1947 Farmall Cub!!

[AHS 1,440]

About 8 miles from me is my late great grandparents farm. My great grandfather, George, died in 1989. I always knew that his Farmall Cub was still a part of the farm. As I have been told the tractor has not left the farm in the past 50 to 55 years!! The tractor has been in the barn since 02 or 03, the last time it was ran. Monday the Farmall was sitting right out in the front of the garage; I whipped the truck right into the farm! I kinda know the owner of the farm and he said “the tractors for sale”, I said “how much?”, the owner said $500!!. I OWN IT!😀👍 I couldn’t begin to tell you the the memories I have with that tractor, I was born in 84, so I would have been 5 when George passed. The rides on that tractor, the sound when he used to start it up. It’s has a 6 volt positive ground.... which one goes to the starter? Power or ground? It has a sickle bar with an extra bar, extra zenith carb, the grill I have in the box as well as the muffler... it’s all there just the tractor looks used and put away wet.. it’s a 74 year old tractor😀. What do I use for oil... 10w-30? The owner of the farm said the tractors tired... “it runs great for about 30 minutes, and then she just goes south on you”. I can’t wait to hear it fire off for the first time! 😂tips and tricks for the old Farmall? I’m all ears...

[ebinmaine 67,461]

Absolutely love the family connection there!

 

@Stepney could give you some insight tips and tricks maybe.  

[Maxwell-8 4,275]

19 minutes ago, AHS said:

It’s has a 6 volt positive ground.... which one goes to the starter? Power or ground?

Great tractor! Have seen on here advertised for 2200$

We have an oldtimer car that has positiv ground, the + goes to the chassis. the negative goes to the solenoid.

 

Positive ground, then they used dynamo's instead of alternators.

 

Tractordata has a lot of info on these. 

https://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/004/6/8/4686-farmall-cub-engine.html

Edited May 26, 2021 by Maxwell-8

[Stepney 2,325]

They're a fun rig, I own a 1951 model.

1947 had some one year graphics I can't see on yours, and a different grille. Curious to see what your serial number is.
Battery POSITIVE goes to the ground near the shifter, battery negative goes up to the starter motor, and a smaller wire off the starter goes to the dash and generator. 

Use 30wt non detergent oil.. mine was utterly destroyed by using modern oil and having a block full of 70 year old farmer sludge.. DO NOT use detergent oil until you take the valve tappet cover and oil pan off, and are darn sure it's clean in there.. it'll turn into lapping compound..

 

[Stepney 2,325]

Oh, and as for the half hour stall.. probably just he condenser in the mag. Worst case it may need a coil, but that's not a terrible job. Mine has a 6v coil and distributor. Mag's are nice, only need the hand crank to move the machine. 

[pacer 3,169]

Thats the kind of stories that make it all worth it!! What a great find and with a great story besides.....

 

Heh! the positive ground brought to mind a tale - actually my wife and 12-14yr old son. I had rebuilt a 59 Jaguar Mark 1 for my wife and it had positive ground. She and son goes to a church function of some kind and the Jags Battery was dead when she went to leave. So naturally a kind fellow church member offered to 'jump' it off. So my son starts taking the back seat out and the guy says HUH! Son says thats where the batt is .... Oh, OK, heres the cables, you know how to hook it up? Son say sure and proceeds to hook them up ----- and the guy has a fit, youre doing it wrong you gonna mess something up, etc, etc. Wife has to jump in and convince the fella that this 12-14yr old knows what hes doing. Sure nuf it started and the guy was still scratching his head.....

[AHS 1,440]

12 minutes ago, Stepney said:

Oh, and as for the half hour stall.. probably just he condenser in the mag. Worst case it may need a coil, but that's not a terrible job. Mine has a 6v coil and distributor. Mag's are nice, only need the hand crank to move the machine. 

That’s what I thought. Just points, condenser, distributed cap.. ok so the neg goes to the starter and the positive go to ground. Makes sense in an upside down world!

