My INT 154 cub w/3260 mower deck

[BigBill]

Well I have to be honest here, I been mowing my grass with a 122 cub cadet and liking it. My almost 2 acres of property seemed to be a good match for the 122. I took off my plow/chains on my INT 154 cub and put on the 3260 mower deck.(60" belly) I started mowing and found out my Int 154 cub is kind of big for my property for mowing but its fun to drive anyway. Its a smoother ride on my back than my 122 cadet is for sure. It was awesome to hear the 4 cylinder and the mower deck roaring again too.

My back has been killing me lately and i wonder if the 122 cadet mowing in 3rd gear made it act up. I would pull my back out but the very next day it would be ok again right now its not going away. I been on the cadets alot planting trees.

I picked up a high back toro seat from northern tool and put in on my INT 154 cub and that feels much better on my back than the shorter seat.

How do you guys with back problems cope with it?

[pete1941]

BigBill, I can sympathize with you on the bad back! I believe you're right on concerning the speed while mowing. Even though my 2+ acres of grass is smooth, the constant bouncing and jiggling of the back at high speed just doesn't get it, just have to slow down abit. Good luck with the back, Pete

[BigBill]

When i drive the smaller cadets I go much slower now. Even the slow rolling turf can be hard on the back too in 3rd gear on the cadet. I use 2nd gear with the 154 cub and its ok with the heavier/larger tractor.

I'm very surprised that mowers/tractors never got springs or some sort of suspension or a better designed seat suspension for the operator. The design is still in the stone age with the first wheel. They sure can use some creature comfort added for us anyway.
I may make some changes to the design of the seat to add suspenion to it so the shocking of the spine won't happen anymore. Maybe some rubber added between the mounting screws will take some shock out of it. I think a soft deromiter rubber will do the trick too. I have some rubber discs with threaded rods out each side that are about 1" thick that may do the trick. There glued together so a safety chain on the seat maybe needed incase they broke. During the test anyway just incase.

I still say the INT 154 cub looks like a cub cadet on steroids. With the 3260 deck it looks like a massive grass eater. I'm impressed with it.

[Rick Prentice]

I'm in the same position as you, BigBill. My mowing cub is a 62 lo-boy(UGLY) that has a woods 59. Ugly has plenty of power to mow in 3rd gear but the speed kills my back, and that's with a deluxe seat cushion. So I just stick with 2nd gear and change positions in the seat. I still think someone should make some cushioned foot rests on top of the pedals

I have an older 125 hydrastat with a 48" deck, but that's too rough and steers like a Mack Truck. I like the cub in 2nd.

Rick

[BigBill]

I just picked up 3 new seats for my cub cadets from northern tool they were only $14 each and they are yellow with black frames with thick cushions. They appear to be JD seats but no JD name is present. I may try those rubber discs i have with then on my cadets first. I have to solve this back problem quickly its never been this bad. I been in bed for 3 days so far.

Of course i did stupid thing on saturday I picked up a 150lb hydraulic cylinder with one arm to move it, that doesn't help too. I just ain't young anymore......I would pick up empty big block chevy's and put them on the bench myself when i was young too. I took a 325lb elevator sheeve off the crane and put it on the machine myself too because the crane didn't go high enough. I was in a hurry to get it done. I was new on the job and the wise @ss that was working with me never bugged me after that for some reason....Ah the stupid things we do as youngins. I was in my best shape ever health wise in the woods cutting trees and i should of stayed there. I wasn't rich nor broke but i was happy too, so quiet i could hear the snow hit the ground that was my workplace, my office. That was the best time in my life....If i only had a cub then....

[pete1941]

BigBill, I agree with you 100% on the comfort thing for the seats. I don't see why someone doesn't come up with something as I know a lot of people with bad backs. If you come up with something let us all know as I will certainly be greatful.

