What little old tractors can do

[flusher]

Good Evenin Farmboy,
I have two old Farmalls, a 42 A and a 49 Super A. Here is a pic of my 49 haulin some wood ! What a great tractor !

Great looking Super A. Plan to refurbish mine this winter and hopefully it will look like yours when I'm done. Powerwashing it next week to see what's under the grease and grime.

 

[flusher]

Maybe not so old or small but here's some of the things I've been doing with my 404. Pretty much the same things people do with their shiny new tractors. Mine's just older and less shiny...

Nice tractor.
Also like that grain drill. Looks like a no-till type. Did you get it new or used?

 

[JSharp]

Nice tractor.
Also like that grain drill. Looks like a no-till type. Did you get it new or used?

It's a no till drill that belongs to the local Pheasants Forever chapter. They bought it new and let the locals use it to plant cover. They even provide the seed. Can't beat that deal. A lot of people take advantage of that to seed filter strips or along waterways.

I used it to reseed my little piece of bottom land. The multiple seed feeders and boxes make it great for that sort of thing. You can do small seed like switch grass or wildflowers at the same time you do large and fluffy seed types. A couple of guys even used it for some soybeans last spring.

I was surprised at how hard it pulled though. It's much heavier and harder to pull than it looks. I'm not sure what it cost. I've heard $25K+- but I kept forgetting to ask and I don't have any idea myself.

The old tractor is mechanically very good. Recently rebuild engine etc. 35HP or so it's the prefect size for my needs. It just needs some paint to make it look as nice as it runs.

 

[bontai_Joe]

What we now look at as old small tractors, back in their day were the mainstay frontline farm machines. The Farmalls, Allis Chalmers WD series and Deere "letter" tractors tilled and planted a LOT of acres long before the 300 Hp monsters of today came along. And that so many of these 40 to 60 year old machines are still running today is testimony to how well they were engineered and built. And without the elctrical doodads of today, you had a shot at fixing them with whatever tools fit in the tool box on the fender.

 

[JSharp]

What we now look at as old small tractors, back in their day were the mainstay frontline farm machines. The Farmalls, Allis Chalmers WD series and Deere "letter" tractors tilled and planted a LOT of acres long before the 300 Hp monsters of today came along. And that so many of these 40 to 60 year old machines are still running today is testimony to how well they were engineered and built. And without the elctrical doodads of today, you had a shot at fixing them with whatever tools fit in the tool box on the fender.

On my way to work there are 3 different farmers that still use old 50's vintage Farmalls for everyday chores. These are large farmers too not the hobby kind. Those old tractors will probably last through 5 generations or more.

 

[Bob_Young]

On my way to work there are 3 different farmers that still use old 50's vintage Farmalls for everyday chores. These are large farmers too not the hobby kind. Those old tractors will probably last through 5 generations or more.

I sometimes work for a neighbor like that. Lots of red and green from the '50s, '60s and '70s. He'd rather have three old JD 3020s or 720s that sometimes run than a new JD5403 that's reliable.

Lots of heartache when there's a full day's work to be done: won't start, overheating, bad brakes, hydraulic failures, clutch issues, sloppy steering, the list goes on. At 9 AM on a sweet springtime morning, they're great fun once you get them running. As the day wears on and, because of "issues", ends after dark and too late for supper; then not so much. Dealing with what those old clunkers throw at you all day takes the charm out of them.

Fixed up to like-new condition, they wouldn't be as bad; but that's neither easy nor cheap. He totally redid an old Ollie and is still shaking his head over what it cost....and for all that went into it, the thing screams at you in half of its gears.

I'll take the new tractors any day. They don't turn a routine day's work into an endurance contest. People talk "bells & whistles" as though it's synonomous with "new". Tain't the case. There are simple basic tractors still being built that, other than seat switches & such, are only slightly more complex than comparable tractors of yore. What IS an issue is that on a modern farm a utility tractor is no longer a 50-70HP machine. Now it's twice that....because the farmer has to cover twice the ground with the same help to make ends meet.

