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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

Flathead V8 powered tractors????

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Trucks

10-30-2004 19:21:10




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Hey Guys, I am primarily into 1956 F-100's,but at the Supernationals this year at Knoxville TN.I saw some flathead V8 powered tractors, and I also saw one Cadilac V8 powered tractor I know the Cady one was custom, but the Ford flathead ones looked so good I thought it could have been factory?I didn't really see them in person, I missed seeing them in person, and saw them on the video when I got it in the other day, and they were in some of the truck magazines that covered the event any Ideas?

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Edchainsaw

10-31-2004 19:20:41




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 Re: Flathead V8 powered tractors???? in reply to Trucks, 10-30-2004 19:21:10  
I read an article once that stated that a man in KS built 5 or 6 conversions for him and his neighbors... in the early 50's and that one of these kits was purchased by Funk BRos (now a subsidiary of Deere--and builder of most of the transmittions in modern Farm tractors)
Funk's then began production of there own kits.

The Original tractor was used to plow with as one of the resons was he wanted a little more power to pull 1 more bottom--- he just never weighted the thing down so it couldnt slip---this would have ended the experiment totally

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Rusty Jones/ The Mower Ma

10-31-2004 18:32:59




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 Re: Flathead V8 powered tractors???? in reply to Trucks, 10-30-2004 19:21:10  
Well, some years ago i went to a tractor show in Central PA. They had all of the usual tractor oriented goings-on, and then they announced the lawn-garden tractor races! There were the usual hopped up single cylinder machines, and they did a right smart job of racing! BUT!! Out came a guy with a Panzer tractor, and he had stuffed a Ford 60 h.p. engine into it! Needless to say, nobody else won any more races that day! He roared around the track in a great cloud of dust, so fast he ran into his own dust, and won that race handily! And all he entered! by: Rusty Jones

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Stan - Florida

10-31-2004 18:07:31




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 Re: Flathead V8 powered tractors???? in reply to Trucks, 10-30-2004 19:21:10  
I fully agree with the comments below about the Funk conversions to the Fords, primarily 8-N models.

However, there were numerous conversions of Farmall F-30 and F-20 tractors with either the Ford 60 or Ford 85 flat head engines. I'm not sure how they held up, but they sure had a pretty sound with a couple of straight pipes on them.

Stan Huff
Melbourne, FL



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Jim.UT

10-31-2004 11:25:44




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 Re: Flathead V8 powered tractors???? in reply to Trucks, 10-30-2004 19:21:10  
There's still a company offering conversion kits to put a flathead V8 in a Ford N-series tractor.



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Brian in Ohio

10-31-2004 07:30:56




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 Re: Flathead V8 powered tractors???? in reply to Trucks, 10-30-2004 19:21:10  
In 1998, the Ford/Fordson Colle3ctors held an EXPO at the Ohio Valley Antique Machinery Show in Georgetown, Ohio. They had an experimental Ford tractor show up, and it had a FACTORY Flathead in it.

I'm going to try and post a link for the photo. If it doesn't work, just do a search for "Ford-Fordson Collectors", and you should be able to find it on their website's photo gallery.

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NC Wayne

10-30-2004 19:59:59




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 Re: Flathead V8 powered tractors???? in reply to Trucks, 10-30-2004 19:21:10  
I read an article recently on a collector that has one of just about every model Ford made, and one of them is the V8 Conversion. According to the article they weren't really good for anything but belt work because the rest of the drivetrain wasn't nearly heavy enough to handle all the extra horses the V8 provided. Still it was a cool looking machine.



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Bob

10-30-2004 19:36:03




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 Re: Flathead V8 powered tractors???? in reply to Trucks, 10-30-2004 19:21:10  
If you want to know more about the Ford flathead V-8 tractors, Google "Funk Conversion".

Here's one result:



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Nor. Al.

10-30-2004 19:29:26




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 Re: Flathead V8 powered tractors???? in reply to Trucks, 10-30-2004 19:21:10  
I never seen a flathead v/8 come from the factory in a tractor ,they had been custom built. 1953 was the last year ford made the flathead v/8's ,I used to like to work on them ,they were good engines.



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rustyfarmall

10-30-2004 22:56:44




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 Re: Flathead V8 powered tractors???? in reply to Nor. Al., 10-30-2004 19:29:26  
The THEMAN tractor was manufactured in Iowa, around the late 30s early 40s (someone correct me if I'm wrong on the dates) It was a rather crude, sort of kit like tractor, that used Ford car or truck powertrain components. You had your choice of either a flathead V8 or inline six.



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big jt

10-31-2004 00:25:25




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 Re: Flathead V8 powered tractors???? in reply to rustyfarmall, 10-30-2004 22:56:44  
Theiman's were manufactured about 15 miles from me. WW II steel shortages shut tractor production down.

They were realy built for the model A ford car drive train. They listed in their brochure that they could be built for the Model A, 1929 Chevrolet, Dodge four and the V8 ford. They would build to suit however if you brought your car to the factory in Albert City. My grandfather looked into having a buick done and bought a 39 JD B instead.

You are right in that they were crude but they were better that riding behind a horse and you had electric start.

I had one of the V8's. Never really liked it. Not real controlable. Have most of the stuff to put together a late "A" if I ever get the itch again.

Fairly easy tractors to restore. Only five or six casting's and a frame and just about every thing else is car parts or something that can be made in a blacksmith shop.

JM2CW

jt

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rustyfarmall

10-31-2004 07:20:25




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 Re: Flathead V8 powered tractors???? in reply to big jt, 10-31-2004 00:25:25  
The Albert City show is where I saw them, didn't mean to be derogatory when I called it crude. I am sure that if you could replace your team of horses with a Thieman you would feel like you were on top of the world. I remember I also saw these tractors for the first time at the ageless iron expo in Ankeny, Iowa. From a distance they sort of resemble a Farmall Regular.



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big jt

11-01-2004 07:18:16




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 Re: Flathead V8 powered tractors???? in reply to rustyfarmall, 10-31-2004 07:20:25  
No offense taken on the crude comment. They were crude!!

If you saw a V8 at the Ageless Iron expo in Ankeny it was mine while I still owned it. The guy that bought it is from MO and did bring it up to Albert City a couple of years ago.

JT



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