Ran when parked....maybe

Just got back from visiting the MIL down in Texas. She lives in a town of about 150 people near Abilene/San Angelo and I found this sitting on the edge of town when I did my morning walk. I don't know anything about it, as I don't collect this color. BTW, what color should it be? It's obviously sat there for quite awhile and I'm just posting this because I thought it was nice yard art. In this particular area of of the state cotton is king, rattlesnakes are common and fire ants make themselves at home.
If anybody wants to fill me in on the year and make, that'd be great.

Looks to be what's left of a Farmall F-14. Farmall red.
My first wife's family live in that area. Ballinger.

That was my first guess, but the steering shaft doesn't look right to me- the U joint looks too far back??? My guess is an F12 that has seen some modification. If that is the case, could be either red or
gray.

"My guess is an F12 that has seen some modification."

Could be I suppose. Neither of my F12's have a steering knuckle.
At least not in the shaft like that one is.
And the steering rod is horizontal, not angled up toward the operator.
But if it is an F12, yes, grey prior to 1936, red '36 and later.

Just to pass some time on Saturday, I was actually in the Ballinger, Texas WalMart. That has got to be the smallest WalMart in the world! Some aisles are too small for two shopping carts to pass.
Since all the Christmas junk is now hitting the shelves, I assume they didn't have any room for their Motorcraft oil filters and they were clearing them all out. I bought them all for $.50 each, including a bunch of their FL-1A filters that fit about every ford before 1970. A few other cannister filters that I threw into the cart will have to go to the local service station as I have to use for them.

Factory steel wheels?

I live in Tennessee but can tell you on my trip to San Anglo last year I saw the same tractor,small world that is for sure

The ujoint is from T Ford. There is couple in Rising Star as yard art.

I use to service the phone office in Rising Star. and others around there. Allot of old stuff sitting on the back roads.

That tin can over the exhaust pipe would be long gone where I live. There might be hope for that engine.

Ok , I'll try a guess too. and I say most of the tractor is a old Ford with a F12 narrow front under it to make it a tricycle .

It is an F-14 Farmall. The sloping steering shaft was used on the F14 and on the F12 it is parallel to the hood. I have one up on a pole in my yard.

based on the still present plug wiring, and the completeness and protected stack, that thing probably did run less than 10 years ago, got a guy here that used a mm model U as yard art, it was driven to where it now sits , that was years ago, and time isnt being kind to it, is that called patina?

It is a Farmall F-12 with modified steering. The steering shaft on the F-12 laid flat along the top of the hood. The F-14 used and angled steering shaft, which allowed the steering wheel to be at a more comfortable position. I do not think that either the 12 or the 14 had a U-joint in the steering shaft.

whats with the big hole in the hood? surly the radiator doesnt need that big of a hole to check and fill it

(quoted from post at 09:00:19 10/09/17) whats with the big hole in the hood? surly the radiator doesnt need that big of a hole to check and fill it

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It may not need it, but that's what all of them used. The green ones of that era were like that also.

(quoted from post at 09:00:19 10/09/17) whats with the big hole in the hood? surly the radiator doesnt need that big of a hole to check and fill it

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Thinking back I remember my grandfather talking about draining out the cooling system at the end of the day.

Come morning he would get water boiling on the stove then haul it out to the tractor, fill it up and get it started.

Either the warm water helped warm up the engine to start it on cold days or he simply could not afford antifreeze at the time, this I can not recall but either way having a bigger hole to aim at with a pail of boiling water was surely a benefit.

Let's try to set the record straight here. It appears to be a 1938 F-12. Reason is the valve cover has three studs through the top (first photo). The brake handles on the F-12 were originally short and have had pipe extensions added (first and second photo). It is a dual fueled tractor meaning it started on gasoline and then was switched over to distillate. Notice the fuel tank cap under the steering shaft behind the fuel tank. Next in the first photo there is no crankcase breather in the valve cover, this was added for the F-14. Notice the two holes in the radiator. The large one on the top is for the radiator cap. That's where you added water. There is also a hole on the top at the front. That is for the air cleaner (missing) that connects to the carburetor for filtered air. This is for an oil bath cleaner. In both photos that is a "farmer" modification to the steering. When the F-12 was modified to the F-14 the steering wheel shaft/wheel was raised, as was the seat. The factory modification was to add a flexible coupling just behind the round steering housing. This tractor still has the original F-12 seat. In the first photo, there is a can covering up the fuel tank vent that is right in front of the main fuel tank on top of the hood. And yes, until about November 1936, the paint color was gray. It then was switched over to red. Just a little bit of trivia to satisfy your curiosity.