Looking for ballpark value of a Cub I might buy

M

mike758

Member
My neighbor's grandson inherited his estate, and is selling stuff out of the four story barn (packed) by appointment. I've already bought some stuff like tools, and caught some interest in the Farmall Cub tucked in the back of the barn. It's red, so it's pre 1960, and has a belly mower attached to it. I believe he said it might have a plow too. It's in original condition but not rusted, and he claims it runs but I don't believe it because the tractor is tucked in the back of the barn and has dust on it.

He says that he wants something in the ballpark of $1,000 for it, but negotiable. I was thinking about $500 if I don't see it run but turns over, and somewhere around $700-800 running and operating. I don't know whether these good or bad numbers to work with.
 
Just my opinion.

$400 to $500- for a parts Cub, non running, complete, with decent tires, is a fair price.

Running Cub, work ready, with implement, usually a mower deck or cultivator, will bring some where around $1500- and perhaps more depending on condition. Any other complete implements will increase the selling price.

If there is a plow in the barn there is probably more implements.

Spend some time going through the topics at the top of the page. One section has a what to look for before purchase. Also, use the above manuals to make sure you have all of the pieces to an implement.

Engine repairs can get expensive, real expensive.
 
Eugene":25axa2sh said:
Engine repairs can get expensive, real expensive.
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And other major repairs as well. Example: how long has it been sitting? Engine components free? Condition of clutch/TOB/transmission? Lubricant leaking evidence will need seals and or bearings replaced. Any damage caused by improper prep for long term storage? Just my two cents worth. Stan
 
First of all, welcome to the forum!

Believe the thread Bob referred to is listed in the Miscellaneous Ideas sub-forum (here: http://www.farmallcub.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=145) along with several other interesting threads you might like. There are plenty of manuals for you to download located across the top of the screen via the links "PDF Manuals" and "Rudi's Manuals".

If the Cub hasn't been run in several years, be sure to prime the oil pump before trying to start it. If unfamiliar about doing this, use the Search feature above. Basically, remove the oil filter and located about 2/3 down on the back side is a small hole. Squirt motor oil in there until it won't take any more. Pump is primed. You will prevent engine damage while cranking/running the motor.

Agree with those above, non-running Cub in the $400-$500 price range; $850-$1200 for running w/o implements; $1200+ for running/working condition with implements.

If it was me, I'd use the current non-running state as a negotiating tactic, remembering I could probably get it running once I brought it home. :) Wish you the best and let us know how it goes.
 
Just don't try to get it running before you buy it. You will only increase your price. If he wants to sell a running tractor, he has to get it running!!
 
Prices are a lot lower in America's heartland where cubs and tractors in general are more common.
I live across the Delaware from you in NJ about an hour away.
I've been haunting the ad's for years and have found the following to be a general guide to what you can expect to pay in our area.
The plow if its a grader blade snowplow you can expect to pay $300 in the summer and with snow in the ground at least $350 now. If its a moldboard plow they seem to go about $150 give or take, of course it'll be more come spring. With implements the season will definitely influence the asking price. The whole tractor come spring will fetch a better price than it will now as few people are wanting to shiver in their garages or barns now and are are also still feeling the sting from paying Christmas bills right now.
The tractor itself if its running is a solid $1500 and if its pretty can go $2000. If its not running but its free, $600-$900. If its stuck, $400-$600.
So, if it doesn't run and its free, if it has the grader blade, with the mower, I'm not sure I could offer anything less than $800 without feeling guilty for him and I could still pay the $1,000 without feeling guilty for me :wink:
If it runs or only only wants too farting through the exhaust, his asking price of $1,000 is a bargain, grab it!
Nicely restored with those implements that tractor can sell for $2,500 with no trouble at all.
The cubs in our area are in demand as the real farmers don't really have any use for them but the big market is with folks that have large rural property's. They just want something to play with, that will plow snow, pull a wagon, or till a garden plot. This is a hobby thing now.
I'll add that you may find lower prices but they will not come around that often. If you see a price that was good but you weren't sure so you passed, you may wait months or years to see one selling at that price again. Done that too many times myself.
Go on craigslist and search "Farmall". You see what I'm saying here about what these go for in our area.
One last note, look it over really well for cracks around the block or welds. Those can be deal breakers if they are in a vital area.
If its good though I think you've found a rare bargain. Good luck with it! :mrgreen:
Mike.
 