Working for the neighbor has doubled my appreciation for what I have. For his sake, as well as my own, I keep hoping he'll break down and buy a few new tractors; he's extremely progressive in every other way.
Bob

 

[rvaitor]

Just bought a 1951 Farmall Super A with rear blade and mid-mount highway-type sicklebar mower ($1300). Engine is OK.

It's a true Farmall Super A agricultural tractor, not an industrial IH Super A. The industrial version has a foot throttle which my SA does not. The orange paint is courtesy of Caltrans who used this SA for highway mowing.

I have 7 of my 10 acres available for haying and am anxious to try out the sicklebar on pasture grass now that the rains have come and the pasture is beginning to green up again.

My father had one of those Farmall's, sickle bar and all. Was constantly working on the sickle bar seemed to sheer the key on it fairly easily - this was in the mid sixties. Caught it on fire one time and got re-done. I think he finally got tired of working on the sickle bar which I think was mid mount as well. it may have been an industrial IH - was used by the state at one time.

 

[JSharp]

I sometimes work for a neighbor like that. Lots of red and green from the '50s, '60s and '70s. He'd rather have three old JD 3020s or 720s that sometimes run than a new JD5403 that's reliable.

Lots of heartache when there's a full day's work to be done: won't start, overheating, bad brakes, hydraulic failures, clutch issues, sloppy steering, the list goes on. At 9 AM on a sweet springtime morning, they're great fun once you get them running. As the day wears on and, because of "issues", ends after dark and too late for supper; then not so much. Dealing with what those old clunkers throw at you all day takes the charm out of them.

Fixed up to like-new condition, they wouldn't be as bad; but that's neither easy nor cheap. He totally redid an old Ollie and is still shaking his head over what it cost....and for all that went into it, the thing screams at you in half of its gears.

I'll take the new tractors any day. They don't turn a routine day's work into an endurance contest. People talk "bells & whistles" as though it's synonomous with "new". Tain't the case. There are simple basic tractors still being built that, other than seat switches & such, are only slightly more complex than comparable tractors of yore. What IS an issue is that on a modern farm a utility tractor is no longer a 50-70HP machine. Now it's twice that....because the farmer has to cover twice the ground with the same help to make ends meet.

Working for the neighbor has doubled my appreciation for what I have. For his sake, as well as my own, I keep hoping he'll break down and buy a few new tractors; he's extremely progressive in every other way.
Bob

It would certainly depend on use. These guys are farming 2000-6000 acres with just a handful of people. I don't think they're using that old iron for their primary tractors. Lots of newer 200-400HP tractors and lots of much smaller and much older stuff. Almost no one using anything very new at all in the 25-75HP range. Around here there just isn't much of a place for them for whatever reason.

The new stuff is perfect either. Friend of my sons' was over this summer talking about the NH Boomer they bought last year. I don't remember the model but it's 30-35HP and physically somewhat smaller than my old 404. His dad is retired from full time farming but stills sells some hay. They use the tractor mostly for mowing and loader work.

He was complaining that unless they keep everything super clean and don't work it too hard it'll run hot. They're going to get rid of it and get another skidsteer that's larger than they currently have and an older 75HP+- tractor.

That's seems to be the philosophy around here.

 

[Soundguy]

On my way to work there are 3 different farmers that still use old 50's vintage Farmalls for everyday chores. These are large farmers too not the hobby kind. Those old tractors will probably last through 5 generations or more.

My only loader tractors are fords from the 50's. My every-day general work tractor is a 1955 ford 850 with a single arm laoder on it. I use it to move round hay bales, and scoop poo and dirt... .. etc. one of my mowing tractors is a 75' ford 5000.. spins a 10' mower just fine..


soundguy

 

[JSharp]

My only loader tractors are fords from the 50's. My every-day general work tractor is a 1955 ford 850 with a single arm laoder on it. I use it to move round hay bales, and scoop poo and dirt... .. etc. one of my mowing tractors is a 75' ford 5000.. spins a 10' mower just fine..


soundguy

Good friend down the road farms 3500+ acres and has *many* tractors including an early Cat Challenger and an almost new 84XX John Deere. They use a semi-restored IH-706 or one of their old JD 4020's to cut hay.

Horses for courses...