New Super M Project - Lessons Learned

I've acquired a '53 Super M that belonged to my grandfather. It's the tractor I learned to drive on and has been in the family since it was new. As I start down the path to restoring it for a second life of useful service on the farm, I wanted to ask others what their lessons learned have been on their projects.

Yes, it's an old tractor. Yes, it's nostalgic for me. No, it doesn't have a 3 point hitch. No live hydraulics either. While I do hope to keep costs "somewhat" in line with its value when completed, I also plan to end up with a tractor that can see a second life of basic use in a modern world.

So, what lessons learned do you have to share with someone approaching a new project like this?

https://farmhacker.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/dsc01983.jpg

(quoted from post at 13:46:04 05/24/12) I've acquired a '53 Super M that belonged to my grandfather. It's the tractor I learned to drive on and has been in the family since it was new. As I start down the path to restoring it for a second life of useful service on the farm, I wanted to ask others what their lessons learned have been on their projects.

Yes, it's an old tractor. Yes, it's nostalgic for me. No, it doesn't have a 3 point hitch. No live hydraulics either. While I do hope to keep costs "somewhat" in line with its value when completed, I also plan to end up with a tractor that can see a second life of basic use in a modern world.

So, what lessons learned do you have to share with someone approaching a new project like this?

https://farmhacker.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/dsc01983.jpg

Click to expand...

Don't get carried away with the project. If something needs fixed, fix it. If it doesn't need fixed, leave it alone.

Leaking oil and grease seals will only get worse.

Paint done wrong is a whole lot harder to deal with than an original, but severly weathered older finish.

What pull type implements do you have for this tractor and what
practical work can it do on your farm?

First of all, congrats on getting your Grandpa's tractor. Although I have no practical use for them, I have 2 of my Grandpa's Farmalls. I have two scenarios for you, which may offer some insight into what you will want to do with the tractor.

The first is for his Farmall C. The C wasn't in the greatest of shape. When it didn't have the cultivators on it, it had a loader. The tin was beat up on the grill and had a big dent in the tank where a log had fallen off the loader and hit it. It was stored inside every night, but years of working from sun up to sun down had taken the paint down to nothing. It leaked oil out of just about every seal. I decided to restore that tractor for my Grandpa, and am glad that I did it. I kept the old wooden steering knob and his old seat cover on it just so it would have some sort of tie back to him. But, for the most part, it's just not the "Ol' C" anymore.

The second is his Farmall 400. I thought about restoring it, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that if I did that I wasn't keeping his tractor, I was making a new one for me. Scratches on the tin from putting the picker on, dabs of caulk here and there, his old farmer fixes were all things that tied him to that tractor and 50+ years of family farming. With restoring the C, I lost all those things (even though the C was in pretty bad shape). So, the 400 just got cleaned up and I polished the tin work. I can still see the scratches from the picker and chuckle at his dabs of caulk. So far, I am happy that I didn't "restore" it.

For you, my advice would be to first fix the leaks and get it running right. Then give yourself some time to think about different alterations and restorations that you'll want to do. If this it the tractor that you grew up on, you may want to keep it the way you remember it. Bottom line is that whatever you decide, I am sure your Grandpa would be happy!






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You own my FAVORITE tractor!

I personally would be looking for a good,used 3 point Saginaw,or equivelent.Or build a GOOD one.I COULD NOT use My Super for much without mine.

Like others said,MAINTENANCE is key.Flush/change out all fluids.Keep things greased.If using it ALOT,I personally would not put "SHOW" paint job on it. Replace what is needed.Get a GOOD service manual for it. Use the CRAP out of it,have fun with it!

Before starting - take pictures of EVERYTHING from every angle. Most stuff will go back together in an obivous way - but there's always one or two items where you'll really appreciate a good picture.

Start a spreadsheet and make a REAL budget. You might be surprised at how quickly the costs add up on all the little parts. Doing it in your head usually leads to underestimating.

And right from the start - you really need to establish a goal for what you want for an end result.

I struggled with that - the tractor we just did was never intended to be a show tractor - but I kept wavering, thinking it would be nice to make it perfect...

I finally had to make up my mind that it WAS a work tractor - and kept reminding myself of that for every decision.

I also would not have wanted to do it without a sandblaster. You don't NEED one - but I found the sandblaster invaluable. But you really do have to be extremely careful with where the sand ends up.

If you sand blast parts, power wash grease first - thick grease/dirt wastes a LOT of sand when blasting.

I also think painting everything together would have been a better plan than painting parts individually like we did - wasted a LOT of time, AND paint.

We painted one part here, one there... Would have been better to prep everything and paint all at once - and in place when possible.

Keep nuts and bolts loosely in place when you take stuff apart. Don't just drop them all in a bucket as you go. Saves a lot of time later.

Congratulations on getting your Grandpa's tractor! I have tried to buy my Grandpa's H for 22 years with no luck. Below are lots of pictures of a 1951 H I rebuilt in 1999. This will be very similar to what you may be facing.
The Red Fritz Farm

(quoted from post at 05:46:04 05/24/12) I've acquired a '53 Super M that belonged to my grandfather. It's the tractor I learned to drive on and has been in the family since it was new. As I start down the path to restoring it for a second life of useful service on the farm, I wanted to ask others what their lessons learned have been on their projects.

