(By Greg Rourke) – Recently Bryan McTaggart shared a home built dozer a guy built so his kid can terrorize the neighborhood. It reminded me of a similar creation I saw some years back.
Cub Cadet garden tractors built before 1981 were much more than a riding mower. They were built by International Harvester back then, a company that knew a thing or two about building tractors. Sure, you could use them to cut the grass, but they also had about 101 other attachments. They were over-engineered to the point of being indestructible. Cast iron Kohler engines, cast iron transaxles, and very little plastic made these babies just miniature versions of farm tractors. Enthusiasts of these work horses border on fanatical. I was one of them. But not on the level of a cat named Dan Hoefler.
Dan took his circa 1963 Cub Cadet 100 and decided it would make a sweet crawler tractor. It looks like something the factory would have turned out. Looking at the materials Dan used it’s clear he’s not some joker in a garage with a band saw and buzz box. The even number Cub Cadets were mechanically driven, the odd numbers were hydros. That means he had to make clutches and controls to steer this baby, just like the early Caterpillar tractors.
I was lucky if one of my three Cub Cadets was running so I could mow the weeds I pretended was my lawn. Glad ol’ Dan wasn’t my neighbor, I didn’t need another reason to feel bad about myself.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL BUILD STORY ON THIS CUB CADET CRAWLER
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!
want.