Would an old Farmall do the job for me??

MO Farmall · Aug 25, 2012

I'm looking to purchase my first tractor, and I'm interested in something like a Farmall SM. I have 10 acres, and would probably only use it for pulling a brush-hog, and plowing the driveway in the winter (driveway is 120 yards long with a slight incline).
Would this type of tractor do the job? My main concern is if it could handle the job of plowing snow off a long driveway. I've been told I should get a newer, 4 wheel drive, tractor....but I'm hoping an old Farmall would do the job.
Also, everything I've seen shows Farmalls with the snow plow mounted on the front. Is there a reason for this?? Couldn't you use a rear-mounted blade? Thank you!

AL Moyer · Aug 25, 2012

My uncle had a M with the front mount snow plow, plowed the long farm lane & the airstrip on the farm too ! You really don't want a rear mounted plow for snow, because if you're going forward, the wheels pack the snow down, & if you think you're going to plow in reverse, you are really going to end up with a stiff & sore neck ! Just my 2 cents worth.

farmallboy15 · Aug 25, 2012

Power wise it will do anything you want. To my knowledge a snow blade was not made for the M. but i have seen many homemade ones along with some on loader buckets. We plow our driveway with a rear mounted 3pt blade but personally i do not like the 3pt on the letter series farmalls. If i were you i would get a 300 or 400 or 350/450 with a 2pt hitch. you will get live PTO and a hitch system which can easily be adapted to use with a 3pt blade to plow snow with...

Aaron Halfmann · Aug 25, 2012

I have an M"s little sister a farmall H that i plow a 150 ft drive with and it handles the very well. I use a converted stanhoist loader with blade. Also have two sets of weights mounted on rear. An M is bigger and heavier will do job fine.

wisbaker · Aug 25, 2012

In it's day the Super M was quite a tractor, but not for what you're looking to do. Look for something with live or Independent power and three point hitch, but as others have stated a fast hitch will also work well. I don't know that you need to go all the way to a new compact diesel tractor. Do you like working on things and have a basic tool set and mechanical knowledge? If so go for an older tractor but if that isn't you get the new diesel. For what you're looking to do I personally would be looking for something like a Ford 3000. Massey Ferguson 50,65, 150, 165,175 or 255, International 460 utility or IH 606. Something with the lower profile, live power, 3 point and around 50 HP. I've seen some sweet deals on ford industrial tractors coming off of golf courses (Ford 2110, 5110, 231, 531). I'd trade age for condition meaning a older tractor in good shape is better than a newer tractor in poor shape. I'd confine my search to John Deere, IH, Massey Ferguson and maybe Oliver or Allis Chalmers just for parts and service. If you find a candidate ask about it here there's always someone willing to give you an opinion on about anything

old · Aug 25, 2012

The Super M did not come with a 3 point hitch so that could be a small problem. As for power you have more then enough to do what you want and for that matter it is over kill for you small place. A super A would do all you need and that would also save you a lot of gas $$ in the long run. By the way 120 yards is a short drive way mine here at the Lake of the Ozarks is a mile long

IH fan · Aug 25, 2012

I would stick with a later model with live pto for mowing and live hydraulics for a loader and 3 point. Power steering is also a plus if you have a loader. On a 10 acre place, you will be amazed how much you will want a loader, so between a loader and blade on a 3 point (or Fast Hitch if you can find an adaptor or F-H blade), you can maintain your driveway winter and summer.
Although a live pto isn't an absolute nessesity, it sure is nice with a mower.
BTW, I have a 240U with PS, loader and blade and a circle drive about 5 -600' long. I don't mow with it, but it would work with a 5 or 6' mower.

sflem849 · Aug 25, 2012

Your friends are correct. An M would work an H would work better but there are better choices. THe other posts said most anything I would say.

BTW, sounds like you better do some serious research before you make this decision.

Haas · Aug 25, 2012

An M is a bit of overkill for your situation. You would be better served with a utility type tractor around 30-40 HP that has a 3 point hitch and live hydraulics. Lots of tractors around from the 60s and 70s that fit that description. The IH 424, 444 series are good and there are plenty of other brands as well. Plowing snow works much better if you have a front blade. Deep snow with a rear blade will require you to plow in reverse, not a pleasant experience, however, 120 yds is not really a very long driveway for the size tractor you are considering. An IH 140 or Super A with the front blade would do a great job on your driveway, but you might want a little more tractor than that to use with a bush hog on 10 acres.

sd pete · Aug 25, 2012

If you live where the snow drifts and can pile up 12 foot deep the rear blade would be worthless. The Super M would be an ok tractor for you. DuAl and Farmhand make excellent loaders for that tractor. Power Steering is a plus.

