Farming with a Farmall H

PineKnoll43

New User
This is my inaugural post on the Yesterday's Tractors forum. I have enjoyed restoring farmall tractors for as long as I can remember, but I have never used them on anything except a large garden. I recently rented a small 15 acre field adjacent to our property to grow soybeans on it this upcoming year for college money. I am by no means a career farmer so I was hoping I could find counsel on the forum.

I plan to use my grandfather's 1942 farmall H as my main tractor. My father and I overhauled it with aluminum pistons so I know my way around the tractor fairly well, but I was wondering if there was any maintenance outside of the normal greasing and oiling that would be necessary to work this tractor for extended periods of time since it will probably take me upwards of ten hours to plow the field with a two bottom plow. I have already flushed the cooling system, put fresh antifreeze in it, and changed the oil and filter, but I can't help feeling like I am forgetting something. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

-Thank you to all who posted. I really appreciate the wealth of information that you guys have to offer. I have all the no till equipment necessary to farm. I have been looking into the plethora of varieties for soybeans. Without testing the soil, I can pretty much tell that the land used to be wooded, and most of the black dirt has been washed away over the years. There are several areas where rain has eroded trenches that are a foot deep. I plan on using my disc to fill them in.
 
I do not know any other maintenance involved. Are you contracting out the planting and harvesting, if so you can save a ton of work by no-till.

Make sure you understand soil pH, weed killers and fertilizer.
 
old equipment tends to gather moisture in the pans, cases, etc.. crack open the drain plugs and allow some of the oil, fluid to drain out. if it is water or goop let it out and top off with gear oil.
 
There is no one left in the area to contract out the planting to. The field has been weeds for the past two years so it could stand to be tilled. All of the equipment I have at my disposal is till only. I plan on hiring a family member to come out with their combine and harvest it. As for the soil chemistry, I plan on taking several samples to the farm bureau to be tested.
 
I forgot to mention that I changed out the gear oil as well, So I don't think I'll have to many problems with water. The tractor has always been kept in the barn.
 
All I can think of is make sure battery is good. Check the tire pressure quick(like any other tire they may go low after a while), check the fuel. Then you're good to go, Till something breaks, or regular maintenance. Most important, be safe and Have fun :)
 
I was just wondering if anyone had any advice from experience that wouldn't be included in the manual. I'm sorry I wasn't really clear when I asked my question.
 
Wear chap stick. No lie. When you are on an open stationed
tractor you will be shocked at how quickly your face and lips
get chapped. Grandpa would open the oil petcock and get a
drip of oil for his lips. I always wondered what that tasted like.
He said it cured you of licking them for the rest of the day.

I love my new tractors but I still use an old M for grinding feed
and small loader chores. They are so nimble. Enjoy. That
tractor will like the work and cause you no trouble. It has no
extras to break. They were made to be cheap horsepower.
 
Back when the H was designed & placed into production it was aimed at the "average" farm of around 80 acres or so. I believe your 15 acres will hardly give it a good workout.
Finding the information on how to purchase, properly set up, maintain, & repair the equipment you will be using behind it will be your biggest challenge, outside of that experience will be your best teacher.
Perhaps those here that actually used them back in the day can help on what actually works the best.
 
Dont over think it, if you have taken care of the
tractor it should work. Bear in mind that its 70+
years old and it will break.

Plow as needed, disc, dig and plant and control
weeds. Beans can be heart breakers, do everything
right and still not yield. Your H is a very capable
tractor.
 
Pay attention to where the load is set on the carb, especially when you're really pulling at a high power setting. You don't want to lean out with a heavy load. For raking, drag harrow, etc you can lean it out.

Set per the manual then check a couple of plugs after a half hour or so. Soon you'll get a feel for how it should sound and smell when you've found the sweet spot.
 
Just to add to Centex's response, you don't want to try and see how cheap it will run,You have to remember the Leaner the mixture, the hotter the flame, even though IHC, had the best intake and exhaust valves in the industry, don't do it! By the way i do recommend IHC low ash engine oil, or something with the high zinc rating.
 
