I just bought a "narrow gauge" 1948 Cub. I have some questions

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pauln

Member
I just bought this '48 Cub from an elderly relative, in order to help them out (paid them more than it was likely worth). I had to put on a new carb to get it running. I drove Farmalls as a kid on some friends' farm back in the '60s as a 10-12 year old kid, so I instantly fell in love with it. We live in town, but there's a 2-acre undeveloped meadow one block away that neighbors pitched in to buy and preserve. They really need someone to mow it, so I thought this would be ideal for that.

I noticed it looked narrower than usual; I thought it might just be the truck wheels and tires he put on 25 years ago wen he restored it to use as a float puller in an annual parade. But it was clearly cut on the right side and narrowed, at the rear axle and the driver's floor "board". I suspect the front axle may be cut too. It was used with a cultivator attached to the rear, probably for strawberries or such (which were commonly grown here near Eugene, OR.)

My plan was to look for a 42" Woods belly mower, and mount the original rear wheels (which he gave me) with at least the right side with the dished side on the inside to widen the rear track (and with tractor tires, of course) and also widen the front track to normal. But I just realized that this Cub does not have a hydraulic system! Does this absolutely preclude using a belly mower? Is it possible to find and add the hydraulics? Difficult?

I suppose a pull-behind mower would be the other option; the pro being easy to hook up to this Cub, which runs very well and seems in very good condition all-round. It's led a pampered life since being rebuilt in 2001.

Any other thoughts or helpful suggestions?

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You can add hydraulics or you can get a manual lift. Will have to either widen the tractor or modify mower for a fit. And since you’ll be using it to mow, I’d advise widening the tractor.
 
I don’t think it will be practical to attempt to mount a belly mower in the tractor’s current condition. It would require taking it back to the pre-modification configuration.
 
Don McCombs said:
I don’t think it will be practical to attempt to mount a belly mower in the tractor’s current condition. It would require taking it back to the pre-modification configuration.
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Since only the right rear axle was cut, I was thinking that if I run a dished rear wheel (or fabricate a spacer) to restore its original track, and restore the front track, other than the narrowed floor "board" everything else would still be the same. From looking at some photos, it appears the Woods mower attaches to the center "frame" of the Cub. But maybe I'm missing something?
 
tmays said:
You can add hydraulics or you can get a manual lift. Will have to either widen the tractor or modify mower for a fit. And since you’ll be using it to mow, I’d advise widening the tractor.
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So it can be operated with a manual lift? I would restore the original track front and rear with a dished rear wheel or spacer and restoring the width of the front axle.
 
that is a kinda rare cub, modified to be narrow, nice to see a few around, it could easily be made stock again, just a axle shaft and housing extension probably if you rally want to put a mower under it
hydraulics are easy to install on it, they offset the seat also, the modifications all look like nothing hard to bring back to stock if needed to
be nice to save as is as its a oddball
 
You expressed the desire to return the tractor to the original width in some form in order to mow with it. As others have said, it is certainly possible to do so and would greatly improve the stability of the tractor (it is rather "top heavy" as is). However, the investment to reverse the modifications would probably be less costly if it were left as is and exchanged for a standard cub. JMHO Stan
 
staninlowerAL said:
You expressed the desire to return the tractor to the original width in some form in order to mow with it. As others have said, it is certainly possible to do so and would greatly improve the stability of the tractor (it is rather "top heavy" as is). However, the investment to reverse the modifications would probably be less costly if it were left as is and exchanged for a standard cub. JMHO Stan
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I appreciate your perspective. But all it would really take is to move the right rear wheel out by using the original wheel with the dished side in and widening the front axle, which might require two new pieces, presumably available from J.P. Tractor Salvage. I would not attempt to restore the cut rear axle housing and axle.
 
pauln said:
So it can be operated with a manual lift? I would restore the original track front and rear with a dished rear wheel or spacer and restoring the width of the front axle.
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Yes. Typically mower deck doesn’t get raised and lowered much while mowing. Now if you anticipate a lot of raising and lowering, then hydraulics is the way to go. The hand lift spring can be adjusted to give some assistance with lifting.
Your tractor to do with as you wish, of course, but if it is indeed a orchard tractor, then I’d think twice about modifying the width and keep as is and get another tractor for the mowing duties. But that’s me.
 
tmays said:
Yes. Typically mower deck doesn’t get raised and lowered much while mowing. Now if you anticipate a lot of raising and lowering, then hydraulics is the way to go. The hand lift spring can be adjusted to give some assistance with lifting.
Your tractor to do with as you wish, of course, but if it is indeed a orchard tractor, then I’d think twice about modifying the width and keep as is and get another tractor for the mowing duties. But that’s me.
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Thanks, that's helpful about the mowing deck. No, it wouldn't need to be lifted much.

