4-WD Articulated "Cub Cadet" Loader Tractor

4-WD Articulated Cub Cadet Loader Tractor TRACTORS Loaders I built it after reading stories in FARM SHOW about other rebuilt Cub Cadets says Harold Naragon Pen Yan N Y     A lot of head scratching went into turning this Cub Cadet tractor into a special-built 4-WD articulated model equipped with a front-mount blade and dual wheels all around     The yellow-and-white rig was built almost entirely from Cub Cadet 1450 and 145 tractor parts It s powered by an 18 hp Honda twin cylinder gas engine that s mounted on front and powers a pair of hydrostatic drive transmissions      Building it was a fun challenge I used all the parts that I could from Cub Cadets except for the Honda engine and an Allis Chalmers steering valve says Naragon     He bought the two tractors at a junkyard for $175 apiece He cut off the back half of the 1450 keeping the rear axle and hydrostatic transmission and mounted it facing backward The rear axle and hydrostatic transmission off the 145 mounts behind A homemade driveshaft runs from the engine back to the two hydrostat transmissions and there are front and rear brakes     Naragon reversed the ring gears on both rear ends and also reversed the flow in one of the hydrostatic pumps allowing everything to run in sync     The tractor has two pivot points each consisting of a swiveling ball joint To make the pivot point he copied the pivot point on a Versatile 4-WD articulated tractor scaling it down to fit The pivot point oscillates enough to allow any tire to raise 8 in above level which keeps all four wheels on the ground even on rough terrain says Naragon     He didn t like the hood and grill on the 1450 so he made his own hood which is 4 in longer than the original hood to make room for the engine The grill and the frame surrounding it are off a 125 Cub Cadet     The tractor still has the original dash seat and gearshift lever from the 1450 Naragon added an aftermarket muffler designed for a Ford 8N tractor that s equipped with a stainless steel stack     The homemade 5 -ft blade lifts up about 10 in high and is controlled by a hydraulic pump that s driven off the front hydrostatic transmission A pair of hydraulic cylinders originally designed to raise the deck on Cub Cadet tractors are now used to raise and lower the blade A single joystick lever controls up down and angle Two more cylinders are used for hydraulic steering Another lever controls hydraulics to the rear for a 3-pt hitch I m making     Naragon fitted the tractor with 12-in turf tires all the way around and made spacers to mount duals He modified the outside wheel rims to make the wheels look like a big tractor He cut out the center part of each wheel rim leaving four holes in the center that were originally designed to mount weights Long bolts run through a homemade bracket to connect the inner and outer wheels      It took about eight months to build on nights and weekends with the help of a couple friends but I get a lot of compliments on it says Naragon Special thanks to Danns Roadside Repair for engineering and design help     Naragon says he built the tractor for work not just for show Some people say the tractor looks too nice to put it to use They think I m crazy when I tell them I plan to use the tractor to plow snow and to operate a lawn roller and rototiller I made provisions for an electric clutch on front of the engine to drive any accessories that I put on front of the tractor     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Harold s Welding Shop Harold S Naragon 1164 E Swamp Road Penn Yan N Y 14527 ph 585 554-5178

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