Tractor Radios - Open Stations

Bill VA · Apr 10, 2017

Every now and then I'll see a pic of an older open station tractor with a radio mounted on the fender fender or just in front of the steering wheel on the hood.

How in the world could anyone hear those things with any clarity over the engine loaded and running full open?

How in the world could you hear anything after running those radios year in/out?

Ear/hearing damage, or no problems?

Just curious.

Bill

4520BW · Apr 10, 2017

The driver could never hear it but anyone else in the area could! I got an audiovox radio for graduation and would jam to AC/DC on the 4320!

Larry EC-OH · Apr 10, 2017

What did you say? LOL

Surprisingly, you could hear pretty well. That was back in the day of 50,000 watt clear channel radio. We could pickup radio stations 500 miles or more away. Course if you weren't on the tractor and doing chores you could hear your neighbors tractor a mile away too.

cole in mo. · Apr 10, 2017

I had a good one mounted on the fender of my 5303jd, quiet tractor, radio came in good. But then the real country station went away, and was replaced by one of those brain dead stations, took the radio off.

TomH in PA · Apr 10, 2017

Same as guys who have the radio on their motorcycle turned up full blast. I don't want to hear their music over the roar of their open exhaust, but I can probably hear it better than them.

rrlund · Apr 10, 2017

Young ears are different than old ears,I'll tell you that. I always had fender mount radios on open tractors in my younger days,but I took them all off a year ago. Hadn't been able to listen to one in the last five years or more. It just sounded like a lot of scratching and squealing anymore. I'm not hard of hearing,but even the two in the tractor cabs are getting hard for me to understand.

55 50 Ron · Apr 10, 2017

Part of the reason is that there are more and more radio (electronic) signals being added to the electromagnetic environment each year. AM radio is so susceptible to interference that more signals competing for part of the spectrum will certainly add to the "scratching and squealing".

Retired electronics engineer Ron who spent part of my career working in the radio and tv broadcasting technical areas.

flying belgian · Apr 10, 2017

We had one on the 700 Case. Cultivating half throttle in 4th. gear it was kinda ok but wide open under full load, forget about it. You could maybe tell if it was talking or music but that was all. No way could you identify the song. Yet as a teenager I thought it was pretty neat.

RBnWA · Apr 10, 2017

Whad he say. sounds like somebody s gettin old. LOL. RB

big tee · Apr 10, 2017

YOUNGSTER---Give me the Beach Boys, Boxtops, Lou Christie, Del Shannon, The Beatles, The Turtles, Jay And The Americans, Gary Lewis, The Doors and the list goes on from the fender of a early 3020!! AC/DC ??? that sounds like a band that swings both ways!! 4520- I guess I am showing my age.---Tee

4520BW · Apr 10, 2017

I listen to alot of those too. As a child of the 80s I go more towards kiss,guns n roses, poison Def Leppard Tom Petty. Hard to beat big hair bands. While I am at work I listen to led Zeppelin and the who alot.

Bruce from Can. · Apr 10, 2017

Head phones.

Bob Bancroft · Apr 10, 2017

They were quite the fad for a while. Seems like every tractor from that era has holes drilled in a fender! I had one for a while with a headset. Hearing was good, but it was a cheap radio which wouldn't hold onto a station. I planted with that tractor, and jumping off in a hurry while forgetting about the head set wasn't good! I have a earmuff radio now, but reception isn't good.

big tee · Apr 10, 2017

With all that "HEAD BANGING" music I am surprised you function at all! When I had my music on in the 60's I heard my Dad say more the once---"TURN THAT SH$%*%$&% DOWN"---Tee

leroy in ne · Apr 10, 2017

1935 Chevy radio wired to light bar on 1950 M Farmall. listened to political debates in 1959 or 60 on radio station KFNF out of Shenandoah, IA while cultivating corn 2 row cultivator. this radio station was founded by Henry Field of Henry Field Seed Company. one of the first farm stations from the early 20's. I was 14 years old and this was about the only station that radio would get. at least it broke up the boredom of cultivating

4520BW · Apr 10, 2017

The music keeps me going. Working full time, 5 kids and farming I need the boost. Nice tractor,spent a lot of time in one of those

Dave H (MI) · Apr 10, 2017

By playing them VERY LOUD. I have a neighbor who had one on his Ford 2120 years ago. He would drive up and down the lot line with that thing blaring music. I can remember wishing secretly that he would climb up on that tractor just one time and accidentally sit on the radio. Or that is just a nice way of saying I wished he would take the radio and shove it straight up....

