The Farmall M has a special place in my heart, since it was the queen of the fleet at the Mennonite farm where I used to spend part of my childhood summers. It was only one of the bunch with power steering, and its big 264 inch four cylinder churned out a whopping 47 hp (Super M-TA). How could anyone want more? Well, someone answered that question very effectively, by swapping in an IH V8. Is it a 304, 354, or even a 392? Either way, the horsepower potentially on tap (or at the belt) was increased by a multiple greater than three. I can only imagine the sounds it makes, although I hope there’s a bit of muffling action in those tall pipes. Wheelies, anyone?
posted by gotriumphgo
Oh. My.
You should have marked this one NSFW, it’s tractor pr0n!
I’ve spent a little time on an M, too. It’s quite antiquated compared to the Ford N Series, tho.
Having had quite a bit of seat time in both the Yoder’s N and Super M-TA, I’d say your comment about the M being “antiquated” has some truth, but it’s a case of apples and oranges. A tug of war between two Ns and one Super M-TA would be interesting: the M was a much bigger and more powerful tractor, and with its big wheels and heavy weight might be up to the task.(or not).
I loved driving the Ford for certain light jobs, but when it came time for some serious pulling (big drags of hay, etc.) the M was in a whole different league. Plus, it had five gears, and power steering, which is a real treat on a tractor.
Fully agree the M would drag an N anywhere it wanted… (c: The one I pictured ran my baler very nicely, where my N is working pretty hard to do the same.
The N is laid out like a car or truck, and was often advertised with children operating it (It’s so easy!). Just a nicer tractor all around to operate.
Why I suddenly remembered Cars?
“Whatever you do, DO NOT pop the clutch!”
Cool tractor. My only IH seat time was in a Super C.
Was thinking about this exact thing … with so much kW & Nm on tap, and no ROPS feature, or seatbelt, in the hands of a careless, or ignorant, driver, this could be a deathtrap… but what a beautiful deathtrap!
This has nothing to do with the tractor or at least it does indirectly with the Mennonite reference. When I took my train ride to Kansas in May, there were an incredible amount of Amish and related type people riding the rails. It was an interesting experience as the people ranged from mild Mennonites that almost blended in completely to orthodox Old Order who were almost completely covered in black. I have taken many train trips but no one quite like that and one with such a wide variety of people.
We recently had the same experience. Makes sense… And yes, there is a huge amount of variation on the theme “Mennonite”. We have a Mennonite church in town who’s congregation are all well educated liberals and are social activists. The other extreme end overlaps with Amish. Each congregation makes its own rules; there’s no centralized standards or such.
Should ‘a saved some money for a roll bar.
Because he’s going to need it someday. I can imagine it rearing up from a dumped clutch – and if there’s a load on the drawbar, that’ll be all she wrote.
Keep in mind the M is a drawbar tractor (no three-point hitch, although there are aftermarket conversions). Many farmers died in flip over accidents before the 3pt. hitch came along.
I know what a drawbar is as both my uncle’s Ford and Minnie Mo both had them. But how does a 3-pt hitch differ from a drawbar, and why is it safer? Did lots of wheelies on the Minnie Mo.
The top link triangulates the forces involved so if your plow (or other “pulled” implement) hits something immovable while your rear tires have good traction, the tractor can’t (there are *always* exceptions!) turn the rotational forces normally spinning the tires into “equal and opposite” rotational forces spinning the tractor around the stopped axle instead. The force passing through the top link pushes back against the tractor *above* the center of rotation, actually attempting to lift the rear tires out of the soil (less traction).
I tried to find a diagram online that shows this, but the closest thing I located involves a lot of calculus! Guess I need to finish up my Ford 8N CC and include some details…
No…the easy way is just to imagine a beam or shaft coming straight out of the back of the tractor. Tractor hooks on a rock with the plow and bogs down? With an old-style drawbar, with a pivot or pin at the rear of the housing…the nose of the tractor would rear up, and once it was over the 50-degree tipping point, it’s coming over. That’s when the operator appreciates his roll bar…or not.
Were there a long beam coming out the rear, to catch in the dirt…it would all never happen. That’s what the three-point simulates.
With a three-point, there are no single pivots to snap. The plow can be raised or lowered; but its relation to the tractor at the selected height is rigid. It cannot tip or allow the tractor to tip. Should the tractor bog down and start to rear up, the plow or harrow or brush-hog is shoved further down in the dirt; load is taken off the rear wheels; and they just spin. Tragedy not only averted but never even sensed by the operator.
Good explanation. I spent a lot of time riding with my uncle while he plowed with a 1953 Ford two-bottom plow. Being western Illinois near the Mississippi, lots of hills, and lots of wheelies. At first I was a bit apprehensive at the wheelies the Ford would pull, but after awhile, I simply got used to it. The Minnie-Mo had power steering, which I found interesting, since it was a row-crop configuration, basically a tricycle.
My father had a photo on his office wall of the bet won in 49 at the local A&P show. The bet, my Fergy can pull the new Fordson backwards the trailing arms were bolted together and the Fergy won by simply picking the Ford up and driving away. One proud Fergy dealer my old man.
