MTALP Cotton picker

Duanes · Aug 31, 2009

Did IH ever produce a Farmall MTA LP cotton picker?
If, so did they run backwards and were the rear axles different then a regular row crop tractor?
Were they ever turned around and run as a row crop tractor and if so, how difficult of an operation was that?
Thanks!

Jim Becker · Aug 31, 2009

I doubt it. I have seen listings for gasoline, distillate and Diesel but not LP. I am not familiar with the details of cotton pickers, but doubt there would be room for an LP fuel tank.

sflem849 · Aug 31, 2009

You can look at the parts diagrams and they have a "reverse operation setup" or something like that on there. I am pretty sure you can flip them around bc people went NUTS for a junk cotton picker at a sale I was at. IIRC it was 9000 with a frozen motor sitting in the frame and a bunch of standard M parts missing.

Harold H · Aug 31, 2009

Farmall SMTA LP's and other LP Farmalls were put under cotton pickers. LP was the fuel of choice for most tractors, cotton pickers, and combines in the Mississippi Delta in the 50's and early 60's. The one row pickers were mounted during picking season and unmounted after picking was over and the tractor was returned to regular tractor configuration. Two row pickers introduced with the 220 & 214 in 1957 were self propelled. On the high drum picker tractors, the rear axles had flanged housings. Bull gears mounted on these axles reversed the direction and a 7:50 x 20 guide wheel was placed on the steering in lieu of the regular tricycle or single front. On low drum pickers, the differential was flipped and shift rails were moved to the opposite side to reverse the tractor. Doing this and mounting or unmounting the picker was time consuming but not particually difficult.

Harold H

Theman · Sep 1, 2009

The M and SM high-drum pickers were also popular in California's southern San Joaquin valley. My family farmed with 2 M's and 2 SM's and all four were LP. I have never seen a TA in one though that doesn't mean there weren't any. As Harold said, the axles and drop housings were different so that the transmission didn't have to be touched to have a forward facing row-crop tractor. My grandfather made the changeover to row-crop the first year he had a picker and never did that again. It was just too much trouble since there were other tractors around the farm to do field work.

NDS · Sep 1, 2009

For once I am more familar with something about old Farmalls than you are (probaly never happen again). LP was fuel of choice for one row pickers in my area, there was a "pocket" in basket for LP tank to fit in.

MTALP Cotton picker

Duanes

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Jim Becker

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sflem849

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Harold H

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Theman

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NDS

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