Fuel Consumption M Vs. MD

Bryce Frazier

Well-known Member
What do you guys think?

As you know, I am working on building an M of my own. It is going to be DECKED out! All kinds of coooooool stuff on it! ;)

Anyways, I have been sick for over a week, so that has given me more time in my office......... :)

Talking to a buddy, he found an abandoned farm, has 3 Farmalls on it. He knows NOTHING about tractors, but has seen mine. He describes the first one as being nothing but the engine sheetmetal, engine, and rearend. Says that it is very wide in the rear, and it looks just like my C, so, I think it must be a B.

Next, his description matches that of an M. He said it is missing a LOT of parts, but the engine is all complete, and turns over still. It is a diesel.

The other one, I am not sure what it is, right now, my guess is a 300 or so, just because he says it isn't quite as big as "the diesel" and it is "cosmetically much different".

I think I can get ONE of them cheap, but it is my pick as to which one, and from what he had to say, they are all really trashed, and he is a pretty frugal guy to start with, so I trust him!!! :p

Would it be better for me at a working stand point to get that MD and drop that engine into my "dream M"? Some people have said that the D will use "MUCH" less fuel, I am not sold on that? More torque? Low end power? Maybe a little better on fuel?

I don't know. Were they good to work on? Expensive? Problems? WHAT?!

Just wanted to see what you guys new.....

Thanks! Bryce
 
M daddy had would burn 5+ gal per hour pulling a silage chopper, course it wasn't stock,I know it's not and MD but I got a 55 hp perkins diesel that will run on 1/2 that, put em side by side the old M would give the perkins a run for it's money,in most cases a diesel will use less fuel.
 
Only thing I know about MDs in talking with guys is the injection system is crazy expensive to repair because next to nobody works on them because parts or borderline not existing. I think there is a shop in Texas that specializes in them. If it was me, I'd keep your dream M gas. Go look at the MD and if there is enough to there to work with, grab it. For me I'd want to know what it's going to take to get the MD running, and that may really set back your M from completion.
 
the people that said the diesel will burn MUCH less fuel are very correct. you can pretty much forget when you filled the tank last using them on light duty. , as the gas model sure dont. the diesel model is a very good engine. many many still running out there. injection system is very simple but due to parts getting obsolete nobody wants to work on them or just dont have experience.
 
Ok as someone who has 3 md's (money pits) they are great engines but very expensive to work on. Typical price for pump and injector work is over 1k. I have one I am going to overhaul, over 3k just in bottom end parts not to mention over 1k in machining cost. I figure till all said and done over 5k in engine and that doesnt include the head work I did a few months ago. Next, you don't just drop a diesel engine in a gas m chasis, there are alot of specific diesel parts that are needed to mount that engine. If dead set on the diesel you would be alot better of to build your "dream tractor" around the md. These diesels are expensive to get parts for, work on ect. Hey will also Crack the head if not operated correctly. Just my 2 cents. Jim.
 
Get the MD and save it for later. Don't be scared of the fuel consumption on an M. They are just not that bad. How many hours per week do you expect to work it hard? Tooling around on tractor rides you won't use a gallon per hour.
 
Andy, agree with you 100% get the md and have another project for later. MD are great tractors, expensive to own/maintain but very fun to use.
 
Well, this is going to be my main right, so it will be plowing, swathing, and bailing HOPEFULLY 15 acres this next year...

Maybe more?! We will see.. If I have my way, I will bring all three home, and maybe, if I have enough parts between the 2 M's I have (because I already have a good gas engine) and then get this 3rd MD, I might be able to build one of each!

Hmmmmmm...... :)
 
I have a 400D and it is good strong tractor and does use less fuel than a gasoline or propane would. Exactly how much less is hard to quantify unless I ran a side by side task comparison with enough hours to show a trend. However, everything Mr. Warhime said is completely true and I have talked to others too that have brought dead ones back to life.

It would be good to have as a future project but an MD build will not pay for itself on fuel consumption savings. Also consider if you are trying to get a farming task done and one or the other goes down. You can readily obtain parts and get a gasser up and going again much faster than the diesel.

Grandpa had an MD back in the day and often spoke of its lower fuel consumption. Of course farming was his full time job. He told a story about someone he plowed side by side with that had a SM and the SM would plow faster that his MD (more HP) but used significantly more fuel. Again, I can't remember how much more. The MD was traded in of a 560 back in the 60's.

If you can, get the MD and set it aside. It will hold its value in parts if nothing else.
 
Theft is a felony. The guy finding an abandoned Farm is suspect. The county tax assessor will have ownership docs. Or the Clerk of the county. Google earth the location and take the printout to the officials. Nothing that looks like a tractor is worth ruining your life. Jim
 
Oh my goodness....

You guys have stooped to a new low here!!!?!

WE KNOW the lady that owns the place!!! My buddy was doing some heavy equipment work for her, was working by the tractors, they are abandoned on this farm, she lives in a trailer by the road. They were her husbands.

I personally know the lady, she is a little out there, but nice enough.

Her husband is deceased, and she had wanted to keep the tractors in memory of him, but is sadden to see them covered up with brush, and rotting away....

I can't believe you guys thought I would steal a tractor! Come on, get real.

Thanks, Bryce
 
No offense but you weren't very clear when saying abandoned... unfortunately there is alot of theft that takes place now days, a friend recently had 12 sets of ih wheel weights stolen. Believe it or not there are people out there that think because a property looks abandoned they can help themselves to anything.
 
