Farmall Cub

Howdy, All:
I'm a tractor rookie, and have just bought a "mini" farm. A small tractor seems to be a good idea (to me, not my wife), as there are a number of projects ahead of me. I came across this great Cub site and hope you guys will bear with me as I ask dumb questions...
For example, what can I do with a Cub? I need to clear underbrush from a wooded area, pull some logs out, bushhog, mow, and auger fence post holes. I also want to work a small garden next spring (1/4-1/2 acre), and may need to do some light grading. So, my question is, what are the approximate limits of the Cub's capabilities as compared to a larger tractor or a newer "compact" tractor? Does the Cub take a hydraulic lift, and can it handle a front-end loader?
I found a rebuilt '52 Cub with 3-4 implements - owner wants 4 grand. seems a bit high - what do you guys think?
Thanks!!!
Bill

Bill:

Welcome to the Forum and the wonderful world of Cubs.

Most of the questions you have asked can be answered by reading this: New Members and Visitors, Please READ. The Cub FAQ's are real helpful, the manual server has all kinds of info on it and Cub Info has some great tips.

As for the questions - the answer to all is yes - to a degree. Augering fence poles will require a Prewitt Post Hole digger - expensive and RARE!.

A front end loader -- a cub ain't. There are loaders available for the Cub, but the Cub just wasn't designed for that kind of work. Yes, the Cub has hydraulics - Touch Control. It is ideal for the type of farming you wish to do. I do it all the time. I plow, harrow, disc, cultivate, hill, haul wood, twitch logs, haul 4 foot firewood from my woodlot, pull a drag, plow snow and soon I will be grading and picking potato's with my Cubs.

They are a wonderful machine.

Now depending on the implements he has (and for that price there had better be a Howard Rotovator, a buzz saw, a Prewit Post Hole Digger and a few others), he is asking way too much.

If the Cub is in good mechanical shape, has good tin, is all there, no smoke, no leaks, no cracks and no missing parts, and has a 193 plow, a harrow, probably the cultivators then it probably may be worth anywhere from $1500 to $2500. $4,000 is at least $1500 too high.

Course that is just my opinion. Others may differ, but I have a feeling I am in the ballpark.....

This one is gonna take some dickerin! Let us know what implements and what condition the Cub is in. Pics would be helpful. Then we would be in a better position to help out.

Hope this helps

I have to agree with Rudi on the prices. Whoever it is wanting $4000 for that Cub could keep it unless it is NOS.

Hey Rudi,
You wrote:

picking potato's

When I lived in Maine we would "dig" potato's. I've never seen a potato tree what do they look like

Donny M wrote:Hey Rudi,
You wrote:

picking potato's

When I lived in Maine we would "dig" potato's. :

Huh? Where did you do that? Dielectric's back yard, beneath the big lightning rod???

Not to be a wet blanket here, because I love my cubs, but I really think you'd be better off with something like an 8N Ford or similar tractor fo the tasks you describe. The cub would excel in the garden but it ain't a logger or a loader. You can find good ones for a lot less than $4000.

A cub is a good rig, but has it's limitations. Their size (approximately 1400 pounds ) and horsepower (9) being the main ones. For what you plan, I have to agree with Big dog.

Yo all

Duuuuuh, you are right. You dig potato's.

However, after y'all done with diggin em, ya still gotta pickem up offn the ground.....

This is what I am going to dig with....







Better pics soon

Having just bought one myself, I've been monitoring the market here in upstate NY for a while, and looking at the prices of the ones selling on eBay, through the local "Want Ad Digest", and talking to friends who've bought and sold several, I have mostly heard of prices between $500 and $2,500, depending heavily on condition, and somewhat on implements that are included.

It seems you can get run-of-the-mill implements thrown in quite easily, or cheaply afterwards online, but there are some implements that you don't see too often either due to demand or because not many of them were made that can add up cost-wise quite quickly.

I'm NO expert, just trying to share my recent observations of the market here upstate. $4,000 seems like a LOT of money to me.

