Tires

[Randy Tuura]

Hi,

Nice looking Cub Randy.

Stan, it has a Delco distributor, Jim B. and I helped him identify it months ago, and he bought new parts for it.

Yes! And it runs like a brand new tractor. I took the pictures with me and the distributor cap to NAPA and they fixed me right up. Plugs, plug wires, cap, rotor, condenser and coil. Feels like a new tractor!

With the starter problems I'm having now, it's a pity I can't crank start it. Now I'm wishing for a 6v mag system.

All you need is the crank, Randy. You don't need a mag system to crank start it.

H'mm. I've got the crank. I tried it when I first got the tractor and couldn't get it going. Then I read somewhere - maybe here - that a distributor system would not let you crank start it. Maybe it takes a lot more effort. The cub we had when I was a kid would start with just a half turn on the crank.

[Jim Becker]

A battery ignition system will start with a crank. The battery has to have enough power to run the ignition system.

[clemk]

Take a look at the video how to forum. There's a video there. Could you be missing a step? Or maybe there's something different to do with a distributor ignition

[tmays]

You can hand crank a battery ignition cub if there is sufficient voltage from the battery to do so

Jim beat me to it

[CubHunter]

A battery ignition system will start with a crank. The battery has to have enough power to run the ignition system.

I just did on my cub on sunday. Didn't have enough voltage for both the ignition system and the starter. 2 quick pulls on the crank and she started right up.

[staninlowerAL]

A battery ignition system will start with a crank. The battery has to have enough power to run the ignition system.

I just did on my cub on sunday. Didn't have enough voltage for both the ignition system and the starter. 2 quick pulls on the crank and she started right up.

It's a lot easier to do if the engine is in good condition and tuned up as it should be.

[Jim Becker]

Here's all it takes.

[gitractorman]

As others have said, if she is a worker, then basically anything that holds air will work fine. I've restored many Cubs and ususally, there are mismatched tires on the tractors when I buy them. If I go through all the effort to make it look like new again, the last step for me is to typically buy a new set of matching tires. I typically go with Carlisle tires in the rear, and whatever off-brand tri-rib tire for the front. The fronts seem to be pretty standard, but I found out a few years ago that the cheapo, off brand, chinese, rear tires, just do not look right when mounted. One set I bought did not have the correct lip to seat properly on the rim, so they looked REALLY bad. Since then, I've just stuck with Carlisle tires for the rears. They're readily available and at a pretty fair price.

I've owned and restored a bunch of cubs, different years, and my personal preference is to use the 8.3 x 24 tire on all of the Cubs older than 1969. It seems to me that the square nose cubs look better with 9.5 x 24 tires on the rear. I know all of the dimensions on the tractors are the same, but the few square nose cubs I had, one with all original tires on it, looked much better with the 9.5 x 24 tires, but I think they look too big on the older Cubs, espeically the early Cubs. I've not bought any turf tires, as they're nearly double the price of Ag tires, and to me, a cub should really have Ag tires anyway (just my opinion).

On an interesting note, if you ever have a tire off of a Cub rim, take a look at the lettering stamped into the rim. Most say Goodyear or BF Goodrich, and the date of manufacture. The interesting thing is that IH outsourced the tires (obviously) and it appears that the rear tires came to the factory already mounted on the rims by the tire manufacturer. So, there is no real "correct" tire brand for the Cub, but rather several correct brands. If you're restoring one to 100% original, then you could technically check the stamp inside the rim and get the correct tires to match. This is being WAY too picky (personally) but it could be done.

[Slim140]

On an interesting note, if you ever have a tire off of a Cub rim, take a look at the lettering stamped into the rim. Most say Goodyear or BF Goodrich, and the date of manufacture. The interesting thing is that IH outsourced the tires (obviously) and it appears that the rear tires came to the factory already mounted on the rims by the tire manufacturer. So, there is no real "correct" tire brand for the Cub, but rather several correct brands. If you're restoring one to 100% original, then you could technically check the stamp inside the rim and get the correct tires to match. This is being WAY too picky (personally) but it could be done.

Here's the rear rim off the recent project I been working on. It says "Firestone 4-47" and they were in excellent shape to be 70 years old.

