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Cub Cadet Converted To Zero Turn Mower
Jon Whitledge didn't want to spend the money for a new zero turn mower. So he converted a 1970's Cub Cadet garden tractor, turning the tractor around and mounting a 48-in. deck on front. The deck is powered by its own 16 hp Briggs & Stratton 2-cyl. engine and is raised and lowered by a 3-pt. hydraulic lift.
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Cub Cadet Converted To Zero Turn Mower FARM HOME Lawn Mowers (31h,38) 28-3-10 Jon Whitledge didn't want to spend the money for a new zero turn mower. So he converted a 1970's Cub Cadet garden tractor, turning the tractor around and mounting a 48-in. deck on front. The deck is powered by its own 16 hp Briggs & Stratton 2-cyl. engine and is raised and lowered by a 3-pt. hydraulic lift.
"I spent only about $300 to build it. Even a used zero turn mower would have cost $2,500 or more," says Whitledge.
He bought the hydrostatic drive Cub Cadet from a friend for $125. The tractor was equipped with a 12 hp Kohler engine, which he rebuilt, and a belly mount, 36-in. deck. He removed the deck and turned the tractor around so the rear wheels face forward. He also turned the ring and pinion gear upside down to reverse the gears. As a result, all reverse gears now go fast and all forward speeds go slow. He borrowed the steering gear from another tractor and mounted it on the Cub Cadet's rear end. The engine direct drives the tractor's power steering pump, as well as a hydraulic pump that's used to raise and lower the deck. He also turned the seat around, replacing the original seat with a padded metal tractor seat.
He made his own 3-pt. hitch and mounted the deck on it. The deck can be hooked up to any standard Cat. 0 3-pt. implement including a cultivator, snow blade, and rototiller.
"I can turn on a dime, and I have an excellent view of the deck in front of me," says Whitledge, who made the conversion last winter. "A big advantage is that I can operate the mower's speed independent of the tractor's speed which results in an excellent job of mowing. I use separate throttle and choke controls to operate the engine and belt clutch that drives the blades. The deck is supported by a pair of 10-in. caster wheels which I bought from Harbor Freight."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jon K. Whitledge, 4897 Canada Rd., Mantua, Ohio 44255 (ph 330 274-8365).
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