I will give $500 for a complete tractor as long as it is complete. I figure it is worth it in parts alone. Now if the tractor is missing pieces and parts or bad rims and sheet metal then I look to go lower. Some people will give a $1000 for a running Cub only to find out once worked hard it needs a rebuild. As for me, I plan on rebuilding all my Cubs and so I never like to give more than $600 for one that is loose, stuck maybe $300 to $400. I have bought 6 Cubs for the $600 or less mark and have only lapped valves on 3 of them to get them running good, 1 rebuild, and 2 I have not touched yet. I have had good luck lapping valves as a first resort before rebuilding. I lapped a LoBoy with 59" mower last summer and today on a 20 degree morning it fires right up and runs really well. I had to pull it a half mile to get started before.

Good luck with your quest and keep us posted.
 
I will definitely say that if its been sitting a long time, it could potentially damage the engine trying to start it, and will require some prep work. If I go over there and I can physically drive it around, I would easily pay around $1,000. I will probably fix it up and resell, or even keep it for my own. I'm kind of iffy about this guy because I bought a "running" 3HP chipper which had a clogged up carb, but the price was right at $20.
 
Eugene":1vbadd62 said:
mike758":1vbadd62 said:
I will probably fix it up and resell.
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I think most Cub owners have more money invested in their Cubs than they will realistically sell for.
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I'm quite sure of that, I own a 1976 Dodge W100 which I already have over $7,000 in including purchase, and plan to have another $3,000 put in this year. I will never get $10,000 for it. So I'm sure it goes the same way for tractors. By "fix up", what I really meant really was a tune up, not restoration. If it runs, change all the liquids, clean the gas tank, replace hoses (if applicable) and lubricate everything. Maybe do some minor repairs too. If it doesn't run and I get a steal, then probably an engine rebuild. Considering he's just clearing the barn and doesn't have this posted online, I could make a few hundred bucks selling it however I buy it, although somewhat criminal. I could also keep it for myself, but I want a bigger antique tractor and don't really have the surplus budget
 
Remember Mike is on the eastern seaboard not in the midwest. Cubs and everything associated with them will cost quite a bit more out here than they do in middle America.
One important thing I forgot about earlier to look for on it are the tires. If the cub is missing some small pieces like a fender or the battery box (which they all are) you can get those for under $100. Not that big of a deal but tires on the other hand will run you at least $500 here for a basic set if you need them. easily doubling the cost of a bargain tractor. You can't get around that to easily. Also the greater percentage of older tractors, all makes and models you find have a mismatched set in the front or rear.
If they have good tread being workable and that doesn't bother you then no problem.
It bugs the heck out of me though and if I buy a tractor that has a mismatched set for the front or rear I will at some point mount a matched set. If the owner said theres nothing wrong with the tires he'd probably be right but thats something I factor in my head on what money I'd have to sink into it when making my decision to buy or not. Its a personal thing but something definitely to think about. Tires ain't cheap.

Mike if you get it you'll probably want to keep it. I have a cub and an "A". Both have their uses but the smaller cub is easier to store and while getting tractor parts out here is not as easy, it is so much easier to get what I need for a cub than it is for the "A", and its getting tougher every year.

I have an old Dodge Charger I've owned since January of '78. some 25 years back I could find all of what I needed to restore that car in salvage yards and swap meets. I;m glad I did it then because there is literally nothing available now since that car became collectible and if you do find something its either junk or worth it's weight in gold.
With the fan base that the cub has used parts are going to be like that too someday, it'll dry up but because it has a huge following there are more and more reproduction parts available.
Its like a Mustang or Camaro you can get almost anything repop for them.
Cubs are a safe collector bet for the future.
 
I may have lost out on it. I told the guy I would pay $500 as is, and he hasn't spoken to me since. I left him a message and said that if I see it run, I will up the offer. It's not really so much a bad thing though, because it's not something I was looking for, it was just something that had the right opportunity available.
 
mike758":27i9ln6o said:
............He says that he wants something in the ballpark of $1,000 for it, but negotiable. I was thinking about $500 if I don't see it run but turns over, and somewhere around $700-800 running and operating. I don't know whether these good or bad numbers to work with.
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I think your numbers are fine, but it doesn't matter what I think at all and very little of what you think. What matters is what he thinks, and he thinks he's got a $1,000 tractor that he might negotiate to $950. I bet getting him to $900 would be tough if not impossible in "his ballpark". In mine I think you are fair. But again the only thing that matters is what he thinks and he thinks you just offered him the bleacher seat price to sit in his skybox in his opinion. Maybe he'll find somebody to sit in his skybox at his price, or maybe he'll drop the price of admission when nobody shows up.
 
