H on a Thresher Revisited...

Absent Minded Farmer · Oct 14, 2010

I know I've asked before: "Is an H powerful enough to run a 22" x 38" McD thresher?". I like to ask this question wherever I go. I ask again here, because of the ever changing balance of answers. The over-all response is a 60-40 split in favor of the H being a bit underpowered due to a slightly shorter piston throw. I've decided to revisit this topic due to some info I just acquired. It's a McD Threshers brochure from 1942. In the back, under specifications, it states the power required to operate the 22 x 38 thresher with wind stacker, self feeder & weigher is 20 - 30 HP. A bare-bones M & W4 are pictured below the specs. I would assume to represent the power required. Soooo.... will my H with "Fire-Crater" pistons & pushing 35 HP, be able to power my 22 x 38 thresher, even though the stroke remains the same? I'm going to toss this post around the forum a bit to see what others say.

Thanks,
Mike

grg1938 · Oct 14, 2010

We ran a Belle City 28x36(?) from the mid 1960's to the mid 1980's on the farm every summer (Oats, Wheat, and Barley). Then in 2003 we bought a Avery 28x42 that we thresh Wheat for at our annual Tractor Show for demostration purposes. These two thresher were run by the same two 1938 F20's, one standard stock piston and sleeved and the other that we hardly used on them has a high compression kit that was installed in 70's. These F20's ran these threshers with no problems probably due to the 5 inch stroke.

Owen Aaland · Oct 14, 2010

When I was a boy we used an H with a Red River Special thresher.It worked alright as long as you sent the bundles through one at a time. If you sent in two side by side it would slow down enough for the feeder clutch to release until the H could recover. My dad said that the F20 handled it better but that tractor was pretty well worn out by the time I was old enough to help.

randy hall · Oct 14, 2010

your h will run a 22"seperator just fine. a 22" seperator was designed to be ran with a two plow tractor. i don"t understand why the stroke has anything to do with it. you need horsepower to run the machine and your h sounds like it will have plenty.

Harold H · Oct 14, 2010

Your H should operate it just fine. IMHO.

Harold H

teddy52food · Oct 14, 2010

My FIL ran the thresher with his H . I don't know the size of it though.

pete 23 · Oct 14, 2010

There are several different size belt pulleys seen on an H. You need to match belt speed in ft per min to the machine for good performance. If you run too large dia pulley on that H it will not perform well. To small a pulley and machine will not perform. I have no idea what speed the seperator should run , just know that on the older combines it was beater speed that determined if you were operating at correct rpm for rest of machine.

Pale Rider · Oct 14, 2010

A longer stroke be it a gasoline engine or where it is more often seen in a diesel engine is what generates the significant power. Something like a two cycle dirt bike has a very short stroke because it is how rapid acceleration is derived by the rapid full cycle rotation time which is inherent. It depends what the engine is used for as to which is important and which is used.

mkirsch · Oct 15, 2010

I'm not sure why you'd think you'd get any different answers now than before... What's the rhyme? Something like, "Puddin' Tain, puddin' Tain, ask me again and I'll tell you the same?"

Anyway, it's got to at least be able to RUN the thresher. You may not be able to run it at capacity, but consider the (lack of) wisdom in pushing an antique piece of equipment with zero parts availability to its limit.

LenNH · Nov 2, 2010

I seem to remember that 22" was the sized recommended for tractors like F-20, 10-20 and H. My father had a thresher that we operated with a 10-20. The engines on these early tractors were BIG (about 280 cubic inches!!), but they didn't run very fast (1000 rpm, full-load governed speed). There wasn't much horsepower, but there was a lot of torque. That is why they would handle a brief overload without choking up the thresher. The H, on the other hand, had only 152 cubic inches. It gets its horsepower from speed.
If it is pulled down below its governed full-load speed, it is easy to overload it and even stall it. It is a very snappy engine and does a great job as long as it is allowed to run up to speed. I can see how it would be easy to choke up a thresher with this type of engine running it.

H on a Thresher Revisited...

Absent Minded Farmer

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grg1938

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Owen Aaland

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randy hall

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Harold H

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teddy52food

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pete 23

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Pale Rider

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mkirsch

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LenNH

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