I enjoy reading posts and stories about old Farmall M's and H's, 400/450's, 300/350's and their JD, Oliver and Allis Chalmers competition of the period.
While not exactly high hp by today's standards, what a nice job these manufacturers did in fielding tractors that could run day in, out, for years on end. Two, three or four bottom plows, discing, cultipacking, seeding, cultivating, fertilizing, haying, etc. 100 - 200 acre farms, maybe larger - lot of ground to cover with a tractor of that day.
While a part time humble haymaker myself, we really run up the hours on my newer JD as its our primary tractor (read - the one that starts every time and never has a flat tire.... ) just going over and over the fields with multiple cuttings, taking, tedding, baling, fertilizer, spraying - it adds up and our hours are nothing as compared to a Farmall M's that worked back in the day.
Not sure today's tractors of equivalent hp (even my newer JD) could ever survive those high hours and full loads. Probably the Ford 8n's or Ferguson TO20/30's weren't as durable (maybe the word is overbuilt) as an old Farmall - just speculation on my part. Perhaps later Ford 600/800 series were better, including the MF50 and 65's. Again don't know.
Working and rolling up the hours on our tractors kind of gives another view as to just how small in hp the old Farmalls, etc were in hp and yet how many hours and acres (much more than we'd ever do) they saw on a farm.
Impressive.
Bill
While not exactly high hp by today's standards, what a nice job these manufacturers did in fielding tractors that could run day in, out, for years on end. Two, three or four bottom plows, discing, cultipacking, seeding, cultivating, fertilizing, haying, etc. 100 - 200 acre farms, maybe larger - lot of ground to cover with a tractor of that day.
While a part time humble haymaker myself, we really run up the hours on my newer JD as its our primary tractor (read - the one that starts every time and never has a flat tire.... ) just going over and over the fields with multiple cuttings, taking, tedding, baling, fertilizer, spraying - it adds up and our hours are nothing as compared to a Farmall M's that worked back in the day.
Not sure today's tractors of equivalent hp (even my newer JD) could ever survive those high hours and full loads. Probably the Ford 8n's or Ferguson TO20/30's weren't as durable (maybe the word is overbuilt) as an old Farmall - just speculation on my part. Perhaps later Ford 600/800 series were better, including the MF50 and 65's. Again don't know.
Working and rolling up the hours on our tractors kind of gives another view as to just how small in hp the old Farmalls, etc were in hp and yet how many hours and acres (much more than we'd ever do) they saw on a farm.
Impressive.
Bill