TRACTOR PARTS Allis Chalmers Case & David Brown Farmall & International Ferguson Ford & New Holland John Deere Massey Ferguson Massey Harris Minneapolis Moline Oliver & Cockshutt Kubota / Yanmar

TRACTOR MANUALS

Allis Chalmers	Case	Farmall IH	Ford 8N,9N,2N	Ford
Ferguson	John Deere	Massey Ferguson	Minn. Moline	Oliver

Farmall & IHC Tractors Discussion Forum

Are Farmall M's just to old???

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register

Author

Emil

03-21-2005 13:55:20

Report to Moderator

hi, i looking into buying a tractor for about 40 acres of grass. These are rated about 35hp. The tractor itself is in good conditon but it was made in 1948. That is one of the newer models because they only made them to 1952. I'M just wondering if it would be worth buying. It is $2,800 obo. He also says its all original

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

scot_c

03-22-2005 20:01:32

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Emil, 03-21-2005 13:55:20

I have to question "all original" with that shiny red paint that I can't see any markings on. Seems to me that 60 year old tires should have some pretty nasty dry-rot too. 2800 is way too much money unless it's had a full rebuild with every gear bearing and replaceable part changed.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

bubba

03-22-2005 04:28:17

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Emil, 03-21-2005 13:55:20

I have a 41 M it my be up in years but it aint redy for the scrap heap yet. It ell get er done!
Ide like to see an orange jap tractors in 64 years run as well as my M

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Boyd G

03-21-2005 18:06:54

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Emil, 03-21-2005 13:55:20

Gary; The Saginaw 3point hitch is a good one. I was very happy with the one I had. I sold it because I did not have any 3point equipnent to go with it. Boyd

Emil; There is no such thing as an old M. I have a 40 H, 52SM, 46M, and 47M . All will go out and do a good days work. Boyd

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Hugh MacKay

03-21-2005 17:06:23

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Emil, 03-21-2005 13:55:20

Emil: Age really is not the criteria at hand, but rather your use for the tractor. A big question and only you can answer this, is how important are Live PTO and factory 3 point hitch, for your particular situation. Please do not confuse factory 3 point with aftermarket hitches.

If you are starting with no tractor and need Live PTO and 3 point hitch, you may as well buy a tractor that had those installed right from factory. You will not get that from a Farmall, until well into the 1960s.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Gary The Rookie Farmer

03-21-2005 17:32:17

Report to Moderator

Hugh in reply to Hugh MacKay, 03-21-2005 17:06:23

You said:
"how important are Live PTO and factory 3 point hitch, for your particular situation. Please do not confuse factory 3 point with aftermarket hitches."

What's the problem with an aftermarket 3 point?
I've been considering a Saginaw, is there anything I should be aware of?

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

CNKS

03-21-2005 18:50:32

Report to Moderator

Re: Hugh in reply to Gary The Rookie Farmer, 03-21-2005 17:32:17

Saginaw's are $675 plus shipping for the H-450--or about $800 plus another $100 or so for hoses, so Hugh is not far off on total cost. They work fine, I have two, one on a C and one on a Super H, plus another off-brand of some sort on an M. They are not made for plowing, but for a blade, bushhog, sprayer, or other fairly light duty equipment they are fine. Hugh is right about the factory ones being better, but the aftermarket ones are a fairly inexpensive way to make an old tractor more useful. They don't get any better than a Saginaw, very heavy duty construction.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Hugh MacKay

03-21-2005 18:08:33

Report to Moderator

Re: Hugh in reply to Gary The Rookie Farmer, 03-21-2005 17:32:17

Gary: The after market hitches like Saginaw are not draft controled. Don't get me wrong, they do have a place. However, consider this, you can still probably buy a Saginaw for under $1,000. A new 3 point going on a new under 50 hp tractor today probably represents $5,000. to $6,000. of the cost of the new tractor. You are not going to get the same quality or function from a $1,000. aftermarket hitch. My point is, in buying a used tractor with factory 3 point, you get that quality for little or nothing.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Gary The Rookie Farmer

03-21-2005 20:17:14

Report to Moderator

Re: Hugh in reply to Hugh MacKay, 03-21-2005 18:08:33

Being The Rookie Farmer I must ask- What is 'draft control'?

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Hugh MacKay

03-22-2005 00:07:02

Report to Moderator

Re: Hugh in reply to Gary The Rookie Farmer, 03-21-2005 20:17:14

Gary: Draft control is the ability of the 3 point hitch to transfer weight from implement to rear wheels of tractor automatically in a hard pull situation. Probably the most crucial use is when plowing. You can do the same by manually activating your hydraulic lift, problem is control. Quite often you will lift just a bit too much, causing plow to come out of the ground or very close to it, thus causing irregular plowing or worse still spots not plowed at all.

