Farmall H things

PretendFarmer

Well-known Member
So I posted about this H I inherited the other day, it needs a distributor.
I've only had and still have, one other H. Its a 1950. 348936X1A. This one that I just got is 174646. Why is there no letter designation on the end? Did they not start that in 1944?

Also, I believe this here is for shutters in front of the radiator that are not there anymore? Is that correct?
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But what is this for??

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This looks like it was for some kind of rod that passed through it.

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Thanks for any feedback. I've never seen a lever on the manifold like that. Is it a distillate manifold?
 
Hi Pretend farmer the first lever you point to is for shutter adjustment, this is used to heat the engine by restricting air flow through the radiator. The engine was started on what we aussies call petrol (gas) before being switched over to distillate what we call power kerosene. Distillate
needs to be vaporised so the engine needs to be really hot. In the second pic you are pointing to a control for a baffle in the hot box which effects the temperature of the manifold to heat and vaporise the incoming distillate fuel. Your tractor should have two fuel tanks, big one for
distillate and small one for starting fuel. Sorry not sure about the third pic. H's are neat tractors I restored a 1944 gasoline - distillate engined one a few years back, serial number FBH 175135
 
My book says X1A stands for gasoline, low-speed gears.
I believe top picture lever is part of a lever-system connected to a shaft that goes forward, thru an opening, and operates thru the radiator, to the shutters. If I'm seeing it correctly, that is connected, by a bolt, to the other equal-length lever, thta sits behind the oil-fill cap. It is lined up parallel with the lever you're pointing to.
Bottom picture might be very well be the holder bracket for the shutter operating rod. But I really dont know about that.
Middle picture, no idea.
 
(quoted from post at 11:43:32 07/31/15) Hi Pretend farmer the first lever you point to is for shutter adjustment, this is used to heat the engine by restricting air flow through the radiator. The engine was started on what we aussies call petrol (gas) before being switched over to distillate what we call power kerosene. Distillate
needs to be vaporised so the engine needs to be really hot. In the second pic you are pointing to a control for a baffle in the hot box which effects the temperature of the manifold to heat and vaporise the incoming distillate fuel. Your tractor should have two fuel tanks, big one for
distillate and small one for starting fuel. Sorry not sure about the third pic. H's are neat tractors I restored a 1944 gasoline - distillate engined one a few years back, serial number FBH 175135

Hi. I figured the manifold lever was for distillate but didn't know why. The starting tank has been removed, probably a long long time ago. My family has always ran this tractor on gas.
 
(quoted from post at 11:50:07 07/31/15) My book says X1A stands for gasoline, low-speed gears.
I believe top picture lever is part of a lever-system connected to a shaft that goes forward, thru an opening, and operates thru the radiator, to the shutters. If I'm seeing it correctly, that is connected, by a bolt, to the other equal-length lever, thta sits behind the oil-fill cap. It is lined up parallel with the lever you're pointing to.
Bottom picture might be very well be the holder bracket for the shutter operating rod. But I really dont know about that.
Middle picture, no idea.

Yea I know X1A stands for Gas, low gear. What I'm unsure of is why the 1944 has no letter designation after the serial. I'm suspecting that its because they didn't use those codes in earlier H's....
 
Code started at serial number 20891 on H tractors. Plain distillate early models didn't get a code letter. Last picture is for the round operating rod mounting going from the steering post bracket to a lever on other end of lever shaft pictured. Strap link went from pictured lever to shutters. Hood still have a extra hole for small tank opening?
 
(quoted from post at 12:15:35 07/31/15) Code started at serial number 20891 on H tractors. Plain distillate early models didn't get a code letter. Last picture is for the round operating rod mounting going from the steering post bracket to a lever on other end of lever shaft pictured. Strap link went from pictured lever to shutters. Hood still have a extra hole for small tank opening?

No hole in the hood. I would suspect its not the original hood.
I did a little bit of reading. It looks like the closest thing to distillate fuel available now is #2 diesel or heating oil. If so, would this tractor run on that if I blocked the radiator to heat up the tractor, started it on gas, flipped the manifold lever and started feeding it with #2 diesel?
 
(quoted from post at 13:21:08 07/31/15) I think #2 diesel is somewhat heavier than distillate, Jet A is very similar to kerosene and would probably be the closest thing available.

I bet it could be thinned out with gas. I wonder what possible harm could come from trying a 25% gas 75% diesel mixture. Of course theres nothing to gain aside from the knowledge of weather or not it would work.
 
Growing up, Dad would mix 10 gallons of gas, 5 gallons of kerosene, and 5 gallons of diesel, pour that in the main tank, then start it on
the starting tank, and cover the grill with a burlap bag. He would drive on the road like that and have a small 2 gallon metal tank with
gas tied down to the plow, or whatever he was pulling around. Hed get to the field, open the main tank, and go at it. Why, I dont know!
This would have been in the 70s, so maybe it had something to do with the gas shortage, and the fact the store was less than a mile from
home maybe, but I remember him doing it. Back then, that tractor would run sometimes 36 hours straight, only stopping to refill the tank.
I remember holding up the gas cans while he ate a sandwich, or took a leak, or something. I could lift those things until I was 10 or
11.
 
The manifold heat valve has three settings for hot, intermediate and cold. The lever goes to a baffle to direct more or less
exhaust heat at the intake part. Yours is currently set in the "cold" position which is correct for gasoline operation. The
manual tells everything and operating procedures.

I agree that Jet A or Kerosene is the closest thing but diesel might work. I want to experiment with one or two of mine but
haven't "found the time" to finish setting it all up.

The biggest issue is whether or not the engine was rebuilt with higher compression pistons. Probably most were after distillate
faded from use.

Sometimes the original head has been replaced with one from a gasoline engine. Easy to find out with the valve cover off.
 
(quoted from post at 14:22:54 07/31/15)

Sometimes the original head has been replaced with one from a gasoline engine. Easy to find out with the valve cover off.

What would I look for ?
 
(quoted from post at 08:47:16 07/31/15) Part # on the head, then google it. More then likely it will come up in a search.

The part number for the cylinder head is on top of the head. Need to remove the rocker cover before you can see it.
 
(quoted from post at 13:32:15 08/01/15) Half gas & half #1 furnace oil works good in my 44 JD B. Run a hot plug if you try it.

Do you think that 30% gas and 70% diesel/heating oil would be too much ?
 
Try it & see how long it takes to foul the plugs. Also the old F12's had 3 petcocks on the oil pan so you could drain off the thin stuff that diluted the oil on yesterdays running.
 

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