New Farmall Cub Owner

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,565]

As much as I like the garden tractors, I have a few and have own probably literally 100s over the years, I always wanted a bigger tractor.  My first choice would be a John Deere two cylinder one, like a H, M, 40, or maybe a L or LA, but most I've seen are above my budget, and most of the ones that I've seen for sale, except the L and LA which hardly ever come up for sale, are tri-fronts, which I hate.  My second choice has always been a Farmall Cub, preferably the earlier red standard ones.  So, I have been on the hunt for one.  I've seen and drove several over the past several weeks.  I narrow it down to a '52 and a '47.

 

I ended up choosing the '47 mainly because of the owners.  They are an elderly couple who are now developing health related issues.  They have the Cub and a Farmall M that they take to shows and parades, but now have to quit and sell off their tractors.  He is a retired mechanic, so the tractors are in great shape, cosmetically and mechanically.  He is going deaf and she is now in the early stages of Alzheimer's.  She fell and hit her head on the M at their last show, so they knew it was time to stop.  They are a great couple, honest, and really nice people.

 

I felt like I would be honored to own their little Cub and so the choice on which one I would buy was really influenced by them.  I know you shouldn't be influenced by emotion when purchasing things, but it just felt right.   I found a couple of tractors that had wheel weights, implements, and attachments, but the tractor had to be right.  I can always buy implements over time when they become available, plus I'm just north of JP Tractor Salvage in Fredricktown, Missouri which has the rear wheel weights for $65 a set, and I have a set of the front wheel weights that I have been using on the rear wheels of my garden tractors.  JP has plenty of implements and/or can get them in as they get new inventory all the time.

 

1947 was the first year of the Cub.

 

 

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,398]

Nice looking machine. I too like those cubs. You are going to have to find a bigger shed to store that one. 

[JC 1965 1,532]

Love that little tractor. It really looks great. Congrats and thanks for the photos.    

[Mike'sHorseBarn 3,144]

Very Nice! I have a 52 with a belly mower that my dad and I rescued from a the weeds behind an elderly lady's house. I mow around the fields with it in the summer and haul firewood in the winter. Those little cubs are great machines!!

[pfrederi 18,335]

Too pretty to use.

[Achto 28,801]

That is a great looking tractor @T-Mo!   I'm sure that you'll get a lot of pleasure out of it. My dad had a '48 restored & a '49 still in her work cloths. Both of these are still part of our family. Question: Did you get the rest of the battery box with it? I noticed that the cover is missing.

Edited June 20, 2017 by Achto

[Jerry77 1,218]

Sweet !    I'm jealous...

[cschannuth 3,817]

Nice tractor and a nice story. 

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,565]

1 hour ago, Achto said:

That is a great looking tractor @T-Mo!   I'm sure that you'll get a lot of pleasure out of it. My dad had a '48 restored & a '49 still in her work cloths. Both of these are still part of our family. Question: Did you get the rest of the battery box with it? I noticed that the cover is missing.

Yes, the battery box cover came with it.  The guy kept it off because he kept a battery tender on the battery.  BTW, the tractor has been converted over already to a 12V system.

[ronwh 190]

Nice tractor T-Mo, that will put you over in the big field at plow day this fall.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,565]

1 hour ago, ronwh said:

Nice tractor T-Mo, that will put you over in the big field at plow day this fall.

Yeah, but I need a plow and a couple of other things to plow with.

[WHX?? 50,776]

Internationals like that are on every tractor person's bucket list I think!

[oldlineman 1,495]

My dad has an 1946 A just a bigger brother to the cub. I guess it will be mine someday he is 92 years old and will be 93 in August.

[Sparky-(Admin) 22,151]

Would love to own a machine like that. Storage would be tricky!!

  Mike....

[Ken B 3,165]

Congrats T-Mo! I have also been looking for a nice Cub for yrs. now. My brother had a few of them a few yrs. ago that were nice like yours. They have such a nice sound to them, almost pleasant sounding to the ear... Lots of fun to put to some work as well. Like a Wheel Horse they become a part of the family, I bet the elderly couple was very happy to see the Cub go to a good home.

