Some are red, mine is yellow (see signature).

They were available In Yellow and white after MTD took Production over
Prior to April 1981 there were Only available In Red

When MTD took Over Cub Cadet You had two Types of dealers You Had Your AG dealer, and You Had Your Cub Cadet Only dealers

The AG dealers continued to get RED Cub Cadet until 1985

The Cub Cadet Only dealers Got Yellow and White Cub Cadets

When the 82 series came out, that was a big sticking point for the Cub Cadet Only dealers who had to sell Red. The VP for IH Cub Cadets did Not Have and Engineering or Sales Background, He was More of a Yes Man to the IH Board, and several Members On the IH Board wanted IH Red to Match the rest of the IH Farm line. For those Two Years, IH cub Cadet dealers had very Low sales Number compared to what they had During the Quiet-line Run. MTD listened to the feedback they got from the Future Cub Cadet dealers only that they signed up to continue to be Cub Cadet dealers and MTD re-started the Yellow and White Cub Cadet Line. The design engineers of the 82 series did not what to use IH Red. The original test Models were In IH Federal Yellow and IH White.

A Good Portion of the 82 series engineers retired or went to other IH design departments after the 82 series was Introduced In IH red. Many surmised it was the beginning of the end for IH to Build Its own outdoor Power equipment. Most didn't believe IH would go away though as a company with in the next 6 years. But they figure the way it was going under the IH Cub Cadet department. That IH would outsource their Lawn & Garden tractor Production Like Ford, Massey-Ferguson, White Outdoor and so many other Tractor manufacturers did at the time, and they were correct as IH sold the Cub Cadet Line to MTD in April 1981

Look a little Less than 42 years Later. There is not a shaft driven Cub Cadet tractor anymore