O/T: Tractor Square Dancing

[Lew Hodgett]

Talk about knowing how to use your tools.

[notbob]

I thought farmers didn't have enough time in the day.

nb

[Lee Michaels]

"Lew Hodgett" wrote

used in this video, I am impressed. If my dad ever caught me doing anything like this, he would have whipped me good. I would have loved to have found a farmgirl with those tractor skills.

What I am wondering, where did they find 8 identical tractors?

[Lew Hodgett]

I'm guessing, early 50s Farmalls?

I thought about that, but there are Old tractor clubs all over the Midwest.

Maybe it is one of those.

Lew

[dpb]

Late 40s/early 50s Farmall H and (I think I saw one or maybe two Super H). H were in production from '39-'52, Super H 52-'54. Roughly 30 PTO hp.

...

We had M's early on which looked virtually identical, just a slightly bigger brother -- about 45 hp iirc. They were produced over same time frame as the H/Super H.

Then a step up w/ the new 300/400 series in '54; we had a 400 then a 560 which was the new design introduced in '58. It was about 52 hp; a really modern tractor w/ factory power steering, etc.

After that JD came out w/ the 4010 series that got away from the old "Johnny Popper" and green eventually won out almost exclusively all over wheat country altho there was a period where the wheatland Case 900 series was dominant for non-rowcrop work, they too were eventually supplanted.

Now, International/Farmall is part of Case-IH altho they have within the last few years reintroduced the Farmall brand as a line of utility small-acreage and tract owner tractors.

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[Lee Michaels]

"Lew Hodgett" wrote

I am not sure of the year, but definitely a Farmall. It had the two small tires in the front next to each other. We used to log with this tractor. And every time those two front tires got stuck in a little hole, the tractor just bogged down and did not want to move.

Had a neighbor who had a small Ford tractor with the two front tires mounted as wide as the back tires. That thing was a mountain goat. It would go anywhere. But it wasn't as big or as powerful as the Farmall.

[Lew Hodgett]

Was in IH hdqrs right after the Case acquition ('83).

You could have rolled a bowling ball down thru the place and not hit anything.

All IH had left was the diesel engines they sold to Ford for the over the road market.

Didn't take too long before that went away.

Lew

[dpb]

Lee Michaels wrote: ...

The tricycle front gear was an option; not necessarily indicative of being Farmall (altho these certainly are, see other response for some more detail).

The same models were also made in wide front row crop as well as in high-crop, orchard and some other even more specialized versions.

In the large wheat/row crop country the tricycle mount was rarely, if ever seen; I don't recall ever seeing one as a kid other than when visiting family in far SE KS or MO.

Why, specifically, they were so popular farther east I really don't know; I could never understand why one would choose it.

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[dpb]

...

That's a couple years early according to CIH corporate timeline but then again, a year or two from 25 or so ain't bad... :)

As noted, we went green after about '62-'63; the Farmall 560 series had serious problems at introduction that really hurt them and, imo, led to the eventual downfall in that they never recovered market share against the all-of-a-sudden much more competitive JD. Saw it first hand w/ failure of the rear end twice in fairly short time--the second was the straw that got the first green ever on the place (over 50 years by that time).

Here's pertinent section around the acquisition time from the CIH site--kinda' interesting remembering altho by then for us IH was long forgotten anyway.

[Lew Hodgett]

Where I grew up in North Central Ohio the John Deeres had the two front tires together and the Farmalls had them apart.

Farmall was by far the most popular tractor followed by Deere and then a scattering of Case, Allis-Chalmers, Ford, Massey-Fergeson, etc.

Lew

[Lew Hodgett]

I was there to qualify them as a customer.

They had no money, and from what I could tell, they were not going to have any soon, so I had no more time.

Lew

[Nova]

Did you happen to notice that at least one of those "farm girls" sported a full beard? ;-)

[charlie]

is that unusual?

[Lee Michaels]

"Nova" wrote

Yuck!!

My eyes aren't what the used to be. And the video was too small.

But.... yuck!!

[Scott Lurndal]

H? They looked too small for H - Super C maybe, or even an A? (I used to drive a B (offset seat), Super C, and Super M, a MinneMoline hand clutch job, MF 55?, MF 65 and MF 180). We ran the thresher off the Super M belt drive.

(Massey Ferguson 65 - configured as Hearse:

[dpb]

I actually didn't go to check up on your memory or time line; your comment was something I wasn't aware of that Case had closed all IH assembly so went to try to find what CIH actual manufacturing sites were/are currently. Didn't find anything quickly but did see the corporate history and not knowing much about either Case or IH after the early/mid '60s thought it of at least passing interest...

