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Best tractors of the 30s to 50s

J

JohnV2000

Member
I just saw a post about “All Star” Tractors. Most of the tractors listed aren’t from the 30s to 50s, so it got me thinking: what were the best tractors for a farmer back in the 1930s to 1950s? From all brands - be it JD, IHC, etc.

What were the best for row crop and what were the best utility?
 
How about the AC WC, WD, and WD45.

No, they were not the "best" tractors of their era, but they cost less.

AC sold lots of them.

That's what's it all about, folks.

Dean
 
I can see this turning into a long thread lol MH was popular in
this area. Lots of 30?s 33?s and a few 333?s ,a few 20?s and
22?s. Some Ford N?s ,some of all the popular brands and
models not sure which ones were deemed the best
 
Essex tri directional someone had to mention it. LOL From local auction Rolls and Can-hardly.
As in rolls and can hardley make it up hill or off the truck.
 
Even though I started the thread, I’ll throw in some of my own opinions.

My favorites are probably Farnalls, something about the red color and styling gets me every time.

But, I also admire the Oliver’s and John Deere’s. I especially like the big 2 cyclinder John Deere engines, both the gas on the Model G and the diesel on the Model R.

The 2 cylinder Deere engines sound great.
 
By sales volume Farmall H and M. John Deere A and B. Advanced for its day Oliver 88 and 77. Underrated and under appreciated MH 44.
 
In my opinion any tractor that did work and got the farmers
away from teams of horses and mules was a good tractor.
Each company had only good intentions of helping the
working man
 
heres a sign,,of the times!
cvphoto7883.jpg


Can you guess?



cvphoto7884.jpg


Take a guess


cvphoto7885.jpg
,,,OK ,,Let it rip,,,,I can take it
 
(quoted from post at 17:13:27 01/02/19) By sales volume Farmall H and M. John Deere A and B. Advanced for its day Oliver 88 and 77. Underrated and under appreciated MH 44.
Click to expand...

sorry,not a rowcrop, but ford sold 1,630,185 n's thats a pretty hard number to beat in a 15 year run.
 
Well lets see some older picks.
Ford "N" series millions sold
JD "A & B"
IH "H & M"
AC "WC & WD"
Oliver 60/66
Ferguson 30, Every bit an equal to a Ford "N".

I know lots of guys will say this or that model but this list is the ones that where produced in numbers that changed the nation's farms forever. The horse was replaced in a very short time when compared to there use over the centuries.
 
We had an excellent Oliver in our area back in those days so I bet half the tractors were Olivers. The other half divided between J.D., IH and a sprinkling of Case. No AC or MM.
 
I recently took over stewardship of a 1963 AC D15. Factory 3 point with power steering. I've had at least one AC enthusiast tell me it was "the finest tractor ever built". He is a devotee.

By comparison, I was around 3 or 4 years old when a delivery truck unloaded a brand new 1958 JD 620. Can still remember them backing it off the truck onto a road bank. That was the first new tractor I think my dad bought and it replaced a JD B. There was no comparison. The 620 was light years better than the B. With the hand clutch to push and flat operators platform to stand on while steering, idled down in 1st gear, I was able to help drive it through gates to help feed hogs and cattle...at age 5 or 6. By age 8, I was raking hay with it.

Both the JD 620 and D 15 are in the low to mid 40's HP range and would have competed in some markets head on. I'd take the 620 every time, even as a 2 cylinder Johnny popper.

Even in 1958, the 620 had power steering, full Cat II 3 point hitch, with robust center top link with clip and flexible end links on the lower links to help hook up implements. One hydraulic double action remote with separate control by the seat. Rear wheels were cast iron, so no need for wheel weights. They were integral to the design. Flat operator platform. Hand clutch with only 6 gears, but most of them in a usable range. Control levers were robust. Dad kept and used it the next 30 years until he retired and sold out. Can't remember a time when it failed to start or run, nor a time when it was in the shop.

