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Farmall M Front Half Tip-Over

R

RoeFarmall

Member
When I attempted to put my 1947 Farmall M back together after a clutch replacement, one of the wheels of the splitting stand got caught in a crack, turned, and then tipped over. There was minimal damage to the front end but I lost all oil and coolant. The tractor is upright now and I need your advice.

What inspections do I need to do or what do I need to do to ensure there is no internal damage? Any help that you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

cvphoto52023.jpg
 
Other than if it broke the distributor or connection I would doubt there is any internal damage. Those old tractors are pretty tough. Since the frame is on the engine like that it would protect the engine from most of the possible problems like the timing gear cover and cam shaft Might have bent the bracket for the Alternator/generator and a few minor things like that. If the oil pan is not bent or dented The oil sump for the pump is alright and if the rad holds water/coolant it is probably ok also.
 
I would check everything that is cast iron for cracks. Highly unlikely but it can do funny things sometimes. I lost my 47 M off a trailer it rolled on the highway skidding upside down. The top of the bolster broke off but was high enough and along with the center piece that everything bolts to, it protected the valve cover etc. I dont think you have anything to worry about.
 
I was riding an on the drawbar with my Dad on Farmall Regular up a creek (crick) bank. It was too steep and started to go over backwards. We both bailed as it went over. Only damage was the radiator. I was 14, couldn't believe how little damage.
 
that is a bad set up for a narrow front. kinda proves my point about farmalls tipping over. wide front or standard tractor wont do that. you would need another set of those legs on the front and that set farther back. that is heavy danger as i say.
 
Look it over carefully for cracked cast iron (not likely), and distributor oil filter mount and canister. If OK, there will be zero internal issues. The next time use the stands with the cross support lower, so the casters are shorter on their screws, I would also put jamb nuts on the screws to prevent them from being able to turn. Bolting it on more rearward would also be more balanced on a single front. I owned a single front and didn't feel it was much more tippy than a narrow front. I have had my SH (narrow front) sliding all 4 wheels (drifting) on gravel roads. It is not recommended, but it was fun. Jim
 
Just my 2 cents worth. You should have had stand back as far is possible. You almost had most of weight on stand. I use a stand built like that but stronger and didnt have any troubles splitting big row crops
 
Dunno how you managed to do that, took a little talent, IMHO!

If you had simply suspended the engine from a "cherry picker" of adequate capacity the catastrophe would not have happened.
 
(quoted from post at 00:31:23 08/02/20) Dunno how you managed to do that, took a little talent, IMHO!

If you had simply suspended the engine from a "cherry picker" of adequate capacity the catastrophe would not have happened.
Click to expand...

It looks like the stand is to far forward on the frame to me.
 

The splitting stands should have solid feet on the front part. The caster wheel is to be on the rear stand. You roll the rear half away from the front half by pushing against the top of the rear tires. Much, much easier that way, and the tractor is much more stable.
 
I think the stand is too far forward, would have put it on the rear frame bolts.

Glad no one got hurt.
 
sorry to see this happen . My first set of home made stands set on a wider foot print and the wheels do not swivel but are fully adjustable up and down . They have split from a S/A on up to 1486's , over the years i have made adapters to go on the org stands to acommendate a number of different colors . side tipping has never been and issue . with mine they have been used on many onfarm splits on even dirt floors with the aid of two 6 foot pieces of heavy 3 inch channel as a track . At times they are a little to wide and cumbersome walking around them But they don't tip . Only once did i have a tractor drop on me and that was a 656 while usen someone elses stationary ft stands and using a five ton floor jack to roll the back half away , while TRYING to roll the back forward the wheel of the floor jack found a obstruction on the floor and the jack stopped and the tractor did not and down she came .
 
My stands look like that, got them from Charlie U, worked fine on Farmall H and JD 4020, but we put them clear at the back of the engine, those really look set way too far forward.
 
Unless you have X-ray vision there are no "inspections" you can do to determine that there is no internal damage. You have two choices:

1. Put it back together and run it. She goes or she blows.
2. Take it all completely apart down to the last bolt, inspect everything, take measurements, and probably end up overhauling the engine since you already have it that far apart.

I personally think option 2 is a waste of time just based on the tip-over incident, and the likelihood of "she blows" is basically zero.
 
Many thanks to all of you who replied to my post. I learned a lot through your expertise and advice. I plan on using an engine hoist (shop crane) to support the front end and move the splitting stand further to the rear. I have filled the cracks in the shop floor and will not move the front end without help. Although I have split and reassembled a 53 Farmall H, this M, with only a single front wheel is a bit more unstable. I will post another picture when the M is put back together. Once again, thank you for your advice and comments!
 
(quoted from post at 09:07:23 08/02/20)
The splitting stands should have solid feet on the front part. The caster wheel is to be on the rear stand. You roll the rear half away from the front half by pushing against the top of the rear tires. Much, much easier that way, and the tractor is much more stable.
Click to expand...

While I'm no expert as I have only split my BN once I would agree with rustyfarmall. That is how I did the BN and it worked just as slick as I could have hoped. I realize a M is a much bigger tractor than a little BN. Wish I had taken some pictures of the BN while apart, still have the stands up in the barn but doubt I will ever need them again.
 
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