Zachary Hoyt · Aug 25, 2012

I have an H with a McCormick #31 loader with a blade and it is great for pushing snow. For what you need to do I agree that an H would be more gas efficient than a Super M but if you're only going to be mowing 10 acres and plowing the drive you won't be going through enough gas with any tractor to make a big difference either way. If you like the SM I would say go for it, they are certainly a 'classic' tractor and they're quite easy to work on if you are at all mechanically inclined. You will save all kinds of money over buying a new tractor, although it will probably require more frequent tinkering.
Zach

Allan in NE · Aug 25, 2012

Like Pete says,

Put a loader on it with an 8' bucket.

Allan

Old Iron · Aug 25, 2012

The OP asked about a Super M, and some replies have suggested that he get a tractor with "live power",.... I thought all Super M's had live power, or am I missing something here?

As a side-note,... I'd be lost without my old '49 M and DuAl loader (winter or summer), I use it almost daily.

David G · Aug 25, 2012

Pick up a newer compact tractor with FWD and 3 point. It will be way more useful than either an H or M. I would get one in the 30HP range.

26Red · Aug 25, 2012

I'm with Pete and Allan!

DeltaRed · Aug 25, 2012

An M/SM would be a fine tractor to own.I've hads mine for over 30 years,be lost without it.Mine has a 'mag' pump/3 point and a MW live pto hand clutch.He does EVERYTHING I need him to do.I have newer and bigger but I gotta have my "Super".

CNKS · Aug 25, 2012

Stage 1 Super M's had a belly pump for hydraulics, Stage 2 had live hydraulics.

John G. Hasler · Aug 25, 2012

I use both a bucket and a back blade for plowing snow here in Western Wisconsin (though we hardly get snow any more). Sometimes one is better, sometimes the other. You really want power steering and a full hydraulic bucket, though. I plowed for years with a narrow-front manual-steering JD60 with a trip bucket. Not fun. You don"t need more than about 40hp and while FWD would be nice it is not necessary. You may want loaded tires or a substantial rear weight. Draft is what counts, not horse power.

Tom Fleming · Aug 25, 2012

Well, it all depends upon what you want to do. I have been using my Cub for snow duty for the past 15 years. Chains, fluid in the tires, rear wheel weights and the stock IHC "grader" blade. We had a 28" single snow fall 2 years ago, and Cubby handled it with little to no issues. However, a Cub is the last thing you want for mowing.

I would agree with what alot of the others have posted. Get yourself a 300 Utility if you want a worker and a collector. Loader on the front, plus it will more than handle your brush hog work. Not all brush hogs are 3 Pt. I have used a trailer brush hog for years (while I still had it). It is not as nimble as a 3 Pt., but if you paid attention to what you were doing, it handled everything just fine. Back home as a kid, we used the SM for snow duty. replaced the manure bucket with a 8' "c" channel that was 18". pushed the snow just fine, but that was a farm lane, and lots of room on the sides to push the piled up snow.

Leroy · Aug 26, 2012

Go for it, I don't know how much snow you get there but if you get over 6" at any time or drifting get a front loader with wide bucket for inital clearing and then put on a 3 point with rear blade for a final clearing of snow as the loader will not do a good job of clearing but it does do a good job of getting thru deep snow that a rear blade will not do. And the higher tractor is easier to see what you are doing with a loader,(also easier to see items that may be ahead of the mower), A back blade does not work good if there is over 4" of snow but it can be done. I had a Ford 4000 with the 38" rear wheels with a 6' bucket for snow and would be bucketing snow for hundreds of feet to find a place to dump it, (that tractor is the high utility version, height of a rowcrop but you straddled the transmission instead of setting on top as in the row crop version and same as the SM), kept the rear blade on all winter and had 2 sets of wheel weights on along with tires filled with fluid and with the snow there is always ice under to spin out on, also had chains for it. And it put out 60 hp on dyno and I would at times kill it with a 5' bush hog mower on a pull type. If you can mow several times a year without it getting too big I would sujust a pull type 7' mower but one with either 2 or 3 blades, do not get one with a single blade in that size, pull to hard and too hard to manuver. 7 ft. will cover the tractor tires for width but a 5' you would have to run with the tires on the outside of the cut width and you cannot get close to a fence or buildings with them. I would swing the swinging drawbar to side for that but too hard on power driveline.

sflem849 · Aug 26, 2012

(quoted from post at 15:01:01 08/25/12) The OP asked about a Super M, and some replies have suggested that he get a tractor with "live power",.... I thought all Super M's had live power, or am I missing something here?