Don't take me wrong on the Saginaw or other aftermarket hitches. They do have numerous good uses. You can probably plow a garden or a few acres quite sucessfully without draft control. Especially with an M on 2 or 3 bottom plow. What will drive you around the bend is if you head out to plow 50 or 100 acres, where the going is tough. Your manual draft control will play out on you.

Plowing is a very pleasent job, if everything is working well. Good plowing is very satisfing. Poor plowing can be very frustrating. There lies the crux of the matter.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Allan in NE

03-21-2005 17:29:42

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Hugh MacKay, 03-21-2005 17:06:23

Emil,

I agree. If all you are ever going to use the tractor for is a lawn mower, then go with the little Ford. That's what they do and running a lawn mower or carrying a portable cement mixer around is where they shine.

But, if you think you might someday need some muscle with the weight to handle heavy tugs, I'd go with the M and "put up with" it's lack of live PTO.

I really have trouble even calling a Ford a "tractor", but will admit they are a handy little yard outfit with their being able to sneak in under trees, etc.

Just my 2�

Allan

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Emil

03-21-2005 18:47:42

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Allan in NE, 03-21-2005 17:29:42

i think the ford has more hp to the pto though

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

RustyFarmall

03-21-2005 18:37:18

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Allan in NE, 03-21-2005 17:29:42

Allan, I know it's just plum scary, but we do think alike.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

03-21-2005 15:59:16

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Emil, 03-21-2005 13:55:20

Too old, no. As for price it is quite high, around central IL, they can bought for less that $1500.00 about any time. Worth a little more with the wide front.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

old

03-21-2005 15:17:43

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Emil, 03-21-2005 13:55:20

As far as to old no, I still use a 1935 tractor to rake hay with in the summer. As far as price in my area $1000-1500 is the going price for an M

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

captaink

03-21-2005 14:33:13

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Emil, 03-21-2005 13:55:20

Let�s put it this way. The M was built in a day when things were a lot less complicated than they are today; in other words not many bells and whistles like live power. They were designed to take a lot of abuse and neglect and still keep on running. A big advantage to the tractors of that era was that if you had any mechanical abilities at all, could read an IT shop manual, and were willing to spend a minimal amount of money on tools, you could fix just about anything that went wrong with them yourself.

For 40 acres of grass you will probably only need to do minimal routine maintenance. Is an M too old? Nope, you can still get any part you need for them IF you ever need to fix one. Is the price too high? Compared to other M�s I think maybe, but compared to newer tractors of the power rating it�s not. Bottom line is it�s your money and you can see the tractor. Actually I�ve got one myself, wouldn�t give it up�

Just my 2 cents worth�

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

dr.sportster

03-21-2005 14:29:02

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Emil, 03-21-2005 13:55:20

In the words of Bart Simpson,"no way man".

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Josh H

03-21-2005 14:28:14

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Emil, 03-21-2005 13:55:20

They are old, but they are easy to work on, easy to get parts for, and will still work hard all day. No doubt one of the best tractors ever made. For my area (s.e. pa) $2800 is a lot for an M, I've been trying to sell one that is field ready for half that and haven't gotten any takers.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Dave From MN

03-21-2005 14:22:23

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Emil, 03-21-2005 13:55:20

See how many of todays tractors are running in 57 years and are so relatively cheap to repair and maintain. The ol timer that origanally owned the land I now do farmed about 200 acres grade B milking with 1 tractor. A farmall M. Always dicker on the price though. There are many around.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Nebraska Cowman

03-21-2005 14:08:09

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Emil, 03-21-2005 13:55:20

Nahh, they're not too old. Lots of them still working daily.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Emil

03-21-2005 14:42:35

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Nebraska Cowman, 03-21-2005 14:08:09

would a 1955 ford 860 be better suited for the job??

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Nebraska Cowman

03-21-2005 16:11:06

Report to Moderator

Re: Are Farmall M's just to old??? in reply to Emil, 03-21-2005 14:42:35

tit-for-tat if i could get a good 860 for the same price I'd probably choose the Ford. 3 point hitch being a major advantage and the Ford would be plenty tractor for light haying.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

[Options] [Printer Friendly] [Posting Help] [Return to Forum] [Log in to Reply]

TRACTOR PARTS	TRACTOR MANUALS

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home | Forums

Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy