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Difference between Farmall A and B

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Tree Farmer1414

02-10-2007 05:50:07

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I am new to this collecting and using business. What is the difference between a Farmall A and Farmall B, besides a difference in horsepower? I know I'm showing my ignorance in this but that's the way it goes. My better half will agree. One has a hydraulic system and one does not? Can the same implements be mounted on both models? With no hydraulic system how does one raise a mower or cultivator when mounted on a B? Thanks for your answers.

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Tree Farmer1414

02-16-2007 05:48:48

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Re: Difference between Farmall A and B in reply to Tree Farmer1414, 02-10-2007 05:50:07

Thanks for all the good comments and advice. Just starting to restore a B. When I get done with it, sure would like to find a front-mount sickle bar mower for it. My memory says a 5' bar was on this tractor. Did a ton of mowing with a Super C with fast hitch and 7' rear mounted mower. That was a really nice setup for its day. At my age one with assist would be nice (Gene Bender, do you know where there is one?) but for the amount of use it will get the manual lift would be fine.

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AgE94

02-11-2007 19:11:57

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Re: Difference between Farmall A and B in reply to Tree Farmer1414, 02-10-2007 05:50:07

My grandfather had a 1945 B and used it to cultivate his blackland farm in North Texas. It was his only tractor until the mid-50's when he bought a couple of John Deere tractors. The little tractor continued to be used for less strenuous chores on the farm, was overhauled in the mid-60's and eventually found it's way to the 50 acres where I grew up. We used it to pull an old Servis stalk cutter and mowed our pasture with it.
When I first remember the tractor, it had some type of lift cylinder, maybe about 8-10" in diameter, mounted at the front, opposite the driver and this was used to raise and lower the cultivating equipment below. Was this an exhaust lift as some of you have mentioned?
One more question.
My dad always said that this tractor was a 1941 model. After looking at the serial number a couple of years ago, it seems to be a 1945. I'm wondering if maybe the tractor was ordered in 1941, but because of the war, it wasn't built until 1945?

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Hugh MacKay

02-10-2007 12:13:19

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Re: Difference between Farmall A and B in reply to Tree Farmer1414, 02-10-2007 05:50:07

Tree Farmer: Some of your respondants also missed your question. Both A and B have the same horse power, and neither have hydraulics. There are hand lifts with helper springs, for both and for guys with good arms and upper body. You can also get an exhaust lift, and if you want one of those, you best talk to gene bender.

Those fellows that thought, either one or the other of these tractors were not very useful, had a very sheltered unbringing. Both trators had a use, and filled the bill very well. I don't know how many of each were built, but the total is well over 200,000. I guess we could put a bit of faith in the ability of those 200,000 farmers that bought those tractors new.

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Nat 2

02-10-2007 08:05:44

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Re: Difference between Farmall A and B in reply to Tree Farmer1414, 02-10-2007 05:50:07

I always thought there was a difference in horsepower between the A and the B myself. Amazingly enough, they have the same horsepower!

Never could figure out what a B was good for. A symmetrical tractor with offset operator's platform must have made keeping an eye on the left hand side VERY difficult and clunky.

Apparently neither could IH because they discontinued the B in 1948 and replaced it with the C which has a centered operator's platform set up high with good visibility of both sides.

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CNKS

02-10-2007 09:51:46

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Re: Difference between Farmall A and B in reply to Nat 2, 02-10-2007 08:05:44

My dad had two B's -- EXCELLENT cultivating tractor, visibility was no problem. Unlike most, in the 40's and 50's, I always wondered why IH made the A. IH chose to keep the A and replaced the B with the C, that is ok with me. But, people who criticize the B have never used one. The main problem with it was that my dad was constantly changing the rear wheel width for different row spacing. The C fixed that.

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gene bender

02-10-2007 08:26:46

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Re: Difference between Farmall A and B in reply to Nat 2, 02-10-2007 08:05:44

Seeing what was on the other row was no problem. You never could have a nicer tractor in that period for a second tractor cultivating mowing raking hauling water grinding feed and the list goes on and on. Name me a tractor that you could bend over from the seat and unhook a wagon. Ran forever on a tank of gas. Little over 7yrs production sold 90 some thousand not a bad record for a small tractor. As one old farmer once told me that B stood for the best little tractor ever made and they will still outsell anything in their class.

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Steven@AZ

02-10-2007 06:03:51

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Re: Difference between Farmall A and B in reply to Tree Farmer1414, 02-10-2007 05:50:07

Farmall A and B have the same engine and transmission. On both tractors you sit to the right side of the engine (IH called it culti-vision). Implements designed for one will not fit the other. On tractors without hydraulics you could have an exhaust lift or simply a manual lift (armstrong).

The A has an axle extenstion only on the right hand side and has a wide front end. The A was not available with a hydraulic system, just an exhaust lift. The Super A added live hydraulics and a horsepower boost to the A. Here is a picture of an A:

third party image

The B has an axle extension on both sides and a narrow front (with two wheels or one wheel). The B was never available with any hydraulic system, just an exhaust lift. Here is a picture of a B:

third party image

The BN had shorter rear axle extensions by 4 inches on each side, for an overall width 8 inches narrow than the regular B.

The B was replaced by the C which evolved into the Super C - they had axles like the H and M for a greater range of adjustment to tread width.

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