Independent Cadet dealers

[Merk]

Originally Posted by J-Mech

When I get home, I'll check my book, but it seems to me that is was in the late 70's that International began opening stores just to market their line of L/G equipment. MTD bought Cub Cadet in 1981, and there were already L/G only stores then.

We had a local hardware selling IH cub Cadets in the mid to late 70s.

[john hall]

Originally Posted by J-Mech

MTD bought Cub Cadet from International Harvester. Tenneco bought International Harvester's AG line. Navistar bought the truck division, engine line, (and the logo I believe).

And don't forget Dresser got the construction equipment.

Don't know what became of the refrigeration line. I think Solar (jet engines) was sold off for cash around the same time as Cadet. Just think, we could have had lawn mowers with jet engines, AC, and a dozer blade if IH would have had better management.

[john hall]

Originally Posted by J-Mech

Yes, yellow and red in the '82 series were sold at the same time and available through both the IH and MTD distributors. IH generally stocked the red and MTD the yellow, but you could get them whatever color you wanted (customer and dealer alike).

That's probably why I seem to remember both colors on the floor at the same time(its been over 30 years ago and I don't remember what I ate for supper last night). Dad's dealer probably didn't care too much and ordered whatever would ship the fastest to them. A 982 and 582 special are the only 2 mowers I remember sitting on the floor for a couple seasons, both of them were red. Lets not forget the little white fiberglass rear engine models.

[john hall]

Well we've got confirmed L&G dealers in the 60's ,one in the 70's and one in the 80's. Guess IH more or less awarded L&G contracts anywhere there was market. One would assume ag dealers got first chance.

[J-Mech]

Originally Posted by john hall

And don't forget Dresser got the construction equipment.

Don't know what became of the refrigeration line. I think Solar (jet engines) was sold off for cash around the same time as Cadet. Just think, we could have had lawn mowers with jet engines, AC, and a dozer blade if IH would have had better management.

That's right about Dresser. Solar was sold in the 70's IIRC. (Turbine engines... not jet They were a gasoline turbine, not diesel).

I believe the home appliance line was just abandoned. Did you know that they had a plant in Evansville, Indiana? Not far from me.


Did you know IHC also made guns? In the early 1950's, Springfield contracted IH to build M1 Garands.


I'm questioning that Cadet only dealer in '67. Doesn't fit the history. More to the story?? Maybe just a guy who bought and resold them? Maybe a dealer had an "extension"?

[jaynjeep]

Originally Posted by john hall

And don't forget Dresser got the construction equipment.

Don't know what became of the refrigeration line. I think Solar (jet engines) was sold off for cash around the same time as Cadet. Just think, we could have had lawn mowers with jet engines, AC, and a dozer blade if IH would have had better management.

Interesting... I never knew Dresser bought the construction division of IH..

My grandparents had an IH refrigerator that they bought new in the mid fifties.. it was still running up thru at least the year 2000!! Dad let someone have it because the door gasket was leaking and he didn't think we could find one! I wasn't too happy with him..

[J-Mech]

Finally got home and checked my book. It doesn't give an exact date (that I can quickly find) but it says that the division of IH that handled CC's was called the Outdoor Power Products division, or OPP. It had "a growing number of dealers" in 1977, so it was before that they began setting up dealers for just IH's OPP line.

According to all paperwork, the deal to sell the OPP line to MTD was made in 1981. However, the interesting thing is MTD started the process of building the Brownsville, TN plant that became the CCC plant, in as early as 1978. They dedicated the plant in 1980 nearly a year before the purchase of IH's OPP line. Did talks start with MTD in 1978?? We will likely never know.


Credit of information given to Oscar H Will III, in his book 50 years of Cub Cadet.

[zippy1]

My cub cadet dealer built his business in 1982, and looks like he'll be closing the doors in or around five more years when he retires... Just isn't the tractor sales like it was before the box stores were let in...
Gene's was the first dealer around us for some distance... It's going to be a sad day when the doors are closed for the last time. He knows no one will buy into the business because of the poor sales, being unable to compete with the box store prices.
As he says, "it's a good thing for service, cause those guys (box stores) don't service anything in house..."
Roll him up and throw him out with the bath water... Sinks,

[john hall]

I asked dad if he ever heard of any independent Cadet dealers back in the IH days and he said there was actually one in the next county over. Don't think they lasted over 10-15 years, gone by mid 70's. Same town had an independent ag equipment dealer that had another shop do all their mechanic work. I think that arrangement came to an end in the 60's, no later than mid 70's.