Farmall Super M

[RobJ]

Looks like my Grandpa's M. I'm no expert on these, but my grandpa said he converted his M to a SuperM with some kind of kit from the dealer. It had some hydraulic lines going down the left side of the frame. I don't see them in the pics though. I seem to remember his had live hydraulics but that was a long time ago. That tractor looks pretty complete. I'd give'er a go.

A good parts store should be able to get you the simple electrical bits, cap, rotor, etc. Doesn't look very authentic, but a delco alternator is easy and cheap to replace.

Yep it has a couple hydraulic lines comming out of the left side, middle of the tractor. They run to a cylinder on the 3pt. I has a pto sticking out to.

 

[ScottAR]

His were made out of cast plumbing pipes so I missed them on this one. Either he didn't buy the dealer lines or the originals were damaged. He had already passed on before I knew to ask.

About the only useful thing I know to add is turn off the gas at the sediment bowl when storing. His liked to flood the carb and presumably everything else.

 

[Soundguy]

You know you are messing with old tractors when much of the hyds is run with plumbing and iron fittings.. street 'EL's etc..

soundguy

 

[oliver28472]

The 3ph will make this a lot more usable tractor. I agree it's probably an M based on the SN. Good tires. Did you say there were cultivators? Get all the implements you can. If you buy and later sell this tractor, implements are good to have.

 

[RobJ]

I'm gonna give the engine a turn this weekend and see what happens. Not even sure if he wants to sell...actually not sure if I want to buy!! One of those I'll give you $200 to take it off your property.

All kinds of mess on this place, old 1 row corn head, 4 wheel trailer, found a bug saw (2' blade), think I saw a wheeled BH to. And the disk in the pics.

 

[bontai_Joe]

I hope you get it and get 'er running. A fine machine like that one does not deserve a slow rusting death of just sitting there.

 

[lambs]

These are great tractors. My Dad's is a '52, I think. He had it overhauled once and added the super M kit. Power steering! Now that made things easier. Two things I was shocked to see this tractor do:

Blow silage 60 feet up a silo with a PTO powered blower.
Pull and empty a flail manure spreader full to the top with slurry.

With the spreader, you had to run in first gear, engage the PTO, go to full throttle, and let out the clutch REAL slow. But it would sure empty it. I've done it many times.

Dad's no longer farming, and I moved to the city 25 years ago, but I still love that M. It's hooked up to a PTO hydraulic pump powering a wood splitter right now, but it hasn't been started in a while.

 

[Bob_Young]

Geez, nice rubber on that thing....and they all appear to be holding air as well.

The Ms were tough, reliable tractors but you'll be missing the amenities of your Kubota if you ever work it much. I help the neighbor raking on one of his old Farmall Hs during hay season. For the first hour or so, it's really cool and I feel like I'm 18 again. After that wears off, it's drudgery...and, on steep hillsides, scary.

If you buy that thing, I'd also look for a quantity buy on WD40 and bandaids.
Bob

 

[Soundguy]

Maybee get a tetanus shot as a preventative too!

soundguy

 

[rutwad]

I grew up running Farmall H's. The M has almost 50% MORE power! WOW! Not too impressive by todays numbers, but I would still love to run one. Well, maybe once anyway. The tricycle front end could quickly break an arm,
and watch out if you are pulling a rotary cutter and need to make a sudden stop. The tractor won't stop until the cutter stops!

Tractors have certainly come a long way.

 

[RobJ]

Well I couldn't get the engine to move an inch. This was by hand but usually you can get something if they are free. Exhaust has been open. Out of respect I covered it. They are going to start cleaning up the place and will have to do something with it. Dunno if I want another fix er upper. We'll see.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[Mackinac Joe]

Rob,

You should be able to sell that machine, running or not. I sold one this winter, a 1950 Farmall M with terrible rubber, dented and dented tin, lots of oil leaks, no 3PH, no electrical system, and a bad head gasket (but she ran) for $800, and the seller felt like he got a bargain. It had sat for 2 years and the engine seemed stuck, but my buddy got it loose for me.

I'm trying to sell a second M in better shape that has a loader rigged for plowing snow.

The guys at this site

http://snipurl.com/20ta2 [www_ytmag_com]

can help you quite a lot, even if all you want to do is sell it as-is or part it out on Ebay. Like TBN, you can post "help me" questions. I bet if you describe the machine and ask if they think it's worth trying to salvage, you'll get helpful replies.

If memory serves, IH made about 250,000 Ms from 1939 until 1951 or so. Lots of 'em are still running and all of 'em need a supply of parts!

