First Time Puller At The Buckeye Cub Tug!

[Barnyard]

First Time Puller At The Buckeye Cub Tug!
By Bill (Barnyard) Weisbrodt

Sometime around February 2008 a member posted a Cub for sale. It was a nice looking little fella but was about twelve hours away. I was curious about it since the price was fair so I asked about it anyway. The seller was very open about its mechanical condition and told me everything that he knew was wrong with it, including a hairline fracture in the block just below the head. He said it had some JB weld in it and seemed to hold up well. He sent me several photos of the Cub and made sure I could see that crack. The sheet metal was all there with no rust or bends. The paint was in great shape and it looked like it had very good tires on it. But still, it was twelve hours away.

The seller said there were no noises coming from anywhere that would be a concern. He did say that the Cub was having trouble getting started and that it possibly needed mag work so I’d better bring a good one along just in case. Then he asked the big question, “Why on earth would you be interested in a Cub twelve hours away”? Well I had been thinking about going to the Texas Tumble at Donny M’s place and I would be passing within thirty miles of the Cub. If I had a Cub to pick up it would justify a trip to the Tumble. The other way to look at it was, if I was going to the Tumble it would justify picking up the Cub. This way the Tumble and the Cub justified the whole trip – A win/win situation. I figured that I could go down with an empty trailer, grab that Cub and then have something to play with at the Tumble.

The seller said if that was the case, those guys at the Tumble could easily get the starting problem figured out. He agreed to a deal and would hold the Cub for a month until I came by to look at it. He even said that if I decided I didn’t like it I could leave it. We talked on the phone several times about the deal and I could tell this guy had integrity. I trusted his every word.

March came and Rosie and I packed up for our first get-a-way for a long time. We swung by for the Cub and it was everything the seller said it was. We loaded it and headed for the Tumble. At Donny’s, several members went to work on the Cub and had it running in no time. Those guys really knew what they were doing. It ran good but it still had a bit of a problem restarting. I was told the gear needed replacement and since none was available there I could do that at home.

A few days later the seller posted that he hoped the Cub wouldn’t be something I just stuck in the barn where it would never see the light of day again. Although I hadn’t finished the mag work I assured him that it would get used now and then. Last year when I got my manure spreader I posted a picture of it being pulled by this Cub. The seller said that, although pulling a spreader was one of the least desirable jobs at least the Cub was used now and then. Last Fall it went to CI Cubfest where a couple more members spent some time with me and helped straighten out what I had let pass. By the time it left there it was a good running machine.

Folks, there is a story in a story here. I found a seller who I became friends with. He is a man I trust to this day. Just as importantly, what I saw this weekend at the Tug was much like what I experienced at the Tumble and CI Cubfest. There was a boatload of experience and just as many newcomers who appreciated all the knowledge they gained.

But what am I really getting at? Well, that Cub made its debut this weekend at the Tug. It came in second in its heat and made it into the finals. I am very happy with those results. First place was not as important to me as was my main desire. I wanted to have fun and also show the seller that I have faith in that Cub he sold me. He doesn’t have to worry about how it will live out its life. There's a lot of work left in that Cub.

Waldo is the Cub and he was named after the town in Arkansas where I bought him. I believe he is a good one, just as the seller said he was.

I bought this Cub from Mr. Dan England and I would buy from him again, only I doubt I would have to ask as many questions the next time. If he says “This is what I have and this is how much I want for it”. That’s about all the information I would need. His word can surely be trusted.

Dan, here’s Waldo doing his best. Don’t worry, I have a feeling he will never see a dark corner of the barn. Thank you for making him mine