Why am I just now discovering the Cub 🤷🏼‍♂️

2Kidsdad!

New member
Greetings from NW FL. Been around gardening and farming for a good part of my younger life. With that said I’m a little embarrassed to say that Im just now really discovering Farmall Tractors. Recently retired early to stay home with disabled child that graduated High School. We’re spending a lot of time on the Farmstead. Came across the Cub on YouTube. Seems awesome, where has it been lol. It seems to be a really practical garden tool. That combined with the nostalgia and cool factor makes it almost perfect for me. So the journey has started to locate one. Would love to attend to shows etc to increase my knowledge base if any take place within a few hours drive.
 
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So the journey has started to locate one.
Hi,
Cubs were made from 1947 - 1979.
The 1st ones were McCormick Deering Farmall Cubs, then in a few years they were McCormick Farmall Cubs, then in mid 1964 IH changed the name to International Cub.
The 3 different names are all the offset Cub.
You can find the year the Cub was made by finding the serial number on the serial number plate. The plate is originally on the the right side of the steering gear housing.
Then find the serial number in the serial number list on here. The list is on the Home page.
The serial number plates are sometimes faded, so you can't read the words on them, or sometimes they are painted over by someone, or sometimes the plate is gone.

Here are some things to look at before buying a Cub.
Check the castings for cracks, or broken places on them.
There is a place on earlier Cubs where the engine block can crack. It is at the right front area of the block, where the front end bolts to the engine. Look closely for a crack there, it can be covered by dirt or grease.

There are 5/8" threaded implement mounting bolt holes in places on Cubs.
You could check the threads in the implement mounting holes.
Sometimes the threads are worn, sometimes the threads are worn out and gone. Sometimes the holes are broken.
There are 2 pads on each side of the front area of the clutch housing. Each pad has 2 bolt holes.

There are 6 implement mounting bolt holes on each final drive. 2 on each final drive hold the drawbar on, it's important those holes are good to use a drawbar.

There are 2 implement mounting bolt holes at the bottom rear side of the large square hole under the steering gear. The square hole is for mounting some implements.

Cubs originally came with a cork in most of the implement mounting hole. Some might still be in the Cub you look at. They might be painted over. They can look like a broken off bolt, but are not.
The corks are to keep out dirt.

If you aren't going to use the Cub with implements, it might not be important to you if all the threads in the holes are good.
Look at all the bolts you can see, and see if they look right.
Below is a picture of where the engine block can crack, it is in the corner, where the black oil is.
In the 1st picture, 1 bolt is gone that holds the front end onto the engine.
The 2nd picture is a serial number plate. Plates up to 1955 also have the maximum engine RPM stamped in the plate, it is 1800 RPM. The style of the plates was changed through the years.
I sent you a message, you get to it at the upper right of the page. :)
 

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Welcome! We have a Cub LoBoy and a 140. We use the 140 a lot more than the cub right now. We do have some tasks for the cub but haven't found the right pieces yet. Great little tractors!
 
Welcome!
Glen covered a lot of the big things to look at when looking at potential purchases.

Don't be in a huge rush...there are a lot of these little guys around, and because of their age, their conditions can vary greatly.

You can save considerable money by buying a cub that comes with implements...mower, cultivators, etc. And consider getting a FAST HITCH if you don't want to have to change implements (they can be very heavy and clumsy!).
The alternative is to get more than one cub!! 😂
A cub for each implement!
 
Hello, here is my two cents worth. I have owned two Farmalls myself, a h and a cub. I loved working on them and working land with the h. I have not used the Cub yet but will try some plowing soon with it. These old tractors are fun and great history but most have seen a lot of wear and tear. As with most any tractor 40 years old or older it’s most likely gonna take more money to fix it than it’s really worth. Just new tire cost often can be more than a tractor is worth. I suggest getting a Farmall yourself but for serious tractor use I would try to find something on the newer side like a ford 3000 or 3600 with a 3 point hitch. Or anything from 70s up. I’m in no way knocking cubs. I’ve only seen the older flavors myself and not the last models made. I just know a three point hitch and a slightly newer made tractor is more practical for heavier use. Either way tractors are money pits but I love them!
 
