Farmall Cub

Don McCombs wrote:Every year or two, there's a thread similar to this one. Why didn't IH do this or that on the Cub. Hindsight, especially 75 years of it, is always 20/20. First off, in the mid-40's, when the Cub was conceived of and designed, much of the technology and innovation that is commonplace today, was not even a glimmer in some engineer's eye. Even if it had been, the nation's industrial base, just emerging from WW2, would not have been easily able to transition from producing half-tracks and M1 rifles, to get such a tractor to its intended market. Couple that with the fact that few farmers could have afforded a tractor with all those bells and whistles and the maintenance that would have gone along with it. Particularly, the small acreage farmer to whom the Cub was targeted. The fact that this forum exists, three-quarters of a century from the introduction of the Cub, is testament that those IH ag engineers did a pretty damn good job.

I still don't see why people think the one-piece hood/tank is a big deal. Other than oiling the generator, the hood isn't in the way for any routine maintenance. If you are going to remove the head, the gas tank would be in the way even with the hood off.

Henry Ford was a bit discouraged when the Model A came out as the successor to the T which had quite a long production run, he knew all of the cost that had to go into the retooling of machinery to build a new car. The IH engineers and bean counters made what they new to be a good tractor that sold continuously following the same pattern. Ford tore apart a T that engineers lengthened by two inches to give it a better ride and didn’t want any appearance change. IH changed the hood style, paint scheme etc to “update” their good, cheap mechanical mule and keep producing them. I kind of think their are similarities between the T and the cub in their goal for the consumer. I don’t know what the price of T was in the 70s and 80s but I bet it wasn’t being used for its original purposes as the cubs are being used for all these years later. Not to mention the price factor. The cub is still being used on farms like it was initially marketed for. Not the biggest and most powerful, but gets the job done.

I myself am 65. Can I get a thumbs up for being fine just the way I am. I'm getting a bit envious.

Interesting thoughts everyone has!

But, there sure has been a lot of personal customization to Cubs out there!

The pages here at farmallcub.com is a treasure trove of personal customizations where the owner thought they would make things a bit better than IH did!

Wanted to give you an apology for killing what had been an active thread. My score card is pretty sad.

ABILITY TO KILL A THREAD - 1
ATTEMPT AT SENSE OF HUMOR - 0

oldfarmkid wrote:I myself am 65. Can I get a thumbs up for being fine just the way I am. I'm getting a bit envious.

I dunno....

Faded paint. Dim headlights. Dents and dings. Sporadic compression leaks. Grill kind of rough from wear. Difficult cold starts after being parked awhile.

You're not exactly showroom condition anymore...

Yep... and getting head lamp surgery this coming Monday. Catch me next to my Cub you'd be hard pressed to tell us rusty old classics apart. But I do understand your reservations Waif.

Recently completed headlamp surgery myself. Have fun with the drops.

oldfarmkid wrote:Wanted to give you an apology for killing what had been an active thread. My score card is pretty sad.

ABILITY TO KILL A THREAD - 1
ATTEMPT AT SENSE OF HUMOR - 0

Lol!

No apology needed!



Carry on!

Ha... Thanks for the thumbs up. Had the right head lamp fixed last month and I almost needed a software program to keep track of all the drops. Monday is the left side. Take Care.

Tim

P.S. How did you know about the dim headlights. I'm impressed.

Here's how...

oldfarmkid wrote:.. and getting head lamp surgery this coming Monday...

Yup my left one is getting dim. The mechanic (doc) said it would be about 9 more months to a year before I get a replacement.

I just plowed snow with My CUB and if I had to shovel it, I would been there until the snow melted. Yes I have a newer Kubota that would have done it easier, but it wouldnt have been as much fun. A testament to the build quality of my 72 year old machine.