super a purchase

I just purchased a 1950 super a for my six year old son. No, he is not going to drive it anytime soon. I purchased it for $500 for a project for he and I. He will acquire parts for it by dedicating himself to his schoolwork and be rewarded thus so. The clutch is froze up, battery box is gone, the block has been braized, the rear axle housing has been welded, and it has been converted to 12 volts. We did get it running though I am sure it needs a carb. kit. I was wondering on how expensive and difficult it is to fine a left side rear axle housing and maybe even another block. I expect the clutch to cost around $250. Any input appreciated.

Mark, don't get hung up in the "safety" aspect of not letting your son drive the tractor. If the tractor isn't operational, then sure, but if you've got some open space, let the boy drive the tractor!

Most of the members of this forum who grew up on farms were driving far less advanced machines at that age, for real. Your son will be putt-putting around the yard in 1st gear with the engine idling at first. He will be perfectly safe, because the tractor will be moving at less than a walking pace, and you will be right there to dash in and hit the kill switch.

He'll be absolutely thrilled beyond belief, and you'll have taught him a huge lesson about responsibility: Listen to Daddy, and do what he says, and you get to do something really really neat!

The main reason I bought this tractor is so that my father, son, and
I can attend pulls and shows together and teach him how to use
and respect tools properly. My dad is a huge IH/Farmall fan and
has farmed with them his whole life. I want my son to know where
he came from and respect what built this country. I will let him
drive it soon enough, he drives a cub cadet with me behind and I
have a tether hooked up to it so I can kill the engine instantly.

Would like to see some pictures of your Super A. I first drove a tractor when I was around your son's age, the first I drove was my Dad's 1933 F-12 and then my 1943 H, but I was on my Dad's lap. Post a wanted ad in the classified ads on the left for the parts you need. Good luck with your Super A!!

Andy

(quoted from post at 05:20:50 09/02/08) I just purchased a 1950 super a for my six year old son. No, he is not going to drive it anytime soon. I purchased it for $500 for a project for he and I. He will acquire parts for it by dedicating himself to his schoolwork and be rewarded thus so. The clutch is froze up, battery box is gone, the block has been braized, the rear axle housing has been welded, and it has been converted to 12 volts. We did get it running though I am sure it needs a carb. kit. I was wondering on how expensive and difficult it is to fine a left side rear axle housing and maybe even another block. I expect the clutch to cost around $250. Any input appreciated.

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Whoa! Sometimes the $2,000 tractor is much cheaper than the $500 tractor. Perhaps your son needs to get a job to help his father pay for all the needed parts. What a life-lesson that would be, eh? Well, thank heavens for child labor laws. Just kidding. HAW-HAW!
Seriously, here are two fellows who have a lot of Super A parts:
Dean Hinton (KY) 859-289-3266;
James Campbell (TN) 931-242-5211
Hope this is of help to you.
mike

Mark: Age six is when I started and it was production agriculture. Bet your dad did too. I was born 1942, the year my dad bought a new W4. In the summer of 1948, my dad plunked me in the W4 seat with hay wagon and loose hayloader in tow. My grandfather had always done this job, however the two hired hands building the loads of hay were complaining about grandpa being too vicious on the clutch. Dad said, "You've got a job as long as those two guys on the load don't complain." Man, that old W4 had long clutch pedal travel for 6 year old legs. It was flat land, thus I didn't need to use brakes along with the clutch.

Later we got a Cub, H and a SA. Those were a picnic to drive compared to the W4. Dad taught his own 5 sons and about 20 other young lads to drive tractors at a very young age. You were not allowed to go joy riding, it had to be something that was productive agriculture. I remember the first time dad let me take the H with spring tooth cultivator to do seed bed prep on about 5 acres, while he milked the cows. It was enough fun I thought I'd just keep doing repeated passes until milking was done. I was about 10 and tractor job seemed much more exciting than any barn jobs. When dad was done milking he came to seed the 5 acres, said, "I thought I best get here before you wore out the land or the spring tooth cultivator."

The year we bought the 130 new, dad taught an 8 year old lad to rake hay. This was quite steady raking as dad was a 2,000 to 3,000 bales a day kind of guy. That young lad stayed with me on the farm, full time after he finished high school. When he was a teenager I'd give him my pickup any time he wanted it, mostly weekends. He never put a scratch on it and he showed every morning for milking. He had an urge to go trucking, and he has, long haul trucking, and still does. He's trucked every province in Canada, all 49 mainland states and a bit of Mexico. He must be pushing 50 and has yet to have a road accident. My point, 20 hp tractors have turned out far more good drivers than all the driving schools, coast to coast. Why, because they start and learn safety at a very young age. DON'T WAIT, give your dad a job.