Yes, it's an old tractor. Yes, it's nostalgic for me. No, it doesn't have a 3 point hitch. No live hydraulics either. While I do hope to keep costs "somewhat" in line with its value when completed, I also plan to end up with a tractor that can see a second life of basic use in a modern world.

So, what lessons learned do you have to share with someone approaching a new project like this?

https://farmhacker.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/dsc01983.jpg

Click to expand...

I've got an M, a 1206 and a Ford 8N. I've used the M in the past but haven't used it for much sense getting the 1206. I has no live hydraulics, no PS and no 3 point. I did use it last year for raking hay and spreding poo but this year it's just a poo spreader. The 8N got to buring oil real bad last summer and that's why I used the M for raking. For the M to real usable for me it would need live hydraulics and power steering at a minumum! A 3 point would make it even better. For what that would cost I can get a real tractor.

Rick

Nice job on polishing up the 400.

JR Sutton covers it pretty well - especially to make the decision whether it's gonna be a worker or a show tractor before you get started.

One more item to add to JR's list: After you have replaced leaking seals, gaskets, etc. and thoroughly cleaned the tractor but BEFORE you paint, use the tractor for a couple months. Chances are you will find several more niggling leaks. Pay special attention to items like the rocker box, steering gear box, tranny front end seals, PTO shaft seal, gas sediment bulb, etc. Much easier and neater to fix these now than after the tractor has been repainted!

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I too have done a '53 Super M. Turns heads at shows and parades, and it's still earning its keep "working part time" at a friend's Christmas tree farm. It's wonderful old tractor!

The Red: ...I remember reading some of your posts many years ago (maybe 10 to 15 years ago?) in which you mentioned wanting to get your Grandpa's tractor... ..and you didn't yet. whew.. that is a bummer. I did follow your rebuild later in '99 of that Farmall H. I used the word rebuild rather then restore to add a little extra respect to your efforts. Getting that old combine running was another interesting story.
Thanks for posting on Yesterdays tractors.. ag

Thank you. One thing I always wanted to do was some ag flying. Lot more gutsier than flying T38s with students in my humble opinion!

I have 3 M Farmalls. The 1st thing to decide is if you are going to use it or show it. Things I would check. Inside of gas tank, carb. points & plugs, Water pump, change oil and antifreeze. I would also consider a 3 point hitch. all of mine have one. Mine are working tractors. Ellis

I also have a C and two 400s. The C is a great little tractor after spending some time on the 400. I wish mine were as good looking as yours.
SDE

Wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed going over your website. Brought back a lot of memorys of my time in northern Kansas. I don't think I could have driven myself to tear down those old buildings. I would probably have spent twice the price of new to restore them.Bud

Currently "restoring" a Super M. The only parts that have/will not be completely disassembled is the transmission and differential. It was all inspected, though and 3 bearings in the transmission were replaced. Complete engine overhaul. New clutch and bearings. Everything in the upper bolster replaced except the two gears which are ok. Rear wheel bearings are ok, seals and gaskets replaced. ALL seals anywhere on the tractor have been or will be replaced. New tires, acrylic urethane paint, all parts painted separately. If anything is suspicious it gets replaced. Will the repairs be in line with what it is worth if I sold it? Not even close, probably $3-4000 too much.

I have a md i am doing now and i take almost everything apart and replace all the seals nothing worse that getting it done and haveing a oil leak.

Bud I could not afford to maintain those old buildings on what I was making income wise in those days. They also were costing me on property taxes. At that time the big barn was going to need some big bucks thrown at it so I felt that is where I would devote resources.

(quoted from post at 12:29:58 05/25/12) Bud I could not afford to maintain those old buildings on what I was making income wise in those days. They also were costing me on property taxes. At that time the big barn was going to need some big bucks thrown at it so I felt that is where I would devote resources.

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I am in the same place right now. My property taxes are low, but it is A LOT of money to maintain all of my buildings. I have 10 including the house. I would like to convert my dairy barn to a shop to help justify keeping it.

I have two Farmall M tractors and one Farmall H. The early M is a 1939. In the 1950s it was fitted with electric starting and lighting, three point linkage (Australian type with the hydraulic cylinder inside the gearbox), hydraulic remote control system, belt pulley and an Armstrong Holland Grader attachment. All parts were supplied by IHC at the time. I still use a fair bit of old machinery, so the three point linkage does not get a lot of work. The hydraulic remote control cylinder is used all the time, for the Sunshine header, IHC 7ft mower, disc harrows and ploughs. The Farmall H also has remote control and is used similarly. The later Farmall M (1947) has no remote control and no three point linkage. This severely limits its use, so a Liftall pump is going in soon. Basically, I find all the attachments that were available here in the 1950s still work fine and make the tractor useable today. The hydraulic system and three point linkage make it possible to use the tractor with various more modern machines. When one of the newer tractors broke down, the 1939 Farmall M was used to make 400 round bails with a Gehl 1450 Round Baler. The only thing I had to add, was a twelve volt battery to operate the twine feed.
SadFarmall

good luck with your project.... lots of great points here, it totally depends on how you want it to look when it's done. Costs lots of money to get the extra done, so keep close eye on that budget. Yes to making sure everything is mechanically RIGHT, that is a must.

GOOD LUCK.

My project is starting to see daylight....

http://colby560.shutterfly.com/