4-WD Articulated "Cub Cadet" Loader Tractor

4-WD Articulated "Cub Cadet" Loader Tractor AG WORLD 25-6-21 Many visitors to the recent Farm Progress Show near Lafayette, Ind., got a kick out of this Cub Cadet tractor - a special-built 4-WD articulated model equipped with a loader. The yellow-and-white rig was built almost entirely from Cub Cadet 1250 and 1650 tractor parts by Kelly Birkey of Paxton, Ill. It's powered by a 16 hp Briggs & Stratton twin cylinder gas engine that's mounted on back and is equipped with a pair of hydrostatic drive transmissions. The seat tilts forward for access to the gas tank. "When people first see it they think it's factory made," says Birkey. "I built it because I used to be an International Harvester implement dealer and got to know Cub Cadet tractors well. Building it was a fun challenge." Birkey mounted the rear axle and hydrostatic transmission from a 1650 on the frame of a 1250. The rear axle and hydrostatic transmission off another 1250 mounts behind. The rear transmission drives the front one via a telescoping shaft equipped with a pair of universal joints that allow the tractor to pivot. A cable also connects the two transmissions. The tractor has two pivot points, each consisting of a swiveling ball joint. The same hydraulic cylinder originally used to raise the deck on the 1650 is now used to pivot the tractor. Birkey fitted the tractor with 12-in. turf tires all the way around. He also equipped the tractor with a new hydraulic-driven power steering assembly off a late-model Cub Cadet. The tractor is fitted with a modified Johnson front-end loader designed for garden tractors. The loader lifts up to about 5 ft. high and is controlled by a hydraulic pump that's driven off the front hydrostatic transmission. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kelley Birkey, 15 Allison Dr., Paxton, Ill. 60957 (ph 217 379-3909).

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