Which Farmall should I buy?

[pickerandsinger]

Just to give my 2 cents in the form of an example....I mow 2 flat acres with a Farmall Cub lo boy , now with a flail mower, but in the past with a C3 belly mower...I have another Cub that I plowed, well over 10 feet of snow with last year during December until mid January..( then I beat feet for Florida ) .....I snow plowed about 150 yards or more and cleaned in front of my barn and a short driveway to my garage/shoppe....I plowed about every 6 inches...Plowed or moved snow everyday..I was busy... .I have a Cub set up to garden plow and cultivate with...I am mechanical enough to be dangerous so I do all my work from rebuilds to maintenance on the Cubs....I have about 20 acres of woods...Logging with a cub to me would be out of the question...But if you have open timber it probably could be done...Others do it...I'd get a crawler of some sort....Or a 4 wd tractor at least...If I wasn't retired I'd put a plow on my 4wd pickup for plowing snow...Bout it from here...Go to some Cub Fests and talk to some guys who do the work your thinking of doing...Take Care Dave

[muleboss]

I think Barnyard and Jim said it best. I have several of both and I can do most anything I want with a cub. My opinion is a C is not a good choice for what you described. Mostly too big. If you pull wheels in to make it narrow for tight spots then you have axles sticking out to catch things with.
I would start small and see what happens.

YOU WILL NEVE BE HAPPIER THAN WHEN ON A CUB.

Just my opinion.

[ntrenn]

A cub is 10 hp on a good day. It does a good job at just about any job you can throw at it...but.....it does the job in little bites...not big chomps. Ive mowed acres and acres of pasture land with the woods 42...You cant get in a hurry.

I currently mow about 2 acres with the cub and 59...does as good a job as the $10000 zero turn next door.

Ive moved logs that you would swear a cub couldnt budge...but it is still limited by that same 10 hp.

The cub is darned good with snow...the blade out front is so much better than twisting around with a rear blade...and it can handle a foot or so when you have to.

A 140 or super A is scary dangerous for the untrained....but brings 20 hp or so...and does everything bigger and faster than a cub.

Never did like the C....

[DickB]

Lots of variations, year...type and all that, condition, equipment that are considered by some to be important when considering a Farmall Cub. I'd suggest that you look into all of these, and take a look, too, at some of the fellows on the website here who might find/restore (to near perfection...why not?) a Cub of your choice for you...if you don't hanker for restoration and extensive repairs on your own. Put the word out here, or probably on the Vine forum. You'll probably get some responses of people near enough to you that a day trip would be possible.

I've noticed some who came on this site seeking a bargain and ended up sorry to make a poor choice due to a lack of knowledge and lose their tractor funds.

[Willy]

I'm currently looking at a 1939 Cub with chains, plow and mower

Either a Cub or Super A will do what you want. Stay away from a plain "A" they are a bit different than a Super A.

Cubs were not produced until 1947 so look carefully at what you buy. And, Remember, "Restored" doesn't mean they are any good.

Welcome to the Forum!

Ditto on "Restored". Mine was "restored" in 2004 for my late father in law. Basically all that was done, get it running, 12 volt conversion, new paint and decals and seat cover. After about a year of parades and shows, the hydraulics needed work and he'd got a very high quote on that, so it was parked until I got it last fall and got it back to running while rebuilding the hydraulic pump which turned a heck of a lot cheaper than the the $1000 quote he'd got on it. Now, it's back to being a "workin tractor" instead of a showgirl.

I was needing a small tractor for jobs like you described and we already had the Cub in the back of the shop covered in "debris". It just needed to be "woke up" and taken out of retirement. If I was looking to buy a Farmall for what I use the Cub for, I'd have bought a Super A. I don't know about your area, but around here, I rarely see anything other than plows and cultivators for Farmalls. As a result, I've been fabricating what I need for it. Fortunately, I already had those skills.

I'm not trying to scare you off of a Cub, just giving a heads up on what I've been up against since last October. But it's also been a ton of fun and I'd do it again.

[Stanton]

A lot of good advice. Since you posted this yesterday, I'm assuming you don't need a tractor right away.

The Maine CubFest will take about 4 hours drive time, but would be worth it, even on short notice (this Saturday). There you'll find a lot of knowledgeable people. But the Power of the Red event in Dublin is only 15 minutes away from you--no conceivable reason NOT to attend. When you get there, find the IH Collector's Club Chapter 18 tent, introduce yourself and start asking questions. Take your camera and get plenty of pictures of each type of Farmall that interests you. If done right, by the time you leave, your head will be spinning--but that's good.

On another note: Welcome to the forum!

Now that you have more than 2 posts, you can access all the manuals on the server. They’re located under the "Quick Links" pull-down menu in the upper left of the screen. Go to "PDF Manuals", then scroll down and select whatever manual interests you. If you're interested in a Cub, we'd suggest downloading the Owner's Manual first and taking some time to read it. Many questions you may have will be answered there. Then, as far as working on a Cub, there are Service Manuals and other information that will be helpful. There are many implement manuals available as well.

We'd also encourage you to read:

• "Welcome Wagon"
• "How to Upload Pictures..."
• "Forum Rules..."
• "How To Forum"

Use the "Search" box in the upper right of the screen. It will locate answers to many of your questions.

Here's a good thread in the How To Forum for new-to-you Cub owners: What to do with a Cub you just brought home

Glad to have you here.

[J3 Driver]

As started a cub will do what you want. Just might be slower then others. I have multiple tractors. And each one has good points for some jobs and bad points for others.

I highly recommend a dedicated mowing machine. Wether it be a zero turn or front mount. Especially if you have a lot to mow around.

I have a JD F525 front mount for mowing and love it. I can make circles around things without having to trim. It’s highly maneuverable and cut my mowing time down significantly.

Then we have JD955 with loader. This is my woods tractor. Great for hauling in firewood and the like.

My son has a cub. And we use it also in the woods to pull trailers of wood, the splitter and in the winter we plow snow with it.

I wouldn’t want to mow with it since it sits up kinda high and no independent PTO. but man are cubs fun to play with.

I don’t know what your budget I or storage space looks like but this is the way I’d go.

[SONNY]

Well, odd man out here,---- BUT a 404 or 504 with standard 3-pt, power steering, 540 pto ( 504 is lpto, 404 not) would be low to ground due to them being utility models and very stable on side hills, good power to take on anything you will encounter, PLUS you can add the loader if and when you ever need or want to.
Loaders are an evil necessity so don't rule them out.
I have both 404 and 504.-- I mow very steep ditches with them and have not yet had one go over.--cubs and a's, I won't take mine on hills, don't trust them. They are great little tractors, but have limits just like everything else. thanks; sonny

[Denny Clayton]

Check the Vine. There’s a Cub and mower recently listed from NH.

[jsfarmall]

I love my cubs but at times I wish I had more weight and power. 2 acres to regularly mow I would look for more ponies than the cub has. Super A minimum. Super c or H would be great. The H will be taller so low limbs may be a problem.

[ShawnAgne]

I have a Cub and I have a 300. Love both, Cub is lacking on horsepower even with my 184 motor you still get it with RPM. The 300 definitely has the HP to mow. If you were to buy one tractor that will have enough power but won't cause your wife to ask you why you like to mow with a farming tractor I would do a Super A/100/130/140. Personally I think the 100s look really sharp and I want to get one. Just need to get the wife to come around to the idea.......

[rexxon]

Find a IH utility tractor

[outdoors4evr]

Have you considered the time element of mowing?
A Farmall Cub moves forward in 2nd gear at about 3.2mph. With a 60" mower, you can mow about 1.75 acres per hour.
(Speed is comparable to the 184 for the new international cub built in the late 70's)
An International Loboy 184 moves forward in 2nd gear at about 4.6mph. With a 60" mower, you can mow about 2.51 acres per hour.

A Super A moves forward in 2nd gear at 3.6mph. With a 60" mower, you can mow about 1.96 acres per hour.
A Super A moves forward in 3rd gear at 4.8mph. With a 60" mower, you can mow about 2.62 acres per hour. (not all mowing conditions will allow for this gear to be used)

These calculations allow for a 10% loss / overlap. Basically mowing an open lawn with no obstacles or trees.