Farmall Cub

Hello all,
This is my first post to this site. I have a few questions about a the Cub because I'm in a position to get a Cub, but need to get feedback on a few things. I am a young farmer that grows vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, beets, winter squash, melons, etc). I have access to a very nice Missouri river bottom site with sandy soils. Wondering.... How well do they operate on sandy soil? Are there problems sinking in, turning, etc? Any soft soil modifications required or recommended?

Second, I have a large John Deer to pull some planting, cultivating, and harvesting attachments. I have run a 32 inch row spacing on most crops (two rows under belly), and wonder if a the cub can be adjusted to be a complementary cultivation piece at this spacing. I have some options... I could widen to 34 or 36 inch spacing or, narrowed to 30 inches. Could the cub run any of these spacing as a single row, or even a double row? Would a Farmall A be easier to integrate in with my spacing needs?

Finally, there are not any cultivation tools with the Cub I'm looking at. How easy is it to DIY cultivation equipment? I have lots of scrap metal, shovels, and a place to weld. Any plans or examples you could share?

Thanks for any thoughts or recommendations,
adam
Columbia, MO

Well you can tell from my handle, I really like the Super A but I also own a Cub I am pretty fond of. Both the Cub and the A series tractors are excellent for cultivating. You can go a lot slower and do a lot more precise work in really small crops with the Cub. The max. width on a Cub I believe is 56", a Super A/100/130/140 will go out to 60".

Whatever you go with, be sure you get the basic 144 (A-144 if it's a Super A) cultivators. You can come up with all sorts of ground working equipment, but there is no sense in trying to re-invent the wheel trying to build the main frames, and the probably won't work as well as the genuine article anyway.

Oh, and I would stay away from the straight Farmall A. Stick with a Super or newer (100-130-140).

Hope this helps,
Al

The page below will help answer your question regarding row widths. I recommend a Cub with a fast hitch for ease of implement changing. FH implements are a bit more expensive and harder to find but much easier and quicker to change.

And welcome to the forum.

We do similar farming with a cub. There are lots of options and I think more parts then an A. Where in Missouri? There is a great place to by parts in Fredericktown, JP's their ad is on the home page

I love Cubs, Super A's, 100's, 130's, and 140's. Who am I kidding if it's red and says Farmall, IH, McCormick, or McCormick Deering I love it!

Cubs tend to have more availability of parts and implements, BUT if you can snag a Super A (100, 130, or 140) with cultivators I would go with that in a heartbeat.

Owning two Cubs, I would go with a different small tractor.

I would look for a tractor with standard live PTO, live hydraulics, and preferably a 3-point hitch.

There are other makes and models of tractor is the same price range as a Cub with more utilitarian features

havoc1482 wrote:Cubs tend to have more availability of parts and implements, BUT if you can snag a Super A (100, 130, or 140) with cultivators I would go with that in a heartbeat.

Location, location, location. Seems like around here you can find one as easily as the other.

The Super A series tractors will be more capable all-around. The standard pto (being off-set does not matter) and two circuit hydraulics make it much handier. My favorite uses for the Cub are precision, really-slow cultivating, and using the sickle bar mower.

Al

Eugene wrote:Owning two Cubs, I would go with a different small tractor.

I would look for a tractor with standard live PTO, live hydraulics, and preferably a 3-point hitch.

There are other makes and models of tractor is the same price range as a Cub with more utilitarian features

Keep in mind that he already has a larger tractor for PTO work and other tasks. He wants to cultivate small vegetables. For that, there is nothing better than a Cub or Super A. A 3-point cultivator on the rear of a tractor would be a giant step backwards. I would look for either of the two and concentrate on finding one that has a cultivator, or at least a set of front mounting frames with it.

Not to prolong this discussion. Allis Chalmers was big in this part of Missouri 60 years ago. Farmall Cubs are a bit harder to find.

Suggestion. There are a number of farm equipment auctions posted in the local news paper. Also, 2 local farm consignment auctions held every year. Both are good locations to look over the tractors and equipment prior to the auction.

I sure wish we lived closer. Since I quit putting out sweet corn, I haven't used my cultivator Cub since 2013. It's the one I posted a pic of in the spark arrester thread the other day.

Agree with Jim. A Cub would be a great cultivating machine.

Welcome to the forum from west central Missouri (Lone Jack)! Keep in mind our Mid-MO CubFest next May (held in California, MO) AND the 2015 IHCC Red Power Roundup held in Sedalia at the Fairgrounds in June.

Personally I think you would be better off with a larger row crop tractor with mounted cultivators like a super C or an H. I cultivate with a bunch of different equipment from a David Bradley 2 wheeler to an Allis Chalmers C. Whatever you get make sure to find manuals for it cultivators have lots of brackets and pivots etc that would be hard to set up otherwise, plus it should have a parts list so you can be sure to get everything. I use my cub a lot but they are so collectable around here that you can get a much bigger tractor for less money.