1955 Farmall Super MTA with Electrall package

I was at the Nowthen Mn Threshing Show on Sunday and saw something I had never seen before. It was a 1955 Farmall Super MTA with Electrall package mounted to the side of the tractor and running off a belt with a matching bailer using a General Electric Motor to run it. I don't think many of these were sold, as I have never saw one before. There also were outlets on the generator unit on the tractor that could be used for backup power or for running electric power tools. Neat idea, but it must of failed.


How this town got it's name of Nowthen is interesting too. Nowthen, began in 1876 when local resident Jim Hare wrote to Washington D.C. requesting a post office in Burns Township Minnesota. Because there was already a Burnstown post office in Minnesota, the department asked for other suggestions for a new name. Hare, who prefaced everything he said with the word "nowthen", included the word "Nowthen" at the end of the suggested list of names. The post office department approved that name for the post office and dismissed all the other suggestions.

I get it>: Now then what else is new?

I have a pull type IH Electrall from the 50's.Bought it at an auction years ago,was brand new,never used.Still had the original pto shaft wired to the frame.After I bought it,a fellow came over and told me it belonged to his grandfather.He bought it new and backed it in the barn,and never used it.I've used it twice,works good.

They do show up at shows.

(quoted from post at 14:54:44 08/23/11) I was at the Nowthen Mn Threshing Show on Sunday and saw something I had never seen before. It was a 1955 Farmall Super MTA with Electrall package mounted to the side of the tractor and running off a belt with a matching bailer using a General Electric Motor to run it. I don't think many of these were sold, as I have never saw one before. There also were outlets on the generator unit on the tractor that could be used for backup power or for running electric power tools. Neat idea, but it must of failed.


How this town got it's name of Nowthen is interesting too. Nowthen, began in 1876 when local resident Jim Hare wrote to Washington D.C. requesting a post office in Burns Township Minnesota. Because there was already a Burnstown post office in Minnesota, the department asked for other suggestions for a new name. Hare, who prefaced everything he said with the word "nowthen", included the word "Nowthen" at the end of the suggested list of names. The post office department approved that name for the post office and dismissed all the other suggestions.

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I think Wardner has several, right ?? He's the expert on them.....

I think Wardner has several, right ?? He's the expert on them.....

Was probably a idea before it's time. They didn't sell many, and didn't work out real well. Don't recall that they had any other electric powered impliments besides the baler. Think generator worked OK for other purposes. Pretty rare collector's item.

super MTA was only made one year 1954!!

I helped the owner of that Electrall/IH 55T baler. He had sourced the baler motor from a guy in Indiana who had access to four new Electrall Farm Duty Motors. Two were offered on eBay.

The tractor/baler owner only had the motor but needed the base plate. I had a base plate and made up some prints plus a CD with 50 or more photos. This all happened last summer. He was hell bent to complete the combo Electrall Tractor and Baler for the Red Power Round-Up this year which was near his home. He had to guess on the belt guard and used parts book drawings and IH photos to get it designed. I'm glad he made it to the show.

There is a big Electrall guy north of Des Moines. Nothing he owns can compare to the rig that you saw.

I would like to find an IH 55 baler in New England. PTO or engine drive makes no difference to me.

If anyone needs names and email addys for any of the people mentioned above, I can supply those.

If anybody wants the IH sidemount gearbox, lets talk. They can be reproduced but it will be expensive. Looks like I would need a run of ten before anything could happen. The patterns are a killer from a cost perspective. The shafts and gears can be sourced from a small run gear mfg. Machine work can be sourced locally.

I think the main problem with the Electrall is that it's only 5000 Watts IIRC.

That's only 6.7HP. Granted it's electric HP and has "YES" torque, but even so you are limited to the size of implement you can power. A 55T baler is about all

The mid 1950's is when farms started to get bigger, and the Electrall system as designed just didn't have the capacity to power contemporary field implements.

My uncle used to fill silo with an electric-powered PTO unit attached to the blower, but IIRC the motor was rated at 50HP. A far cry from the Electrall.

Actually the Electrall is rated for 10KW and will put out 13,000 watts. It is not very economical to use as a standby generator particularly with a SMTA or 400 gss engine.

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