“The Mule”- a CC 100

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

As per @RandyLittrell‘s request, I’ve started a thread on a cool little plow tractor that has been in our stable for about 5 years. As those of you who have followed my posts over the years know, I have purchased a vintage tractor for each one of my kiddos to use while they are young and then to refurbish/restore when they are about 14-15 years old.  It will give them a little background in mechanics, electrical, and paint, and also how to use basic tools. I also like the aspect of the father/child time invested in the project.  They also will learn how to take care of their own machine as part of the process (check and change fluids, grease the zerks, make routine adjustments, etc). I got into GT plowing in 2011 and by 2012 I really had the bug.  As I looked at the various machines out there, I was really impressed with the Cub Cadet 100. They are tough little machines but still very early production yet with some good options that make them quite useful for plowing.

As I looked through the pictures on my phone dating back to June of 2015 nearly every picture of this tractor has a plow attached to it. I guess that makes sense given the purpose for which it is built!  The Cub 100 is widely considered one of the neatest Cubs ever made both in design but also overall durability and function.  The Original cub was built from 1961 through most of 1963 and was only offered with a 7hp engine.  By ‘63, many manufacturers including WH had larger engines offered and IH knew that they needed a bigger engine to compete and so the 10hp 100 was born.  They had already sold over 60,000 Cubs in a three year span and so it was time to release a model that had more options and “creature comforts” that offered more attachments to handle the jobs that customers ran into daily.  

 

I bought this tractor for my third born Jonathan, whom we call Judge.  The guy I bought it from had rebuilt the engine, fabricated the trailer fenders to accommodate the much larger than stock 10.5” wide rear tires and had painted the sheet metal. I saw the potential in it right away and a deal was struck.  The ideal plow tractor has hydraulic lift and this tractor was equipped with strong arm manual lift.  Thankfully I had a complete hydraulic unit from a different cub on my shelf.  I also installed the third arm and bracket for my Brinly hitch adapter.  

This tractor came new with the optional rear PTO which was really a novelty because it turns backwards since that it the rotation of the engine.  The center section of the rear end was directly out of the Farmall Cub tractor and that is the reason that this option was offered.  On the FC the engine rotation was correct and the PTO could be used operate a variety of attachments. On the CC, there wasn’t much that could be run.  I’ve heard stories of farmers that would hook them to a grain elevator to free up a tractor while harvesting grain or corn.  There was also a company that offered the Hub City reverser which changed the rotation to the correct way.  Those seem to be pretty rare and I’d like to find one someday for novelties sake.

This tractor also has the optional creeper gear.  If you notice on the diamond plate tunnel cover just ahead of the gear shift, there is the slot for the Hi/Lo range lever.  This one loves to pop out of Hi range and so you will also see my 4 year old (temporary fix) of a small C-clamp! 

I like some variety in pain colors to my tractors and you will note that I painted the air cleaner cover (off an 18hp Kohler for extra breathing capacity) and the hydraulic pump unit Black on the Mule.  

This tractor also came with the factory pepper pot exhaust.  To be a serious plow tractor it had to have a stack and so a Farmall Cub stack was installed.  From the above picture you can also see that it has the optional cigarette lighter.  It doesn’t have the factory one (I’ll get one someday for it) but it gives a place to charge your phone should you run low on battery while at Jim’s plow day! 

This one also came with optional headlights and Grote tail light.  I added the rear plow light for night plowing at some of the big plow days.  The factory seat was a metal pan with a two colored cushion.  I had the old school black short back rest seat from a different tractor and installed that for now.

Here is my son Judge with a bone stock fully restored 100 at Red Power a couple of years ago.  I included this for reference of the correct fenders, seat, exhaust, etc.

This is the first out of state plow day that I took GhostRider to before he got his dark clothes.  You’ll notice that the hood on the Mule is kinda gnarly compared to the yellow on the rest of the tractor.  The previous owner liked the Patina of the hood so much that he just cleared over it to preserve it.  I didn’t like it at first but it has grown on me over the years.

Lots of people (Uncle Roger on it here at Jim’s PD) have turned furrows with it and it is almost universally liked as a plow mule.  @Rp.wh told me that plowing on that little tractor is what helped get him into the hobby. It only has 10 hp but it does a good job of putting power to the ground.  The only real negative is that it has fairly low ground clearance and that can sometimes be a problem when following someone who is trying to recreate the Marianas Trench!

 

This pic was taken in Peoria, IL at Bluniers PD.  The Mule is second from the right and did a great job of plowing.  @Coulter Caleb Jumped on that thing and plowed for several hours.

My mom’s red 782 in the foreground (she calls Decklan) the Mule, the Five, and Grizzly in the background.  As with any project machine, improvements can always be made.  I would like to build a more powerful engine for it, not because it needs it but because I can😁. I also would like to upgrade the clutch (pressure plates, clutch, spring) rear end gearing.

@Achto took this super cool pic last summer of Uncle Roger plowing with my youngest Zach up at Plainfield.  It is a really neat little tractor and we have made a lot of memories with it over the years.  Judge is turning 9 in about two weeks and I’ll be sure to post some pics on here of him driving his Mule on his birthday.

