Farmall Cub

Wigle Hoeing Attachment by Auto Specialties Manufacturing Co. St. Joseph Michigan

Just brought home the "basic unit WH-100" (according to the paperwork I have for the farmall A version). All the cast parts and bent tubing cultivator rakes, wood handles, springs etc. are in good shape with only 1 bolt missing -- however I have NO mounting parts for a Cub. I saw the seat frame for a Cub about 20 years ago at a different farm, but don't even remember how thick the metal was, let alone any dimentions. Anybody out there have dimentions for the "Farmall Cub Assembly" or the parts list drawings? According to the parts list I have for the Farmall A mounting assembly, I do have a few brackets for mounting on an A, but nothing seems compatable with Cub dimentions. I would likely ruin a lot of metal trying to get it right if I only have the pictures and info in TM's online library and sketchy memories from years ago.

Probably never use the thing, but of the three of these I've seen in piles on barn floors, I've never seen one on a tractor. Thought it would be fun to kill some plants once or twice sometime in the future. Maybe a UTube for laughs.

This is about all the current information we have on the Wigle. Seems to be a rare bird for the Cub.





pics courtesy of: TM Tractor - Wigle Hoeing Attachment

That is all the info I have for mounting on a Cub. Got it from the same place. Didn't think the things were rare as I don't get out much and have seen 3 of them. Maybe just the luck of the draw where I've been that I've seen "so many". Hopeing someone else has one or has some literature with some details rather than making odd angle picture and caliper measurments and bending some tin only to find out the seat won't go back far enough or I have to go on a diet to keep the front end on the ground.

Ifn you find any info on this item, I surely would appreciate a copy. These are really rare. I am in shock that you have seen 3 of them. I guess they are particular to certain areas of the continent. I would imagine that they would have been quite popular in tobacco or truck farming areas? Possibly the Holland Marsh area up here in Canada - that would be in southern Ontario .. probably around Tilsonburg (that was big tabbacy country a while back).

I had a friend that worked at Auto Specialties Manufacturing Co. in St. Joseph Michigan. He was a groomsman in my wedding. Over the years I've lost touch with him and don't know where he is living now. Auto Specialties used to be a fairly big employeer in this area.

Words like "rare" scare me on an open forum as I bought this from my employer. Of the ones I have seen two were in old family owned nurseries (trees and shrubs not kids). One of those, I am certain, was lost to the scrap man along with a fast hitch, rotovator, despeeder with all the pedal hardware and a 110 volt cub power generator several belt drives, Gandy drop simizine banders and a whole bunch of other stuff (isn't it wonderful when the cooperate world buys a family business and runs it into the ground in 10 years?). The third was in the Philly area, but at that time I didn't know what it was at the time-- just remember a strange collection of cultivator parts. I guess I have a strange perspective on agriculture where hi clearance 100's and 140's outnumber the regular ones by 4 to 1. Perhaps a retired plant inspector in the north Ohio area could turn up more of these units??????

I found out that the original factory burnt a few years ago-- and apparently some California concern is involved in the operations of the company so Assume my efforts in that direction will be wasted. Does anyone live in the St Joseph area that has access to the local historical society, library, or memories of employees? If this is a real oddity I want to get the mounting parts as correct as I can rather than a looks right guess.

My PC is kind of lame so when my wife gets back to town next week I'll ask her to copy my parts cat. and post it and some pictures of my "really rare" find.

That looks like a great find! The first picture brought to mind the wheel weight debate; with two operators, one suspended 3 feet or so behind the driver, I wonder if the rear weights are needed . But all joking aside, it looks like it would be fairly easy and fun to make a copy and put my Grandson on it. Cultivator Blight, Here I Come!! John

tinnerjohn wrote:........ I wonder if the rear weights are needed . .............