Hello, here is my two cents worth. I have owned two Farmalls myself, a h and a cub. I loved working on them and working land with the h. I have not used the Cub yet but will try some plowing soon with it. These old tractors are fun and great history but most have seen a lot of wear and tear. As with most any tractor 40 years old or older it’s most likely gonna take more money to fix it than it’s really worth. Just new tire cost often can be more than a tractor is worth. I suggest getting a Farmall yourself but for serious tractor use I would try to find something on the newer side like a ford 3000 or 3600 with a 3 point hitch. Or anything from 70s up. I’m in no way knocking cubs. I’ve only seen the older flavors myself and not the last models made. I just know a three point hitch and a slightly newer made tractor is more practical for heavier use. Either way tractors are money pits but I love them!
Good advice. I do have a more modern diesel tractor with a bucket, 3 point etc. I think the cub would be possibly be better in the garden after initial plowing, planting, cultivating etc. Also they just seem kinda cool to me.
 
Welcome!
Glen covered a lot of the big things to look at when looking at potential purchases.

Don't be in a huge rush...there are a lot of these little guys around, and because of their age, their conditions can vary greatly.

You can save considerable money by buying a cub that comes with implements...mower, cultivators, etc. And consider getting a FAST HITCH if you don't want to have to change implements (they can be very heavy and clumsy!).
The alternative is to get more than one cub!! 😂
A cub for each implement!
Thanks, the more I look the more apparent this comes. Almost seems like there’s a market for people to buy them and party them out🤷🏼‍♂️. I just want to use it in the garden. I’m primarily looking for one with cultivators, seed and fertilizer attachments, a bedding attachment and something to turn potatoes up. Mainly to use in the garden after it’s been plowed. Would like to maybe add a mower later and the idea of running a belt drive off the PTO is intriguing. I think once you had one and the implements you want, adding a mother tractor wouldn’t be too difficult.
 
I’m primarily looking for one with cultivators, seed and fertilizer attachments, a bedding attachment and something to turn potatoes up. . . . maybe add a mower later . . .
Before getting too deep into all the possible implements, think about the effort required to change from one to another. Mower vs. the others in your list is a prime example. Swapping them out on one tractor takes considerable effort. Do it a few times during one season and it turns into work.
 
Before getting too deep into all the possible implements, think about the effort required to change from one to another. Mower vs. the others in your list is a prime example. Swapping them out on one tractor takes considerable effort. Do it a few times during one season and it turns into work.
That makes sense. I’d say I’ll primarily use it in the garden. From what I gather those adjustments do not appear too bad. The mower does seem like more but it’s more of a further down the road implement. I’ll use the bush hog on my current tractor til I get to that point. Tractors with mowers seem more common from what I’ve seen. The price difference between just the mower and tractor with mower doesn’t seem crazy. Who knows, may add both at that point. Until then I’m looking forward to seeing how it can impact garden chores.
 
I just want to use it in the garden. I’m primarily looking for one with cultivators, seed and fertilizer attachments,
Below is the Cub 144 Cultivator operator's manual, it is a 1 row, row crop cultivator. I don't know if that is the type of cultivator you want or not. The manual has lots of info.
https://farmallcub.club/rudi/farmal...Manuals/Cub-144 Cultivator 5-12-65/index.html

Page 11 in the manual shows the Universal Mounting Frame, the cultivator mounts to that.
You don't use the manual lift lever, to the left of the seat, shown on page 12, if the Cub has Touch Control.
They made the cultivators for use with or without a Fast Hitch. Some of the parts at the rear of the Cub attach differently, with or without a Fast Hitch.
 
Thanks! That should be very helpful. I’m further enough down the journey to think I know what I might be looking for lol. I’d like full set of cultivators, wheel weights, some type of draw bar. The seed / fertilizer attachment would be huge and may have to come later. The journey continues. Thanks again.
 
Thanks! That should be very helpful. I’m further enough down the journey to think I know what I might be looking for lol. I’d like full set of cultivators, wheel weights, some type of draw bar. The seed / fertilizer attachment would be huge and may have to come later. The journey continues. Thanks again.

