Propane fueled Super MTA's

Has anyone any idea how many Super MTA's came originally factory equipped with propane equipment? Also was the tank mounted crossways or lengthways? Sincere thanks for any information.

Parts book shows crossmount tank on SM. Looks like the same tank as used on the 400-450. Ergo, probably the same tank on SMTA. Don't know production numbers for any model.

Ya gotta wonder how much operators liked looking at that tank all day.

Probably none came straight out of IH LP equiped. IH made SM and 400 in LP on each side of a SMTA. Why no SMTA LP, I"m guessing since IH already had the 400 series in the works they didn"t want to mess with a SMTA LP for its less than a year production run. They let another company take care of demand for the LP ones.

Dukester, There is PRECIOUS Little information on the Stage III/ SM-TA tractors . First the LP were almost an afterthought. IH didn't keep good records Like John Deere an Case did. {ie Build Sheets}.
There was documentation that 500 LP were to be built. But here is where the info get thin! The tractors were built at the factory Less carburation and tanks. The vast majority were sent to LP tank companies in Lubbock and San Angelo, Texas. Though there is some evidence that some were sent to other tank companies accross the South. When the trucks showed up with the tractors they were completed and sent on the the dealers. Then the trucks were loaded up with tanks and carbaration and set back to the factory to be completed there, then sent on to the dealers in other parts of the country.
But You need to remember that most info out here has been gleaned from old IH shop hands and techs, and moble mechanics.
The Quinessential SM-TA tank is a Longwise tank, Not the crosswise tank like on the Stage I & II Supers Like the LP tractors shown in Guy Fays Letter series book. This longwise tank has a monovalve assembly @ the 11:00 position at the rear of the tank with you sitting in the seat as a reference point. The longwise tank was used to help bridge the top of the engine after the longer torque tube that housed the TA unit added length to tractors overall length. Feel free to call me and I will visit with you, About this If you like, My # is 512-577-3837. Hope this helps!
Later,
John A.

Thanks so much for the info, folks. I understand how it's kinda difficult to have much for facts on the SMTA's with propane, afer all that tractor model wasn't even built for one whole year. I can't imagine how much that tank projected into the operators's line of sight on International built tractors, they sure couldn't seem to "tuck it away" like the Minnie guys did on their tractors. I saw a W-6 LP in Oklahoma once in years past and noticed how that big beer keg looking crossways mounted tank blotted out a lot of the driver's view. I guess they put up with it because the fuel was so cheap. Even on my friend's lp SMTA the lenghtways mounted tank blocks out some of the forward view. Steering shaft and throttle rod go right through the lp tank.

Funny, I can't imagine running a 400 without that LP tank there, since that's what we had. It blocks your view, but you get used to it and you sure do get to see the fuel guage going down as you work it hard.

Actually, IH kept just as good records as John Deere. Build sheets were kept. The difference is that when it came time to throw them out,someone rescued some of them from the loading dock at Deere, didn't happen at IH. There's plenty of records that got trashed at Deere.The whole idea that Deere kept better records has been invented by Deere collectors.

The problem with determining numbers of LPtractors is that the numbers were within the regular fuel numbers. Census records can tell some information about them, the archives may have more info- the U.S. Census reports list production by horsepower and fuel type for most years, so the breakdown of Super MTA versus SUper W-6 LP might not be available, but the total of those tractors would be.

Yes, IH did ship tractors to convertors, but they also had tractors leave the factory LP fueled.

Question of the day(For me). When they shipped a tractor for conversion, did they change the head, or did they leave the ga head on. Thanks for info. Bernie Steffen

No IH didn't start using a higher compression head for 6 series engines until during 400 production. Same combustion chamber size as gasoline was used up through part of 400 LP tractors. Higher compression pistons were used on SM and 400 before head change. Lot of the SMTA with LP had a D or E suffix after serial numbers, which shows they were equiped with high altitude pistons to raise compression.

(quoted from post at 15:47:52 04/21/09) No IH didn't start using a higher compression head for 6 series engines until during 400 production. Same combustion chamber size as gasoline was used up through part of 400 LP tractors. Higher compression pistons were used on SM and 400 before head change. Lot of the SMTA with LP had a D or E suffix after serial numbers, which shows they were equiped with high altitude pistons to raise compression.

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Can you give me a call to discuss SMTA Lp's? John Yoars 281-686-8595