1944 John Deere B Power Trol

Hello all,
I have a 1944 B that has been in the family since my mom was a kid. I now have an acreage and need a tractor to do some work around here. I need something to run a brush mower, move snow, and I eventually want to do my own hay. So I have many questions. First, is it capable of live power? Second, what would be the benefits of a baker valve? Third, would a power trol off a newer tractor be beneficial and if so, which ones would be compatable? I think you see where I am going with this. I want this tractor to be useable and I don't do anything that would require a heavier duty tractor. Any suggestions or explanations would be appreciated. I have alot of fond memories of this tractor and I would love to see it getting used.

Thanks

I had a 1946 or so A. Your B is not live power capable. I don't know what would be involved in making live power, except it's not cost effective, even if it were possible. To run a bush hog you need an overunning PTO clutch.

It does not have live hydraulics. Hydraulics work off the PTO shaft. If the hand clutch is disengaged, the pto does not work. Later power trols wouldn't make a difference AFIK.

I have a later JD 620 which does have all that. It has a separate pto clutch, foot operated. It has live hydraulics, with the hydraulic pump working off the distributor drive.

The B has enough power to pull a 5 foot bush hog but it would have to be on wheels, using the above mentioned overunning clutch on the pto shaft. You probably are aware of this, but the big blade mechanism on a bush hog will keep the tractor rolling through the transmission even with the clutch lever out, for a short time, which might be enough to run you into a tree. I did use a bush hog once on a non live pto tractor. It was a Case S with a pto lever on the dash and I could pull it out of gear after disengaging the hand clutch. Didn't do it much.

KEH

Deere, and maybe others, made a hydraulic pump that was driven off the governor. It fit between the distributor or magneto and the governor and provided live hydraulics when plumbed in tot he Powr-Trol. The Baker valve accessory allowed more than one remote outlet when used in conjunction with a Powr-Trol valve. The original Power-Lift valve assembly can be removed and replaced with a later Powr-Trol valve to give infinite control of the lift and accommodate remote cylinders. It's a simple bolt on installation. Save the old valve so you can switch it back if you ever want to for originality.

You DO NOT have enough power for a bush hog. You have 20 max PTO HP and a 5' hog is plenty for a late model Deere A at 38 max PTO HP. Also for baling not enough power unless the baler has its own engine. For mowing hay with a bar mower or raking hay that it is good for. I had a 46 B,same 20 HP, 49 B 28 HP, 51 A 38 hp and 50 AR also 38 HP. Also a 38 A that was about the same power as the 49 B. So I do know these tractors. The 28 HP 49 B did good on PTO baler with kicker. But I have killed the engine with a 5' hog on the A & AR. The Power troll came out in 45 I think and was good for one remote cylinder, the Baker valve let you use 2 cylinders but you do not have enough power for anything that would need 2 remotes. Use your tractor for raking and get a bigger tractor for the hog and baler. And I spent many an hour plowing with a 2-12" plow behind the 46 B that has same engine as you have.