Farmall M's

[rchristensen]

You got to love these old M's. This is the one I grew up on. I think it is a 1939, Dad had a Super kit installed in 1953 and the engine has never been touched since. Farmed with it all those years in Montana, my brother moved it to Elko Nevada where he lives now. Uses it almost every day. Sits outside and still starts every day no matter what the temperature is. Plowing snow Jan 11, 2005.

 

[kweaver]

Richard when he gets all that snow plowed whats he figuring on planting ? Oh and tell'em to take down the xmas lights

 

[thoffman]

Ya' know Richard, That's a good point about always starting. What did IH/McCromick-Deering have that others didn't? I know it had that s-----y 6v. system <font size="-2">(Ya' I know it beat the hell out of the 'ol hand crank) </font> but those old H's and M's always fired right up. The A, B, and C's weren't quite as reliable as their big brothers.

 

[rchristensen]

Ken
The Christmas lights serve a purpose. Keeps my brother from backing into the porch when he is plowing snow at night. He doesn't have any lights on the M.

Years ago when 6 volt batteries became hard to get my brother just put a 12 volt battery in the M and didn't change anything. The 6 volt generator keeps the 12 volt battery charged but won't support lights too. My brother changed the points and condensor this year, the ones in it were installed by my Dad in 1958.

This summer we plan on puttng a 12 volt Alternator on the M so we can rewire the lights and get them working again.

 

[wheinsohn]

Tom H.,
The M that I have was never I good starter after my dad overhauled it. Something about putting TSC Firecrater pistons in it. We finally put 12 volts on it and eventually put a 2nd battery on it. Now it starts at -25 with no problem. Those pistons sure made a lot of people mad though. My grandfather used to really get pissed when my dad would lap him in the field plowing with his Oliver 88. We had it dyno'd years ago at 53 hp. I do not believe it is putting that out now. It has almost 3500 hours on the overhaul but still uses hardly any oil. Right now it is mainly used to plow snow in the winter, and now that I have the cubs, it is only used for major storms. It is lucky it gets 5 hours a year on it.

 

[dfrisk]

WES - Sounds like My Super H. Sits in an insulated shop, has a block heater.... I can have the shop warmed up to 60 in 15-20 minutes.... and the Old Super H will be running about the time the second cylinder comes to TDC when I start it even if it's been setting for 6 months! I put an hour meter on it back in about 1968.... engine driven, off a 350 with a tach. It gets run about 5 hours per year.....Sometimes 10 if it snows a lot. But I wouldn't live in the country without it!

 

[tturner]

Today I watched a Super M wide front that was unrestored sell for $10750 I am still in shock. One story was that it was the kids grandpas tractor (he wasn't much older than me) and another group said that it was the last super M made. Either way, that is ALOT of money!!!!

 

[dfrisk]

Tyler - I could understand that Super M being Grandpa's tractor and bringing $10,000. If Dad sold his stuff off at auction I'm not too sure how high I would bid on His '51 M...The only tractor He ever bought brand new and the first tractor I ever ran solo or otherwise.... but if anyone other than My Sister bid it up that high on Me, after I bought it I would walk staight over & kick the Other Bidder square in the butt... I'm glad these old Farmalls are excalating in price but that's about TEN times what they brought 20 years ago when they were still big enough to be useful on farms.
I'm not really buying the "Last Super M" story. Close to the last maybe but RPM has documented the first & last of every model fairly well and I doubt they sell at auction. Like Ken Updike's first 806, serial # 501, advertised in RPM and sold private.

(Message edited by dfrisk on March 20, 2006)

 

[bbranstetter]

I'm fortunante enough to have my grandfathers 42 H. Grandma and Grandpa bought it new from the dealer and used it till there wasn't much left, it originally came on steel. It sat out behind there barn for 30 some years with a cracked block, nearly buried halfway to the belly when I brought it home. He died before my Dad and him ever got a chance to restore it, now its mine, or whats left. Now its just time, money and elbow grease to get things done. I've got a pile of new parts for it just not enough time and money to finish. It's an old distilte machine, I've even managed to find louvers and a salvageable manifold for it, just needs a heat shield and a set of steel(fat chance finding that).

That darn H is the whole reason I'm so nutty about Harvester and Cub Cadets. Used to play on it when I was a little kid, just couldn't ever shake it after that.

 

[jlang]

Here's my 1950 Farmall M after I got it running this month.
I have a little more work to do on it yet.

My neighbor bought it new in 1950. It has the live hydraulic pump kit added behind the distributor. That kit was made by the Heisler Co. in Hudson, Iowa...
Here's the serial# tag.