Farmall Cub

Sooo.....before I begin my monster project--rebuilding my inherited '48 Cub--about how much $$ will I put into getting in fully restored and nice? The Cub I have can be described, right now, as a 'rat tractor'--used as a working tractor its whole life until ~2009 until it was parked in a shop lean-to.

I've looked at ads on this site and all over the internet, the prices range from about $1,700 to $2,800. Could I put more into a full restoration than what I could buy something like this for $2750.00??


Am I potentially putting a crapload of money and labor into this, and only getting personal satisfaction??

Any advice is appreciated. thanks

If that is for sale for $2750 buy it and never look back. Fixing up a Cub is a huge consumer of time...great project for the retired hobby folks.

Smarg wrote:Am I potentially putting a crapload of money and labor into this, and only getting personal satisfaction??

Short answer to that is, Yes.

It is hard to say what you will spend since there are too many unknowns. How much body work is needed. You could spend an easy grand on that alone. What about the engine? Will that be rebuilt? Figure a grand plus. New Tires? Tranny/final drive overhaul? Etc, Etc!

You can easily pump three or four thousand into a restore.

Well how do I start?

First your Cub is inherited so that means that someone in your family owned that puppy. Question is how much do you care about that person and does owning the Cub mean anything to you?

If the answer to that question is that you care a lot and yes the Cub means something to you , then yes restore/refresh your '48 Cub.

If the answer to that questin is no and no .. then you might want to buy one already done.

A friend of mine has 10 years and 5 or 6 grand invested in his '48 Cub. She is gorgeous. Will he ever get it back out of his Cub?? Nope, not a chance of an iceberg in well say Florida Does he care? No he doesn't. Why? Because that project gave him 10 years of enjoyment, something to do that he loved and kept him out of trouble. Worth it? You betcha

I have a '48 and I can tell you I have probably spent darn close to almost that much already in the 12 years I have owned it and it has been worth every dime. I have had a lot of fun learning how to fix and maintain it, how to build special projects to be used with it, took courses to help such as my welding course, learned how to wrench much better than I knew before as well as get my yard work done, my gardens and of course plowing snow. And yes, it has kept me out of trouble for 12 years.

The only one who really can make that call is you. Weigh all the different constraints and see where it leads you. Also, remember - the final cost will be determined by how much you want to do yourself, if you rebuild the engine just cause instead of if it needs it, how many parts need replacing if any... all those kinds of questions.

Let us know what you decide.

Smarg, on the average, the price of purchasing a cub and restoring it is about twice what one can be sold for. The one you pictured for 2700 would be a good deal. the post hole digger with pto reverser is worth 1/2 to 2/3 of the 2700 price.

If I had a "family" cub, restoring it would be a must! Restoring a Cub is not something you can usually get your money out of, but for those of us who enjoy messing with them, you get your money's worth!

Oh, and I don't think Stanton would sell the one you pictured for twice the 2,750 noted.

Best of luck,

Then again....." Misery Loves Company "......Thats why the forum......

Hi - I'm in the middle of a total restoration of my 1948. It's totally stripped, every seal is being replaced, brakes bands and drums, full valve train, Napa engine boil out and let them replace the valve guides etc, new used fenders, battery box, misc. used parts - $1,100 - $1,500. I've actually so far spent more money on tools to work on it....sand blaster, bigger air compressor, sanders, grinders, etc.

With all that being said - this Cub has been in our family since 1965. I could never and will never sell it. The fun factor of fixing it with the help of people here has been amazing. If you decide not to fix it - please PM me so we can discuss.

Ken

Smarg wrote:Am I potentially putting a crapload of money and labor into this, and only getting personal satisfaction?

Agree with previous posts as I have more money invested in my Cubs than the potential sale price. And I'm planning on spending more time and money this winter.

The value of a Cub depends on a person's perspective and what they do or want to do with a tractor. You can easily spend more money on a lawn mower than you will have invested in a Cub. The pay back for money invested is that my Cubs are working tractors. I use both Cubs this time of year as mowers. But I can also tow a trailer, plow, disk harrow, sweep the street, and many other things with a Cub that you can't do with a lawn mower.

