New to Farmall Cub

[rmichalski]

Greetings,
I am new to the forum. I recently purchased a 1955 Farmall Cub. Runs and drives, working on the lights at this point.
Looking forward to discussing light restoration and some rewiring. Have the manuals and a thirst for the electrical and mechanical function of the tractor. I'm already into buying missing parts and replacing damaged and rusted parts. Found and bought used floor pan and dash panel. Both originals are rusted thru. Would like to redo the battery cables when I install the new battery box. Not sure about the factory connection of the positive lead to the battery box side?? Any thoughts??

Thanks in advance
Dick Michalski

[Mike in Louisiana]

Dick, Welcome to the forum.
Parts used or new check sponsors at bottom of page. You can also check the for sale items section.
If you use the search function and how to forum you can find most every thing including pictures.

[staninlowerAL]

The pos ground using a braided cable was a topic about a week ago. You can probably search to find it. On the Plus side is it allows the complete battery box to be used, down side is rust/corrosion over time degrades the quality of the ground to the chassis. Some prefer a ground to a bolt like the transmission cover for a more secure chassis ground.

[Peter Person]

Dick,
Welcome to the forum.
Were you able to attend the New England Power of the Red show in Dublin, NH this past weekend? Several forum members there.

Floor pan can be a bear to replace. Start soaking all the fasteners with a good penetrant like PB Blaster or Kroil.

Good to hear you are reading through the manuals - lots of good information in them!

Peter

[rmichalski]

Greetings,
Thanks for the welcome and the early replies.
My background is electronics and electrical. The first rule, for me, is short leads and big current capability, especially for battery connections. I have 2 battery cables now that add up to over 6 feet combined. They are battery negative to starter (the original cable from 1955), and battery positive thru a disconnect switch (knob type mounted on the battery) to a bolt near the starter. This positive lead already shows signs of melting. Probably from long cranking. I will be scraping paint, testing with an ohmmeter and making good mechanical connections. By the way, with a fully charged battery the starter cranks slowly or not at all. Troubleshooting this as well.
Is there a term called "Tractoritis" ? If so, I have it!!!!
More to follow.

[Barnyard]

With an electrical background I'm sure you know the importance of a good ground. I would start looking at all connections for corrosion to solve the cranking problem.

Cables should be 1 awg or heavier. Cable to starter from battery is 84" long. Ground cable is about 10".

[Bob McCarty]

By the way, with a fully charged battery the starter cranks slowly or not at all.

If all the connections are clean, you might want to pull off the starter button on the starter and check/clean it (or remove it and see if a direct connection to the starter makes a difference).

[T-Mo]

Dick,
Welcome to the site. It looks like the more knowledgeable guys than me have you covered.

[Dale Finch]

There are a few very important sections on this forum:

The VINE: The free classifieds section where you can post wanted as well as for sale ads. Lots of folks on here have bunches of spare parts, or can direct you to good/reliable sources.

The HOW TO section: Many posts, as well as videos, showing most of the common repairs.

MANUALS: Most of the Cub manuals (Owners, Service, Parts, as well as implements) are available above for free download.

One more note, TM Tractors (site sponsor with link below) is not only a good source for parts, but a great reference for parts and implements. Quite a few parts are available from your local auto parts store, as well...I tend to use NAPA, because they are close, and there is one guy who actually knows how to look up and/or cross reference parts! If they don't have things, they usually can get them in 1-2 days, and I don't have to pay shipping.

Anyway, welcome, good luck, and be advised...CUBITIS is seldom curable!!
This often leads to ........

[staninlowerAL]

Is there a term called "Tractoritis" ? If so, I have it!!!!

Welcome to the FORUM and the world of CUBS. Yes there is a disease, it goes by different names in different parts of the country (and the world, in case you haven't noticed) but the symptoms are basically the same. It is incurable and the only relief of the symptoms is time spent with tractors and related equipment. Enjoy the ride!!!

[Waif]

Welcome Dick.
Only you can take the fun out of your tractor....Enjoy!

[Eugene]

Welcome.

Some prefer a ground to a bolt like the transmission cover for a more secure chassis ground.

Move the battery ground cable to the top of the transmission case. This will greatly improve the starter cranking speed.

[Glen]

Hi,
I'm not sure if you meant you have the owner's manual.
Below are pages from the 1955 Cub owner's manual showing the wiring, and how they looked under the hood.
The numbers on the 1st page are explained on the 2nd page.

http://farmallcub.com/rudi_cub/www.clea ... e%2049.jpg

http://farmallcub.com/rudi_cub/www.clea ... e%2050.jpg

The experts on here recommend that people read the Cub owner's manual, it has much info about operation, maintenance, and lubrication. It is at the top left of the page, at Quick links, and then PDF Manuals. There are 2, 1955 owner's manuals, I think. Either one can be used. They have pics of how the Cubs originally looked too.

The 6 volt system was originally positive ground.
Below is a new battery cable, and ground strap at TM Tractor, which is at the bottom of most pages on here.
IH used a number 2 cable to the starter originally, I think.
There are pics in the 2 listings below of how the battery looked, with the ground strap on the battery box, if you would rather have it that way. That is the original way, except IH had a ground cable, instead of a strap.
Sometimes the battery box needs sanding on the bottom, and the housing under it needs sanding, so it makes good contact for the ground cable attached the original way.
I've had my 1956 Cub for 45 years, and it has always worked normally with the number 2 cable, and the ground on the battery box.

http://www.tmtractor.com/new/el/2581fp.htm

http://www.tmtractor.com/new/el/1247fp.htm

[rmichalski]

Hi Rudi,
Thanks for the reply. Bingo on the diagram for the wiring harness. I will study and confirm routings. The tank comes off next to check those connections. The seat, battery box and floor pan are well rusted to the frame. The only remaining piece of the tool box was the tab with the mounting bolt hole. This is a lump of rust now. Painted by a rust lump.
I'll take my time and record what I find. Then rebuild once. I hope to learn the best method from you guys based on experience. Got to love it.

[rmichalski]

Sorry Glen, getting used to who the responder is.