501 "First Cub"

[gsperry]

My grandfather, L. B. Sperry, retired from International Harvester in 1946. My understanding is that he was VP of Engineering. Upon retirement he was given "THE FIRST PRODUCTION FARMALL CUB TRACTOR" by "HIS MANY FRIENDS AT INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER". The upper case quotes are on the 2 bronze plaques that were affixed to cub. The plaque is dated "MAY 1, 1946".

Why do records say the cub began in 1947? Did they call it a 1947 model even though it was produced in 1946??

My dad contacted IH in late 1960's or early '70s because he was under the impression IH wanted the cub for their museum when the family was finished with it. IH wasn't interested, so Dad sold it. It was sold again. It then was restored by a friend of the second purchaser. It is now living in Southern Wisconsin in pristine condition.

I had lots of fun playing on the cub as a kid. Dad was a little upset when He had to get a tow truck to fish it out of the pond. My brother nearly killed himself when he was trying to pull a tree stump out of the ground. Fortunately the engine quit before going over on him.

[Barnyard]

Wow! Number 501 itself. I'd like to see that one. Maybe our guys in Wisconsin will seek it out.

As with automobiles, the new models come out late in the year before. Like the new cars on the market now are 2008's. May 1st does seem early though.

[Bigdog]

501 is alive and well:

[Barnyard]

Very nice! Thanks BD. You're right, "You can't hide 'em all"!

[Don McCombs]

gsperry,

Welcome to the forum.

[Bigdog]

gsperry - Your history tidbit really adds to the background of 501. I wonder how many folks know 501 was in the pond at one time!
I do not have the answer to your date question but can only surmise that production was delayed until after the war even though pre-production tractors existed. I think it is quite probable that early "47" models were produced in 46. Perhaps Jim Becker or Ken Updike can shed some light on this.

[Rudi]

gsperry:

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

My grandfather, L. B. Sperry, retired from International Harvester in 1946. My understanding is that he was VP of Engineering. Upon retirement he was given "THE FIRST PRODUCTION FARMALL CUB TRACTOR" by "HIS MANY FRIENDS AT INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER". The upper case quotes are on the 2 bronze plaques that were affixed to cub. The plaque is dated "MAY 1, 1946".

Why do records say the cub began in 1947? Did they call it a 1947 model even though it was produced in 1946??

My dad contacted IH in late 1960's or early '70s because he was under the impression IH wanted the cub for their museum when the family was finished with it. IH wasn't interested, so Dad sold it. It was sold again. It then was restored by a friend of the second purchaser. It is now living in Southern Wisconsin in pristine condition.

I had lots of fun playing on the cub as a kid. Dad was a little upset when He had to get a tow truck to fish it out of the pond. My brother nearly killed himself when he was trying to pull a tree stump out of the ground. Fortunately the engine quit before going over on him.

So, what do you say to a guy who grew up playing with 501... sheesh... I am looking forward to many stories about your Dad and his #501 Cub... please do tell I know you will have a whack of avid listeners. I am also sure that our resident contributor to Red Power Magazine will probably be very interested as well.. right Jim.. Welcome, welcome and welcome again

The Welcome Wagon is a bit overwhelming, but it has been designed to actually be copied to a Word Processor such as Microsoft Word (which preserves the active links), and saved to your desktop for easy reference at a later date or when you have a bit more time to read all the information contained in the links below. Please do so, enjoy and I hope this will be a useful aid in learning more about your New Cub Tractor

Filling out your Profile is a real help. It just needs to be - City, County, State, a lot less than what is available in your local phone book. Knowing where you are will help in members offering to come help, when you are looking for parts - the area that would be useful to you etc., Also our CubFests, Mini-Fests or a simple KaffeeKlatsch/get together over coffee and a doughnut etc., to help each other benefits. Just a thought

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 Work on Your Cub - Maintenance Tips and Techniques. 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
cubguy47

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 if 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

[48 BARNEY CUB]

WELCOME TO THE FORUM GSPERRY
NICE LITTLE STORY BET YOU WISH YOU HAD THAT CUB BACK NOW


WONDER IF ANYONE KNOW OF 502-THE REST OF THE 47'S ARE LOCATED OR IF THEY ARE STILL ALIVE

GREAT PICTURE BIGDOG

48 BARNEY CUB

[Kodiak]

Welcome to the forum It's really nice to have someone with interesting tidbits of info on 501 stored away, as Rudi said I'm sure as you read post you'll have things trigger those special monents and memories. Please share them with us as it adds so much to the History of the Cub

Ron Whiting

[JimT]

Gsperry,

Boy, it would be nice to have bragging rights to be able to say that you road the very first cub produced. The only thing I can think of that would be better would be to own the cub.

JimT

[George Willer]

gsperry,

Welcome to the best tractor forum on the internet. I'm sure you have much to contribute. Does anyone in your family have the plaque honoring the occasion that was on the tractor at one time?

Many of the cheeseheads are familiar with your Grandfather's tractor. #501 has been honored at several Red Power Roundups. Thank you for adding to its history.

The 'Farmall Cub Photo Archive' edited by P.A. Letourneau contains many pictures of Cubs taken in 1945. 1947 must have been when IH settled down and got serious about marketing our little gems.

[GreenHorn]

Gsperry,

Boy, it would be nice to have bragging rights to be able to say that you road the very first cub produced. The only thing I can think of that would be better would be to own the cub.

JimT

I don't know That two leggid hoss is pretty cool

Paul

[KETCHAM]

Glad we are getting a liitle light on 501!!!!WOW!!!!I love history of things and this sheds a little light on that tractor.PLEASE MORE STORIES!!!Glad you joined the forum,a lot of real nice people on here!!!!Kevin

[spiveyman]

Cub #501............. WOW! That is awesome. I'm truly jealous I never got to play with it . That is really neat. Stick around, tell stories, show us pics of it if you have any from back then!!! Lucky guy!

48 BC - didnt someone, I think Jim Becker, say that it is "believed" that 502- through about 512 got shipped to Spain for some field tests? I thought that's what I heard. Would be neat to find them

[trac48]

welcome from Canada.
Like your story of the 501