Without the info I've found the last few days my little '54 "Betty" wouldn't have started. So here is my first post...and I apologize for the length.I live with my wife in Connecticut and we've always enjoyed the New England fairs; especially with all of the machinery. Even my wife has a secret little interest in all things powerful. I wanted to surprise her with a Cub and found one on Craigslist listed locally for $1250 and it included a front blade. Just a note, it's been converted to 6 volt positive-positive and negative-negative and has battery ignition. I was told it had a timing issue but other than that she was ready to go with the exception of a gash in the rear right tire that I didn't notice until it was home. Oh well, it could be worse. Prior to buying I did research on this forum and found out what I needed to look for: leaks, cracks, this and that. I turned the crank with the handle and the motor turned with ease. Put it in all four gears and turned the crank for each (with battery off), tractor moved as it should. etc etc etc. It had been sitting in the rain for 2 years (with a rain cap over the exhaust) so I wouldn't be surprised if a little water had entered through the exhaust a bit. More on that note in a moment.
So, Betty was delivered and I got right into it. Checked fluid levels, trickle charged the battery, completely tore down and rebuilt the aftermarket carb, replaced the aftermarket fuel filter, changed the plugs (Autolite 386 .025 gap) and plug wires, primed the oil through the oil primer hole, replaced the coil and ignition switch, verified point gap (.020 gap) and then did the timing. The timing was a killer. Not because the information I found here was faulty, but because some moron pulled the crankshaft out at some point and didn't align the single notch at cylinder #1 TDC.
I must have "aligned" the notch and supposed TDC, then adjusted the rotor and distributor according to the manual half a dozen times over nearly 20 hours of fiddling before the backfiring made my head ring. I even took each plug out and individually rested them on the manifold in their sequential physical position order and turned the crank to watch the 1-3-4-2 series with the #1 firing at the crankshaft pulley mark. I knew something was up so I decided to yank the hood and do a visual. Bingo. I was never at TDC. The crankshaft pulley and TDC are way off. I'm planning on doing a video for static timing a battery ignition and posting it on YouTube so people can avoid this headache! Sooooo...timed...put her back together, pulled the choke, pulled the starter and varooooommmmm! She purred like a baby. 
So, here's where I'm stuck!
I've seen a few videos of these cubs pulling some heavy loads or that front blade moving some awful heavy dirt. Even in first gear and my 185 pound butt in the seat, it struggles to go up even the slightest hill. Betty seems tired. The tractor had billowed quite a bit of white smoke at the getgo but then it slowly started to diminish which lead me to belive that some water may have gone into the exhaust a bit, but I'm not sure that would affect my power. I'm going to drain the oil and replace it with 10 weight as well as the other fluids according to the manual. No harm in starting fresh. Point gap and plug gaps seem accurate (or close enough). I have not yet checked the float level or air cleaner or checked compression. These are my to-dos. A problem with any one of those may be indicative of power loss, but this much? I've spent so much time on this thing the last few days and I'm exhausted so I'm looking for fresh advice on what to do next. 
on acquiring that '54 for your bride 
Be careful because there could be another real soon to be her stable mate, Cubs are very addictive. Ask me I have a few myself.
Let me just add a hearty welcome to our community.
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