Oh, and bein' a former farmer, blueberry grower, lobsterman and clam digger from Maine - yes, yes you do pick potato(e)s. And blueberries.

Clams, them you dig.

To: Rudi, Big Dog, johnbron, John*.?-.*, allenlook, and all:
Thanks for the great replies to my question - appreciate your taking time to answer. I'll steer away from the $4000 Cub and consider moving up a notch in size/power. Any suggestions regarding tractor type to look for? (I'd like to stay under $5000-6000, including implements, as I am now "house poor"
Regards,
Bill

Bill:

Just to add a little bit of confusion to the issue here. I would not exactly rule out the Cub yet. I have yet to find anyone who owns an older tractor who will say it is everything for every possible use. The Cub in and of itself for much of what you want to do is more than adequate, don't forget that.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, I have a 25 acre mixed woodlot and garden/fields and I haul all my 4 foot and firewood with my Ellie-Mae. Have a look at the Cub and Implement Gallery on the server. I have hauled what almost 4,000 lbs on that wagon that Ellie is pulling.

I have twitched 30 foot spruce/pine and fir logs and 20 foot maples last summer with Ellie. Of course some common sense and a little caution and patience is required to perform this kind of work, and is not something that I would recommend on a regular basis. However, I do know of 2 local guys that do exactly that, they twitch tree lengths from their wood lots to the saw table all the time

But, for a garden, mowing and light grading as you posted, the Cub is an ideal tractor and a good one to start with. As your wallet thickens and your work around the yard/farm/garden increases, you may find that you might want to ADD to your stable and get a larger tractor say a Super A, or a C or Super C. or even one of the number series such as the 140..??

But, if you want all around versatility for a relatively small outlay, then the Cub is it. Oh did I mention you can plow snow with a Cub

Now, will add some more confusion. I tried to answer your email, but the reply was bounced. Seems your isp mail server did not like the address

Soo, included with this price was a C-3, a Woods 42, front and rear wheel weights (yes to both or just front or rear?), I am assuming a 193 plow, a Cub-23A Disk Harrow (correct ??) as well as the drawbar and brackets.

Lets see now, a rough guess at $400.00 for the C-3, $500.00 for the Woods 42, $250.00 for the wheel weights, $250.00-$300.00 for the disk harrow, $100.00 for the 193 and as discussed in a previous thread $125.00 for the drawbar and brackets.

That makes what $1675.00 just in implements alone which means he now wants $2325.00 for the Cub. Not all that out of line now. Soooo offer him $3,000.00 for the whole kit and kaboodle or better yet $2750.00 and DICKER with him. Before you do though, set an upper limit of what you are willing to pay. You might just be surprised. He may take your first or your second offer. You might just want to insert a little time between your offers, do not appear addicted ok.... then maybe wait a week. See what happens.

That is what I did when I negotiated for Granny. He wanted $1250.00, I offered him $500.00. He said no, I said ok, call me if you change your mind. Waited a week, he called back and said hey, what about $1,000.00, said still way way too high, how about $700.00 - he said no, so I said call me if you change your mind. Waited another week, he called back and said hey how about $900.00? I said nah, but maybe I might go as high as $800.00 (which is the max price I was willing to pay and had decided on a couple weeks previously). He said, what about an extra 50 bucks if I include the generator (as I want to put it back to 6 Volt neg grn system). So I said, yeah, the gen is worth 50 to me, so I gave him $850.00 for Granny. Sometimes time and some dickering does pay off.

Something to think about, and guys comments on all the above is warranted....

I have to agree with Big Dog, having grown up using my dad's Ford 8N for everything from haying with the sickle bar mower to hauling hay and water and chemicals for the crops, and hauling out cords of firewood with an attached power trailer. It's not a real duty-built woods trailer for the person trying to make a living as a lumberjack, it's more of a mid-size farm tractor, but it was suitable for everything we threw at it.

Larger, more weight, 3-pt hitch, etc.