The D15, while having a smoother running engine, is flimsy by comparison. Cat I 3 point hitch, which appears to have a nasty habit of working loose and falling apart. The 3 point and rear single action remote are operated by the same lever. I'm told it was the expectation that a guy would use one or the other, but never both at the same time. Seriously? And this from a tractor made 5 years AFTER the 620. I have found it curious that when I show folks pictures of the D15, one of the first things they notice and mention is "it has wheel weights". Apparently it didn't come with them.....something I never gave a 2nd thought to as they came integral on the 620 and other JD models.

Don't know how the 620 stacked up against others at the time. I know a lot of JD folks were quick to replace the 2 cylinder gas tractors with 4 cylinder diesels, but from the clutch back, it seemed to me they were pretty similar. But I've never had one apart. I've only sat in the seat and ran em.
 
Wilson ..... saw an ETD moving snow last week, I stopped and turned around and drove back to get a photo and the darned thing had disappeared. I might never get another chance ....
 
Well, the N-series Ford was obviously ahead of its time with the 3-point hitch and the versatility that came with it,
including the driver's seating position of straddling the tractor rather than sitting on top of it. Not as powerful as others
maybe and some shortcomings, but I think most historians would go with the Fords.
 
MH 44 and 444. Great gear spacings, low fuel usage, good hydraulics, and with maintenance just seemed to work all the time. These are the tractors I grew up with. My Dad had two 44's row crop, and one 444 standard. It was our big tractor for many years.

Like was said below, under-rated and under appreciated.

On the flip side there were a lot of good tractors back then in hind sight. It is just that I did not have any other experience back then to judge.

Paul
 
I


If your yardstick is sales the Ford 8N is obviously way ahead of all others in the utility category, and also beats all of the row crop models. There could of course be other yardsticks but they would probably be topics for other posts such as best hydraulics, most power, sexiest, etc.
 
Larry, I really enjoyed the Farmall video. I grew up on an M and H and still have an H. However, I may have a different opinion to their quote of "the Farmalls are so comfortable that after a long day you'll be fresh as a daisy." But I'm sure it would beat working with horses as my grandfather and father did.
 
You can not compare tractors of the 30's and 40's to tractors of the 50's
30's and 40's tractors were simply mechanical horses.
By the 50's tractors had hydraulic lift systems for implements rather than just a drawbar to pull them.
Diesel engines were being introduced by all brands, and manufactures were producing transmissions with more gear selections They were also starting to focus on operator comfort, which was not a major consideration before.
1950-1960 saw huge gains in tractor power and productivity, where you could begin to sort out companies that were intent on R&D leading to innovation, and others that would drop out of the market place due to complacency.
A lot of brand success during these years was how the companies developed a dealer network and marketed their tractors.
Even by 1960 farm tractors were pretty elementary compared to today's tractors.
You have to realize that technology from 1960 which was 59 years ago until today, ag tractor advancements have progressed at an annual blistering rate, much faster than the 50's.
As back then and today(dealer support) made the difference between a tractor being productive, or a disappointment to the owner. Even today a tractor is no better than the dealer who sells it to you.
Loren
 
(quoted from post at 17:20:20 01/02/19) You can not compare tractors of the 30's and 40's to tractors of the 50's
30's and 40's tractors were simply mechanical horses.
By the 50's tractors had hydraulic lift systems for implements rather than just a drawbar to pull them.
Diesel engines were being introduced by all brands, and manufactures were producing transmissions with more gear selections They were also starting to focus on operator comfort, which was not a major consideration before.
1950-1960 saw huge gains in tractor power and productivity, where you could begin to sort out companies that were intent on R&D leading to innovation, and others that would drop out of the market place due to complacency.
A lot of brand success during these years was how the companies developed a dealer network and marketed their tractors.
Even by 1960 farm tractors were pretty elementary compared to today's tractors.
You have to realize that technology from 1960 which was 59 years ago until today, ag tractor advancements have progressed at an annual blistering rate, much faster than the 50's.
As back then and today(dealer support) made the difference between a tractor being productive, or a disappointment to the owner. Even today a tractor is no better than the dealer who sells it to you.
Loren
Click to expand...

