Farmall Cub - new to me

[BartVD]

Hello,
I'm Bart from Belgium.
I just bought a Cub and like to know more of it.

Here some photos of it :




I like to know if it is a US or France built one.
I can't find the serial number, tag plate is sandblasted.
Where else can I find it ?

I have found the engine serial number : FCUBM127849

And some other codes : 12*20*1 , is this a date?

Any info is welcome.

[inairam]

Bart from the Cub database that engine sn would put it in the 1951 range

year tractor sn engine sn block pn
1951 124742 127476
1951 125489 128378
1951 125923 251341R2
1951 126033 128649

which is would put it made in February 1951.

The carb looks to be IH and not the Solex used in the Fench cubs. Their rear wheels also look to be high crop which are very rare. Can you read the size numbers off of the tires?

[staninlowerAL]

Hello,
I'm Bart from Belgium.
I like to know if it is a US or France built one.
I can't find the serial number, tag plate is sandblasted.
Where else can I find it ?

I have found the engine serial number : FCUBM127849

And some other codes : 12*20*1 , is this a date?

Any info is welcome.

Hi Bart, welcome to the Forum. Now that you have 3 posts you can access and download information about IH and Farmall tractors by viewing this information at the Quick links tab at the upper left corner of this page. The appearance of the tractor in your pictures indicate that it is US built. The following information applies to US made Cubs:
1. The tractor serial number is only found on the metal tag that is fastened to the front bolster, just below the steering rod. It is stamped into the metal and if yours is not readable you can try to remove the tag and see if the numbers are visible from the back side of the tag.
2. The engine serial number indicates that it was made probably in the early 1950's. View the CUB DATABASE in Raymond Durban's post on the FARMALL CUB forum page and you can see lots of information about the tractors and when changes were made during the production run from beginning to end of production. Click on this link to view it: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=87029
3. Look closely at the casting code that you found, clean it well and maybe remove some of the paint. This indicates that the casting was made in December 20. If the last figure is a letter T instead of 1, then the year is 1950. The Cub Info list at the top of this page will show you the Serial Number range for the different years of production. Click on this link to view the lists: app.php/page/cub-information
4. Keep in mind that many/most parts for these tractors are interchangable. A casting code that is different from most of the other casting codes on parts on the tractor might mean that a later or earlier part was substituted for the original one. Stan in Lower Alabama USA

[staninlowerAL]

....rear wheels also look to be high crop which are very rare. Can you read the size numbers off of the tires?

Maybe you can check the size of the front tires also. A "high crop" cub tractor would have 15 inch wheels on the front instead of the usual 12 inch wheels. Here's a picture of a HIGH CROP CUB and a LoBoy CUB:

[BartVD]

Thanks for the info.
Some more photos.

2nd date code, on the rear axle.

[Barnyard]

Definitely hi-crop rears and standard fronts.

With a December 1950 date code, I would venture to say your Cub is a 1951. It is not a French Cub.

[tinnerjohn]

Welcome aboard Bart. If anyone can help you figure this out, these guys can.

John

[Jim Becker]

Looks to me like an early 1951 tractor. Seems like part of your serial number is still showing on your plate. Try illuminating it from the sides at different angles to see if more can be read.

By the way, your swinging drawbar is not properly installed. It should be pinned through a hole in the cross bar. It also looks like your regular drawbar is bottom side up.

[staninlowerAL]

Casting codes shown 2 26 T = Feb. 26 1950, Ser. Nbr. range 99536-121453. If your post above with a casting code 12 20 T could mean that the engine block was probably changed for some reason but if it is 2 20 T then it fits with the ones in your second post. Early cubs had a problem with the mounting point to the bolster breaking. Not implying that your tractor had that problem, just that the engine block casting is later in the year than your other pictures. Your engine part number 251341R2 shown above in your first post tells that your engine is the revision part number as indicated by the R2. The Cub Database shows that the change from R1 to R2 blocks probably occurred in November 1948 and that your block was well after the date that R2 blocks were in production. Another conclusion from all this is that your tractor is an early 1950 production with an engine block that was made in December 1950 and had the engine block changed for some reason. If you are really interested then check all the major castings for codes and see when the majority of them were made. My personal experience with this dating is that I have a 1976 Longstripe that was probably made mid year by the casting codes ranging from November 1975 through March 1976, but the SN plate is missing before I got the tractor so I'll never know for sure.