They also bought 50% share of Hesston the hay specialists near here in Hesston, KS, altho subsequently sold that out to Agco. They have kept the facility there. The other acquisitions include Steiger tractor (the MN brothers that pioneered the large 4WD revolution out of their farm machine-shed) and the biggie New Holland.

Only Agco perhaps has wider tentacles worldwide. They're an upstart that begin in the early '90s w/ the buyout of Deutz-Allis, the German outfit that bought Allis-Chalmers and painted them green :( . Subsequently, they bought out stuff left and right, the major acquisitions being White tractors, Massy-Ferguson, the aforementioned Hesston and then White-New Idea implements and the German Fendt then the Caterpillar Challenger ag products group. The Valtra brand is Finnish and they've also acquired Brazilian, Italian and other foreign manufactures I don't even know who they are...

[dpb]

[dpb]

Scott Lurndal wrote: ...

The A had a large open area under the gas tank and was quite a lot smaller; don't think that's possible.

The C/Super C had afaik the solid cast wheels rather than spoked which I believe all of these had.

I don't have specifications on rear wheel diameter at hand but I _think_ the C was as large as the H and w/ the revised operator platform actually looked much larger than the B it replaced.

Unfortunately, I couldn't read a decal in any of the shots to tell unequivocally but my guess is still on the H...

Would be kinda' nice to know for surrtin, sure...

Anybody got any idea where this was? AFAICT it didn't say and w/ my slow dialup it took so long to display not going to try again...

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[Nahmie]

OK, time to stick my "oar" in, after seeing some of the other replies. I cut my teeth on Farmall "A", "C" and "H" models, along with time spent on Ford, "Johnny-popper" Deere's and misc. Massey Ferguson, etc.

The "girls" were driving Super C's, you can tell by a couple things; (1) The steering wheel/shaft is on a steeper angle, the shaft going downward to the side of the clutch housing, then forward, and (2) The belt pulley is on the back of the tractor.

The "boys" were driving H/Super H's. The H/M were very similar, with the steering wheel almost vertical and shaft going straight forward to the top of the steering box, they also had the belt pulley on the right side of the clutch/transmission group.

The original Farmall Cub was an offset model, with the engine/drive train on the left, seat & controls on the right. Super A was the same configuration. They were both intended as single row "row crop" units, as you could look straight down and see what you were doing when cultivating.

The "B" was an "A" with the left wheel reversed to give it a wider rear stance, and a "tricycle" front end instead of wide front end.

The Super C was a "row crop" design with 2 row setup and either tricycle or wide front end.

All these models had the belt pulley set in the rear adjacent to the power takeoff.

The tricycle front end was VERY maneuverable in tight places, but was a pain the A** mowing hay, plowing, etc. Withg wide front end, put the right front in the furrow and c*ck wheel left just a smidge, very easy plowing. Mowing, put the right front next to the "un-mown" hay(in the little gap created by the "swath board") and just keep it there. Wide front end was also more comfortable in rough going, as one wheel would hit the bump and the axle would pivot, cutting up?down motion transferred to tractor in half. Narrow front end, didn't matter which wheel hit the bump, they were tied solid by the axle assy, full motion transferred.(John Deere tried to alleviate this with their "Rollomatic" front end, where the wheels trailed the steering stem slightly and were connected by gears, so if one whewel wewnt up, the other went down, vice/versa)

Cub wheels, don't remember, but think they were solid steel. "A" series had solid steel with bolted on cast iron weights. "C" had spoked cast iron wheels plus bolted on cast weights, and "H/M" had the same.

Interesting addition to one Super "H" we had, an M & H "hand clutch". This was built into the left hand drive wheel brake assy, and effectively gave you a "live" power takeoff. When released, the drive train just idled through the differential, as there was no connection to the left side drive, but leaving the main trannsission and power takeoff running, but the tractor & chopper/mower/whatever still running.

OK, I'm done.

Norm

[Nahmie]

Follow up to my other "novel". On the Farmalls with narrow(tricycle) front end, they could be miserable working in muddy condirtions. The narrow front wheels were tilted in @ the bottom(think extreme camber for anyone familiar with auto alignment) and would collect the mud and pack it into the back side of the steering stem. This could be changed some, as the rims were bolted onto a 3 spoke casat wheel. You could unbolt them, turn them around and bolt them back on, gaining about 3 or 4 in. more clearance between them.

Norm