My two cents as a new (since last year) Cub owner. Collectors and purists may disagree with me, but I'm looking at it strictly as what is practical for me at this point in time. You mentioned the garden and I used mine strictly for cultivating, hilling or the furrower point for planting and plowing taters. Mine had the cultivator frame, but there had been a lot of homemade stuff done and I was limited to adjust how I wanted. Found a guy with a shop in north GA with pallets of tool bars and other parts and picked up what I needed to make it complete and be able to use a full set of sweeps and scratchers on the back. I'm still amazed at how clean it gets it each time I use it and maneuver in some pretty tight places.

My garden is not huge, but bigger than most. My cub came with an old Cole mule drawn planter and brackets to be able to use it. Fairly easy to swap out (probably a lot easier than the planter meant for the Cub) and I have used it, but I can drive the Cub through where I want to plant and take my Hoss push seeder and eyeball staying between the tire tracks with a lot less effort. I have more flexibility with seed plates, since I can drill my own if I need something special.

I would have loved to have had a side dresser and would have bought one earlier in the year if I saw something close by available, but in reality it is not worth the money for me situation. I planted around 17 rows of late peas and sweet corn Saturday using the push planter and putting out fertilizer with a 5 gallon bucket and a small Folgers can. Half of the time I spent was taking down electric fence and going back to the barn for something I forgot. Not a big deal.

For me, it is the ultimate cultivation tool in a garden too big to work with hand tools. I've made a pass through corn when it was about 1.5" tall and later when it was as high as the radiator cap without any problems. I use the bigger tractors for anything other work. Mine came with a disc plow. I'm not interested in hooking it up and unhooking it. I loaded it with the draw bar attached to it when I bought it from the man who was too old to help load and it about killed me. I'm sticking with what is simple, easy and works.

I love how it leaves the corn after hilling.
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Even if you pay top dollar for a Cub that has been well maintained or restored it should be fairly affordable. It's probaly more cost effective to buy a nice one that doesn't need much. They are still a good value for a lot of uses.
 
My two cents as a new (since last year) Cub owner. Collectors and purists may disagree with me, but I'm looking at it strictly as what is practical for me at this point in time. You mentioned the garden and I used mine strictly for cultivating, hilling or the furrower point for planting and plowing taters. Mine had the cultivator frame, but there had been a lot of homemade stuff done and I was limited to adjust how I wanted. Found a guy with a shop in north GA with pallets of tool bars and other parts and picked up what I needed to make it complete and be able to use a full set of sweeps and scratchers on the back. I'm still amazed at how clean it gets it each time I use it and maneuver in some pretty tight places.

My garden is not huge, but bigger than most. My cub came with an old Cole mule drawn planter and brackets to be able to use it. Fairly easy to swap out (probably a lot easier than the planter meant for the Cub) and I have used it, but I can drive the Cub through where I want to plant and take my Hoss push seeder and eyeball staying between the tire tracks with a lot less effort. I have more flexibility with seed plates, since I can drill my own if I need something special.

I would have loved to have had a side dresser and would have bought one earlier in the year if I saw something close by available, but in reality it is not worth the money for me situation. I planted around 17 rows of late peas and sweet corn Saturday using the push planter and putting out fertilizer with a 5 gallon bucket and a small Folgers can. Half of the time I spent was taking down electric fence and going back to the barn for something I forgot. Not a big deal.

For me, it is the ultimate cultivation tool in a garden too big to work with hand tools. I've made a pass through corn when it was about 1.5" tall and later when it was as high as the radiator cap without any problems. I use the bigger tractors for anything other work. Mine came with a disc plow. I'm not interested in hooking it up and unhooking it. I loaded it with the draw bar attached to it when I bought it from the man who was too old to help load and it about killed me. I'm sticking with what is simple, easy and works.

I love how it leaves the corn after hilling.
View attachment 75436That sounds pretty close to exactly what I’m wanting. I do “think” I’d like the seed and fertilizer attachment. However, in full disclosure I have not did the research yet. The idea of being able to increase the size of my garden and at the same time decrease the amount of time / work is VERY intriguing.
 
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