Catching the Cub Bug
Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2017 10:24 pm
This is my first post to the forum. I got infected by the Cub bug when my father-in-law gave me his old 71. That was back in the eighties. I used it to mow the lawn for a few years then let in languish behind the barn when I was given an newer lawn tractor. After going through a couple of new tractors I was frustrated by their lack of longevity and durability when facing my rocky old New England acres. I spent this summer looking for a good used tractor and my local power equipment repair shop left me discouraged, saying that if they are over five years old they aren't worth buying.
I'm a musician and I was invited to perform at a tractor show at Zagray Farm in Colchester, CT (USA) this past October (where they have a wonderful tractor meet a couple times a year). I was thinking about my search for a tractor when I saw an old Cub Cadet roll by, driven by a father with his young son on his lap. That's when I remembered the 71 that was tarped out behind the barn. I asked Don, my friend in the music booth, who I should talk to about restoring the 71 and he sent me over to Joe Motuzick's booth. We talked for a while and it became clear that this would be a good way to go. I just would have to dig the thing out of the brambles and clean her up. I put together a little YouTube of the process.
(Music: Woodchoppers Reel, a French Canadian fiddle tune...on a sweet Collins mandolin)
Well, 10-15 years under a tarp would be tough on anything, but when I dug her out and filled the tires with air she rolled right out. All of the essential parts were moving and my hopes were high. When I threw a new battery on her and tried to crank it I got nothing, not even a spark when I connected the battery terminals. After cleaning the ignition cylinder connectors and the safety switch connectors I was able to get a good strong crank. After cleaning and rebuilding the carb and getting a new plug she started right up. Now I have to get the clutch unstuck. That will be a bigger project but I'll give it a go this winter. I spent a day clearing out a shed on the end of one of the barns and set up a shop for the 71.
(Music by my band, The Wool Hats String Band, "Old Silo")
I spent another day cleaning wood out of the tractor shed out behind the big barn so that i could make room to store the tractors. That's not a typo - I'm in the process of helping my elderly in-laws clean up their house and I was thrilled to be told that they no longer needed the two Cub Cadets in the garage - an original and a Hydrostatic from the 70's, both in much better condition than my 71. I'll be moving them to the tractor shed soon. Then I'll really need the workshop. I'm glad to have Joe only a half hour drive away so that I can give him the projects I'm too busy (or unskilled) to work on.
I'll be posting updates, questions and the periodic romantic shot of the old tractors on my old farm.
I'm a musician and I was invited to perform at a tractor show at Zagray Farm in Colchester, CT (USA) this past October (where they have a wonderful tractor meet a couple times a year). I was thinking about my search for a tractor when I saw an old Cub Cadet roll by, driven by a father with his young son on his lap. That's when I remembered the 71 that was tarped out behind the barn. I asked Don, my friend in the music booth, who I should talk to about restoring the 71 and he sent me over to Joe Motuzick's booth. We talked for a while and it became clear that this would be a good way to go. I just would have to dig the thing out of the brambles and clean her up. I put together a little YouTube of the process.
(Music: Woodchoppers Reel, a French Canadian fiddle tune...on a sweet Collins mandolin)
Well, 10-15 years under a tarp would be tough on anything, but when I dug her out and filled the tires with air she rolled right out. All of the essential parts were moving and my hopes were high. When I threw a new battery on her and tried to crank it I got nothing, not even a spark when I connected the battery terminals. After cleaning the ignition cylinder connectors and the safety switch connectors I was able to get a good strong crank. After cleaning and rebuilding the carb and getting a new plug she started right up. Now I have to get the clutch unstuck. That will be a bigger project but I'll give it a go this winter. I spent a day clearing out a shed on the end of one of the barns and set up a shop for the 71.
(Music by my band, The Wool Hats String Band, "Old Silo")
I spent another day cleaning wood out of the tractor shed out behind the big barn so that i could make room to store the tractors. That's not a typo - I'm in the process of helping my elderly in-laws clean up their house and I was thrilled to be told that they no longer needed the two Cub Cadets in the garage - an original and a Hydrostatic from the 70's, both in much better condition than my 71. I'll be moving them to the tractor shed soon. Then I'll really need the workshop. I'm glad to have Joe only a half hour drive away so that I can give him the projects I'm too busy (or unskilled) to work on.
I'll be posting updates, questions and the periodic romantic shot of the old tractors on my old farm.