Nothing to add. Just take lots of pictures or video and post them back. Nothing like watching the old ones work.
 
If it's grown up in weeds for a few years, spraying with round-up as early as you can will avoid a lot of weed problems. I grow soybeans on a small acreage the same way you are planning on. Moldboard plow, disc, drag, & drill with a conventional drill. Mine went 55 bu./acre this year. Your H won't have enough power for a no-til drill, unless you can find a small one meant for food plots, and they are usually 3 point hitch.
 
I did the same thing, knocked an old farm back into shape with an H. I recommend a few things;
1. Make sure you get some sort of fenders. You may get thrown side to side, soemtime, you want fenders to grab.
2. Replace that old 70 year old seat spring. Go on ebay, get one for only $30 or so. They snap unpredicatable, and you drop right off the back. Totally unpredictable.
 
I grew up with a Farmall H and the way I remember a 2 bottom 14" plow turned about an acre an hour, so the 15 acres would be a long day.
 
Dad always said, "If it turns it needs lubricated.
The faster it turns the more it needs it" Two
things people forget when restoring a tractor are
the distributor or magneto and the generator. They
need to be disassembled,cleaned, and the bearings
greased. Then they will be good for years. I like
to pull the starter out and go through that too.
 
(quoted from post at 02:30:46 11/17/14) I did the same thing, knocked an old farm back into shape with an H. I recommend a few things;
1. Make sure you get some sort of fenders. You may get thrown side to side, soemtime, you want fenders to grab.
2. Replace that old 70 year old seat spring. Go on ebay, get one for only $30 or so. They snap unpredicatable, and you drop right off the back. Totally unpredictable.

I gotta ask:

Doesn't anybody hold on to the steering wheel anymore?

I've been thrown side to side more times than I can count. No fenders. I held on to the steering wheel and never fell off.

I've had a seat spring snap on me. I held on to the steering wheel and didn't fall off and get run over.
 
As you farm with your H, think of all the hours spent in years gone by doing the same. That is an experience most younger ones never have. Look at it as a living history lesson. Enjoy it, and take pictures.

Back before all the farmers were brain washed by advertising and tractor salesmen, tractors like that did all the work. I grew up on a farm that had dairy and pigs. Dad farmed 185 acres with 1 H tractor. When us boys got a little older (6 or 7 years old) dad bought the farm across the road. Now he was farming 278 acres with the H and he bought a Farmall A for us boys to help. From there, we moved up to a 240 for us boys to fight over.

We never had a tractor with a cab. The only heat or air conditioner we had was whatever the weather was for the day. Dad lived to 90 years old and only died because he gave up and quit taking his medicine or eating anything.
 
I had a steering post snap off at the deck on an M while plowing and didn't fall off. interesting ride though.
 
I think you wanting to do the project is great but you have a lot of homework to do. Soil sample,seed,harvest. Price of plow,planter,disc,cult are just a few. Can your seed dealer help with suggestions He will be very important in the operation. That should be your first stop before you go any further.
 
Costs are the biggest factor; remember that another cost is finding a combine and truck to haul the harvest to a mill or dryer to sell.

Costs make these small projects prohibitive most times.

Yup, push the pencil.
 
Yes, but seat failure was a huge player in serious accidents on the H and gripping that wheel for 15 hours while he turns ground with a 2 bottom it is likely he is going to be holding on a little lighter. Plus a lot of folks are using those little steering ball spinner whatchamacallits and not doing the two handed death grip. If something happens sudden-like you may not have the time to grab the wheel. No...it makes sense to make sure you have a safe seat and a couple fenders if you are not used to working an old tractor.
 
I used to mow, rake and buck hay for 12 to 15 hours a day back in the early sixties with an H, only thing the old boy needed was a little oil once in a while, and gas every couple of days. Keep oil bath air cleaner clean, and a little grease once in a while. I still use a W6 and an M around the farm, both still work and run just fine. I do use lead additive in the gas tho, as the valves don't like the unleaded gasoline, and will burn the seats over time. If yours was rebuilt, you probably have new style valve seats and won't need it.
 

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