As a side-note,... I'd be lost without my old '49 M and DuAl loader (winter or summer), I use it almost daily.

The only letter series with live power is the SMTA. Like CNKS said, the Stage II SMs have live Hyd.

Old Iron · Aug 26, 2012

(quoted from post at 10:11:28 08/26/12)

The only letter series with live power is the SMTA. Like CNKS said, the Stage II SMs have live Hyd.

Thanks for clearing up some of my confusion.

Let's see if I have all this straight.

so,... the SMTA's came from the factory with live hydraulics AND live PTO.

And the Stage II SM's came from the factory with live hydraulics.

and,... live hydraulics could be added to an M, or a Stage I SM, sometime after they left the factory?

Denny ('60 Lo-Boy) · Aug 26, 2012

(quoted from post at 13:41:06 08/26/12)

(quoted from post at 10:11:28 08/26/12)

The only letter series with live power is the SMTA. Like CNKS said, the Stage II SMs have live Hyd.

Click to expand...

Thanks for clearing up some of my confusion.

Let's see if I have all this straight.

so,... the SMTA's came from the factory with live hydraulics AND live PTO.

[color=red:fe958da7e2]And the Stage II SM's came from the factory with live hydraulics.[/color:fe958da7e2]
and,... live hydraulics could be added to an M, or a Stage I SM, sometime after they left the factory?

Not all Stage II SM's had live hydraulics. It was either an option or a factory delete, not sure which. Have seen lots either way. Owned two with belly pump hydraulics from the factory.

Old Iron · Aug 26, 2012

(quoted from post at 12:50:11 08/26/12)
Not all Stage II SM's had live hydraulics. It was either an option or a factory delete, not sure which. Have seen lots either way. Owned two with belly pump hydraulics from the factory.

Thanks Denny for the additional information.

Over the years, I've only owned one SM, and it had live hydraulics and used the belly for a reservoir.

My 1949 M has live hydraulics,... but my 1951 M doesn't.

MO Farmall · Aug 26, 2012

Allan, that's a cool photo! Based on the replies I got, it sounds like a front end bucket would be best for shoveling snow, but one like you have looks like it'd be hard to find, and would cost a lot. I've really got my heart set on a Farmall, so am hoping I can make it work. Thanks!

MO Farmall · Aug 26, 2012

Thanks Pete. I just thought a front end loader would be a lot more expensive, and cumbersome. Sounds like it would work better in the snow though. I'll have to look into those companies who make front end loaders. We don't get as much snow here in MO as you do in SD, but every once and a while we'll find ourselves with over a foot. Both of my parents grew up in SD. Dad says he grew up operating an Allis Chalmers RC and Mccormick Deering 10-20 on their farm just north of Sioux Falls. For some reason I've always been drawn to the Farmalls. Thanks for the help.

MO Farmall · Aug 26, 2012

Great picture 26Red. I guess that's photographic proof that a
Farmall will handle itself just fine in deep snow. Great place you've
got there.

MO Farmall · Aug 26, 2012

Lots of good information Leroy, thanks!

MO Farmall · Aug 26, 2012

Thanks wisbaker for the advice. The Super M I'm considering has live hydraulics and power steering. The only thing it's missing is a 3 point in the back, which I believe I can have added on as an after market. Thanks again.

MO Farmall · Aug 26, 2012

Thanks to everyone for all the expertise and great advice. I wasn't expecting to see so many replies to my question when I got back on here. Each reply made me consider a different way of looking at it. Thank you!
It sounds like a smaller, utility tractor, would be a more practical decision. My Dad's willing to give me his old Utility 300 (not running at the moment), so maybe this should be the obvious choice.
On the other hand, it sounds like as long as I have the right implements, etc, for the Farmall SM it would work fine too. The Farmall SM I'm considering already has live PTO and power steering. All I'd need to add is a front end loader/bucket, and a 3 point hitch in the back. Maybe I should start out with the 300, and get my dream tractor (Farmall) later. Now the big question....who knows how to convince the wife I need 2 tractors for a 10 acre lot?? Thanks guys!

IH fan · Aug 26, 2012

Mo...

All you have to do is get your wife interested in a hobby like quilting. Then you should be able to spend plenty without her complaining... don't ask me how I know that :shock:

Would an old Farmall do the job for me??

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