Antifreeze

I have an “M” that I am going to replace the pure water in the cooling system with antifreeze/water for winter. If I add 2 gal of pure antifreeze to the system with water will I be close to achieving -20 degrees F capability for winter? Is 2 gal way too much or way too little?

Simply fill the system with 50/50 premix. It'll be good to -34 and there's no guessing.

Granted, the price they charge for 50/50 premix is criminal...

Mix the pure antifreeze with 50/50 water and antifreeze then pour into radiator. Drain the radiator and engine of all coolant. Mix the water with the antifreeze before pouring into radiator. One gallon of pure antifreeze will give you 2 gallons of a 50/50 mix. This will provide protection to -34F. Hal

Don"t waste money on premix. Buy full strength and mix it yourself. Most have visible measures on the side of the container.
Drain the system then reinstall all drain plugs. If you do not have an empty gal. container pour in half a jug of new antifreeze into the tractor and then add 2qts of water measured from whatever you have handy(just dont tell her you borrowed it from the kitchen). Now fill the half a jug of antifreeze with water and pour that into the tractor too. Now you have an empty antifreeze container to mix your 50/50 mix. Once you have the one empty your good to go. Mix the rest that you dont use for future use. The way I keep track is, "if its an open container, its 50/50" or you could write on it with a marker.

Dell

I'd say you're gonna need another gallon of antifreeze. You've got a 6-quart cooling system. @gallons antifreeze with four of water will only gt you down to zero. 2-1/2 gallons of antifreeze and 3-1/2 water will take you down to -15. Half and half will be good down to -34.

Myself I'd drain it completely, put in whatever amount of antifreeze you decide on and then top it off with water. As part of the process, it couldn't hurt to do a rough measurement of how much water you get out if you do drain it. You'll never get it all anyway, but it will give you an idea of how much cooling capacity might be lost to sludge in the water jacket. The closer you get to six gallons out of it, the cleaner your system is.

And stay away from the premixed stuff, if only for price. A gallon jug of 50/50 premix is usually only a buck or two less than a jug of the straight stuff. 6x$13=$78. 3x$14=$42. Nuff said about that!

The chart below doesn't show a six-gallon system, but use the twelve gallon and cut in half to determine the mix.
Typical antifreeze mix

either use pre-mix or mix it before putting it in. i prefer to use distilled water as the mix, it helps to keep lime build up out of the cooling system. if you watch the sales at farm and fleet type stores, the premix isnt too awful bad in prices. try and stick with the same type of antifreeze, dont mix dex-cool with the green antifreeze ect.

Just for kicks I did a Google for Farmall M cooling system capacity and got a lot of run around. I imagine it is about 4-6 gal.
Someone here that has an M manual will let you know.

Hey Scotty! Just wanted to say hello and wish you a happy one! I think we ought to change Michigan to "New Maine". Middle of November and I have plowable snow on the drive...NOT my favorite tractor duty. Been cold here too.

Anytime I open a new jug of antifreeze I mix it with a gallon of water. I never add pure antifreeze and I don't buy premix. Water is virtually free, why pay the inflated price of premix?

According to Guy Fay's Tractor Data Book the cooling capacity of the M is 6 gallons. The best mixture is 50-50 so you would need about 3 gallons of anti-freeze, depending if you get it all drained out. I would pre-mix it myself at 50-50 and start filling until it just covers the radiator core. Warm the tractor up good so that it is well mixed with the remaining water. Test it and top off/adjust mixture as needed. An antti-freeze tester is cheap and a good investment.

I would add antifreeze as the above folks mentioned, run the tractor around at operating temperature for a while to ensure proper mixing with whatever water is left in the system, and then follow up with a quick test using a hydrometer. They are cheap and are good insurance against a cracked block.

As usual, skatin' in afterward with some clarification . . . If you dump the water in on top of the antifreeze as I described, you do need to run your tractyor to stir and mix it up. The better idea is to premix it before you dump it in.

Dave, old boy!! I'd seen a couple of threads the last few days that prompted me to wonder if you were still lurkin' out there. Good to hear from ya!

I've just this minute put some turkey parts in to roast to get started on the gravy for Thursday. We've got an army comin' over. Gotta get my drippin's coolin' and start the stock as soon as the roastin' part comes out. Then the pies. Don't know how it is I wound up as the "fambly" cook, but I did. Tomorrow is pie day . . . my from scratch chocolate creme with raspberries and banana creme pies, and then (Lord only knows how I got stuck with this one) the chocolate pie from Miss Karee's paternal grandmother's recipe that her mother refuses to make since the divorce, and none of the grandaughters seems to be able to make . . . All this pie makin' you'd think I was the only guy left in three counties that knows how to scald milk for a custard without scorchin' it! (It helps to use regular milk, and for this round, I've gone one better and got some (sshhhhh!!!!) raw Guernsey milk, skimmed off what cream I want for the topping, the rest goes into the custard. Yum, yum!!)

My best to you and the family for Thanksgiving!

I mix all mine 60/40. Have 2 containers premarked so I can use premix 1 gal when I buy it.