[AHS 1,440]

32 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Absolutely love the family connection there!

 

@Stepney could give you some insight tips and tricks maybe.  

I had to get the bottom picture, where it was in front of the old red barn! Last time it will see that farm.

[Stepney 2,325]

2 minutes ago, AHS said:

That’s what I thought. Just points, condenser, distributed cap.. ok so the neg goes to the starter and the positive go to ground. Makes sense in an upside down world!

Positive ground is an interesting thing.. if it's really a 1947 it hardly even has a voltage regulator. That may be old enough for a cutout relay only.. with the manual charge.

If the light switch has 3 positions, you should have a normal regulator.

If it has FOUR. Far left is off, first click is 2a charge, second click is full 15a charge, and the next two clicks are headlights 'dim' and headlights 'dimmer'.. ahhh 6v..

 

If the genny works at all, and it is really that year, it would have that genny and switch. Never ever run it around all day on the high charge setting, your battery will fry..

 

Yep.. hook up your battery backwards and listen to the Dragging Delco sing it's song..

I-dont---wanna-I---dont-wanna..

[Maxwell-8 4,275]

That positive ground is something the British continued to do even in the late '60. 

[oldlineman 1,481]

Nice looking tractor, I have my fathers 1946 Farmall culti vision A. It has 6 V positive ground, but we just crank it, starts very easy. I use Rotella 30 in mine doesn't get run in the winter. It has an oil filter cartridge. Have fun with it, they don't make em like that any more. Bob 

[AHS 1,440]

2 hours ago, oldlineman said:

Nice looking tractor, I have my fathers 1946 Farmall culti vision A. It has 6 V positive ground, but we just crank it, starts very easy. I use Rotella 30 in mine doesn't get run in the winter. It has an oil filter cartridge. Have fun with it, they don't make em like that any more. Bob 

No, sir! I’m interested to find out what’s what.  Just to sit up on it, running, a smile ear to ear... like George used to!

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

Do your self a favor, and join the Farmall Cub Forum:  http://www.farmallcub.com/phpBB2/  After your second posts, you can access their manual's section and download a bunch of literature on the Cub.  Plus those guys know the Cub inside and out.

 

I also have a '47 Cub.  The earlier '47s had the circled "Cub" emblem on the doglegs.  The later '47s did not.  The Cub was made from 1947 to 1978, and had a few changes over the years.

[AHS 1,440]

2 hours ago, T-Mo said:

Do your self a favor, and join the Farmall Cub Forum:  http://www.farmallcub.com/phpBB2/  After your second posts, you can access their manual's section and download a bunch of literature on the Cub.  Plus those guys know the Cub inside and out.

 

I also have a '47 Cub.  The earlier '47s had the circled "Cub" emblem on the doglegs.  The later '47s did not.  The Cub was made from 1947 to 1978, and had a few changes over the years.

I have so many questions. It’s earlier than a ignition coil. The ignition coil goes to where?? It’s cool that I have an old Cub, but my great grandfathers old Cub! I want to be careful on the wiring of the Cub! Thank you!😀

[seuadr 488]

 

15 hours ago, AHS said:

 I OWN IT!😀👍 I couldn’t begin to tell you the the memories I have with that tractor, I was born in 84, so I would have been 5 when George passed. The rides on that tractor, the sound when he used to start it up. It’s has a 6 volt positive ground

 

That is awesome!

2 hours ago, T-Mo said:

Do your self a favor, and join the Farmall Cub Forum:  http://www.farmallcub.com/phpBB2/  After your second posts, you can access their manual's section and download a bunch of literature on the Cub.  Plus those guys know the Cub inside and out.

 

I also have a '47 Cub.  The earlier '47s had the circled "Cub" emblem on the doglegs.  The later '47s did not.  The Cub was made from 1947 to 1978, and had a few changes over the years.