Hoenes · Apr 10, 2017

When I was a young lad, we had a neighbor with a 4020 that custom baled for us. We were off to the side with a wd45 and wagon picking up bales. Between his radio sinking with the exhaust, and the plunger on the baler, we always kept good timing!

dzc3 · Apr 10, 2017

Neighbor had one mounted on a 1066 we could hear the music just fine about 1/2 mile away at night. I always wonder what it sounded like when sitting on the tractor. Every time I try to talk to him, his 1st question is always WHAT!

SVcummins · Apr 10, 2017

I always wore head phones that plugged into the radio could hear just fine and didn't need it very loud the little black box behind the radio is for my satellite radio reviver

1206SWMO · Apr 10, 2017

All of our tractors in the 1960's-70's had fender radios and I had no trouble hearing them...It sure made the days lots shorter...I kept a spare in case they went bad..It was set on either 710 WHB out of Kansas City,MO or 860 KOAM out of Pittsburg,KS..When I retired in 2012 I always passed my companies hearing test when lots of non farmers couldnt..

Eldon (WA) · Apr 10, 2017

(quoted from post at 15:39:40 04/10/17) Every now and then I'll see a pic of an older open station tractor with a radio mounted on the fender fender or just in front of the steering wheel on the hood.

How in the world could anyone hear those things with any clarity over the engine loaded and running full open?

How in the world could you hear anything after running those radios year in/out?

Ear/hearing damage, or no problems?

Just curious.

Bill

The original Automatic Radio (AR) brand without the headphone jack could really belt out the sound, AM only. I listened to them for many hours back in the 60's and 70's. Now I use WorkTunes headset radios...even it my cab tractors.

notjustair · Apr 10, 2017

There is still one on the fender of the 4020. If I am using it to square bale sometimes I turn it on. It takes about half the song to realize what song it is and the other half of the song to embarrass myself singing as loud as I can.

LA in WI · Apr 10, 2017

Bill, you had to live in that era to understand it. A radio on a tractor was astounding.....first time any entertainment could be had while in a field. The radio on our H Farmall was fine due to the quiet tractor. We knew better than put one on our G JD!!

Also: My cousin took a radio from a Japanese car into put it in a Chevy pickup. His wife asked him "how good did it work"? He said "The radio works but I can't understand a word of Japanese". Lots of laughter followed that!
LA in WI

gene bender · Apr 11, 2017

When i was 13 in 1948 i had the speaker on the umbrella right above my head with radio mounted on a board bolted the the left diff housing on the B Farmall. Brother died in 12 and i now have the tractor but the bolt is still there.

stonerock · Apr 11, 2017

centeral ohio, back in the 60's-70's AM could get wolf man jack out of chicago after 10:00 pm at night, radio on fender of 4020 plow all night long

Kickinbull · Apr 11, 2017

Next door neighbor had a fender mount AM radio on his JD 2520. 1/4-1/2 mile away we could here "Detroit Tigers baseball is on the air."

ericlb · Apr 11, 2017

i dont know, lol my trucks dont even have radios, let alone my tractors

Eldon (WA) · Apr 11, 2017

(quoted from post at 05:00:45 04/11/17) centeral ohio, back in the 60's-70's AM could get wolf man jack out of chicago after 10:00 pm at night, radio on fender of 4020 plow all night long

Yeah, I loved those "sundown" radio stations back in the day. We got KOMA out of Oklahoma City and KSTP out of Minneapolis St Paul. Milked a lot of cows and did a lot of tractor work after dark listening to rock n' roll....good memories!

Tractor Radios - Open Stations

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads