129, 149, or 1650

[Slowgear]

I've somehow come into possession of 3 IH Cub Cadets, a 129, a 149, and a 1650. I can justify keeping 2, but probably not 3. I think I know what I'm going to do but I'm curious if anyone has a different perspective.

The 129 is in pretty rough shape. It has armstrong lift (with buttons seized), an aftermarket carb, narrow rear wheels, and a lot of surface rust. But it runs great and all the running gear is in the best condition. The rear fenders have been crunched

The 149 has a lot of minor cosmetic issues, also runs well, but appears to have multiple hydraulic leaks from basically everywhere that has hydraulic fluid inside. Also has oil leaks from the engine. Hydraulic lift with rear lift. Filled tires on the wider rims.

The 1650 has the best paint by far although I suspect at least some of it is not original. Fuel leaks from the carb. Needs a lot of coaxing to start, and yet more coaxing to run at full speed (might be just linkages, I haven't tracked down the issues yet). It seemed to run a lot better before I bought it and trailered it home for some reason. Lots of missing fasteners and maybe some minor sheet metal damage as a result. Most of the electrical wiring seems to have been removed. Hydraulic lift with rear lift. Rear fenders have been drilled for a cab (which I have). Front wheel is pretty wobbly (looks like a wheel issue and maybe also a worn out spindle - the front tires and wheels don't match).

Capabilities I want include snow removal (central New Hampshire), mowing, general yard utility work like pulling things around, and maybe some light ground-engaging garden work later on. Right now the 149 is in the best running condition so I've set it up with a plow and tire chains, and I'll install double tire weights (as soon as I can pick up bolts) and the cab (as soon as I can figure out how I want to do it). I'm thinking I'll tear down and work on the 1650 while the 149 pulls winter duty, then when the 1650's ready to relieve the 149 they can swap places. The 129's a runner but with the smaller engine and manual lift I just can't think of any advantage of it over the other two for anything I want to do. And the fact that it is so rusty makes me feel that it's most valuable just as a parts donor.

I'm not really that interested in keeping things all original, and any tractor that lives here needs to earn its keep, but I do appreciate that they aren't making any more of these so I don't care to destroy anything unnecessarily. I do want to get the cab onto the 149 for winter service but since I don't want to drill holes in the pristine fenders I'm wondering how much of a pain it would be to swap fenders with the 169 which already has mounting holes for the cab. Since I conveniently have 3 sets of wheels here now, I'm thinking I'll set up one pair with turfs, wheel weights, and chains for winter and the narrow rims with ag tires for springtime mud work and pulling a firewood trailer in the woods. The third pair maybe I'll just leave with turf tires.

So, does anyone have any words of wisdom I haven't considered? Is there any benefit to a manual lift 129 over hydro lift 149 and 1650? I know some people do/don't prefer the quietlines, I get the general differences (starter-generator, extra cowlings, iso-mounts, electric PTO clutch, etc). But is there any operational difference or reason one might do better for me?

[crazycubtrio]

My honest opinion is to definitely use the 149 and repair the leaks. Swapping fenders would be easy except for the footrest bolts. If you can get them out even if you have to use heat it would benefit you to swap them out for stainless to prevent headaches down the road. I was raised on a 149 so I’m partial to those but if you consider the engine is mounted solid( unlike the 1650) and if your PTO on the 149 is tip top that makes it even more of a no brainer. BTW I’ve yet to see a 16 horse 1 lunger not jump all over the place at least at certain RPM’s. Good luck

[Slowgear]

Thanks for your input, crazycubtrio. Since I've never found an answer that really clarifies it for me...why are the isolation mounts on the quietlines undesirable (talking to those who fall on that side of the debate, of course!)? I get they are a maintenance item, but once they're in good shape wouldn't they make the tractor smoother and quieter? I'd think those would be attributes experienced owners appreciate. From what I gather, new replacement mounts should last 15+ years, on the low end? That hardly seems like a bothersome maintenance interval. Bur forgive me, I'm new here. Just trying to understand.
For what it's worth, I find myself appreciating the 149 more than the others so I've pulled a couple bits off the others to make the 149 as good as I can for current use. it now sports the best wheels/tires, rear wheel weights, a rear lift, about to get the fender which is already drilled for Windbreaker cab (and associated cab), 42" manual-angle plow, and I'm working on sorting out the QA42A snowthrower for it. It also turns out that the more I look at the 1650 the more problems I find (one of the rear iso-mounts is completely missing! Not sure how I missed that earlier). I am planning to rebuild the 1650 and I still think the 1650 should objectively be "better" just in terms of capabilities, technology, etc. But I do find myself subjectively liking the 149. Maybe it's just styling, maybe it's that it's currently in better running condition, I can't put my thumb on it exactly.

[mrfred54]

I'm in the same boat as you described, except I have a 129,149, and 1450. Of the three my go to is the 149. If the 129 was hyd. lift it would be as good as the 149. The 1450 always seem to have issues with the heat shrouds around the exhaust coming loose and rattling, even with new iso mounts. Seems to run cooler to with the side hoods removed.

[crazycubtrio]

You are certainly right about the iso mounts lasting after they’re replaced but my reasoning for choosing the 149 may be as simple as some of the quietline amenities may have been in my opinion over engineered. The need to mount the engine in rubber also meant needing rag joints at both ends of the driveshaft and as mentioned the dreaded tin around the muffler is a pain to keep in good shape as well. Don’t think I’m hating on them though because I have a1450 that is on permanent tiller duty and I love it for that but I’ve asked myself before if I could only have 1 cub what would it be the answer is always the 149

[jbrewer]

"I've somehow come into possession of three Cub Cadets"




It's like magic, isn't it?


We've all been there, brother!