about to buy my first cub 1953

[timberlakeDan]

I have looked at 4 cubs now and think I will buy the last one I visited. It is serno 165242 J and comes with a woods belly mower. He is asking $1800 and it appears to be in okay shape, started good and ran good. I saw only 1 weld on the fron spindle. Sheetmetal and mower in fare shape. Anyone know what the J means in the serial Number?

[cowboy]

Hi Dan

Welcome the cub form The "J" refers to the type of clutch and pressure plate origonally in your cub.

Billy

[John(videodoc)]

Welcome aboard and good luck with your cub

[Bigdog]

Welcome Dan!

[beaconlight]

Welcome Glad to another out of the woodwork and posting.

[Rudi]

Dan:

First, to the greatest forum on the internet, and to the Cub Family. You will find that all the folks on this forum are kind, helpful and just full of Cub info and knowledge. They also happen to be the finest folks I have ever met

I have looked at 4 cubs now and think I will buy the last one I visited. It is serno 165242 J and comes with a woods belly mower. He is asking $1800 and it appears to be in okay shape, started good and ran good. I saw only 1 weld on the fron spindle. Sheetmetal and mower in fare shape. Anyone know what the J means in the serial Number?

As Billy said, the "J" suffix is used to indicate the clutch type installed, so that the IH Techs would know what to order without having to split the tractor, thereby saving time and money for both the owner and the service center. The "J" suffix indicates that your Cub was equipped with a Rockford Clutch assembly as compared to those without the suffix which were equipped with the Auburn Clutch assembly. You can see the differences in the TC-37 Series manuals below.

Glad to see another Lurker out of the weeds and posting.. Welcome

Ok, so here is the spiel :

I would suggest that you read this thread: New Members and Visitors, Please READ Prior to Posting. There are many great links to informative pages such as the ATIS FAQ's 1 and ATIS FAQ's 2, The Best of H.L. Chauvin who has written very interesting articles on troubleshooting common problems with your Cub. One of the other projects we have been working on and it will be a continuing effort is the How To Article Archive. This the the place to go to get all the quick links to some very good articles written by many members of the forum on solving some of the problems we encounter as we repair, maintain and up-grade our Cubs. Keep looking for this to grow.


Also, you might want to visit the Cub Manual Server as there is tons of info on servicing, maintaining and re-building your Cub. In addition to this basic information, there are also a number of other useful tools available on the server. There is the Specialty Services page which has contact info for neat stuff like getting your seats recovered, buying quality Decals, Serial Number tags and a host of other neat items. Also there are the Parts Pages - both Used Parts Suppliers and New Parts Suppliers pages with links to quality dealers. I am always looking for YOUR favourite dealers for New and Used Parts to include here. These pages are intended to complement our Official FarmallCub.com Website Sponsors:

JP Tractor Salvage
Ralph's Cubs
TM Tractor Parts

I would also recommend that you visit Binder Books and purchase the three most important manuals you can own for Maintenance, Repair and Rebuilding your Cub. These are the Owner's Manual, the GSS-1411 Service Manual and the TC-37F Parts Manual. Although they are available on the Cub Manual Server, it is better is you also have your own paper copy. Binder Books is the only Authorized IH Publication Reprint House and they have the best quality manuals available. Most other's are not of the same quality. Just a personal thought here, the I&T Shop Manuals, although helpful in some areas, really are not sufficient for the job. If you wish though, they are good additional reference works.

IF you really want to get the skinny on all things Cub, might I suggest you get a copy of Ken Updike's Farmall Cub and Cub Cadet's . While you are at it Original Farmall Cub and Cub Cadet is Ken's latest addition to the series. Along with Guy Fay's Letter Series Originality Guide, these are three must have's in anyone's collection.

In addition to the above information, don't forget to check out the various articles that are available to help with your Repair, Restore, Rebuild or just your Maintenance Projects. There are a number of sub pages such as Electrolysis or Rust Zapper's, Maintenance Tips, Jigs and Techniques, Implement and Part Sketches and of course the Paint, Decals & Other Finish Questions which has the Paint Chart and the Paint Committee Decisions links.

Oh, and while the program still lasts.. you might want to check the Announcement: Navistar Free Gas Cap Offer - On-Line Form thread at the top of the Cub Forum and send away for the new style safety cap before that program runs out as well.

I truly hope that you enjoy your Cub and that you will be a frequent contributor to the forum. Again, to the Cub Family

[timberlakeDan]

Thanks for the info. I just found another cub for sale ... I want to go look at it before I commit to the other. Not sure what year it is but the lady says it was her husbands little gem and he has 5 or 6 implements to go with it. My only concern is her asking frice of $3000.00. I will go look at it later this week as I feel like I need to see more of them before buying.

[Rudi]

Dan:

The first cub you mentioned for $1,800.00 sounds like a pretty fair deal, especially when you factor in the Woods Belly Mower. If it is in really good shape, they can go for up to $500.00 all by themselves, which makes the Cub an even better deal. I do not think the single weld on the spindle would be a major issue. One of my Cubs has both spindles welded -- where the tie rods meet the spindle.

Thanks for the info. I just found another cub for sale ... I want to go look at it before I commit to the other. Not sure what year it is but the lady says it was her husbands little gem and he has 5 or 6 implements to go with it. My only concern is her asking frice of $3000.00. I will go look at it later this week as I feel like I need to see more of them before buying.

Depending on what the Cub and the individual implements are and the shape of the Cub and the implements will determine what the actual fair price would be. Usually yo will find that "hubby's little gem" translates into wife wants big bucks for his toy... and it may be asking way too much.... $3,000.00 is on the high side to my mind.. But, if the implements are say a Belly Mower, a Grading and Levelling Blade, a York Rake, 193 plow or a 189 or better yet a complete fast hitch plus a plow and something else, then it is coming far closer to the realm of realistic....

However, if you take pics of both tractors, and post em here, we can help you figure out what a good fair price for these particular units are.. Let us know ok

I would post that topic in the main forum though ok? Be a far better place, and you will be far likelier to get much more input.

[Ron Luebke]

welcome dan! go ahead add another 53 to the forum