He'll get his price. If you check the going price on that areas craigslist ads he is way down on the lower end of what people are asking. In fact he is asking about half.
Don't believe me have a look...
https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/sea ... mall%20cub
His includes implements too.
If he posts his phone will ring first.
I'm sorry but you can't compare cub prices in Missouri to the east coast.
They may go cheap out by you guys but we have to pay up out here.
:big give up:
 
Lt.Mike":2et2ewar said:
He'll get his price. If you check the going price on that areas craigslist ads he is way down on the lower end of what people are asking. In fact he is asking about half.
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He may be asking about half what the Cubs, including the tractor advertised as a C, go for in your area on Craig' List. But, this is a barn find, unknown condition. All of the Cubs pictured in the Craig's List post appear to be operational.

My opinion, posters on this topic have provided realistic prices for a Cub in unknown condition. Have to ask yourself if you would pay a parts tractor price for a tractor in unknown condition. Or pay $1000- for the same tractor with the possibility of having to put another $1000- or more into the tractor.
 
Lt.Mike":1oima70i said:
He'll get his price. If you check the going price on that areas craigslist ads he is way down on the lower end of what people are asking. In fact he is asking about half.
Don't believe me have a look...
https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/sea ... mall%20cub
His includes implements too.
If he posts his phone will ring first.
I'm sorry but you can't compare cub prices in Missouri to the east coast.
They may go cheap out by you guys but we have to pay up out here.
:big give up:
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I have little doubt he'll get his price. My opinion is still that his price is to much money. But my point, again, is that my opinion, mike758's opinion, and your opinion, doesn't mean anything. Whose opinion matters is the guy selling the Cub and what he thinks it's worth. Simple sales fundamentals. You're not buying anything until the person selling it thinks you are offering a fair or higher price.

My main question though is if Cubs are so much more expensive there, and so much cheaper here, why isn't there trailers full of Cubs heading for the East Coast from the Midwest????? Or empty trailers from the East Coast flooding the Midwest? A weekend and a couple tanks of gas aren't that expensive right now. I just don't see this great disparity of Cub pricing without some enterprising person taking advantage of it.
 
I've seen the going prices on CL. The problem is though, I don't believe it runs. I think $500 range for "as is" is pretty fair, even on the east coast. Maybe a bit more for the implements. If it does run though, I agree, between $1,000 and $1,500 at least
 
Don't get me wrong I don't agree with what things sell for either. I think they should be less too for but folks are shelling out that kind of cash for them and as long as they do thats what sellers will ask.
As for why don't people make the drive cross country for the deal?
I can only reason why buyers don't travel is the expense of time, gas and lodging wiping out any savings over buying local.
Cost of a shipping company could take away any savings as well. Consider that and one may be better off biting the bullet paying the local price and being done with it.
 
Lt.Mike":ukiu5fod said:
He'll get his price. If you check the going price on that areas craigslist ads he is way down on the lower end of what people are asking. In fact he is asking about half......
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So your saying this is a $2,000 Cub on the East Coast and consensus is $500 to $800 for Midwest.
Lt.Mike":ukiu5fod said:
.......As for why don't people make the drive cross country for the deal?
I can only reason why buyers don't travel is the expense of time, gas and lodging wiping out any savings over buying local.
Cost of a shipping company could take away any savings as well...........
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So if we over pay and give $1,000 here and haul it to the East Coast and sell it we'll double our money? I can fit two on my trailer so I can make $2,000 a trip. If I don't stay at the Four Seasons for a week, I think I can make that work. :D
What I think is, we are talking about extremes. Not all Cubs sell here for $500 and not all Cubs there sell for $2,000. There are plenty of $1,500-2,000 Cubs on Craigslist here. You see them because those are the ones that don't sell right away. The reasonably priced ones, here and there, get listed and sold quickly. Just like any other realistically priced item from a pair of boots to real estate.
Lt.Mike":ukiu5fod said:
........Consider that and one may be better off biting the bullet paying the local price and being done with it.
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"Being done with it" is probably the truest part of all this. People want instant gratification. I want a Cub I want it NOW! Stereotyping and from first hand experience people on the East Coast have more money and impatience than us midwesterners.

Yes, I truly believe your Cubs are more expensive. I just don't believe the gap is as big as you are thinking it is.
 
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