Here he is turning soil in a Stertz field that his great grandpa turned, his grandpa turned, his dad turned, and now him!  This land has been in the family since 1948 this little farm boy has the perfect Mule to get the job done (maybe a tad small for a 15 acre field but Uncle Roger can bring out the big guns to finish what he doesn’t!)

Feel free to ask any questions that you have about the setup...hopefully the yellow didn’t hurt your eyes too much😉

[oliver2-44 9,729]

Great thread @PeacemakerJack You certainly can give people the "Plowing Bug"

As far as the yellow, I like em working in all colors

Setting up a plow tractor is on my build list!  Some tractor clubs around here have plow days for there old full size tractors. They even use have Cubs, Farmall A's, etc, but no GT's.  I just may be the 1st to show up with a GT.   

 

[Pullstart 62,834]

I didn’t use ALL my likes yet today Josh!

 

Nice rig, hopefully you guys can teach me a thing or two this fall!

Edited July 15, 2019 by pullstart

[RandyLittrell 3,877]

@PeacemakerJack thank you for posting that!! Way more than I thought you would do. Some great info there for the guys that aren't into cubs. Your mule is about like I would like to build for myself with a 73 currently on the work bench. 

 

My son and I have 2 1961 OCC's with consecutive serial numbers. Those were my Dad's and never gonna leave the family. 2 149's, a 100 with rear PTO, 122 puller, 682 and a 784. The 784 is a 782 with dual hydraulics but they never put 784 decals on them. We have the clutch out of one of the OCC's right now and the other is still in process of restoration. 

 

 

 

 

Randy

[Tractorhead 9,064]

Real nice Story, 

you‘re doing right !

give the young Generation the embers, not the ashes.

 

best Part is, if they catch your ember and relight a Fire together with you, for the same interests.

Time with the Family is allway’s the best invest you ever can Do.

 

👍

 

[squonk 41,067]

I keep seeing those 5 finger bowling ball weights lately. What are they from and how much do they weigh? 

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

They are about 40# and are from the 12” wheel Case GT’s.  If you find them for a decent price—BUY THEM! They are super cool looking and go for good money in the Case market. My cousin (an avid Case GT collector) has a bunch of them.  Those that are on the Mule, I got from him.  They are stackable and fit nicely in a deep dish rim.  He runs four in each wheel of his “White Knight” custom Case!

[Pullstart 62,834]

5 hours ago, squonk said:

I keep seeing those 5 finger bowling ball weights lately. What are they from and how much do they weigh? 

 

5 hours ago, PeacemakerJack said:

They are about 40# and are from the 12” wheel Case GT’s.  If you find them for a decent price—BUY THEM! They are super cool looking and go for good money in the Case market. My cousin (an avid Case GT collector) has a bunch of them.  Those that are on the Mule, I got from him.  They are stackable and fit nicely in a deep dish rim.  He runs four in each wheel of his “White Knight” custom Case!

 

Pictures of these please?

[Pullstart 62,834]

Just now, pullstart said:

 

 

Pictures of these please?

 

Nevermind, I see them on the mule above!  Yeah, I see the 5 finger bowling ball resemblance!  Are the center holes for lug nut access?

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

That is a really interesting question Kevin!!! I generally add them to my Wheels after the wheel is installed.  I’ll have to ask my cousin Mike what he usually does.  I think that if you had the standard 5/8” socket, you might fit it in there.  I use the chrome lugs and they require a 13/16” socket and so I don’t know if they would fit.  I’ll check it out and report once I know for sure...

Edited July 16, 2019 by PeacemakerJack

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

Just checked and the 5/8” socket will fit to install and remove the lug bolts to hold the wheel to hub but if you end up installing studs like I have done and chrome lugs, your socket won’t fit.  

I never thought of a five fingered bowling ball...but...leave it to Squonk to come up with something like that—now I’ll never think of anything else when I see them!🤣

[ebinmaine 67,419]

Awesome story!!

Thanks for sharing!

 

As you know it was my grampa and his 2 Cubs that sparked my interest originally.

 

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

I may add some info on how the IH designer's move from the Original to the 70/100 tractors.  The Original (which, btw, isn't an official name but one that CC guys call it, it was the first Cub Cadet, so CC guys call it the Original) was designed with the frame having the angles pointed down, and then the engine was mounted on top of that.  This made the engine higher than the transmission, so they added a pulley with a small belt so they could run a driveshaft back to the transmission.  The IH guys were determined to have a drive shaft for their L&G tractor.

 

When it came time to redesign the tractor, they wanted to eliminate the pulley and the belt, so they flipped the frame upside down, and mounted the engine inside the frame.  This allowed the engine to be inline with the transmission, so they could do away with the pulley and the belt and just have a direct drive shaft.  The 70 used the same 7 hp engine as the Original, while the 100 got the 10 hp engine.  In the CC world, the 70 and the 100 are very desirable...to me they just have that "look" about them.

