Farmall Cub

I was just reading the post about just pick up a 63. I though my cub was a 57, but I do not no now. It has fast hitch, deluxe seat crook shifter. The front grille look like a 57, but the hood has decals, and the ser # is 121087, which if I am right that would be a 1950. And the head lights are not 57. I think some one have change the front , because they made a rod to strengthen the motor. It goes from the the bolster to the bell housen. Then again they could have change it from bell housen back, instead of just the front end. Thats why on his 63 round nose , and my 50 what ? What other way is there to tell if some one did change the front end with a different ser#.

Each of the major castings (radiator base, engine, torque tube, transmission, finals, etc. have a casting code on them that indicates when those parts were cast at the foundry. They typically were aged 2 or 3 months before being milled and used on the tractor. The castings on any tractor are normally spread over a 1 to 3 month period, but much beyond that indicates a replacement. to see what the codes look like and how to read them go to this site on TM Tractor.
http://www.tmtractor.com/id/id_004.htm

The serial # is a 57
Tim

Are saying my ser# 121087 is a 57 cub ?

Sorry I meant to say, are you saying that my cub ser# 121087 is a 57.

Wood wrote:Sorry I meant to say, are you saying that my cub ser# 121087 is a 57.

That serial number is a 1950.

I believe TST may have looked at it wrong, 121087 would be a late 1950 according to what I read on the TM site

Wood wrote:... and the ser # is 121087, which if I am right that would be a 1950. ...

You are correct, Dec 1950 to be exact. After the mesh grilles, IH changed to the multibar grilles. If the owner of a 1950 tractor damaged his grille back in say, 1958, the only replacements offered through IH were the multibar type.
As John mentioned above, check the engine SN and all the castings dates that you can locate. This will let you know what, if any other parts may have been swapped out.

John *.?-!.* cub owner wrote:.... They typically were aged 2 or 3 months before being milled and used on the tractor. The castings on any tractor are normally spread over a 1 to 3 month period, but much beyond that indicates a replacement. ...

John, this entirely depends on the year of manufacture. In the early production of the Cubs, most castings were used immediately, while other took several months to use up the stock before more were made. One part that stands out is the axle extension that was cast in 7 Aug 1947 were used well into Mar of 1949, while other castings on these tractors were used right away.
So in short, there was no aging period, and tractors could (and do) have castings from months previous to their SN lineage. It all depends on what other tractors of the same time period have when one is trying to determine if parts have been changed.

John, this entirely depends on the year of manufacture. In the early production of the Cubs, most castings were used immediately, while other took several months to use up the stock before more were made. One part that stands out is the axle extension that was cast in 7 Aug 1947 were used well into May of 1948, while other castings on these tractors were used right away.
So in short, there was no aging period, and tractors could (and do) have castings from months previous to their SN lineage. It all depends on what other tractors of the same time period have when one is trying to determine if parts have been changed.

This is a good example of why the database is, or could be use for. You can track tractors from the same year range (serial numbers) to see which cast codes were used on which parts in what years. I have been lazy and have not sent the data for all my cubs, but I do plan to.

raystractors wrote:.... I have been lazy and have not sent the data for all my cubs, but I do plan to.

Thanks Ray, looking forward to the info! I actually don't have all of my data in there either, but will rectify that after next months trip to Florida!

I check the number on block. 12.15.t which make it a 1950. So the front is 50, and the motor is 50. I do not no what the rear is. Unless you can put the crook shifter and deluxe seat on a 50 model. I no you can put the fast hitch on it.

You can put the deluxe seat and bent shifter on a 1950. Check the cast dates on the final drives and see what they are.

RaymondDurban wrote:So in short, there was no aging period, and tractors could (and do) have castings from months previous to their SN lineage.

Typically cast iron parts have an aging period, permitting the parts to rust. Rust fills small imperfections and helps seal the casting. Castings are then cleaned and sealed - painted inside and outside.

Eugene, while I don't know the exact process and how long it took for IH to coat the inside of the parts, I was referring to the long standing idea that the castings had to age for several months before use.
The tractor in question above has a SN of late 1950 (Dec), with a engine casting date of 15 Dec 1950. So this part was used on an assembled tractor in less than two weeks after the metal was poured in the mold. Two weeks for the part to cool, machining to take place, internal parts to be assembled and installed, assembled engine stalled on a chassis, the whole tractor to be painted, decals installed and rolled off the line with a SN assigned. That's pretty fast!!

I check the number on the tube, the number is stamped on the side right at the clutch pedal. The # is 12.13 T which is 1950. So what I have is a 1950 cub with a latter grille, fast hitch, deluxe seat, and a crook gear shift an it has rice and cane tires.