Farmall Cub

I recently Purchased a 1951 cub and it will not turn over.i have followed the starting procedure and when i pull out the starter rod nothing happens. i had the battery checked and it is fully functional. Also the lights do work when i turn the nob. never worked with one of these tractors before. where should i start?? Thanks

Will the engine turn over with a hand crank? Take the starter off and bench test it and make sure all wire connections are free of corrosion. It doesn't take much to keep the starter from turning when there is any rust.

Masko:

G'day and congrats on acquiring your 1st new to you Cub. The very 1st thing you need to do is to read the Owner's Manual - click here - McCormick Farmall Cub Owner's Manual 1950, it is for the previous year but it is identical to the '51 Manual.

Remember that these Cubs are supposed to be 6 volt Positive Ground which means the positive terminal of the battery is the ground unlike the negative ground systems found later on in the '60s. One of the first things that you will have to do after you read the manual is to check all the connections - from the battery forward, make sure that all electrical connections are bare metal, clean and bright with no corrosion or rust. You can use di-electric grease to help keep corrosion from getting into those connections. Remember to check the grounds to the chassis as well - should be through the battery box. Next you should check to make sure that the starter button on the starter is clean and bright as well. Also check to make sure that you have the proper gauge wire from the battery to the starter - should be either 1 or 2 gauge cable as there is a lot more amperage with 6 volt than 12 volt.

Suggest you read the material in the links below as well:

to Farmallcub.com Forum Family. And you have come to the right place for all things Cub related. If you click on the Site Rules, Regulations, & Important Information, it will point you to the Welcome Wagon wherein you will find links to many useful sites and topics. One of which is the Cub Manual Server. Enjoy!.

Barnyard wrote:Will the engine turn over with a hand crank?

If you don't have a handcrank, you should be able to grab one of the fan blades and attempt to turn over the motor to ensure it is not stuck. Make sure while doing this the belt is not slipping on the pulley.

I don't have the hand crank to do it, put the fly wheel does turn so i know the engine will turn. i will clean up the starter and try that. thanks.

thanks for the tips. i'll look into it. i appreciate it. there are no there fuses besides the by the lights that i need to worry about?

Masko wrote:thanks for the tips. i'll look into it. i appreciate it. there are no there fuses besides the by the lights that i need to worry about?

There are no other fuses than for the lights.

Ignition off. Tractor in 3rd gear. Brakes off. Rear tire, rock the tractor forward and or backward. If engine is not stuck, rocking or pushing on the tractor will rotate the engine.

Was tractor running when purchased? Would engine turn over before purchased.

Edit: Owner says flywheel will turn - so engine not stuck.

99 times out of 100, the problem is a bad ground.

The lights work, but they only draw a fraction of the Amps that the starter does.

You need to go at the connections with one of these:

Matt Kirsch wrote:99 times out of 100, the problem is a bad ground.

The lights work, but they only draw a fraction of the Amps that the starter does.

You need to go at the connections with one of these:

Best $1.99 I ever spent Use it all the time.

Showed a guy the other day, that was having intermittent starting problems with his cub, how the battery was grounded to the side of the battery box and that the sides of his battery box wasn't attached to the bottom of the battery box. I slid the battery box sides a couple inches up the battery. Didn't make for a very good ground.

So depending on how your battery is grounded .....
1. to the side of the battery box
2. to the mounting bolts for the battery box under the battery
3. to a bolt on the transmission cover
......you may want to do a good connection cleaning at the end of the ground cable away from the battery as well as where the battery box mounts to the axle housing in the case of #1 & 2.

Don't forget to check the starter switch, which I believe is on top of the starter (I only have older cubs). They are somewhat notorious for corrosion, or actually burning away the copper contact. New switches are available and reasonable if that is the problem.

thanks boys i got it running. i appreciate the help

Really glad you got her figured out.

My first thought when i read "Cub won't turn over" was-

Remove the right rear wheel without wedging the front axle, it will turn over and want it's belly scratched.

A note of safety-- If you remove the right rear wheel without wedging the front axle, because of the off set design of the cub, gravity will cause it to roll to the left, faster than you can get out of the way.

I know this has nothing to do with electrical, but someone reading the thread might learn something they did not know.