 

i didn't realize they were made all the way till 78!

 

 

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

If your Cub doesn't have the safety fuel cap, you can used the serial number and send it to here to get a free one:  https://www.ihgascap.com/index.aspx  There was a safety recall back in the 70s and Navistar is still honoring it until the supply runs out.

 

Here is a video of my '47 Cub being driven last summer:  

 

[AHS 1,440]

@T-Mo you rebuilt that? I’m overwhelmed by mine.. just get it running, and that’ll tell what’s next.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

No, I picked it up a few years ago and only did some minor things to it.

[AHS 1,440]

@T-Mo I drained the quarter gallon of gas from the Cub and put a smidge of dry gas in it,  and put it in the 414-8 and mowed with it today! It didn’t smell bad!?😀 Ya, I’m glad I joined the Farmall gang. This site is much more manageable  to use thou than that Farmall site! (Just give me a few years and then it’ll be as easy as pie!)

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

The Farmall site dates back to the late 90s, so it's been around for a while.  Posting pictures is a bit harder as it needs to be a certain size in pixels and file size.  But you'll get the hang of it.  After your second post, you can download all the files you can dream of.

[AHS 1,440]

In the morning, I read the owner’s manual to the Cub, all 66 pages of it... I’m on page 30...and another cup of coffee gone! The manual is  beyond excellent in detail! It tells you how to time your engine!  There is no water pump, it a thermosyphen system. As simple as it gets! I’m going to change all the fluids. The oil is like the color of coffee, and the thickness! 😳. The amount of oil, flip up cap to oil this and that, (in the bearings and in the air cleaner) and the million grease points.... would make it last 74 years! The lack of maintenance, which has been done to this tractor... will soon be done again! I have taken out all the spark plugs, and looking down in the valve chamber and the spark plugs... they looks clean! I’m hoping for a good compression test!

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

Be sure you drain the transmission and refill.  The PTO shares the same reservoir as the transmission, but it also has a fill port as well as the transmission.  The final drives have to be filled separately from each other and from the transmission as well.

[AHS 1,440]

20 hours ago, T-Mo said:

Be sure you drain the transmission and refill.  The PTO shares the same reservoir as the transmission, but it also has a fill port as well as the transmission.  The final drives have to be filled separately from each other and from the transmission as well.

Ok, the transmission takes 3.5 qu of sae 90...  I’m gonna try for sae 90, but may end up with 90w-80. So the PTO shares some of that 3.5 qu that it take to fill up the transmission? The touch control... it says IH touch control fluid/ hy- Tran fluid .. 4 1/4 qu. What do I get? Just hydraulic fluid?

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

I never had to touch the touch control on my '47, or my '50.  It's a good question to ask at the Cub forum site.  And yes, the PTO shares the same housing as the transmission, but it does have it's own fill port.  When I change my transmission oil, I drained it, and then opened up both fill ports.  I added most of the oil to the transmission fill port, but added a bit to the PTO fill port as well to be sure it was lubricated before operation.  But, in essence, it shares the same reservoir as the transmission.

[AHS 1,440]

On 6/1/2021 at 9:09 AM, T-Mo said:

Be sure you drain the transmission and refill.  The PTO shares the same reservoir as the transmission, but it also has a fill port as well as the transmission.  The final drives have to be filled separately from each other and from the transmission as well.

 

On 6/3/2021 at 5:14 AM, T-Mo said:

I never had to touch the touch control on my '47, or my '50.  It's a good question to ask at the Cub forum site.  And yes, the PTO shares the same housing as the transmission, but it does have it's own fill port.  When I change my transmission oil, I drained it, and then opened up both fill ports.  I added most of the oil to the transmission fill port, but added a bit to the PTO fill port as well to be sure it was lubricated before operation.  But, in essence, it shares the same reservoir as the transmission.

I just ran Napa fluid, it says it’s equal to the hy-trans fluid.