Super M serial number

Hey guys! Just picked up my grandpas Super M. Serial number is F-2955 J. I know its a Stage 1; has belly pump wiht IH two-way valve, disc brakes. Anyway, what does the "J" mean? I dont remember a "J" on my 300 or 400. Thanks!!!

Cograts on the SM. J= it came equiped with a rockford manufactured clutch. Could be wrong but think when they started building them , all SM used the rockford clutch.

Matt -

"J" means your SM has a Rockford clutch.

I cut my teeth running a Super M and now own one (a late 1953 Stage II) myself. AFAIK the SM is one of the best old tractors ever built!

Is it definitely a stage 1? I have a stage II (battery under the seat) but still has the hydraulics in the belly. I understood a person could buy them either way.

Some confusion on that--but it is also possible that the seat was changed. Only way to tell for sure is by the serial number. There were other minor changes that the Stage 2 had, also.

By serial number your SM is an early '52 so definetly would be a Stage I

Do you know what the serial number break is between the Super M Stage I and Stage II?

No, because I don't have a SM or a parts book. You can find out with a parts search on www.caseih.com. Look at the seats and/or the hydraulics. I won't say that the seat is the deciding factor, as that seat is even in the M parts manual--listed after production ended. But the pump behind the distributer should be.

For regular SM carbureted tractors, serial # F 28175 or L 504802 and higher numbers = type 2 SM tractor. Stage 2 gas that came with the countershaft driven hydraulic pump have a bracket bolted to the left side of the rear fuel tank support. The bracket has three holes to support choke, starter and belt pulley gear box operating rod. Stage 2 with live hydraulic has a different bracket bolted to the reservoir to support the 3 rods in the same position. With the reservoir there's only a small fuel tank support bolted on top of it. Stage 1 have no bracket bolted on the left of rear tank support. They have no starter operating rod, choke goes through hole in the support, operating rod and small bracket for belt pulley gear box is bolted on right side of rear tank support. Stage 1 gas came with 2 bolt starter mounting clutch housings, stage 2 came with 3 bolt starter mounting. Stage 2 gas and diesel used the same clutch housing. Before stage 2 gas and diesel used different clutch housings and they are both different than the stage 2 housings.
Took IH from 1941 to 1953 to decide they could standardize the housings.

Dave, I wonder if the live hydraulic stage 2's were phased in or did the owner get a choice as previously mentioned? Or did IH put on the other starter in case the owner wanted to change to live hydraulics? In those days the owner probably didn't care if he had live hydraulics, although other makes had them earlier. In the 50's as a teenager I probably put 5000 hours on an H. Semimounted plow, cultivators and non hydraulic trailing implements. I don't think I ever even thought about live hydraulics or knew they existed, but I sure do now. And we also had a B the first summer I worked. No hydraulics, but with the exhaust lift it did the same thing, never heard my dad mention the lack of live on the H.

You could order a tractor with the live hydraulic delete. In fact, many folks believe (including me) that all Louisville stage II SM's left the factory with belly pumps even though the battery box was under the seat. This is the case with L 508426 AJ, for example, a SM stage II which I rescued from the scrapper a few weeks ago.
Of course, a year later, you could order a SMTA without the TA also.
mike

Not sure I understand the question. You may notice that IH listed both types of hydraulic for a SM as a attachment. Some customers probably ordered what they wanted and maybe dealers ordered what they wanted on tractors to put on the lot to sell. Just guessing on that last. Anyway after the serial break for type 2 SM all tractors recieved the chassis changes to accommodate the engine driven pump system whether equiped with the live pump, belley pump or no hydraulics.
Some changes were battery box and seat, gear shifter to clear box, steering post with holes to mount voltage regulator to, Starter switch rod added, different support for starter, choke and belt pulley rods. Starter and clutch housing changed, belt pulley gear box lever changed, ignition switch put in gauge box, pto rod and bracket changed, rear light support moved to left side of battery box, electrical wiring changed for items in new locations, light bar changed to give more room to mount the liftall operating rod brackets, transmission top cover has another hole drilled to mount a breakaway coupling. Instead of the drive dog and seal on the front of transmission counter shaft for the belley pump drive a jam nut and washer was used along with a cover. No seal was used the cover blocked oil from escaping. IH started including the drive dog, seal and retainer in the transmission driven liftall attachments after stage 2 SM tractors started production. Since a reservoir was installed under the fuel tank and supported the rear of tank on live hydraulic equiped SM, the stage 1 foot starter switch was eliminated and the switch was mounted direct to starter and operated by a pull rod on stage 2 tractors. Probably missed something. Over on the red power site, you may notice 53 super M posting a picture with starter trouble. He has a modified tractor with some stage 2 parts added, live hydraulic added and a pull rod switch starter with 2 bolt nose installed on a 2 bolt clutch housing with a tractor serial # of 12xxx something I think

Bought SM L 511xxx from original owner, all I can say is the live hydraulic system was on there when he bought it at the dealers.

So you have a relatively rare 1953 Distillate Super M. From you and Dave I get the impression that a lot of the Stage 2 Super M's, and probably Super H's were merely set up for live hydraulics and could have no hyd, or dead or live. I have read that before, didn't think much about it, but have not seen this amount of detail before.

Thanks--that is more detail than I am going to remember. I wouldn't mind having a stage 2 SM to go with my Stage 2 SH. One of your details that caught my eye was the modified light bar to accomodate the hydraulic lever bracket. On my 1953 Super H the lever barely misses the light. Looks like they didn't do that on the SH. I do remember a seal on the countershaft, as I replaced it.

If you are saying the SH is a stage 2 with a countershaft seal, thats strange because the stage 2 center housing wasn't made for a belley pump, so no need for the drive dog. Only saw them with a cover myself. Parts to eliminate the countershaft seal and drive dog were the same parts already used on W4 tractors, W6 on SM.

Just looked into my parts book. It shows a cover and gasket for the stage 2, and a seal and drive for the stage 1. I did that in 2003, can't remember what I did yesterday much less 7 years ago.