so I got a 55 loboy...

[Indy4570]

Things are not always as they seem... I did everything I could do to walk away from this tractor. I looked at several others and found them not to be what I wanted. In the end enough things were added to make me pull the trigger on it. It has many areas wanting some help. It doesn't want to start very good, I suspect some looking into the magneto settings will be in order. It leaks from the base of the touch control a LOT. It was sold as rebuilt. and I believe some sort of job was done. It has enough new bolts on it to indicate a lot of work was done to it. It still weeps from the radiator to bolster gasket. I can see weeping from the head gasket in a few places, (oil) there is a leak in maybe the upper radiator hose as I see some antifreeze drops in there. The hydraulic lines at the pump , top one has been boogered up with braze and leaks considerably. Tranny is noisy and pops out of reverse. Needs Loboy emblems, but the paint job isn't all that great and isn't finished underneath. "Looks good from the road" my Dad used to say.. I may regret this purchase, if I do it wont be the first time. But for now I still am happy with it.

this is all the things the seller did to make the sale.
swapped out a pan seat for a deluxe seat (I helped do the wrenching) also left the tool box on the deluxe mount
swapped a very bad grill for a better one (still in the paint stages, it needed to be stripped n painted)
threw in a transmission complete with the long shaft. no covers or shifter.

I didn't need this tractor but I wanted it. at the end of the day I think I did ok with all thats been done to this tractor so far. I have much to do to it still and will need to find some loboy attachments for it but its a good start and will complement my 55 standard.

[Indy4570]

more pics, the light work, brights and dims, it charges, has had an alternator an 12V conversions done, has new plugs, new belts, new hoses here n there, lots of new bolts,

[Jim Becker]

An "R1" engine block, a magneto, and an earlyish Touch-Control. It may prove to be a bit of a frankentractor, but that is OK too.

[Indy4570]

love the seat, but haven't spent a day working on one. some say they are not comfortable. I have seen prices for the frames all over the place. they are all over the place used as well. only one place i have seen sells the deluxe seat complete, (no brackets) and its a repro at $440 plus. cushion sets run from $70 ish to over $100. I dont know how you guys restore these cubs without getting some crazy amounts of money tied up in them. One reason I bought this tractor is its supposed to be rebuilt, and has a new clutch n TO bearing. I have seen numbers floated here for a rebuild on the engine running from $1500 to $1800, dont know if that labor as well.

nasty looking inside the trans but gears look OK, what should I look for as far as a non usable part?

[Indy4570]

An "R1" engine block, a magneto, and an earlyish Touch-Control. It may prove to be a bit of a frankentractor, but that is OK too.

I wondered if the mag was wrong for a 55 loboy, the block casting is 57, the TC is 52, the torque tube n tranny is 55. the original ser # is 1066, that has been reproduced on a new tag. I have the original. so it has the wrong air cleaner, a newer engine, an older TC and god knows what else. I didn't expect it to be all original for what i paid for it










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[Indy4570]

more pics..

[Indy4570]

looks a lil wimpy next to the 140...

[Willy]

I see one very bad problem with it (well, two). 1st, no bug eyes. 2nd, it's not in my barn. I think you did pretty good with it.

[Glen]

Hi,
A 251341R1 engine block was used when Cubs first came out, in 1947, until about mid 1948, Raymond Durban's database says. It is not newer than the tractor, like you said above. A 1955 LoBoy had an R7 engine block, I think. Look on your 1955 Cub, and see if it is an R7 block.
You could look at the engine serial number on the LoBoy too.

That could be the reason it has a magneto, it was on the older engine, possibly.

I think they also never used the long starter switch lever on LoBoys, I think they changed to the short lever before LoBoys were made. I think yours has the long lever in the pic, can't see it really good though.

[Indy4570]

Hi,
A 251341R1 engine block was used when Cubs first came out, in 1947, until about mid 1948, Raymond Durban's database says. It is not newer than the tractor, like you said above. A 1955 LoBoy had an R7 engine block, I think. Look on your 1955 Cub, and see if it is an R7 block.
You could look at the engine serial number on the LoBoy too.

That could be the reason it has a magneto, it was on the older engine, possibly.

I think they also never used the long starter switch lever on LoBoys, I think they changed to the short lever before LoBoys were made. I think yours has the long lever in the pic, can't see it really good though.

so maybe its a Q and not a C in the casting, serial number is painted over, might clean that off when i change the hyd. lines. As for the long starter lever its a quirk the old fella had. He said the short ones take too much effort to pull them, he has most of his sporting the long levers.

I see one very bad problem with it (well, two). 1st, no bug eyes. 2nd, it's not in my barn. I think you did pretty good with it.

if you look in the pic of the loboy next to the 140 you can see the hood off ole bugeyes sticking up behind the steering wheel of the 55 standard, its sitting on top of a 48 TE20 Ferguson that is in the bay waiting for some work

[Indy4570]

here she is with the grill, my fave cub grill of all, the red 11 bar

[Willy]

I like that grille too. Reminds me of the one on Grandpa's ol Super C that I learned to drive on.

[Indy4570]

I like that grille too. Reminds me of the one on Grandpa's ol Super C that I learned to drive on.

that is EXACTLY why I think many like it, it reminds us of the Farmalls we grew up with. for me it was a couple of M's we had when i was a kid on a dairy farm. My 2 55s are pint size pieces to remind me of my past on the farm.

[Indy4570]

BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! ok its just a mock up so far and some flipping needs to happen to bring them a lil closer and where they need to be but they are bolted on and I have 2 of those spacers, (sadly too weak I feel) just having fun. DUALS IS COOLS!!

edited to add closer dual spacing pic

[grnspot]

Nice looking Lo-Boy!