Super C vs 8N or TO20 or TO30

Bill VA · Feb 2, 2015

How does the Farmall Super C compare to a Ford 8N
or Ferguson TO20 or maybe a TO30. If I were a
small (less than 100 acres) farmer back in the day
and shopping for a new tractor, would I have
considered/preferred a Super C over the Ferguson
or Ford - or went with something like a Farmall H
?

A few cattle, some hay, corn maybe and whatever
else one would farm on a small farm during the
early/mid 50's.

Just curious.

Thanks!
Bill

BoonvilleKid · Feb 2, 2015

I cultivated all day long with a SC equipped with front & rear hydraulically controlled cultivators. My neighbor in the adjacent field cultivated all day with a Ford 8N. At the end of the day he was dusty from head to toe since the Ford set so low. Plus he couldn't turn his head around straight since he had been looking backwards all day.

bass · Feb 2, 2015

ive used both front and rear mounted cult. working corn, beans and peas. front mounted cult. on an H and rear on a ford 4000
dad and i did a better job with the h hands down. everything is in front of you; no looking back, you look back youl plow somthing up. with a front mount cult. you are up higher and can see better.

we pulled trailers full of corn, taters, hay and cord wood with no trouble with the h. im working on a super c right now and have an M in the barn that needs a lot of tlc.

in my book, ill take a row crop farmall any day, hands down

old · Feb 2, 2015

Back in the 50s I would think dealer support would be a big thing. So if you say had a Ford dealer close by and an IH dealer 50 miles away the Ford would be what they would get.

CNKS · Feb 2, 2015

In the 50's I was used to a front and rear mounted cultivator on a H, and it was excellent for close cultivating vegetables instead of hoeing everything (no herbicides then). Probably even better view with a C/SC. My dad increased the acreage and a 8N came with the land. The 8N was the worst cultivating tractor I have ever seen. As to tillage, yes I was covered with dirt head to foot (but similar to the IH utilities that were brought out in the mid-50's) to be fair to Ford.

bp4455 · Feb 2, 2015

ferguson system was a big selling point back then.

IH fan · Feb 2, 2015

Ya' need to do something where draft control is important, and visibility isn't, use the 8N or Ferguson. Need the traction without weight transfer of the draft, and better visibility, the SC is hands down better.
Dad "downsized" his farming to 100 acres in 1956, bought a new "carry-over" Super C with a bunch of Fast Hitch equipment and pretty much everything we needed to farm the small farm which had just over 60 acres tillable. Neighbor had 120 acres, an H and a 2N or 9N. Did most of his field work with the H, plowing, disking, cultivating, mowing, etc. Did raking, hauling manure and hay, pulling wagons, etc. with the Ford.
If it were me, there's no question I'd get the Super C... I have always contended the C-SC 200-230 series are the handiest small row crop tractors ever built, bar none. I've spent timeon AC C and CA, JD MT and 420, Case VAC and the don't come close.

LMack · Feb 2, 2015

We had both . . . a 200 and Ford 640 (which burned a lot of gasoline). The Ford engine blew pulling silage wagons and dad traded for a Ford Dexter 2000. We did a lot of plowing with that Dexter with two 16 Ferguson trip-flip plow. We had about 150 acres cultivated. Dad used the 200 and I got the Fords and he totally wore out the wings on a C-200 plow. I hated the dust but the Dexter did have 35 horses to work with. We did most of the disking and plowing with the Ford just because of the horsepower and the flip plow. Most of the cultivating was done with the 200. I did not know just how much dust I was eating on that Ford until he bought a 656 and the Dexter was somewhat retired. We had both front and rear cultivators and I preferred the front mounted. Once we got to 4-row stuff it did not seem to make any difference. To be fair many of our neighbors used Fords and or Fergusons and Pittsburg frames and did some very fine work.

Bill VA · Feb 3, 2015

Thanks everyone!

Never really paid much attention to the C, Super C, 200 or 230. Always read or noticed the H or M Farmalls.

My Wife's grandfather had a "mom and pop" dairy and he used an H and later a Super H. The Super C sounds like it's close to the H in capabilities, but a little more nimble. Interesting tractor.

Thanks again,
Bill

IH fan · Feb 3, 2015

Both the H and SC will handle a 2x14" plow and 7' disk, the H maybe [u:fe25d580d0]just a little[/u:fe25d580d0] faster. We plowed and disked in second gear with the SC and Fast Hitch.

Super C vs 8N or TO20 or TO30

Bill VA

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BoonvilleKid

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bass

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old

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CNKS

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bp4455

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IH fan

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LMack

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Bill VA

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IH fan

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