[wolc123]

I spent many hours on an M as a kid, much of it cultivating corn. I kind of liked the way that tractor worked as you could keep your head up and line up the row using the ridge on the hood. Cultivating in 3rd gear at wide open throttle, I could nock out the fields real fast. These days, I use a Farmall cub with which I can cultivate a bit closer since you can look right down on the row, but it definitely slows you down (probably would need to anyway with 1/2 the hp) and puts you in a less comfortable operating position. I do a lot less acreage now than in the old days so that aint a real big problem. You are right about the M being tougher to mount and dismount than a Ford N but I never noticed that problem when I was a kid as much as I do now. While it was tougher to mount, it made up for that a bit by having a lot more ground clearance which made it a better cultivating tractor and better in mud holes (of which I have plenty), than a Ford N. My two personal favorite all time tractors would be the 51/52 Ford 8N and the JD M with the 8N coming out on top because of the 3pt hitch. Thankfully, I own both of them and wouldnt part with them even if someone offered me 5 times their value. My 51 8n is the tightest all original N (still has most the factory paint), that I have ever seen, only has 1800 hrs of which 600 are mine and the rest were accumulated by my nieghbor who stored it inside, and did nothing with it but work a 1/2 acre garden each spring for many years. The M was purchased new by my grandad and was the first tractor on our farm, replacing a team of horses back in 1950. I know many folks who regret not having thier first tractor and I am very thankful to still have mine and my grandads.