I restore antique tractors as a hobby and side job, and a friend of the family gave me a new project that i have never heard of. It is a Farmall P-12 single tire trycicle front tractor. I have no idea what year it is, or really anything about it. If anyone has heard of this tractor and can offer any info, i would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

I think you'll find that it's an F-12. Hunt for some F-12 pics and see if they look like yours. Sam

I ran across a P12 at a show several years ago. What I learned was that it was an F12 repowered with an engine from an IH P12 power unit. The P12 power unit engine was based on the F12 engine.

I bet he just bought it on ebay a few days ago, right?

If you have never worked on one of these your in for some experence,They are simple untill it comes to the carb and fine tunning

jimmy

I hadn't heard of a P-12, but if it's an F-12, here's a little general info:
First F-12 came out in 1932 with a Waukesha L-head engine. IHC overhead valve engine version came out in 1933, I believe, but I am not sure if there were any produced until the beginning of 1934. The steel-wheeled version would easily pull 1 16" plow, and probably 2 10" bottoms with no trouble. My father's 1938 factory-rubber version pulled 2 12" bottoms in second gear at about 3 mph. There are 3 speeds, about 2, 3 and 4 mph. IHC offered a 7 mph third gear late in production, after rubber tires became available. Turning brakes on each side are automatic, operated by rods coming from the front inside the frame. This explains the very short brake levers. You didn't really need brakes to stop on steel wheels--the lugs simply dug in and stopped the tractor. Sometimes you'd need a brake on the belt to keep the belt tight. A VERY sturdy, well-made tractor. My father (and I) used his tractor almost every day from 1938 until probably 1952 with almost no repairs other than a fuel-pump diaphragm (rubber in those days, and eventually cracked and leaked). I had relatives who used F-12s up into the 60s. The low steering wheel is a little awkward, and there is no real platform, so the comfort isn't great, but it's not bad, either. I can't count the hours I've spent on 3 of these, including 1 on steel. They will do everything (Farm-all!)--plow, plant, cultivate, mow, rake,
bale, power PTO driven machines, operate small belt-driven machines, and so on and so on. The uses for a small, agile tractor like this are limitless. It's main drawback on rubber was the very slow ground speed--4 mph is REALLY slow when you want to pull a wagonload of hay a mile from the field to the barn. Fond memories of good tractors, and if I had money to throw around, had a farm that would really use a tractor like this, I'd have one for the nostalgic value.

No P-12 but click on the F-12. David................

http://www.external_link/farm-tractors/tractor-brands/ih/ih-tractors.html