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A vs B

S

sgtbull

Member
Okay, I"m trying to decipher a tractor. Correct me if I"m wrong. (Won"t be the first time, so I sure won"t take offense!)
1. Both tractors are offset, with the seat to the right of the midline.

2. The "A" was exclusively in a wide front configuration.

3. The "B" was exclusively in a narrow front configuration, with either two front wheels or a single front wheel.

My question is, what other things besides the front axle distinguish an "A" from a "B", and a "B" from a "BN"?
 
To separate the B from the A it (the B) has an axle on the LHS as long as the one on the RHS. The one on the RHS is 4" longer than that on a BN on an A. The only difference between the B and the BN is the 4" in the length of the axles (8" overall). The B (and BN) also use a universal joint in the bottom end of their steering shaft unlike the A which goes straight into the steering gearbox. Hopefully this makes things clearer. Sam
 
In addition to what tractorsam said, the engine and torque tube, etc are centered between the rear wheels, the A engine is offset to the left requiring a cast wheel on the right side for balance. As a kid I rode on the left axle housing of the B while someone else drove the tractor cultivating. A "safe" place to ride if there is such a thing.
 
You might find a B with a wide front though rare. The serial number also indicated the model. There were a number of B's and BN's modified by removing the left axel and replacing it with a short A or SA version. It will bolt up but is very unsafe to operate. Larry Mc
 

I long pondered A and B until I stumbled across this little factoid:

The A was designed as a one-row cultivating tractor, while the B was designed as a two-row cultivating tractor.

On an A, the wheels are just wide enough to span one row of corn, while the wheels on the B are set wide enough so that two rows of corn will go between them.
 
I have 2 "A"s and a Super "A". Short axle on left and long axle on right with heavy cast wheel on right side and steel wheel on left as was stated. It was my understanding that a "B" had the same lenght axle on each side with a wide front end and I have seen several like that.I was under the impression that the "N" in "BN" stood for narrow front end. My brother has a "BN" and I looked at a "BN" yesterday that was for sale,narrow front end. Some "BN"s had a single front wheel and most had two front wheels. I did not know that one axle was 4" shorter but I am going to check that out for sure. I would like to hear some more on this subject. My brother also has an "H" and an"M" and my son has a "Cub".
 
the N in BN was for a narrower rear tha the B.

The diff shafts and housings on both sides of the BN are the same width as the one on the right side of an A. Those same housings on a B are four inches wider on each side.

Everytime this subject comes up I hear rumors of a few Bs coming from the factory with a custom wide front. Don't know about that. Most of the the wide-front B/BNs you see have been adapted with parts from an A or perhaps even some from a wide-front C (pure speculation on the latter). The standard B or BN came with your choice of narrow fronts, the single wheel or the dual wheel.
 
The N means each rear axle was 4 inches shorter, and has nothing to do with the front. There are no factory WFE's on a B or BN, they are all conversions. On the B and BN, the narrow front (NF), or as you say two front wheels, and the SF or single front are interchangeable. Many, like the ones my dad had were ordered with both the NF and SF, which were changed often depending on what we were cultivating. The B's we had were better suited to culitivation than the A, because we had many different kinds of vegetables, and the rear wheels often needed a wider setting than was available on the A.
 
well, what i have must be a morphodite... it has the left final drive bolted directly to the tranny, a weight on the right wheel, a dual wheel tricycle front, but has the steering rod w/ a ujoint....
 
To easily spot the difference between a B and a BN look between the RHS seat support and the RHS fender. On a B there is a gap, on the BN there is no gap. Hope this helps, Sam
 
Yup, sounds like someone took a B (or BN) and added the LHS axle assembly from an A along with the heavier center on the RHS. Sounds a tad tippy to me. Sam
 
They just took the extension housing out and bolted the drop directly to the transmission. Don't run it like that start looking for the extension housing and shaft.
 
I would think that they used the short internal axle from an A unless they chopped and welded one from a B. Sam
 
If you look at the operators manual for a Woods mower B (at least for my 59HB) you'll see a picture of a B set up this way for mowing. Only way you can have the deck wider than the tread. I've though about switching my B over, but common sense gets the better of me each time. It wouldn't be hard to find an A final drive to make the change.

Chris B.
 
I guess there is an A part needed for that change. The drop is the same it just bolts onto the trans on an A where the B has the extension in between them. Caught me, i didn"t think of the shaft.

Look for an extansion and a shaft.
 
The way the A and B were designed, it is possible to bolt all sorts of combinations of parts together, almost like tinker toys.

To move the left housing back out to the original location on a B, you will need the axle housing and the shaft. The housing can come from either side but the shaft needs to be a left. You will also need the correct drawbar.

IH never sold a B with a wide front axle. They evaluated it at least twice but decided it was cost prohibitive. I have seen them with A front ends (which puts the axle pivot off center). I have also seen a C axle on at least one. That requires modification of the front housing to add an adapter plate for the C axle.
 
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