[pete1941]

Hey Rick, you are great at designing different things, why not a comfortable Cub seat? Sounds to me as if it would be a very profitable venture and I wager that if anyone could do it, you could. Pete

[Into Tractors]

Bill, I too can relate after having some back surgery, as it's the "Bumping" around that still aggrevates my back. I used to mow my complete yard with my 8N with a finish mower, but back in 2000 the Air Force sent to me to Korea for a year, so I bought a new Craftsman garden tractor with a 48" deck so that my wife could mow the yard while I was gone for a year. Granted it mows good, and you can run pretty fast with it, but it hurts my back, which I think is somewhat due to the smaller tires/rims and shorter wheelbase compared to a Cub. I try to mow as much as I can with my Cub, and it does go slower (easier on my back) but the extra width it cuts make's up for the rate I can go. The only problem with using it is that there are area's where I have trees and landscaping, that I can't squeeze into due to the width of the 60" deck, so I end up having to stop and back up a lot, which is a pain. I'm actually thinking of adding a seperate engine to hang off the drawbar to power my woods deck. Sort of similar to the Danco snowblower or what Rick did to run a snowblower on the Cub he re-worked. That way I'd be able to use it to solely run the mower deck, and I would be able to run a little faster and not have to disengae the PTO when I go to stop and back up. I have a B&S 18HP engine just collecting dust in the barn, and have started making up some brackets to mount it to the drawbar.

I was thinking of buying a new zero turn mower, but I'm not sure about the comfort of the ride on those either. I see people literally flying on those things, and it just makes me cringe in pain as that can't be good on your backside either.

[Bigdog]

Like many, I have a green lawn tractor for mowing chores because of the maneuverability. But it sure kills my back. Especially when mowing on a slope. Mama's 76 cub with the deluxe seat or my lo-boy are much more comfortable to mow with.

[pete1941]

Mike, I've tried one of those that my brother-in-law owns, and it's worse than the garden tractors by far. Couldn't handle that at all.

I was thinking since my last post here, how much trouble would it be to rig up an air ride system such as the 18 wheelers have? I know you would have to have an air system of some type, so it might not be feasible.

[Rick Prentice]

Mike,

I was thinking of buying a new zero turn mower

I borrowed a SCAG zero turn 2 years ago with thoughts of buying one. My back said "NO Way".
The cub is the Cadilac of rides, as far as I'm concerned.

Rick

[evielboweviel]

There are some very nice seats out there.
We run upgraded ones on the Steiners $350+ state contract
Hustler has a better one new this year and hard to find $500+ state contract
For home I prefer the pan seat with the spring post adjusted right for the weight. The deluxe seat smacks me in the back and messes my back up. Switched with George W for a pan seat and need to get a spring post for it as it has no give but doesn't bother my back as much.
Main thing is to slow down, cut in first gear it is not a race out there.
Ron
PS yes most zeroturns are rough riding. need to shop around as they are coming out with flex forks and better seats. Ferris has independent four wheel supsension but getting parts for one sucks.

[Into Tractors]

Lots of good info here. I have to admit, I'm ONE CHEAP #^$@!#$, just ask my wife. I like to think of myself as the ultimate recycler, as I love taking old things, making them work plus I like the fact that I can work on them, plus you meet some great people in this hobby as well. When I started collecting my tractors, I "Promised" my wife that I would never get another tractor unless I had a working purpose for it. Of course I broke that rule as I only use the 8N these days to bush-hog my pasture, pulls stumps, and such. And the 9N gets some use, but it's my first tractor and I tend to be real careful with it, and the others were just winter projects. That's why I bought the Cub a few years ago. It was going to become my primary lawn mower. I love watching my neighbor out there mowing with his 2 yr old Kubota. Granted it has "Live" everything, and he really moves on it, and it cuts well. BUT, He also paid $14,800 for his (of course that included the belly mower, grader blade, front bucket loader) and I still think I have a lot less than that invested in all my tractors and implements.

I have been thinkning of putting a different seat on a few of my tractors. What I need to do is come up with a "Quick Attach System", get one comfortable seat, and be able to mount it to what ever tractor I am going to use

[gitractorman]

Ferris has designed a suspension for their zero turn mowers, and many commercial guys swear by them, saving their backs while mowing at high speeds.

One suggestion that I may make. I have found that tractor tires, although not holding much air pressure to begin with, will deflate quite a bit and still work well. I generally lower the air pressure in my lawn mowing tractor, almost to half of the normal PSI. This seems to make the ride much more comfortable and less bouncy.

Bill

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Bill, I have a Simplicity Citation (made by same company as Ferris), and agree, that independent suspension is great. I have arthritis in my lower back and a prosthetic hip. It really helps, though I will admit the cub still rides easier on rough ground, but that is mainly due to the large tires not dropping into the holes as bad. Of course, the cub is also slower, especially trimming and small areas that require a lot of turning.