1939 A-C WC & Hay

DextersWorld

New User
Any experienced A-C owners out there who can help a novice?

Can a 1939 A-C WC run hay equipment or is the hp to low? I am currently looking at a 1939 A-C WC for this purpose but am not sure if it can run a small baler as I am not well versed in the art of tractors and hay so I am referring to you the experts!

Thanks
 
I love using my WC for raking. Sucks for mowing and baling because standing on the clutch kills everything. I used it on the square baler once to clean up some missed hay. Did it just fine, but with no live pto it really suvled to run. A WD would be real nice. Did that for a few years till I sold my WD and got a D17.
AaronSEIA
 
I certainly wouldn't. It has no live and/or independent PTO or a way to stop forward motion with the baler still running which to me is a must have. That way when you get to a larger spot in your windrow you can stop forward motion and let the baler catch up. If raked well enough it wouldn't be an issue. Might be hard to find the true 540 RPMs the baler wants on a WC (heck or even a WD and WD45) too (full throttle with the baler running I'd suspect would be close). As far as HP is concerned it would be OK for a small baler (NH 66, etc). From a ease of use I'd at least want a WD or WD45 for the hand clutch. I'd think a D series would be even better (had a tach to help find 540 RPMs and the power director). Opinions may vary......
 
When I was a kid back in early 50s the Wc Allis Chalmers made hay and pulled every thing. The mowers were ground driven (converted horse
drawn) the rakes were ground driven side delivery and the balers were powered with engine mounted on baler.But if your going to make hay
today find you a good d 17 that would make haying a lot easier.
 
Dexter,
JMHO. Just my humble opinion,

save up your egg money and buy the latest model tractor you can afford with full independent pto,
You will thank me for this advice later,

AC 5040 something like this, example the WD 45, D 17, 14 will run your baler other pto equipment, but unless it's a late model (series 4) D 17,
the tractor is not going to have full function independent pto,

If you do not know how it works, check it out by driving a few used tractors hooked to a running bush hog going from forward to reverse gear
before you buy,

Good luck and be safe,
 
I grew up on WC tractors. 540 pto speed is just a couple of notches below wide open. Dad used it on the Roto Baler for about 8 years before he bought the WD45...live pto was a blessing when it came to running the baler, needing to stop to wrap twine on each bale. Both WCs had the traction release lever to stop wheel motion quickly, but still needed to fully stop and clutch before continuing.
 
If you can find a WD or a WD-45 you will be a lot happier. Not for the power, but because they have live PTO power. There is a hand clutch that only stops the tractor,
the pto and hydraulics continue to run. The normal foot/engine clutch stops everything. You cannot always shift the tractor using the hand clutch as it is a multi plate
in oil and the oil can make it drag. But it will stop the tractor while the baler catches up and allow you to start the baler easy before starting forward motion of the
baler.With the hand clutch released you can start the pto with the foot clutch, then when ready start the tractor moving with the hand clutch. Works really nice. And the
hand clutches are very rugged and unless you totally abuse them last a long time and will handle a fair amount of "ridding"-intentional slippage as they are being used as
a speed control. I don't recomend doing this of course. Just saying that if the hand clutch lever has a fair "snap" as it engages over center it is in good condition and
with reasonable use can be expected to work well for a long time. They also have shims that can be removed to adjust as they wear. There is no way of telling how many
shims are left without removing the cover under the battery box and looking. But as I said if it has a reasonable snap it is good.
 
I have to agree with a number of them here. WD or WD45 or D-17. But if your not color blind you might also think about something like an Oliver 77 which has both live hyds and independent PTO
 
I don't know how many acres you farm, but when I was a kid that was our baler tractor with an IH two string baler. Our baler WC was even a 1939.
I don't know why, but the unstyled 1935 WC was the mower tractor, Fergie 35 always ran the side delivery rake, and the 1939 WC did baler duty.

Kip
 

Just remember, THAT was the way we DID it back in the 40's and 50's..NO separate PTO control..and sometimes that could even be a GOOD thing...

In cast of an Emergency, the tractor operator could hit the Clutch AND Brakes HARD and make a very quick Stop...I STILL prefer that ( although on a larger WD-45 Now)
as I feel I have MORE Control of the Machine..

Anyone here ever operate an AC 50 Combine in Soybeans..?????

If you did, you'd KNOW why I think this way...!!

If you saw a flat rock heading up the canvas..toward the Threshing Cylinder ( and Concaves), you HAD to be QUICK to NAIL the Brakes AND Clutch to try to get that Cylinder to STOP before the rock get to it...otherwise, you had ruined the Cylinder Bars..

Same went for the JD "B", before we got the WD-45's when on the Combine or Baler..

NOW, THERE was a combination..the JD "B" with a Straight Pipe on a Baler ( 116W Wire)...the governors would fully open 52 times a minute..( Plunger Speed),,,!!!
 

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