The proper way to shift your Cub

[57j2olds]

Hello,

Could someone please tell me, do you shift from gear to gear while Cub is in motion? Or can you go, for example, from a dead stop into 3rd gear without going through 1rst and 2nd?

Thanks

[Slim140]

You may can start off in third if your headed down hill to begin with

I've always went from 2nd to 3rd, no need to start off in 1st unless you just want to.

[Eugene]

No synchronizers in the transmission.

To shift gears. Depress clutch. Dead stop. Count to 5, waiting for the transmission to stop, specially on engine start up. Shift into desired gear.

[57j2olds]

Thanks

[Urbish]

Both of my Cubs take off easily in 3rd gear. I find it is best to have the throttle lever just a touch above idle (opposite what you might think). Let out clutch until you hear/feel the governor give it more juice, then let it all the way out fairly quickly. If you try to take off with the engine running at high speed, it does work but puts a bit of wear and tear on your clutch if you slip it enough to prevent the engine from stalling.

You can shift from 2nd to 3rd on the fly with a Cub if on smooth level ground or on a downhill run. Full throttle in 2nd gear, quickly push in clutch and pull throttle down throttle to idle while putting shifter in neutral, as soon as engine slows down, you can slip into 3rd without grinding. The key is to do it while the tractor is still coasting at near top speed for 2nd gear. It takes some practice to perfect this technique and will add wear to the gears if you don't get it right. I use this technique to go from 4th to 5th on my Farmall H so I don't have to stop on the road to shift to 5th. Taking off from a dead-stop in 5th gear is a real clutch-slipper for sure, especially when towing a load.

[Rick Spivey]

A well-tuned cub that's not worn out will start in 3rd gear with just a bit of feathering the clutch, as Urbish stated. If yours won't start from dead stop in 3rd, something's amiss with your engine.

[Glen]

Hi,
Below is a page from the 1955 Cub owner's manual, if you want to see it.
Paragraph 5 on the right side of the page says what IH thought.

http://farmallcub.com/rudi_cub/www.clea ... e%2010.jpg

It's like Eugene said above, it's not really meant to be shifted while it's moving, the gears usually grind.

[Ruralguy57]

A note from actual use this week,

I had changed transmission fluid. I had then put in Diesel fuel as a flush and ran my Cub Lo Boy 1968 vintage with 1967 TC block:

So for 15 minutes, I ran each forward gear in first, second, and third from a complete stop as well as into reverse after each forward gear. I will agree 100% you do not want to run third gear while the throttle is high. It is as if the tractor seems to run equally well in any gear from a dead stop for me. As you want to speed up, you just increase the throttle. I felt like I was on a run away freight train in third gear with a high throttle. I would not want to run it in an area where there are cars trees or other objects to dodge. Just me being a new to the Cub Lo Boy operator.


Richard

Side note I mow in first gear or second. I do not normally use third gear.

[UK-Cub]

Passed my test 1970 with a manual gearbox, (first automatic was a rental in Florida c1990, crikey I thought how on earth do I drive this).

Back to learning in the sixties, small UK cars with 3 speed crash gearboxes that had to be double clutched up and down.

When I got my Cub I attempted this but to no avail, in fact being mechanically sympathetic I decided it had the potential to catastrophic failure.

So I always 'start as I mean to go on'.

[Urbish]

...I will agree 100% you do not want to run third gear while the throttle is high. It is as if the tractor seems to run equally well in any gear from a dead stop for me. As you want to speed up, you just increase the throttle. I felt like I was on a run away freight train in third gear with a high throttle. I would not want to run it in an area where there are cars trees or other objects to dodge. Just me being a new to the Cub Lo Boy operator..

I want to be clear that I don't have any issue with running at full throttle in 3rd gear and I do it frequently where the terrain allows. What I was getting at is that my tractors seem to take off better in 3rd gear with a fairly low throttle lever setting.