[Slim140]

On an interesting note, if you ever have a tire off of a Cub rim, take a look at the lettering stamped into the rim. Most say Goodyear or BF Goodrich, and the date of manufacture. The interesting thing is that IH outsourced the tires (obviously) and it appears that the rear tires came to the factory already mounted on the rims by the tire manufacturer. So, there is no real "correct" tire brand for the Cub, but rather several correct brands. If you're restoring one to 100% original, then you could technically check the stamp inside the rim and get the correct tires to match. This is being WAY too picky (personally) but it could be done.

I know a guy who restored a car and when he had the tires mounted on the rims he had the valve stem placed in the exact same spot on all 4 to match the writing on the tire. I think he had it in the middle of Good Year. THAT is being way to picky.

[Pompiere]

On an interesting note, if you ever have a tire off of a Cub rim, take a look at the lettering stamped into the rim. Most say Goodyear or BF Goodrich, and the date of manufacture. The interesting thing is that IH outsourced the tires (obviously) and it appears that the rear tires came to the factory already mounted on the rims by the tire manufacturer. So, there is no real "correct" tire brand for the Cub, but rather several correct brands. If you're restoring one to 100% original, then you could technically check the stamp inside the rim and get the correct tires to match. This is being WAY too picky (personally) but it could be done.

I know a guy who restored a car and when he had the tires mounted on the rims he had the valve stem placed in the exact same spot on all 4 to match the writing on the tire. I think he had it in the middle of Good Year. THAT is being way to picky.

I work on old bicycles as well as tractors. On bikes, it is normal to have the valve lined up with the label. That way, when you have a flat, you have a reference point between the tire and tube. Back when they had tubes,I was taught to mark the valve's position on a truck tire when removing it from the rim. For tubeless tires, lining up the valve to the label is just one extra detail towards making it look perfect.

[Slim140]

On an interesting note, if you ever have a tire off of a Cub rim, take a look at the lettering stamped into the rim. Most say Goodyear or BF Goodrich, and the date of manufacture. The interesting thing is that IH outsourced the tires (obviously) and it appears that the rear tires came to the factory already mounted on the rims by the tire manufacturer. So, there is no real "correct" tire brand for the Cub, but rather several correct brands. If you're restoring one to 100% original, then you could technically check the stamp inside the rim and get the correct tires to match. This is being WAY too picky (personally) but it could be done.

I know a guy who restored a car and when he had the tires mounted on the rims he had the valve stem placed in the exact same spot on all 4 to match the writing on the tire. I think he had it in the middle of Good Year. THAT is being way to picky.

I work on old bicycles as well as tractors. On bikes, it is normal to have the valve lined up with the label. That way, when you have a flat, you have a reference point between the tire and tube. Back when they had tubes,I was taught to mark the valve's position on a truck tire when removing it from the rim. For tubeless tires, lining up the valve to the label is just one extra detail towards making it look perfect.

As long as the tire is on the rim and stays pumped up I could care less what is lined up with what

[Jim Becker]

I work on old bicycles as well as tractors. On bikes, it is normal to have the valve lined up with the label. That way, when you have a flat, you have a reference point between the tire and tube. Back when they had tubes,I was taught to mark the valve's position on a truck tire when removing it from the rim. For tubeless tires, lining up the valve to the label is just one extra detail towards making it look perfect.

For us, marking the valve position on the sidewall was a standard part of breaking down a flat tire. That way, after you found the leak in the tube, you could track it back to whatever might still be in the tire.

At some point, wheel companies started marking the low spot of new rims. Some had an arrow stamped near the center. Some cast rims had the stem hole drilled at the low spot. Stamped rims, if not marked, were assumed to be low at the stem hole (which it usually was due to the manufacturing process). Tires were checked for the effective high spot at the factory and the spot was marked by a small paint dot. Whoever mounted the tire was supposed to line the tire dot up with the rim arrow (or stem) to minimize runout. I never once saw a tire tech line up the dot. I haven't seen a paint dot on a new tire in quite a while. I suppose they gave up since it was ignored anyway. Cast wheels run pretty true, so maybe they decided it didn't matter for most customers.

[Matt Kirsch]

Tolerances are also much tighter, and manufacturing processes are improved. Tires don't have pronounced high spots anymore and like you said, cast rims are pretty much round, but steel rims are also much rounder than they used to be as well.

[alboe]

Thanks guys! Nice to get back on the topic of tires.