R with Factory power steering??

Photo ads show an "R" with factory power steering. Any experts here who can verify that. I didn't know any "R" had factory power steering especially a 1949 since power steering on row crop styles came in 1954.
For information, I have lots of hours driving "R"s and they steered very easy - no need for power steering!!

It is NOT factory. There are aftermarket ones, but the 80 was the first time power steering was available on the standard diesel chassis.

to my knowledge nothing made by John Deere had power steering until 1954. I think the 1954 JD 50 was the first tractor tested at Nebraska with power steering.

While I agree that an R never had "Factory" Power Steering, I DO disagree with the idea that the R did NOT need power steering.

Dad bought an R in December 1963 for spring of '64 fieldwork. First thing he did was install Char-Lynn power-assist steering, and even with that, he left the R sit and used the Super M-TA Farmall with Char-Lynn P/S most of the time if he had a choice of tractors. I put most of the hours on the R plowing with a 3-14 IH #8 plow, the 4-14 JD #444 plow was too much for the beast. By the end of April the R went down the road to the township road commissioner who used it to rototill scarified oiled dirt roads. The weak PTO failed each of the three years the township used the R and it was replaced with a 770 Oliver diesel which they used for close to 20 yrs doing the same work with NO problems. The R worked O-K for dragging roads other than the fact it was a pain to turn around with the drag in tow, turning radius was not great on an R!

Not sure what happened to the R, it was kinda a disappointment at everything we tried to do with it. Probably the best thing I can say about it was that by the time it was low on fuel, I was READY to call it quits for the day! NEVER has MAN created a machine that could turn a little bit of diesel fuel into so MUCH Noise AND Vibration!

Saw this R sell at an auction in Ohio two years ago. This farmer had several two cylinders and still farmed with them. Had some hydraulic knowledge as most all had add on power steering units.

you never been around a detroit diesel have you

A friend of mine has a similar set up on his R, maybe a bit cleaner done...I'm sure they needed it...

What's the location where you tried plowing with 4-14s and an "R"? They were rated as a 4 bottom plow tractor.

The ones I drove were in North Dakota and easily pulled 4-14s. Some farmers pulled 4-16s with them.

I know the type of soil makes a big difference so that's why I asked location.

The only time an "R" was a bit noisey was when it was sitting idling, but then all diesels are a bit noisey when idling.

That looks like a setup off a Case 500.

Kind of funny how you get in a tizzy if someone says something bad about IH or mentions JD over at redpower but you have no problem doing it here on a green forum.

My R came from Fessenden North Dakota and is 250 from the last one made. In North Dakota it pulled a 4x14 plow, packer, and pony drill in one pass. I doubt if the plow was set very deep. Here in Iowa it has it's hands full pulling a 4x14 Deere plow of the same vintage as the one it pulled in ND. Most of the time it's in second gear. Sometimes third gear works if the soil is lighter. Jim

DR. E, Your note about changing diesel to noise and vibration is very well put. Uncle Gene s R is used for pulls and fun stuff only now and is great fun. Sitting on it for days, now that had to be a job! Thanks for the interesting post. VH

Yes, it's no wonder most of the old farmers from those days of very noisy equipment, can't hear a coin drop now..

I've spent just as much time on green iron as I have red. Only difference is the red iron was more reliable and not as miserable to run. Only tractor less productive than the R was the '40 styled B Dad bought, Armstrong start, no hyd, 5 MPH road gear, never even hooked anything to the PTO, I finally gave up trying to find something it could do.

The '63 4010 was a decent tractor to run, just always something going wrong with it, seldom something minor, mostly major and expensive. Hard to believe a six year old tractor that had already been overhauled with the 4020 kit would burn 4-5 quarts of oil per tank of fuel doing fieldwork. Spent more on repairs and an M&W engine rebuild in the 4 yrs we owned it than Dad paid for the tractor. And that's farming only 200 acres. The 4020's I ran for the neighbors were MUCH more reliable.

But Yes, I would rather sit on a Super M-TA plowing or whatever for 10-12 hours than sit on an R and listen to it hammer away. First day I ran it disking corn stalks for 5 hours, my ears rang for five hours afterwards. I'm positive that's why my ears still ring when it's quiet.

DR. EVIL
You're correct in that the RED tractors were so much better than the GREEN ones. That's the reason IHC went BYE-BYE isn't it??? :roll:

I don't care about your opinion. Everyone has one. I've run both colors too and own both colors. I can say just much negative things about IH as I could JD. Not biased towards either brand. What I'm getting at is god forbid someone mentions JD or says anything negative about IH at Redpower but yet you feel free to come here and bash JD. If I did the same thing over at Redpower bashing IH there would be a huge up roar.

And I have to question your B comments. Armstrong starting??? You kidding me? What was so hard about starting one of those? The B has one of the smallest horizontal engines JD built. I could start our B when I was 10. I've seen 70 year old guys hand start Ds which have an engine almost 3 times bigger then a B. Plus Bs built after 1938 had compression relief valves. And the hydraulics, was there any other tractor that had hydraulics in 1940? If you are complaining about the lack of hydraulics THEN WHY DID YOU GUYS BUY THE TRACTOR IN THE FIRST PLACE?

(quoted from post at 09:48:18 10/12/14) Only tractor less productive than the R was the '40 styled B Dad bought, Armstrong start, no hyd, 5 MPH road gear, never even hooked anything to the PTO, I finally gave up trying to find something it could do.

Click to expand...

You must not be very creative if you couldn't find anything to do with an early styled B. I have 2 4430s and a 60 and yet I still find things to do with my '42 B, even if it's just puttering around with my kids, or pulling up unloaded farm equipment into the shop to work on.

Every manufacturer made bad machines. It's pretty obvious that IH made more bad machines than JD, considering who's been around for the last three decades, and who HASN'T.... How many people talk up the 86 series? I'd welcome an H on the farm, but the 1086 is a great engine wrapped up by a terrible tractor.