, forgot the camera.

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:43 am
by Fawn cub
After reading for the last 2 hours I found the answer to some of the questions. It appears as if it is a Despeeder (reducer) on the rear of the tractor. From what I understand the Rotovator he called it a "rototiller" was sold for scrap to get some fast cash. :x Now it makes sense as to why that spacer is on the rear of that tractor.

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 3:31 am
by bob in CT
That de-speeder is worth about $800-1200 depending on the number of hungry bidders. Same with the scrapped Rotavator. A Fool and his money are soon parted...... :roll:

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 5:55 am
by Bigdog
This sounds like a cub made for municipalities for mowing purposes. They were extra wide for stability and the weights added for stability also. If you can get it at a decent price it would have (in my opinion) some extra value - especially for the inside front weights and de-speeder.

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:58 am
by Jim Becker
TM has an image of the brochure for what Bigdog described. This sounds like it has at least some of the same things done to it.
http://www.tm-tractor.com/gbrochures/steepslopemowing.htm

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 4:08 pm
by AgTires4295
Resurrecting this thread. Were there any reports of anything breaking with this mod? I could only imagine the stresses at that width.

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 9:24 pm
by Rudi
Rondell another one of our members has one of the low slope mowers with speed reducers on both sides. Very stable and rugged. Slow though ... :D But man you should see it mow 8) very 8)

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 11:10 pm
by AgTires4295
I'm curious to know if anybody has broken anything from such an offset. I know there have got to be some negative stresses somewhere. If I could pull this off, I would mow my entire property with the Cub in half of the time it takes me with the Cub 127. My land has drastic elevation variations that even make me leery while mowing with the 127.

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 5:09 am
by pickerandsinger
AgTires4295......Sounds to me like you know your limitations well.....A guy down the road from me died last year when his mower flipped as he was mowing.....It was a riding lawn mower not a tractor, and it flipped in a ditch, he'd mowed many times in the past....But that time, everything played out wrong.....Broke his neck.....But on subject that sure is a cool looking outfit Mr Becker posted....Wish I had one....

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 5:56 am
by AgTires4295
I grew up in the FD and have seen some horrible rollovers on local farms. It was enough to scare me straight! I think I'd still chance it though depending on how the initial drive went. Im mortified to put the Cub in its stock form anywhere other than relatively flat land.

If you've seen the recent vids in threads that I've posted, the top of the yard adjacent to where I park my white Powerstroke has swallowed my truck. The ground shifted once and my truck slid sideways down the hill, almost flipping over (massive pucker effect). It took a stock Powerstroke and a modified sled pulling Powerstroke to get my behemoth out.

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 6:35 am
by bob in CT
Here is a factory special built for stability on hillsides. http://www.tm-tractor.com/gbrochures/modified_cubloboy.htm

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 8:52 am
by Rudi
I mow the side hill in the front of my house with my L-111. Sometimes sideways but mostly I attack that hill head on. Much safer. There is no way that I would even attempt it with a Cub. Automatic rollover situation. If you are going to mow a hillside then the Lo-Boy with the speed reducers and the duals would make sense as the safest method to perform that task.

If you are going to look for one - just be prepared - they are very expensive. As was mentioned before the reducers usually command anywhere from $750.00 to $1,000.00 each which already is more than most Cubs cost. Add in the wider Mott and it becomes even more expensive and then add in the duals -- you get the drift. But, it you have hills on your property it is probably the best way to go. Pay attention to the angle limits though, don't exceed them. As you mentioned you have seen lots of rollovers .. don't become a stat.

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 10:16 am
by Jim Becker
From the limited experience this group has had with these modifications, the main added risk of breaking something seems to be when the speed reducers are in low range. They can substantially increase the torque on the axle going into the final drive and the axle can twist off. This will happen if you try to pull something too heavy or hit a solid obstruction.

I would think you can get much of the advantage of the modifications without the speed reducers, by setting everything as wide as possible and adding wheel weights. The weights help because they lower the center of gravity of the whole rig. Dual rear wheels reduce the chances of an upset because of a wheel running into a hole and they also lower the center of gravity.

Having a mower that doesn't cover the entire width of the tractor doesn't work well. The modified tractors were usually set up with a wide flail mower or sickle bar that reaches out to the right.

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 12:46 pm
by AgTires4295
Great info posted. That dual wheel setup looks pretty heavy duty! I wouldnt worry about buying a reducer. From what I've read, it's not worth it (to me at least) since theyre so expensive and are extinct as far as any replacement parts. Once it goes, it goes and that's it. If I were to widen the front end, I worry about stressing the joints (as well as the rear end). I've seen photos of the front arms being cracked, do we have any photos for the rear? I've wanted to throw duals on my 127 but have held off because of folks showing cracked rear ends. Though the 127 is a different beast in itself, the concept carries over to the Farmall.

Re: 58 cub with wide front and rear?

Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 2:05 pm
by danovercash
Wonder what happened tithe cub I the original post