There's a sentimental aspect about keeping it. And as I noted in some other comments, all I would consider doing is running the right rear wheel in the deep dished mounting and widening the front track. Neither of those would keep it from being put back into its current narrow track format.
 
The mule drive for the belly mower attaches to the final drives. Which in your case, are narrower than the mule drive that comes with the mower. Doesn’t matter which position the wheel is in.
 
Yes, what Don said. To fit the mower, you need the right final drive back in the original psition. That means undoing the entire rear modification. I suggest a self-powered tow-behind mower.
 
I think it's a vineyard cub. I recall reading an article in an antique tractor magazine about them. I believe the first ones were custom built/ modified by a small outfit in France. Eventually someone custom made some here in the US. I think one guy even built a replica of one just to take to shows. They were narrow enough to drive between the grape vine rows. Obviously they can be risky to use on hilly ground or when turning too fast. I think it was Vintage Tractor Digest that did the article on them.
 
Just my two cents: you have what is likely a pretty collectible Cub. There is more involved in putting it back in mowing trim than you’re realizing, unless you half ass the conversion. This is not, in mind, a suitable mowing tractor. I suggest that you should enjoy it for what it is or sell to a collector and find, for yourself, an unmodified tractor to mow with.
 
A couple of interesting links

L

Thread 'Pic of my 1952 Orchard/Vineyard/Narrow/Tomato Cub'

So I finally have a few recent pics of my cub. When I first posted pics a couple of years ago I thought it was a 1948. Soon after I figured out it was a 1952. It had been modified and has a very narrow rear end (39 inches from outer rear tire to outer rear tire if I remember right). I got a lot of opinions on what is used for from the forum. Everything from Orchard/Vineyard/etc. But I think the mystery is solved.....I hope. I was told by a friend of mine that there was a company located in the City of Oxnard, Ca that made this modification and it was done so these tractors would fit down...

antiquetractorblog.com

French Farmall Super Cub Vineyard Replica

Photos of a replica that I built of a 1958 French Farmall Super Cub Vineyard Tractor. In 1958 the employees in the Farmall tractor works in St Danizer
antiquetractorblog.com antiquetractorblog.com
 
MM-TX said:
A couple of interesting links

L

Thread 'Pic of my 1952 Orchard/Vineyard/Narrow/Tomato Cub'

So I finally have a few recent pics of my cub. When I first posted pics a couple of years ago I thought it was a 1948. Soon after I figured out it was a 1952. It had been modified and has a very narrow rear end (39 inches from outer rear tire to outer rear tire if I remember right). I got a lot of opinions on what is used for from the forum. Everything from Orchard/Vineyard/etc. But I think the mystery is solved.....I hope. I was told by a friend of mine that there was a company located in the City of Oxnard, Ca that made this modification and it was done so these tractors would fit down...

antiquetractorblog.com

French Farmall Super Cub Vineyard Replica

Photos of a replica that I built of a 1958 French Farmall Super Cub Vineyard Tractor. In 1958 the employees in the Farmall tractor works in St Danizer
antiquetractorblog.com antiquetractorblog.com
Click to expand...
K
 
I live 40 miles south of Eugene...I talked with a fella from the Eugene area a 2 or 3 years back...he said he had a narrow orchard cub.
I know his name, but I wont post it...but he said his nickname was "Butch". I was curious if this is the same cub you just bought?
I have a 48 cub that he was looking at..
I still have the cub.
 
Another link in of one in Oregon

B

Thread 'Narrow Cub'

Got a Cub the other day, seems really narrow. Does any one know any information on these ? I read a few things like tomato and strawberry
cultivators, and may be made in Oxnard CA. Any other info and a value for this. Will try to load pictures later files to large. Thanks
 
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