I think if you go sitting any one of quite a few members of this forum (I am including myself ) three feet behind the driver there will be quite enough "rear" weight. Might NEED to figure out how to hang a couple rear wheel weights under the front bolster though

Operating this thing has to be tedious. I couldn't imagine doing it for more than a couple short rows before I needed a rubber room. If you were lucky enough to get the hang of it the dungeon master, er driver, would just kick the throttle up a notch. If you were "Rain Man" and actually could make it all the way to full throttle in first, just imagine your reaction when you heard (and it would have to be heard because no way could you ever look up at anything for even a split second short of a nuclear blast) the dungeon master shifting into SECOND! What I don't see in any of these brochure pictures is the ropes that tied the operator to the seat. NO WAY would anyone ride that thing willingly for more than 15 minutes. Death row inmates given the choice of operating the wigle hoe or the electric chair would undoubtedly take the electric chair.

smallfarm wrote:.....One of those, I am certain, was lost to the scrap man along with a fast hitch, rotovator, despeeder with all the pedal hardware and a 110 volt cub power generator several belt drives, Gandy drop simizine banders and a whole bunch of other stuff (isn't it wonderful when the cooperate world buys a family business and runs it into the ground in 10 years?).....

It's only worth saving when you know what it is, or care what it is, and someone wants it. To the scrap man it's just something metal they can turn into quick cash.

Good luck! I hope you can find the information to help save this one.

Scrivet: I had the same thoughts. Can you imagine what your neck and back would feel like after an hour or so on that. John

Remember opperating this unit is much like the stoker position of a two seat bicycle. It fosters a "don't eat beans" friendship.

I emailed the Berrien county historical association. Hopefully someone there can find some info. (wouldn't be lucky enough to have a reply saying they have one on display would I???).

Othewise I'll assume that the facory only used two thickness of metal 1/2 x 1 - 1/2 for the heavier part from the cultivator lift arms to the wigle hoe mount. That is what the existing mounts are made of (HOWEVER after a closer look they are not the ones in my lit. for a Farmall A. The mounts I have are zig zag but the Farmall A mounts in the parts list and the cub picture appears to be "U" shaped.) Guess I'll need to line things up with my lift arms on the tractor so I can make a figurin' how wide the "U" is.

The few small parts of the seat support I have are 3/16 x 1 - 1/2. Does that sound like enough to hold an old farmer in the air and keep him from swaying side to side? I do remember from the Cub seat mount I saw that the only thing supporting the thing appeared to be 4 bolts (two each side) on a "T" tab that mate to the holes at the rear of the fenders. Picture seems to verify this, but it sounds like a bad design to me. My Cub came from a nursery that had one of these units --maybe that's why the holes on the back of my cub's fenders were torn? OR is there somnething unseen in the picture and not remembered from 20 years ago?

Evidently the guys that don't wanna ride this contraption didn't have a grandpa that loved to plant 100'a rows, and lots of em, in his garden to make sure he could feed the whole family, most of the neighborhood, and half of the church! Lol. I'd have GLADLY ridden it. He wasn't about to let a weed grow in his garden either! Wish he was still around to put a hoe in my hand & tell me to get to work, though.........

A lot of joking about how rough it would be to use this system. I hate to break the bad news to everyone -- there are similar pieces of tillage equiment in production! Sorry Rudi but I believe they are made in Canada. I have seen one on dispaly somewhere, but can't remeber the circumstances (plant propagation or growers tour I think?) One version is multi row hand operated belt or shaft driven spinning tillers. If you know what a Weed Badger is you get the idea. The other tills the same way but has a computer and camera control to eliminate the human error of missing the plants. It's so much easier to blame the computer.

smallfarm wrote:Sorry Rudi but I believe they are made in Canada.

I would be interested in the units still in production be they made here or where-ever. Anything that makes weeding easier and provides me with seat time has to be a good thing. Would be good around the taters, corn and other plants that need heavy weeding. And yes, taters can stand some heavy weeding between the plant hills and it is kinda labour intensive if you have to do it by hand.

I'm guessing this is the one smallfarm is talking about. The Eco weeder by Univerco made in Napierville, Quebec. Found it a little while back when I was researching options for cultivation at our vegetable operation.

http://www.univerco.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?page=c2_2_0&langue=eng

Now that is interesting.