Do I need a muffler?

[clarenceada]

Been running my new 48 cub and having fun plowing dirt and gravel but after the lead on mufflers and pipes I noticed mine didn't have any; just a rain cap on top of a stright pipe. It'a not too loud in fact I kind of like the rasp of power (purely sounds that way as it could use more power) when she's diggint hard. I was thinking obout ways to make power out of a flat-head, sort of like they did with the old ford V8 flat-head; port the intake and exhuast valves, bigger carbs, hotter cam, high compression, and headers, but out side of higher compression these engines mods made more power by allowing the engine to turn faster and to make more horspower and not torque especially at lower speeds. So all of my years of working on motorcycles and atv and trying to get more power out of a high revving engine has to be thrown out the window. The only things I know about making torque is cubic inches, high compression, high speed intake air speed (small carb on a big engine) and back-pressure in the exhaust. Well it's not in the buget for boring the engine out or high compression but I wonder if putting a muffler on it would give it more torgue, has anybody ran their cub with and without a muffler and was there any difference? Also how about going to a smaller carb (there was a post on somebody running a cub with a 2HP lawn mower carb!) as I have a box full of small honda carbs, if I could make an adaptor for side draft.? /thanks.
Clarence

[Bigdog]

You're not going to see any significant difference with or without a muffler. Just remember what it is and what it was built for. If you want to crank out more torque and H.P. get a bigger tractor.

[johnbron]

If you want to crank out more torque and H.P. get a bigger tractor.

"OR", Put a V6 in your Cub like Rick did to his sweet looking littl`ol Cub.

[beaconlight]

Yeah on what BD says!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bill

[cowboy]

The cub is great for its size I was surprised at how much pulling power it has. I hooked a big rock to my 4x4 four wheeler and I could barely move it on the flat with some one on the front rack. Hooked it to the cub no wheel weights or anything pulled it up a hill in 2nd gear for about four hundred feet to my rose garden with no problem othet than the chains slipping off six or seven times

As it sounds that you know racing than you also know when you jump up the power of the engine next thein you know the trans blows or the diff or somthing.

[beaconlight]

Tune up tune up tune up. the three most important things about a cub. That includes plugs, points, condenser, rotor,and distributer cap. The plug wires and coil are options if needed. Next it is timing. Then it is clean the bowl on the tank, that is if the tank is not full of rust and other assorted crud. If it is drain fuel through a coffee filter, and keep doing that to the last gallonas many times as is necessary till the fuel comming out is clean. Next clean the screen at the input to the carburator if you still have one. Spend the $53.00 for a real IH carb rebuild kit with new shafts and felt seals. Not one of those $20.00 kits with only half the parts. Take the carb apart and clean, put the new parts in. Gently straighten the top of the carb if it needs it. reassemble carefully and don't over tighten and cause air leaks. Put back on manifold. Clean and refil oil bath air filter, check and clean the screen on intake cap. After this clean the vent tube from the front of the engine to the intake manifold. After you start check for air leaks in and about the manifold and fix them.
After all of these things my 58 LOW boy had 2 to 3 times the power it had when I bought it. Before doing all this I couldn't get the cub up the grade behind my houst to get into the woods for fire wood. Now I tow a trailer up looded with rocks to harden the path to make it all weather.
I forgot to mention if the fuel you drain is very old refill with fresh and when everything is running good uase a gallon or two in each tankfull to burn it up. No sense polluting the country side.

Bill