I sometimes plow snow at full throttle in 3rd gear (on a perfectly smooth asphalt driveway that is free of hidden obstructions). The higher speed allows the snow to curl and to be thrown off the blade rather than piling up in front of it. You don't want to do that anywhere you might snag something frozen to the ground or a pavement joint as you could break the tractor/plow/operator.

[outdoors4evr]

7.3mph is too fast for me to plow snow. That's just asking for a frozen chunk to stop the tractor in a hurry and a chance for the operator to superman past the exhaust pipe.

[Ruralguy57]

I did feel like I was on a ".runaway freight train." when the throttle is almost wide open in 3rd gear; [saying: Holy Crap]

I don't operate the Cub Lo Boy in 3rd gear often. I have not found the need to do that. I agree that you can start it in 3rd and it operates well with sufficient torque in a lower semi-idle speed while in 3rd gear. I agree with you "Urbish" I do not have a blade so I have not had that experience. I just said I ran my tractor without the mower running in 3rd gear at a higher than normal rate than I was comfortable to use, while flushing the transmission. I guess it is a mistake to run the tractor in the same throttle position, when you switch gears. In first gear I run the throttle almost maxed out. With the mower in first gear the throttle is maxed out. In 2nd gear I run the tractor about 1/2 throttle. With the mower in 2nd, about the same, maybe a bit more. In 3rd I probably won't be using it in a high throttle. I do not mow in 3rd. However, if I had really thick long grass I might. The torque and drive may push the tractor and mower better in high grass, starting in a lower throttle position. Then you have the extra umph when you boost the throttle to take care of that lag you normally get while mowing longer grass. The grass I mow is only about calf high. This opened my eyes as to how fast or how much power this tractor has. [what a selling point to actually show this in a large grassy area with any of the Cubs, The tractor would sell itself] It is nice that a tractor has more speed/power than you might need or want. Agreeing with "outdoors4evr", I would not want to twist or do something that I suddenly became the lead stand-in for Superman! Another thought as well; if you suddenly get flipped off the tractor.....the silly thing keeps running even if you are out of the seat....ambling down the road or wherever leading to a Crash and or running over you or both. I guess I have gotten used to the JD mower, when you are off the seat, it stops. This is a new experience in re-learning how to/not to operate an overly simple tractor and mower. The JD my father has shuts off the mower if you back up with the hydrostatic drive. With my Cub Lo Boy, I have to back up with the mower running to catch the next mowing line area I slightly overshot because the turning radius is so wide. I have been relearning how to operate a tractor requiring a wide turn radius.


Richard

[Glen]

Ruralguy57,

3rd gear is meant more for driving somewhere on a road, where there is room, not in small areas, or where the ground is too rough.
3rd is not meant for most work, or for using the rotary mower. My opinion.
You need a SMV emblem on the rear of the Cub or LoBoy to drive it on public roads.
Below is a listing for one, if you haven't seen them.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produ ... -asae-2767

[TallCoolOne58]

I grew up learning to drive on manual transmissions, manual steering, and manual brakes (read: the old man's trucks).

I'd never attempt to shift the Cub while moving. As Eugene stated, no synchronizer, for any gear. Straight cut gears as well. The way they're meant used and operated: at a complete stop, choose the proper gear for the task at hand. Bad guess? Stop the tractor and choose a better gear.

First gear is a basic "granny" power gear, great for things like pulling heavier objects like small trees etc off a trail, or controlling your speed on rough/irregular terrain.

Second gear, a bit less power, a bit more speed. Great for most tasks in the field, such as mowing or towing a cart or trailer on relatively flat off-road terrain.

Third gear, here to there on well-maintained smooth roads and trails with good visibility. I usually have the throttle 1/2 way, or a touch more (enough to prevent stalling, esp when towing my trailer) then throttle up from there once I am rolling and stable. About the only time I ever use third is to get down the road as quickly and efficiently as possible, to minimize the risk of being a traffic hazard, on a busy County highway, which I am in spite of a securely mounted, plainly visible and legal Slow Moving Vehicle (triangular) sign.

That's my 2 cents.

[ntrenn]

Been shifting mine wrong for 50 years...still on original tranny and clutch.