I - T My Hats Off To The Forties JD Engineers

I have my Model B brake housings re-bushed, cleaned, painted, re-assembled and put back on my tractor. As I worked on the brakes I was impressed by the housing forgings and their associated machining. The brake design is simple yet very rugged and efficient. The B is a great tractor to work on. She runs solid and quiet now. Thanks for your help.

Dick

I have a theory that you may or may not agree with but here goes ...

Henry Ford made it simple and easy to work on . Harry Ferguson made it more powerful but more complicated . John Deere made it powerful and adjustable .

Two things to remember though .

1) Those engineers designed everything WITHOUT computers , CAD systems and CNC equipment .

2) How many "modern" tractors will you find still in use in 50 years ?

I agree , hats off to them !!!

Ford Man

Those brakes will really take a beating. They really got used hard when you had the land wheel slipping while you were plowing, or you got it stuck and had to jockey one then the other side. If you didn't have the paint burned off the drums, you weren't using 'em !

Sometimes I think folks forget that these critters are 50 years old, and think when they get one that needs every system rebuilt that the designs were weak. You and I know that the poor thing was probably just thirty years overdue for attention !

I'm really glad you caught that early. You can see how big a problem, though rare, it could have caused.

Good to hear it's fixed.

Frank-in-Tallahassee
70D // 855