How Much? $$$ 52 cub with cracked block.

[Brandon Webb]

Found a 52 cub with cultivators. They have the little metal guards to keep the plants safe, drawbar, and pto and small pulley, and front and rear weights. The story goes, they bought it off the original owner down the street, brought it home, and this week the owner died with cancer. His buddy now owns the tractor, it's in his yard and he wants to sell. He's asking $1000. It's all original 6 volt, never been painted. But it has a crack in the block up front where they crack. Dad says pass, but do you think this tractor would sell with the cracked block? It is very straight. I don't want to part it out, do you think I could sell the cultivators and such and still come out on the cub? Let me know, Thanks Brandon.

[Bigdog]

That crack seriously de-values the cub in my book. You are looking at $1500 - $2000 worth of investment to make it right again if you need to replace the block so the tractor would be worth only around $500 or so unless you have another complete good running engine ready to swap out.

[Brandon Webb]

I know it's bad, I was just looking at it, Maybe sell the cultivators for $150, front weights for $100, rear pto pulley for $70, then I'm looking at $680 in the running cub. I have a block or two, but don't want to get into building an engine, dad and I are trying to get a load together for the shows this summer, I just sold everything I had over the winter and now he decides to get into the tractor buisness. The cub is straight, good hood, original decals. I guess I just have the fever and don't want to see it ruin. I have bought and parted out 4 cubs over the winter. Friday I bought my first one that runs and I played with it all weekend had a blast. I don't know if I can lower myself to the junk variety again. It's more fun to ride around on a cub than to be parting them out. Thanks Brandon.

[Jackman]

Sounds like a good find with the exception of the cracked block, I really like the cults w/shields,wheel waights and pto pully.... I would do some haggling over the price since finding a buyer for a Cub with a cracked engine can be difficult ifn it got down to 500 or so I think I would go for it....... On the crack it may not be as bad as appears, possible the water expanded and popped out on the outside only in that case some welding could possibley save the engine, does the engine still roll over or is it siezed? This past summer I bought a 51 Cub very straight with moldboard plow snowplow and full set wheel waights and a siezed block due to water down the stack which rusted the cylinders , the seller was asking 750 I got him down to 500 and now its in my garage.....

[Brandon Webb]

I offered him $800 and he said he couldn't take it. I really couldn't haggle with him, he was teary eyed on the phone. The cub runs excellent. just has the crack. I believe I could maybe weld it up on the tractor and grind it smooth.

[Jackman]

The cub runs excellent. just has the crack. I believe I could maybe weld it up on the tractor and grind it smooth.

Thats changes things abit, since it runs excellent I would go for it but still haggle for price with cash in hand since a cracked block is still a cracked block the running factor just helps..... where is the crack located?

[Brandon Webb]

Near the serial number tag where they all crack. At the corner of the oil pan.

[Brandon Webb]

I'm going back to look at it after work, I'll get some pics and if someone can tell me how to I'll post them. Thanks Brandon.

[JBall8019]

Brandon,
dont go back there, let someone else buy a tractor with a cracked block for a $1000. i would have offered the guy at the very most $500 for his machine. are cubs scarce where you live?
John

[Brandon Webb]

Even if I sell everything off it I don't need, that will put me in it at about $650? Are cubs that common where you live? They seem to bring about $1500-1800 around here. Any time I can buy a tractor and have $700 in it and put a quart of paint on it and a little tinkering and make at least that much, that to me is a hobby that pays off.

[JBall8019]

Hi Brandon,
Yes cubs are plentiful where i live, i know where two or three of them are just sitting in weeds near my house. I bought mine from a dealership for a little more that what that guy is asking for and most good running cubs go for approx $800-$1000. cubs and tractors are a good hobby for me as well, maybe $650 wouldnt be bad if the block could be easily fixed. Either way I wish you luck! I read your other post about your other cub, congrats.
John

[Bigdog]

Brandon what we are saying is that to fix the tractor properly, the block should be replaced, not welded. That means at minimum, the replacement block would have to be properly fitted with the internals from this engine which is going to require a fair investment.
A weld may hold for a while but the area where that block is cracked is a high mechanical stress area. Welding is not a proper repair, especially for a tractor that is going to be worked.
That is not to say that repair is out of the question but I, along with many others will not buy a tractor with that crack present. Nor would I buy one that had been repaired by welding. There is a repair that involves the use of a turnbuckle to relieve the stress and could be an acceptable repair for a working tractor but many would not like the appearance of the repair.
Even if you only have $600 or so in the tractor, by the time it is properly repaired, you will have as much or more in it as you would a good tractor to begin with.
If it is your intent to purchase it, sell off the implements, repair the crack and sell it then you can certainly do so.

[George Willer]

Even if I sell everything off it I don't need, that will put me in it at about $650? Are cubs that common where you live? They seem to bring about $1500-1800 around here. Any time I can buy a tractor and have $700 in it and put a quart of paint on it and a little tinkering and make at least that much, that to me is a hobby that pays off.

Brandon,

Many of us are opposed to profiting from our hobby, but making that repair and selling to the unsuspecting is a poor idea... especially if it is done to turn a profit.

The right thing to do is to replace the block. It's easy to make a weld that is as strong as the original casting, but doing so makes the metal adjoining the weld weak. Don't do it!