Farmall A Questions from a Newbie

I'm new to this Farmall A stuff, I've had a '59 Cub for the past few years and love it. This weekend I drove up to New Jersey and picked up a restored 1939 Farmall A my dad found. The guy who owned it bought it restored and just drove it in a few parades each year. I ordered the manuals, but they are going to take a few days to get here. In the meantime I have some questions about the tractor I'm hoping you can answer. Don't laugh.

1. Uh....where's the dipstick? How do you check the oil level in the engine? I see two "L" shaped petcock arms hanging out of the top of the oil pan on the left side, but have no clue what they are for. Please tell me how to check the oil. And where do you put the oil in.....in the breather tube?

2. This tractor is magneto with manual start. How does the handle store? I see where it clips in next to the seat but does the end you grip just lay against the left fender, or is there a better way?

3. The tractor has a mechanical switch to ground the mag, which I assume is incorrect since it's not painted red. All the tractor parts guys only list a single prong electric switch as correct for magneto. What I've got now is a cable (like a lawnmower throttle) that connects to the side of the mag and slides a contact (I assume) into a similar contact on the mag and she quits. If the electrical switch is correct where is it wired to and what happens to the mechanical contact on the side of the mag? (The mag does have an IH logo so I assume it's correct).

4. On the back of the speed quadrant (the side facing you when you are in the seat) is an upside down "L" shaped bracket with a hole in it. The hole is in the horizontal plane, not vertical. What goes in the hole?

5. The oil pressure gage on the tractor now is obviously wrong (it reads 0-200 psi). What was the range of the correct IH gage and what did it look like? (I mean what did the face look like, numbers or a colored bar)

6. Ok, I give up....where is the Serial Number plate on this thing? I'm assuming it was lost or removed before it was repainted but I figured I could at least find the rivet holes. I've been told it was on the clutch housing, and then on the brake cover right under the floor board. Not on mine. If the person who told me this meant the sheetmetal cover on the end of the platform that protected the brake rods I'm out of luck....this tractor doesn't have one. Any other ideas where it should be? (Please be exact in your description, I already feel like an idiot not being able to find where it was mounted)

7. How much play in the steering wheel is normal? I can turn mine almost half way around, which makes for some fun driving when you need to turn fast. Do you take the slop out the same way you do on a Cub?

Sorry for the type of questions I'm asking, but I'm really lost without those manuals. Any info you can provide me would be greatly appreciated.

regards,
bob

FarmallDan,

I checked below the #1 spark plug and found the following code:

6342 DB 2

from which I assume 6342 is the S/N, as it fits in the range of 1939 A S/N listed on this website. I don't have a clue what the DB or the 2 on the second line mean. What you said about the steering shaft is probably true, it looks brand new, no pitting or corrosion...so it's probably new, which explains the extra bracket. If the "L" shaped oil petcocks might not be original, what was the original like? Seems like a dumb way to check the oil level, but I guess Mr Dipstick hadn't been invented yet in 1939. My tractor does have the DZUS type fasteners on the hood and is missing the gussets on the final drive housings. Thanks again for the info, this is fun.

regards,
bob

Question 4 The bracket on the back side of the throttle quadrant is where the magneto cut off ignition switch is supposed to go. It's one of the pull push IH ignition switches.

Kevin