Have fun!

Mackinac Joe

 

[BobG_in_VA]

Well.....what did you do?? Do you have the M or is it still sitting???This thread is very interesting and I'd hate to see it fade to black the way it has in the last few days....BobG in VA

 

[RobJ]

No change. If they give it then I'll drag it over to my place. I don't think I'm going to buy it. I have enough to do!! But they are going to start clearing the place shortly, so a decision will have to be made.

Rob

 

[Soundguy]

sometimes that works.

i know a guy that found an old 8n in somebodies front yard.. bad rubber.. no battery... He took a chance and walked up to the house to ask the owner if he wanted to sell it... Heck.. owner said he'd pay 50$ to have it hauled off! Guy came back and winched it on a trailer.. took it home slapped an old 6v battery in it and put some gas in it and it RAN! go figure!

soundguy

 

[AKfish]

Hey Rob --- what a score!!! Heck, ya' can't even buy a pair of those fancy basketball sneakers for less than a $150!

Got room --- got kids? When you get around to gettin' it goin' yur kids are likely to come wanderin' around and watchin' what yur doin'...

Who knows; maybe they'll beat on it, too! (Hand 'em a wrench!) Learn some good words, too?!?

I'm no old tractor genius (or ANY tractor genius...) but I've never seen a SuperM that was a gas tractor.

They were diesel as I recall. One of the fellows up here has a beautifully restored M and a SuperM that they roll in the Fourth of July parade and use for hay every year.

The SuperM is a dual fuel starter... that is you start it on gas and after it's running you switch it over to diesel.

Anybody familiar with that??

AKfish

 

[BobG_in_VA]

Hey Rob ---
They were diesel as I recall. One of the fellows up here has a beautifully restored M and a SuperM that they roll in the Fourth of July parade and use for hay every year.

The SuperM is a dual fuel starter... that is you start it on gas and after it's running you switch it over to diesel.

Anybody familiar with that??

AKfish

There was a Super M which was gas only, and then there was an MD (or diesel). Not sure if they ever made a Super MD though...They did make a few Super MTAs...basically this gave you a 1/2 gear more in each gear. It was a lever than changed the gear ratio in the rear end if you were getting ready to bog down you could pull the TA lever and keep on going as (instead of say...3rd gear..)you would then be in what would be sort of 2 1/2 gear...BobG in VA

 

[flusher]

There was a Super M which was gas only, and then there was an MD (or diesel). Not sure if they ever made a Super MD though...They did make a few Super MTAs...basically this gave you a 1/2 gear more in each gear. It was a lever than changed the gear ratio in the rear end if you were getting ready to bog down you could pull the TA lever and keep on going as (instead of say...3rd gear..)you would then be in what would be sort of 2 1/2 gear...BobG in VA

TractorData has the specs for the Super MD

TractorData.com - Farmall Super MD tractor data

In 1954 you could get a Super MD with a Torque Amplifier (Super MD-TA). The Super MD was pretty powerful (42 hp drawbar).

 

[AKfish]

Thanks. OK... the "D" --- duh... I've used that site before to look up specs --- just lazy, I guess.

Still curious about the fuel, though.

I'm pretty sure when I was lookin' at the tractor last summer (pickin' up bales in the field) that it fired up on gas and then switched over to diesel after it was runnin'.

Wonderin' if that was IH's answer for the problems of startin' those higher torque diesels with the puny batteries and starters they had during those early years.

I remember reading about Deere's early problems with the big, 2-cylinder diesels and not wanting to go to 24 volt systems they developed the pony motor system to get 'em fired up!

(A little off track from Rob's "project" -- but good to kick around.)

AKfish

 

[BobG_in_VA]

Thanks. OK... the "D" --- duh... I've used that site before to look up specs --- just lazy, I guess.

Still curious about the fuel, though.

I'm pretty sure when I was lookin' at the tractor last summer (pickin' up bales in the field) that it fired up on gas and then switched over to diesel after it was runnin'.

I remember reading about Deere's early problems with the big, 2-cylinder diesels and not wanting to go to 24 volt systems they developed the pony motor system to get 'em fired up!


AKfish

Yeah, they did start on gasoline and once the engine was hot enough, you cut off the gas and turned on the diesel/distillate. As far as pony motors are concerned CAT used ponies on most of their bigger tractors for a bunch of years (older), as a D8 with a high compression 6 cyl diesel was pretty hard to turn over with any battery---then or now. I ran a D7 when I was 19 (If i remember correctly that track was a mid '60s) that used a pony....BobG in VA