My grandfather’s 1951 A-C ‘WD’ model had the same issue – a ‘2-point’ hitch that was hydraulically moveable. Of course this required specialized attachments.
I still remember reading the local papers as a kid out at the farm – it seemed like a fairly common occurrence, even in the 1970s, of tractor operators getting killed by flipovers. And these accidents were almost universally fatal as well. I never saw a roll bar on a tractor while growing up either. The only piece of safety equipment back then was the reflective orange triangle attached to the back of the tractor with a rusty piece of baling wire . . .
Actually, if there’s a load on the drawbar, it specifically won’t flip over backwards; the load on the bar will keep it from doing so. Which is exactly why even 2000 hp modified tractors don’t flip over backards on a tractor pull: the drawbar load keeps it from doing so. Think about it for a minute…
Picture:
Isn’t this because the drawbar load is applied beneath the center of the rear axle? If it were above the rear axle it would cause the tractor to flip.
Attachment point for the implement on the drawbar is crucial. If you can find a picture of the rear end of Henry Ford’s first tractor, the Fordson, its drawbar was directly attached to the bottom of the differential case-relatively high and close to the rear axle. Pretty easy to imagine it as a pivot point. Fordsons were known for rearing up if the plow hit a good rock and killing people. If we had had OSHA in those days there would have been a recall. Later tractors had their drawbars placed lower and further back, changing the geometry and making it harder to rear up-though, you might still have to add front end weights to counter the rotation effect. 3-point hitch did indeed negate the effect, as the top/center link would resist such movement. We had a “semi-integral” 6-bottom plow that was pulled behind the JD 4020-it attached to just the lower two links of the 3-pt hitch, with an additional hydraulic cylinder to raise and lower the rear wheel. With the length and low attachment points of the lower two links, rearing up was never a problem.
By the way, John Deere did the engineering for the ROPS (roll-bar) system for tractors, first used on late 4020’s era machinery and integral to the cab from then on. They gave the specifications to all the other manufacturers at the time, deeming it too important a safety feature to monopolize or lease. Had to give the original examples away on employed tractors, and hold demonstrations for farmers, who tend to be conservative about new technologies. One look at a tractor on its side-and not dirty side up-was usually helpful.
But then, you would need a taller door for the tool shop! It’s always something.
Thanks for your detailed answer.
A hot rod tractor. Ha!
That is the ultimate evolution of the SV engine family an IC392 powering that beast. The give away is that the water pipes enter the block instead of the heads.
But how fast is it?… 😛
Lawn mower racing is a big deal in these parts…
http://www.letsmow.com/
I made this picture, at the Memorial Day parade in Hamburg, MI (kohlrabi capital of USA). It was not part of the parade. It was transportation for its owner to & from… which qualifies it for this website; As can easily be seen, it is parked curbside (despite the absence of a proper curb). The owner arrived at the same time as I, parked & disappeared, prior to the beginning of the parade. I was unable to locate him.
My farm tractor knowledge is limited to the mid-sixties Alis-Chalmers my girlfriend taught me to drive in 1986, to fetch my 1973 Beetle from the snow covered cornfield across the street from her house (don’t ask), but I’m smart enough to question a V8 tractor nonetheless. It is a well enough executed engine swap that I was really perplexed for about 5min.
I’ve been lurking for quite a long time, and quite flattered that my photo has been featured. Kudos to you, Paul et. al. I’m quite fond of the site.
Judeyramone – I just now came across this website. This is in fact my tractor. It is owned and operated by me, Mark Bennett. I live in Hamburg, MI. My tractor was recently displayed on Red Power Magazine on the back cover. If anyone has any questions about my tractor, feel free to contact me via email. I am in the process of building more! My email address is benfam@chartermi.net
I found a Renault tractor yesterday and the rustiest Ford N known to mankind an ex boat launcher by the look several Fordsons and a prewar Davidbrown all parked on the roadside outside a workshop when I figure out how to get back on flicka I’ll flick them onto the cohort I;d never heard of a Renault tractor before.
Nicely done show tractor, bet it gets lots of looks on parade, but I wouldn’t take it to plowing day. IH for some reason didn’t bother to upgrade the same rear end when they put it in the 560 (w/six cylinders), within only a few weeks after introduction farmers were grenading them in the fields and that was the beginning of the IH death watch. Bet that clutch is fun, too-it was heavy enough on the M. But you picked well, Paul, the 1939 International Harvester Model M is the iconic American row crop tractor, as the Ford 8N is the iconic utility.
I can’t understand why more horsepower would be needed for a given job. 2-plow jobs only needs a 4 cyl engine; a three plow unit a 6 cyl. More horsepower ain’t gonna get you across the field any quicker. The only reason you need more power is to drag larger implements to be able to cultivate a greater number of acres per day. This thing is just a disco tractor.
And here it is anyone fill in details flathead engine and Renault markings on the block similar to the Mack I drive is all I can tell you