[RandyLittrell 3,877]

On 7/16/2019 at 6:09 AM, T-Mo said:

I may add some info on how the IH designer's move from the Original to the 70/100 tractors.  The Original (which, btw, isn't an official name but one that CC guys call it, it was the first Cub Cadet, so CC guys call it the Original) was designed with the frame having the angles pointed down, and then the engine was mounted on top of that.  This made the engine higher than the transmission, so they added a pulley with a small belt so they could run a driveshaft back to the transmission.  The IH guys were determined to have a drive shaft for their L&G tractor.

 

When it came time to redesign the tractor, they wanted to eliminate the pulley and the belt, so they flipped the frame upside down, and mounted the engine inside the frame.  This allowed the engine to be inline with the transmission, so they could do away with the pulley and the belt and just have a direct drive shaft.  The 70 used the same 7 hp engine as the Original, while the 100 got the 10 hp engine.  In the CC world, the 70 and the 100 are very desirable...to me they just have that "look" about them.

 

I little more on that @T-Mo. The original used the F-cub tranny with no gear reduction on the front. The F-cub's gear reduction was on the axles. The OCC had a reduction in the pulley going to the driveshaft. The shaft went into the lower part of the transmission. 

 

With the 70/100 they added a gear reduction on the front of the trans so they could use a direct shaft and the shaft now goes to the top of the trans. So the motor was a little lower but not too much. 

 

 

 

 

Randy

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

Well...Jim’s PD IV is almost here and I managed to break the spirol pin in the drive shaft that retains the clutch spring last winter while blading snow with it.

 

Ive been thinking about upgrading the drive line parts with some heavy duty ones from Midwest Super Cub.  

I guess no better time then now to get with the program...besides even though he’s a  guy, @Rp.wh has a special spot for this little tractor and might want to take a couple of rounds on it!

 

 

 I need to get it fixed and I’m going to try to make that happen this week🤞🏻

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

So...I finally stuck my head under the Mule last night to find out what was wrong with my clutch.  Turns out it wasn’t a broken/missing spirol pin but rather a broken/missing teaser spring.

This is a diagram of a heavy duty version of the Cub clutch compliments of Midwest Super Cub.  I am missing that little teaser that is sandwiched between the throwout nearing and the clutch arm.  So...I ordered a new one of those as well as new Kevlar friction disc, pressure plates, and HD clutch spring. That should keep Judge in good shape for a long time

[RandyLittrell 3,877]

On 10/15/2019 at 12:43 PM, PeacemakerJack said:

So...I finally stuck my head under the Mule last night to find out what was wrong with my clutch.  Turns out it wasn’t a broken/missing spirol pin but rather a broken/missing teaser spring.

This is a diagram of a heavy duty version of the Cub clutch compliments of Midwest Super Cub.  I am missing that little teaser that is sandwiched between the throwout nearing and the clutch arm.  So...I ordered a new one of those as well as new Kevlar friction disc, pressure plates, and HD clutch spring. That should keep Judge in good shape for a long time

 

 

Did you get the red spring or the blue one? The red one gets a little tiresome pushing in on the clutch. I bought a blue one but haven't put it on yet. Its supposed to be in between the stock and red spring. 

 

 

 

Randy

[Pullstart 62,834]

On 10/18/2019 at 9:04 AM, RandyLittrell said:

 

 

Did you get the red spring or the blue one? The red one gets a little tiresome pushing in on the clutch. I bought a blue one but haven't put it on yet. Its supposed to be in between the stock and red spring. 

 

 

 

Randy

 

I think this looks red to me...

 

”The color or the pen that I hold in my hand is RRRRRRRRRRROYAL BLUE!”  Mr. Reid, Liar, Liar

[Pullstart 62,834]

@PeacemakerJack I just realized... if it were to have gone haywire in the shop, the lump on your head would’ve been bigger than the mess on the floor!  

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

Classic...I can honestly say that I have taken bigger risks in my years as a “wood chuck”.  However, if that 2x6 would’ve busted, that would have been a big problem.  If the cabinet came off the wall—A MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM!

 

 

 

Speaking of the mess on the floor...I walked in there today and realized that I have no room to hardly move anymore...time to do some serious cleaning and organizing. 

Edited October 22, 2019 by PeacemakerJack

[Pullstart 62,834]

I don’t know if I should say sorry, or you’re welcome!

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

On 10/18/2019 at 8:04 AM, RandyLittrell said:

 

 

Did you get the red spring or the blue one? The red one gets a little tiresome pushing in on the clutch. I bought a blue one but haven't put it on yet. Its supposed to be in between the stock and red spring. 

 

 

 

Randy

I only saw the Red (800#) and yellow (1200#) on their site.  So, I got the red one.  And set it just slightly longer than their recommendation of 4.5”  Thanks to Pullstart for helping me put that thing together at 1am on Saturday!

 

Starting point...

40 minutes later.

The high performance clutch parts.

Back together and ready for Plow Day! Two 1964 models in one trailer—cool.

 

The clutch worked great at Plow day but I think the engine is getting a little tired after 5+years of hard use.  Next plan for that is a rebuilt engine and a gear change for the rear end...