[slim67 2,744]

Nice tractor for sure. I dont have enough land to need one thats why I always liked the RJs and Suburbans. They look like the offspring of a Cub. Round hoods and Ag tires.

[rmaynard 15,927]

Man does that bring back some memories. My dad bought a 1947 or 48 (never was sure of the year) back in 1962. I was 12 years old and thought I was Mario Andretti when he taught me how to operate it. As a young teenager, I plowed snow, plowed the garden, used the sickle bar, and anything else that my dad wanted me to do. My brother still has it and had plans to restore it, but like many other projects, life gets in the way.

[slim67 2,744]

3 hours ago, Ken B said:

Congrats T-Mo! I have also been looking for a nice Cub for yrs. now. My brother had a few of them a few yrs. ago that were nice like yours. They have such a nice sound to them, almost pleasant sounding to the ear... Lots of fun to put to some work as well. Like a Wheel Horse they become a part of the family, I bet the elderly couple was very happy to see the Cub go to a good home.

Yes they do have great sound to the engine. I'm glad someone else feels like I do. My neighbors where I grew up had one of the later models when they were yellow and white. I think they may still have it only the turf tires were replaced with ags.

[Rollerman 290]

Very nice Terry!

Cub's are sharp little tractors.

I had a 68 IH Cub W/59" Woods mower I used to mow with, 68's had the squared off hood with the IH logo.

I recently traded the Cub for a Grasshopper 718 W/52" deck & couldn't be happier.

They are fun hobby-collector tractors, just not great workers compared to more modern equipment,

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,565]

8 hours ago, Rollerman said:

Very nice Terry!

Cub's are sharp little tractors.

I had a 68 IH Cub W/59" Woods mower I used to mow with, 68's had the squared off hood with the IH logo.

I recently traded the Cub for a Grasshopper 718 W/52" deck & couldn't be happier.

They are fun hobby-collector tractors, just not great workers compared to more modern equipment,

Hey, Stephen.  It's been a while since we heard from you on here.  I see your posts on FB all the time.  I miss our little chats we had over the phone when I first started here on RS and with Wheel Horses in general.

 

To be honest, I just wanted a Cub.  I like the looks of them and they can be somewhat functional, as long as you realize their limitations.   I going to have to learn what those limitations are, I'm sure.

[Rollerman 290]

11 hours ago, T-Mo said:

Hey, Stephen.  It's been a while since we heard from you on here.  I see your posts on FB all the time.  I miss our little chats we had over the phone when I first started here on RS and with Wheel Horses in general.

 

To be honest, I just wanted a Cub.  I like the looks of them and they can be somewhat functional, as long as you realize their limitations.   I going to have to learn what those limitations are, I'm sure.

Marlene & I just graduated to high speed internet!

So now that it doesn't take minutes to load a thread.... I'm hoping to make more of a showing around here now, but I'll admit I'm a little lost.

 

I really liked my Cub, but as a primary mowing tractor it was giving me fits.

The high profile put me into tree limbs.

The weight & skinny tires was making for ruts.

 

I used to have a 53 Cub that did a better job mowing.

It felt stronger & had the IH branded 59" deck.

I've read the IH decks spun a little faster than the Wood's?

Anyways with my 68 it took me a little over an hour to mow my back acre & a day later it didn't even look cut.

It also took a lot of realistate in my small garage.

 

One of these days when I get my barn built I may look for another, or one of the Ford N's that TT thinks so highly of...

Just for a toy.

 

Didn't mean to come across negative.

Cubs are really neat little tractors.

But to mow with one...you have to really want to.

Edited July 20, 2017 by Rollerman

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,565]

I have other tractors and a John Deere commercial zero turn for mowing.  So, the Cub won't be seeing any mowing duties, though I would like to find a 22 Sickle Mower for it.  I just bought a 54A leveling and grading blade for it, so that will go on it for the time being.  I would also like to find a 193 moldboard plow, or a 194 plow, but I need a fast hitch for that, and they are expensive.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,565]

I posted this in another thread, but here is my '47 Cub alongside my 551.  The largest and smallest tractors I have.