Alllll right, I'm getting the picture now...I'm be spending at least twice the amount, if not more, restoring it, than I could sell it for.

Yes, I get the sentimental value. And yes, it will be a project that I'll set aside for the near future (1-3 yrs). This site is great for checking out what others have been through. Little did I know that typing in "Farmall Cub" in google would bring me this treasure of a site.

Since you inherited the Cub, you are way ahead of the game. Most folks buy the tractor then spend additional money fixing it up.

I wouldn't set the tractor aside for several years. My suggestion is to get the engine running. Then evaluate the tractor for immediate repair problems. If the engine runs and the tractor moves, it's worth considerably more money in the event you decide to sell.

Just take on one issue at a time. No big rush. Absolutely the last thing to do is the paint job. Actually I don't put paint on my working tractors. Paint doesn't make them work any better.

Eugene makes really good points. No sense putting the Cub away and waiting a few years to tear into it. Before 1 speck of paint goes on it, I would also make sure that it works as advertised. My 1st Cub Ellie-Mae a '48 I have had geez almost 12 years or so now -- kinda forgetting. She is still in the same dress clothes as the day I got her and they have faded somewhat. However, she is running much better now and I have solved most of the mechanical issues with her.

Will she get painted? Don't know. When I take things off and have to fix em, I will probably prime and paint them ... just as I am doing with her front shoe. But it may be a long time before I actually have her completely painted. My '47 Granny is the same way. The '50 aka Jethro may or may not even go back together. My latest acquisition is going to stay in it's work clothes as well even if they are yaller and white

So, I would echo Eugene statement:

Eugene wrote:My suggestion is to get the engine running. Then evaluate the tractor for immediate repair problems. If the engine runs and the tractor moves, it's worth considerably more money. Just take on one issue at a time. No big rush.

First off, a bunch of great comments and suggestions. Great ideas too! I would also like to add my .02. I would ask what are your plans for the Cub? Fix her up and sell her? Or will you be working it? Or will you just look at it and take it around the yard? The next thing I would consider is what can I do and what do I need to do on my property to maintain it and will this tractor accommodate my needs? Capabilities with these Cubs is almost unlimited. I mean, grass cutting, manure spreading, plowing, disking, pushing snow, moving dirt, cultivating, and the list can keep going. Put on a loader, and you just got a whole new tool! I say this all because if you consider getting something new, the amount of money you are putting into this tractor will be a pittance compared to a new tractor. They can easily cost you 25K for brand new and well in the 10K + area for a used one. These are the factors that I would also consider. I would also have to say that I am biased to IH and old tractors. And some other color tractors too.

I have one really nice Cub and that is only because the previous owner made it that way. I baby that Cub (well okay, I rev it up now and then ). My other tractors have seen their days and they show it. I doubt any of them will ever see new paint. However, if I ever found out one of those tractors had belonged to my dad or granddad AND I planned to keep it or pass it on to my daughter, then I wouldn't hesitate to spend every dime I could on it.

The cost of restoration is dependant on how much work you can do yourself. The more you can do, the less expensive it will be. As far as cost goes, I restored my '53 doing all the work myself except for the machine work on the engine block. Including the $600 I paid for the Cub at a garage sale, I have about $2500 total in the Cub. The Cub is now as good as new with everything having been gone through and brought back into specification. If I had paid someone to restore it for me, I would probably have $6000 or more in it. If I were to sell my Cub today, in my area, I could probably get maybe $2000 - $2200 for it. Even though I have a little more in it than I could probably get out of it, I know I have a "new" Cub that will last me as long as I'm around to use it and I get a lot of satisfaction knowing I did everything right in the restoration and did not cut any corners in it's build. Knowing that, I don't expect any issues with the Cub in the future and it has been trouble free for the last 5 or 6 years since it's completion.