The buddy says there is no problem, the buddy knows the "farmer who passed away" The tractors or ? were removed and witnesses saw you and he do it. The reality of probate courts and litigation over estates is way more serious today than 15 years ago. We believe in you, We have nothing but sincere faith in you. We have not however lived as your neighbor from your birth. Because we care, we would rather make you uncomfortable at home (and explain our motives), than have you in trouble. A clear fragment of a sentence would have prevented our reaction. "and the owner is willing to talk about price" Take care, we are not "low" we are careful. I have witnessed possession is 9/10 of the law in action. Jim
 
You can't just drop an MD engine into a gas M chassis. It won't fit without substantial modification to the M. For one, the MD engine is longer so the side rails are longer on theMD. Other differences as well. I grew up on an MD. It was very economical on fuel. On a light load like raking hay, it used less fuel than our Super A. The MD would plow all day with 2 14s on one tank of fuel. No gas M would do that. All the heavy work we did with it I don't recall adding fuel during the day if we started with a full tank. Back in the day, I recall how unhappy Dad was when diesel fuel price went from 8 to 10 cents a gallon!
 
Bryce,

I do not think anyone on here is questioning your honesty, just care about you and making sure you do not get in trouble.

I would inventory the equipment, prepare a bill of sale and have whomever is in charge of the estate sign it. John T or other legal eagles can add to this.

The makes sure everyone is on the same boat.
 
I mow, rake, and bale over 100 acres with gasoline M's and don't use all that much fuel. When I was making 15,000 square bales with only M's I was using less than $2,000 in fuel per year. About 1,000 gallons. That included picking and transporting a third of those with a NH bale wagon and roading equipment between many small fields. I've heard an M will use 55 gallons a day but I couldn't ever get more than maybe a tank and a half in a long day, maybe 20 gallons. You do want to keep the main jet adjusted for the load you are pulling. I was primarily using four M's, one on the Haybine, one on a rake, one on the square baler and one on the bale wagon. Here's a photo of fueling up in 2005 with square baler, sickle mower, and v-rake.
 
Try again on the photo.
a199700.jpg
 
Bryce,

I remember seeing Nebraska test results for tests made in the same year for the M and the MD fairly early on in the model run. At maximum load, whatever that was--- I think it represented the same pull as plowing all day, the MD used 1/3 of the fuel that the gas M did. We had both, and I would say that was fairly accurate.
 
Dad tells me that back in the 60's when him, his dad, and his uncle farmed together that the MD was superior in fuel economy. Dad had a JD G, grandpa had a gas Super M (we still have it), and dads uncle had an MD and 2 Super MD's (my cousin still has the MD), and they all were plowing with the same model Oliver 3 bottom 16" plow, they had 3 of them. He said the MD would go from sun up to sun down and on for a couple hours the next morning on one tank of fuel. He said the Super M gas would eventually catch the MD plowing, but you had to put gas in it at least twice a day, and he said the G JD would catch the MD and the Super M fairly quickly, it had .090 over pistons, but you could put 4+ tanks of gas in it from sun up to sun down. I have an MD myself, good tractor, needs a little work though, not restored. I have quite a few MD parts if you end up needing them, I had a complete MD for parts.

Ross
 
Actually, you check tractor data and the MD & Super MD only burn about half a gallon per hour Less than the M & Super M. The diesels make just a bit less HP & torque too. Super M burned 3.9 gal/hour, Super MD 3.4 gal/hour.

The test results are the official Nebraska test reports so I would expect they were accurate, they knew how to measure HP & torque & fuel consumption.

A diesel will be more fuel efficient on very light loads than a gas engine, but on heavier loads, half rated power, a fuel burn of around 10-15% less is typical, maybe 20% less tops. It's almost directly proportional to the BTU per gallon of the fuel.
 
We used to run the dryer with ours in the fall. It would go through a tank and 10 gallon in 24 hours running. This was running for 24hours straight only let up was to grease the tractor,dryer and fuel. Then back wide open again. On would fuel while the other oiled and greased. We never plowed or such with it as we had other bigger tractors for that. They are front end heavy. And for the guys that tell about crank starting them on gas, they are a better man than me. I couldn't turn ours over with the H crank for love nor money. Never right crank for it.
 

I'll be canceling my "want" for an MD now......after hearing Jims 5k projected engine overhaul cost and lack of parts. I can buy a lot of fuel with the 4k that is left over from building the M for 1k. With lot less headache....for serious work I got a modern tractor for fuel economy, power and user friendliness. Face it, these old units don't operate like a modern machine.

What's odd is these new tractors spin at double the rpm and use less fuel than ever. Engines can't last as long spinning that fast. My dodge cummins turns bout 1700 rpm at highway Speed and my m6800 kubota spins at 2300 to get 540 Pto rpm!!! There is a reason that's beyond me. Engineers got it figured out.

My gas M tops out around 1600 rpm. Cool stuff!!

Chance
 
Aww its not bad at all. Mine will almost always start with one or 2 pulls on the crank, in gas mode mind you. I think it rolls over pretty easy myself. Mine hasn't had a battery in it the last few years, so I have been just crank starting it to move it around/out of the way until I get it into the shop to spruce it up and do a little work to it. Has an external crack on the head, I'm going to stitch it, and if that doesn't work (I have full faith in stitching) I have a good spare head off my parts MD.

Ross
 
In the past it's been tough to fix up an old fence row tractor for less cost than you can buy one in operating condition, even if you value your labor at "free". Over the next ten years a lot of collections and estates will be selling off pre-1960 vintage tractors in good running condition. I would look for one of those unless you are looking for a project to burn up some excess time on.
 

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