High time airframe - how high?

[Bugs66]

I am asking for a friend who wants to buy a certified Cub.

How high is too high for a Cub airframe? For example, my friend found one that has 8000hrs on the original fuselage. They apparently recovered the whole plane in 2002 but didn't bother to replace the fuselage. I found that odd, but maybe the old Cub fuselages hold up for that many hours? Overall the plane looks great in the photos, but the first thing that bothers me is the strut attach fitting with 8000hrs on it. Doesn't sit well with me. Opinions?

It's a 1970's, newer factory engine, recovered in 2002. Owner claims it's a real peach.

[d.grimm]

Used to talk with Border Patrol in Del Rio about their Cubs.
Most had more than 14,000 hrs on them, and the maintenance guys said some of the pilots still looped them. Pilots had glued what looked like sponges on the sidewalls to keep from bruising their knees in turbulence.
All real low altitude flying. They had tried about everything else and said the Super Cub was the best.

[behindpropellers]

Maybe one of these?

[8ninerpapa]

I have a 1955 SuperCub that has almost 14,000 hours. It was a fish spotter in a previous life so it may have had fewer landings than some cubs with less hours. I was pretty clumsy with it while learning to fly and nothing fell off.

[lunchmoney]

i have supercub with 14k hrs plus, flys great. i dont think high time matters. is what matters is the maintenance it has received. just my opinion.

[fobjob]

Mine has 8500 hrs....steel fuselages don't have any known fatigue life, just corrosion exposure......

[T.J.]

delete

[Bugs66]

Thanks for the comments. Wow, those Cubs just take a lickin' and keep on tickin' !

My friend is looking for a pre-buy inspector in WY area. Any recommendations?

[OldCuby]

Yesterday, Kase landed with me in the backseat on a small private strip and took my picture next to a hangared PA12 with about 25,000 hours on it! When I was preparing to leave Columbus, MT this morning, the owner, Larry, flew that PA12 into Columbus for apparently the local pilots daily 9am coffee gettogether! One engine, a O320, he said was topped at 3500 hrs because of a loose valve guide.
The secret to that time was Pipeline patrol.
Jim

[S2D]

My first supercub has about 8500 hrs on it.(55 model) First half of its life was spent cropdusting down south and second half hunting coyotes ( with lots of hard landings and broken tailsprings etc) I found a couple cracked tubes in the tail section, so I removed the tailfeathers, cut a couple holes in the fabric and repaired the tubing. After second guessing myself and thinking about what a life it had led, I stripped the fabric, and sandblasted it. the two tubes I repaired were the only problems I could find on the whole frame. A 1970 Cub I'm rebuilding with less than 3000 hrs on it had the whole bottom longerons rusted out and it led a charmed life in Montana.
I'd be more worried about corrosion than fatigue.