Dream of Owning IH Cub Cadet

By Loretta Sorensen
Published on January 3, 2014
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by Loren Ritter
Loren’s steel-wheeled Cub “Original” — a one-of-a-kind modification — is his favorite so far.

Boyhood dreams don’t always become reality. But rural Minnesota-born and -raised Loren Ritter is the happy exception to that rule. He was so young when International Harvester Cub Cadets first captured his imagination that he cannot today remember his exact age at that time. His fascination with these early lawn and garden vehicles goes back to the 1960s, when Cub Cadets were a key feature in IH showrooms.

“Growing up on the farm, my twin sister and my brother and I made weekly trips to Freeport, Minn., with Dad when he delivered oats and corn to a feed mill so they could grind it and deliver it back to us,” Loren says. “When we stopped at the IH dealer, I couldn’t resist sitting on the seat of one of the Cub Cadets. It really caught my attention. I never forgot that experience.”

Building a collection

Years passed before Loren — who lives in Pequot Lakes, Minn. — could make his dreams of owning an International Harvester Cub Cadet a reality. In 2000 he learned that a co-worker had replaced his 1964 Cub Cadet Model 70 with a new lawn mower. The well-used but still running Cub Cadet was for sale. “That was the first Cub Cadet I restored,” Loren says. “After that I really got the bug to find more.” Then came a 1968 Cub Cadet Model 124. The unit had engine problems, but its owner wasn’t interested in repairing it. Loren was happy to add it to his growing collection.

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