In the ongoing effort to clean out the barn and all the old crap we’ve accumulated over the years, it was time. Time for Jr. the 1948 Farmall Cub that came with the property when purchased it, to go.
In it’s day it was the ‘stuff’. Was designed to help a man farm up-to 10 acres. It was the pinnacle of small tractor utility. Generating a whopping 9 horse power, one man could do it all with this.
When we purchased the property and had to mow 3 acres every week, sometimes twice a week I wasn’t sure how we’d get that done. After some thought we required that this tractor with 48” belly mower had to come with said property. Needless to say the former owners weren’t to keen on that idea but in the interest of selling their property they acquiesced.
Still it didn’t take long for me to figure out that even using this was taking way too long. This baby, who was the best of breed in technology back in the 40’s and 50’s just wasn’t made for mowing a lawn.
She was scary dangerous, heavy, almost under powered given the size of the single blade mower it was turning, had next to NO brakes but it was just plain fun.
It came with all of the implements:
the belly mower, a single plow, a set of discs, cultivators, a grader blade, and even a front end loader that hadn’t been mounted on it in 40 years.
Of those implements I had used the mower, though it was more of a bush-hog, to keep the motorcycle trails cleared. I had broken ground in our garden with the plow and got it ready for planting with the discs. I had attempted to plow the snow with the grader blade, but getting this old goat started in the dead of winter was a real treat and often not very easy.
In 2005 when I got my first street bike, I found that I’d rather be riding it than messing with the old tractor. So it was parked and hasn’t been started since… Well, I think I did start it once about 2 years ago just to see if I could. As time had passed it became clear that I’d never take the time (or spend the money) to restore it, and while cleaning out the barn I had decided it was time for it to have a new home. Hopefully with someone that would use it as it was intended.
I took some photos of everything and posted an add on www.farmallcub.com
In less than an hour I had people lining up to come and get it. At which point I remembered that the former owners son had expressed an interest and I had promised him (and the former owner of the property) that they had the first rights to it if I ever sold it. So, I needed to call them and check. They were ecstatic and couldn’t wait to come and get it. At the same time Bill from Harrison also wanted it, or what ever implements the former owners didn’t take.
Needless to say, it was a happy ending for all. Tractor has been reunited with it’s previous owner of 30+ years and Bill now has a loader and a set of cultivators. I probably sold it all too cheaply, but I’m thoroughly happy with the transaction(s) and were everything ended up.
There’s just something cool about old tractors, and as much as I would have loved to keep this and play with it, I needed the room in my barn, and we need a tractor that’s more up-to-date.
I look forward to seeing it in the parades in a few years when it’s running again and has a fresh coat of paint.
