Bought a Cub, now what?

[livemusic]

I bought a Cub at an estate sale along with a bunch of other stuff, so, I don't really know how much I paid for it lol. Hopefully, I can get it running. I knew the family. The old man died about five years ago; he had bought it from his own mother in 1969. I think she bought it in 1956. The tractor was hers before him; she never owned a car, went to the general store to get groceries and put them in a box on back of the Cub. Cool history!

I don't exactly what model it is, all it says is Cub.

The widow of the old man is about 85 years old and she doesn't know when it was last cranked. I actually got the original manual from her! She hand wrote maintenance stuff in it over the years.

I have no idea how many years it's been since it ran last but the old man used it for decades. I doubt it has been cranked for several years. So, will it crank, that's the question. Wondering what all I should do before attempting.

My brother has a garden and he has drooled for a Cub for a long time. He owns a Kubota and it's alright but not quite big enough, actually. Like a real big lawn tractor. If I could get the Cub going, he might use it some for plowing. I also got a turning plow, a single and I guess it goes to the Cub. My buddy wondered if the Cub could even pull it.

I got a disc harrow thing; I think it has 8 discs. It appears to be in pretty good shape. I also got a platform/box thing that I guess the old lady hauled her groceries in.

All of the implements I got have a 1-point attachment, I guess it stabs in the back of the Cub.

I have some land that has about 7 acres of pasture and it needs to be mowed once/twice a year. I am wondering if this Cub can even handle it IF I can get it running. Probably not the first time, for sure, as I have some small saplings. I got a bush hog with it. It has 4 pulleys, looks like a belt driven bush hog, has one blade under the deck. Are these old bush hogs worth a flip? This one got some use because the deck is worn. Looks like Willie's guitar, worn through in a couple spots.

What all would you do before attempting to crank? It has a 6-volt battery. I don't know if my battery charger would even charge a 6-volt, gotta check into that. I could also try to borrow a battery from somebody. I don't want to buy one and then not be able to even crank it. This old battery is either circa 2002 or 2012, the sticker has the 2 and I think the 0 is also punched.

Thanks if you can advise. My brother and I do know a few locals who are real good with old equipment.

EDIT: Holy cow, I found the following thread, should I do all of that just to see if it will crank? (http://www.farmallcub.com/phpBB2/viewto ... 45&t=16305)

[tomcat]

Welcome to the Forum there will be plenty of cub gurus that will give you plenty of information before long

[staninlowerAL]

Before you try to turn the engine over, prime the oil pump. Use the search function at the top right corner of this page and you should find instructions and pictures. Post once more and you can access the manuals section at the Quick Links tab, top left corner of this page where you will find lots of information about your cub. Your LA zip code puts you near a CUBFEST, where there is much to be learned about these tractors. Check out the TRACTOR SHOW AND EVENTS subforum, there's one every year at Bogalusa. Welcome to the FORUM and enjoy the ride.

[rockfarmer]

Welcome to the forum...Priming the oil pump is a critical step that should be done before trying to crank it. There are a couple different options to prime the oil pump. Pull the oil filter cap and remove the filter. Prime thru the hole in the filter housing is the easiest IMO. Also, make sure the carburetor is not leaking fuel when trying to crank it, and get in the seat. Put the transmission in neutral. Do not push in the clutch while cranking. If it starts, do not allow the rpm's to get too high, max is 1800 on some of the earlier cubs.

Pictures need to be resized before attaching.

[Glen]

Hi,
Welcome to the website.
Yes, the items in the link you posted are all part of Farmall Cub maintenance.
You don't need to do all the items if you just want to run the engine, but they all should be done to use the tractor, if nobody has done any service to it in years.

Below is a page with a post I made about priming the oil pump, it is about half way down the page. It shows where to prime it.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=91765&start=60

Below is the 1955 Cub owner's manual. The experts on here recommend that people read it, it has much info about operation, maintenance, and lubrication. There is a table of contents on page 1.
It explains how to do most or all the items in the link you posted.
I don't know if the manual you got with the Cub is this manual or not.

http://farmallcub.com/rudi_cub/www.clea ... index.html

I would check or change all the oils before using the Cub.
The transmission commonly gets water in it, from rain, or condensation inside the case.
The trans holds 3 1/2 pints of oil. The filler plug is on top of the trans, to the rear of the shifter.
The level plug is low on the left side, fill it only to there.
The drain plug is on the bottom of the trans, visible from under the platform.

Then there are 2 final drives, each with it's own oil to check. The owner's manual shows how. Good luck.

It sounds like the Cub has the IH Fast Hitch, it was an option, and makes rear implements easier to put on. It is shown in the owner's manual, on pages 18 - 20.

A Cub will plow pretty good with the one bottom Cub plow.
Below is the Cub 194 Plow owner's manual, it is the one bottom, Fast Hitch plow.

http://farmallcub.com/rudi_cub/www.clea ... index.html

[k hutchins]

If it's a 6v system it should be a positive ground. Keep that in mind before you try to "jump" it.
I would check the oil level, anti freeze level, prime the oil pump, and drain old gas. I would then put about a half gal of fresh gas in it, then try to crank it over.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

[livemusic]

k hutchins said "If it's a 6v system it should be a positive ground. Keep that in mind before you try to "jump" it."

I don't know what I should keep in mind lol. I have found a few articles about jumpstarting, everything from "you can't" to "yes, you can."

Can you hand crank the motor? I haven't found a crank if it has one but I don't know where it would be. Or would it be attached to the front of the Cub?

[k hutchins]

All l meant was don't try to hook cables or a charge booster to it the normal way, sparks will fly.
You could hand crank it, but if it doesn't have a magneto, then you need a battery. If your intent in "cranking" it is to check if the engine is siexed and not start it, you do that by rotating the fan.

[Glen]

Hi,
The hand crank is separate from the tractor. If it a mid 1950's Cub, and it originally had a starter, and lights, it probably did not come with a crank.
I think Jim Becker posted info about that in the past, saying that IH quit supplying a crank with the Cubs in the mid 1950's, if the Cub had the starting and lighting package.

The crank goes into the hole on the front of the Cub, at the bottom of the grille.
Below is a page from the owner's manual I posted above, showing hand cranking the engine, it is page 9.

http://farmallcub.com/rudi_cub/www.clea ... e%2009.jpg

Below is a pic of a Cub crank.