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Bought Tractor #5 - Farmall M

A

Andy Motteberg

Well-known Member
Hi Everyone,
I just got my 5th tractor, a 1949 Farmall M to restore. It is missing some parts, but its still restorable. It was on Craigslist, it was in a scrap yard. I got it for $400, but am going to sell the wide front, don't want to, but have to because of money. Dad said he could buy the tractor, sell the wide front and give me a good deal on the M, so that's what I did. I'll probably just find another wide front later on. Dad brought home a Farmall F-14. I did take off the head and cleaned the cylinders and put PB Blaster in them. Here is one picture of my new project!!
M.jpg
 
Howdy
Good luck on that one Andy, looks like she needs a little help. Should keep you out of mischief for a long time.
Bob S.
 
so andy, if you sell the wide front, are you putting a narrow front on it? i may be interested in the wide front, and i think i have a narrow front off an m complete with the hubs. maybe we can swing a deal!! i think i may have a narrow front off a 706 gasser in the barn too. i will have to do some climbing around in the treasure pile to see whats there. shoot me an email.
 
The intake and exhaust ports look like a row of hungry baby birds. Best of luck, and perseverance. JimN
 
Let's see. Grill$150, hood $150, manifold 125, carb 150, used tires 700, lights 75, steering shaft 25 brake parts 70, tubes 80, gauges 200, steering whell 60, seat parts 150. $1935 And that's just bare bones back to fence row condition, and not running.
Better sit this one out.

Gordo
 
Yea.... I gave $700 for my M last spring. With the same wide front. Had to jump it to get it started then DROVE it on the trailer. Hate to be pessimistic, but I think ya over paid.

Good luck....

Ben
 
This really something to get your teeth into. Yes a lot of damned hard work. Quite a bit of folding green and ultimately a hell of a lot of satisfaction. Go for it. Enjoy it. Keep us posted so that we can follow along with you. Its almost as bad as mine was. Time , money and a lot of patience. Enjoy TC MTF
 
It would make a good parts tractor. See what the wide front and shutters bring you might come out at $400 but to restore I think its to far gone unless you have deep pockets
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm not going to part it out, the tractor inside is really not bad. I don't think it sat with all the parts off for too long. And no, I did not overpay because the wide front alone is worth more than what we paid for the whole tractor. I'll get it all done and post pictures when I do. Thanks, Andy
 
Andy: Read your post about selling the front end from the M you bought. Don't know where you live, but when the time comes to replace it, I have a front end that I think is in good shape that I don't need. If it would help you, the price would be very low--like junk iron price. Also have other parts from a parts tractor--prices the same. Good luck with your new "toy". Bert
 
Hi there, always glad to see one of these M's brought back to life. Hope you have some fun getting 'er back together. Please keep us posted and best of luck. Paul
 
Looks like my super h when I got it. Right now it is completely torn apart sitting on pallets in the garage. Someday I will probably put it back together. Been putting money towards other more rare tractors and implements so I havent been able to spend much on the super. I have atleast 3 to 4 thousand into it already on just finding the missing parts and going through the rear end it I havent even touched the engine yet or bought tires. Doesnt bother me abit. I would rather buy a parts tractor and put it back togehter. Its fun trying to search and find all the correct parts with the right date codes. Good luck on the M and have fun with it.
 
I'll have to agree, it will prolly take some deep pockets to get a tractor is this shape up and running again, but there is nothing I hate seeing more is a tractor being tore down for parts when all it needs is a person who see's potential. I have never parted a tractor, nor will I ever. I'm a die hard Farmall guy, but if I came across and old John Deere that needed work, I'd put the money in it, even if I couldn't get the full money out of it. Going to farm auctions around here ticks me off sometimes because I bid on tractors that need a little work, but the parts guys pay top dollar for them if they have a part on them that they really want.
 
Andy. You are getting sucked in here. You think you have a great deal because you actually have zero dollars in this pile of junk.
But reverse the whole picture. Imagine you bought a complete non running tractor for say $900. With the idea you could part it out for that. That's the point. Selling a tractor piece by piece is profitable because some guy like you needs the parts. It's crazy to start with nothing and buy all the parts.
Or look at it this way, if you bought a fencerow complete tractor what is on this one you could possibly use?
It's difficult enough to restore a complete tractor let alone a zero project.
How much are you saving for college or Tech school? You need to be MAKING and saving money now, not SPENDING it. Ask everyone on the board, they will tell you this is a money losing, expensive hobby.

Gordo
 
It already looks better than that Green thing you own!

Keep up the good work saving another IH tractor.
 
I don't think you did too bad for that with the wide front. You can pick up a narrow front for less than $50 in the right place. Also when I flipped my M several years back I had to replace all the same parts that you will be buying for that one and I don't think I had more than $100 in them all, you just have to find the right person. I found an old M in a fence row that was missing the rear end but the front was all there and got a great deal on the sheet metal and radiator along with a manifold.
I even had to buy another steering wheel and the steering shaft (at least you have that).

I have come up on a couple good deals though, I got a complete schwartz wide front for my 560 at a swap meet for $40 a few years ago.
 
Thanks, I'll start looking for parts once I get all the money to Dad for the tractor. Right now I'm working on the tractor. Going to get it off the trailer, reverse the cast centers the right way and put some good rims on it. Then I'll keep working on freeing up the engine.

Thanks,
Andy
 
Nah, its not too bad. Missing a few parts, but I know where I can get parts and the tractor really looks pretty good in the engine.

Thanks,
Andy
 
I don't like parting them either, and I saved this M from being sent to China. It was in a scrap yard and the M had the big pink "X" on it mhich I'm told means its going to the crusher. The man at the scrap yard said there were many tractors scrapped there, but he saved a few that he thought people could use. He said my Dad was the only one who emailed him on the M, so if I did not buy it, it would probably be crushed now.
 
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