[Jim Becker]

Casting codes shown 2 26 T = Feb. 26 1950, . . .

I read that code as 12 26 T, December 26, 1950. That is in close agreement with the other code pictured. Six days apart is actually surprisingly close. All evidence shown indicates an early 1951 build, built in the US.

[Glen]

Hi,
There are casting date codes on the larger castings on Cubs. They tell the date when the parts were made. They use a letter for the year.
Below is info from TM Tractor showing what the codes are.

http://www.tmtractor.com/id/id_004.htm

The info below shows where the codes are.
The code on the clutch housing is usually partly behind the clutch pedal.
The code on the last part on the page, the steering gear housing, usually can't be seen with the tractor assembled.

http://www.tmtractor.com/id/castdate_loc.htm

Stan, the month in his picture of the transmission date code looks like a 12 to me, only part of the 1 is visible in the pic, the upper part of it.
So the date agrees with the engine code.

The letter on the engine code looks like a T, not a 1, so that is 1950 also, like the trans pic shows.

Sometimes the numbers and letters don't show well.

You didn't post a pic of the right side of the Cub, since it is a 1951, if it hasn't been changed by someone, it should have the voltage regulator below the generator on a mounting plate, and it probably has a Battery Ignition unit.
Those came out during 1950.

The French Cubs were made beginning in 1955, the serial number list for them shows.
All of them I have seen on here have the next style of hood and grille after the hood and grille yours has.
They don't have the 3 ribs on each side of the hood.
They have metal names on the hood.

Below are pics.
The 1st pic from TM Tractor, at the bottom of the page, shows a new serial number plate the style that a 1950 Cub has. It has no model name or numbers on it. They have to be put on after you buy the plate. The pic is so you can see what it originally looked like.
The 2nd and 3rd pics show French Cubs.

[Glen]

Hi,
The Cub operator's manual can help you learn about maintenance that the Cub needs.

There is a 1952 Cub operator's manual at the upper left of the page, at Quick links, then go to PDF Manuals.
The experts on here recommend people read it. It has lots of info about operation, maintenance, and lubrication. There is a table of contents on page 1.
It shows how Cubs originally looked in it. The lube section begins on page 14.
I can't post the manual here.

It shows the electrical system that a 1951 Cub originally had.
Cubs made before mid 1964 originally had 6 volt, positive ground electrical systems.
They have said on here that IH didn't make a new operator's manual every year.

The Touch Control uses Case IH Hy-Tran fluid. It is sold at Case IH dealers, but your Cub doesn't have Touch Control. Someone else might like to know.
There are other brands, be sure it works with IH hydraulic systems before buying one.
The manual tells how to check and change the Touch Control fluid, and remove the air from the system.
Be sure to check the fluid with the arms in the rear, or down position, the manual says.

I would check or change all the oils before using the Cub. Using it with low oil in a gear housing can damage the parts in the housing.
There are 3 separate gear housings, with 3 separate oil levels to check, in the rear area of a Cub, the transmission, and 2 final drives.

The transmissions in Cubs commonly get water in them, from rain, or condensation inside the housing over time.

The air cleaner is an oil bath air cleaner. Dirt that is sucked in settles to the bottom of the oil cup. It should have clean, light motor oil in the oil cup to work right.

There is a search box at the top of the page, to the right of the Farmall Cub, you can find info in posts that have been made.

[Eugene]

Prime the oil pump before attempting to start the engine.

The IH C-60 engine has a tendency for the valves to stick if the engine sits for a while. Stuck engine, check the valves first.

[staninlowerAL]

Casting codes shown 2 26 T = Feb. 26 1950, . . .

I read that code as 12 26 T, December 26, 1950. That is in close agreement with the other code pictured. Six days apart is actually surprisingly close. All evidence shown indicates an early 1951 build, built in the US.

Second/third look after magnification it could quite possibly be 12 26 T. My mistake, I stand corrected. Sorry!

[Jim Becker]

Second/third look after magnification it could quite possibly be 12 26 T. My mistake, I stand corrected. Sorry!

Yeah, date codes and part numbers, both hard to read in pictures. Like I said about about the serial number, they are a lot more clear in person when you can shift the light around to get the best view.