[arlen]

We bought a new...well a used...Farmall B. It is a one owner unit. My father in law bought it new 60 and some odd years ago... It was his first tractor.
We gave $400 dollars for it, that may be too much since he paid around 700 for it:laugh:
I couldn't decide if I should start a thread in the restoration forum, but my wife doesn't want to restore it. She said it has looked the same for the past 40 years, and will look the same for the next 40:laugh: It doesn't have one bit of paint on it. Farmall was smart to make the faded paint match rust:mocking: My wife was very happy to get the tractor away from her father. He is 85 years old and don't need it, but he thinks he does.
She has raked an incalcuable number of acres of hay with it in her life. It's going to need the usual maintenance, tires, and some tlc. It hasn't been ran in a couple of years, but it drove into the barn under it's own power. I will get some pictures this weekend.

 

[dieselshadow]

That sounds pretty cool Arlen. :thumbup1gif:


Plan on using it with a finish mower?


Sent from a phone with a tiny keyboard and a crazy auto-correct feature

 

[arlen]

If I found one that its massive 18hp could handle I might:laugh:, but the only thing it knows how to do is rake hay and pull hay racks. It may be too old to teach it any new tasks:mocking:

 

[56FordGuy]

Cool old tractor.

I know where there's a MMM off of a Super A. I'm certain the deck itself would work, not sure about the mounting brackets. They might.

 

[ndrmyr]

When I was 5 years old, my first driving experience was on a Farmall B. They would put it in 1st gear, half throttle and I would sloooowy pull a loaded hayrack from the field into the dooryard. Since I could not reach the pedals, I would drive in a circle until someone would meander up the tractor, push the clutch in with a hand and pop the gear shift into neutral. I do recall when I got older (around 7 or 8) pulling a loaded hayrack downhill on a loose gravel road when the heavy wagon which weighed more than that B began to push that tractor with wheels sliding in the loose gravel. That was my first lesson in ballast. I quickly realized that I would jacknife unless I outran it, so I threw the tractor in high gear and gave it full throttle. Luckily the hill was steep but short and once I hit the level everything was OK. But I never forgot that a load heavier than the tow vehicle is a recipe for disaster without proper weight management.

 

[arlen]

When I was 5 years old, my first driving experience was on a Farmall B. They would put it in 1st gear, half throttle and I would sloooowy pull a loaded hayrack from the field into the dooryard. Since I could not reach the pedals, I would drive in a circle until someone would meander up the tractor, push the clutch in with a hand and pop the gear shift into neutral. I do recall when I got older (around 7 or 8) pulling a loaded hayrack downhill on a loose gravel road when the heavy wagon which weighed more than that B began to push that tractor with wheels sliding in the loose gravel. That was my first lesson in ballast. I quickly realized that I would jacknife unless I outran it, so I threw the tractor in high gear and gave it full throttle. Luckily the hill was steep but short and once I hit the level everything was OK. But I never forgot that a load heavier than the tow vehicle is a recipe for disaster without proper weight management.

Now that's wierd. That post could have been written by my wife...and any one of her 6 brothers and sisters:laugh: My FIL always said he put the littler kids on the steep hills because they wouldn't (couldn't) try to stop while coming down the hill.:laugh: 5 years old seemed to be the golden age for learning to rake hay or pull wagons. Times have changed.
I get a little paranoid pulling hay wagons with my 4720, when I was a kid, we had a little Allis wd that couldn't have weighed more than 2000 lbs, and I never thought twice about it....It's a wonder any of us survived.

 

[T-Mo]

I know you said you will get pictures this weekend, but....

 

[green and red man]

A Farmall B was the first tractor one of my uncles in Oklahoma had owned. I recall seeing it at his place ever since I was old enough to remember. Pretty sure he only used it for mowing. Years later he bought larger tractors and expanded his cattle operation, so the little B just sat in the same place out in the open. My uncle passed away in 1994 and all the rest of his tractors and equipment were sold off.

I enquired about buying the B more than a decade ago, but since then a tree fell on it and really did some damage to the sheet metal. My aunt passed away last year and nobody is living on the property.
I bet that tractor is still sitting there in the same spot.

Recently I came across an International B for sale. Sure looks different. Never really knew there was such a tractor. Only seen Farmall's.

 

[arlen]

I've been thinking about the mowing thing... The B may not be an ideal mower tractor, but it would handle a 60 inch deck OK according to the dealer. I visited the dealer that sold the tractor to my FIL 60 years ago. They have went through a few changes, but the same family owns it. They are a woods dealer also, and they are less than 7 miles from me.
Anyway, I would like to find a used deck. It would be kind of an odd ball since the pto runs the opposite direction of most tractors. A brand new woods, with brackets, belt and gauge wheels is about 3400 bucks. Not out of the question, but not real enticing either. It would be a pretty stable setup compared to modern CUTs...even with the narrow front. It it 7 feet wide and weighs in at 3500 lbs and has a quite low CG. The left wheel sticks out a foot or so compared to the right side. He said they are actually pretty good for mowing ditches, they don't flip, they will just slide down if it is too steep.
I'll get those pictures tomorrow:good2:

 

[ndrmyr]

I was at an auction last year where they sold a Cub lo-boy with the woods mower. It was a former Navy tractor, still had the nameplate on it. I recall when we thought those were quite the mowing machine. This was the yellow and white version and was in well-maintained condition. It went for $1850. I suspect if you hit the auction circuit you would eventually find a mower at a deep discount. The sub-compact's and zero-turns have destroyed that market.

 

[robpm]

I know you said you will get pictures this weekend, but....

View attachment 15634

Arlen we still need those pictures :nunu:

 

[arlen]

Arlen we still need those pictures :nunu:

Yeah, I'm still working on getting over there. It's only 1/2 mile from me, You'd think I would make it over there a little more often.

 

[Jeeper4Life]

Looking forward to seeing pictures! :good2:

 

[arlen]

Better Late than Never

Got her home today. Pulled it with a nylon strap. Now i just need to find some time to get it running. Should not need much, oil, battery, carb kit, points. It's been 5 years or so since it ran, but drove in the barn under it's own steam.
Engine turns over, and all the gears work. It's a 1947...do you think I need to put break-in oil in it when I change it? :mocking:
At least the neighbor kid thinks it's cool.

 

[Uncle Wayne]

Love the old Farmalls. I have 3 of them myself. A 1953 Super C, 1952 C and a 1953 Cub. I like the comment about the original color fading to match rust. The Super C and C match that description exactly. :good2:

 

[arlen]

Love the old Farmalls. I have 3 of them myself. A 1953 Super C, 1952 C and a 1953 Cub. I like the comment about the original color fading to match rust. The Super C and C match that description exactly. :good2:

These old tractors are really built to last. I've "known" this very tractor for 28 years, and my wife of course has known it for her whole life, and she said it has always looked exactly the same.

 

[robpm]

Nice new old tractor Arlen. Old IH tractors are good tractors and like you say they last and last. But I think that you can say that about most older tractors, JD, MF, IH (McCormick), Ford, Oliver etc.

 

[pcabe5]

Nice. Made me try to remember the old ones I used:

Cockshutt 30
Allis-Chalmers CA
Farmall H and M