Gotta agree Loren. Big difference between the tractors of 1930 and 1940.

RIck
 
Ford sold more than anyone else, CH.

I still have 3, including a 52 8N with Sherman combination and 1,100+ original hours. It's so tight that it steers and shifts hard.

Dean.
 
Best tractor would have to have sub categories since no one tractor could be best
at all or even most things.
My opinion...

Ford Ferguson with the 3 pth hitch saved a lot of sore backs....this would be tied
with the Cockshutt Oliver independent pto which also made powered implements much
easier to operate.

Rugged, long lasting....Most 2 cylinder JDs

User friendly...MH 30, 33, 44...simple easy to use controls, easy to get on or off

Smoothest running.....the six cylinder Oliver's

Most versatile.....Farmall H and M and variants

Lugging ability.....Case C, D ,L series

Prettiest....well, that's in the eye of the beholder, but the red and cream
Cockshutts had style and pleasing colour combinations.

My 2 cents worth...

Ben
 
from the 1950's it would be McCormick W6 , John Deere D, Case D, Massey 44,Oliver 88,cockshutt 40, Minneapolis U, as these tractors were the work horses in their day. they were in the same approximate horse power range and were seen all over the country in Canada. to see a Farmall was rare. the most common around here was the mccormick w6 and john deere d.
in the 1920's it would have been the 15-30 McCormick as they opened up the country by breaking the land.it was like every farmer had a mccormick 15-30.and every auction sale a person went to after had 15-30's for scrap. so many went for scrap not even funny. used to buy them for 25.00-50.00 in the 1970's.
 
Well, not sure that you can compare models from different decades. Most makers had a series change over a 10 to 15
year span. Can't really compare a 400 Farmall to an F-30. But all in all, from 1930 to 1959, I would have to go
with the M Farmall. They were a heck of an improvement over the F-30, and did not have the mechanical problems the
later 400's were prone to. I have heard many farmers from that era say that if you had an M, you had a top of the
line tractor. There were more H's sold, but only because they were cheaper and people felt they could get by less
horse power. The JD's hand clutch was not liked by many and JD hung onto the 2 cylinder idea to long. Ford's had a
short engine overhaul life span. Just my 2 cents.
 
I am going to address only best utility. 1930's has to be the Ford 9N that came out in later 39 and was only utility tractor made untill the 2N and it lasted as only one till in 46 Ferguson brought out the TE-20 and in 48 Ferguson brought out the TO-20 at same tine Ford brought out the 8N. Ferguson brought out the TO-30 in 51 and Ford wated till 53 to bring out the NAA and Ferguson brought out the TO-35 in 54 and it lasted untill 1960 and Ford brought out the 600 & 800 series in 55. Only asked about the 30's, 40's & 50's so going to stop with that. IHC brought out the International 300 in 55 - 56 but it was twice the size as the Ford 9,2 & 8N and Ferguson TE & TO 20 so at that time it could hardly be called a utility, The closest IHC had to a utility was the International 240 brought out in 58 and lasting into the 60's. Olivers first was the S55 brought out in 54 so I think that was first actuall choise for utility other than Ford or Ferguson. Deere brought out the 40 in 53 but I dont think they had a utility untill the 420 in 56. Not much choice throught this time. Now MM also brought out the 335 in 56 With Case comming along in 58 with the 200 and Cockshutt in 58 with the 240. I don't know if the AC D-10 or D-12 could have been called a utility or not, the D-14 was a row crop with a wide front, don't know if AC ever put a narrow front on the D-12 and sure they did not on the D-10 but they were still as tall as the D-14 that was a row crop so not a utility. Going with Tractor Data I cannot find any others made in those 3 decades. So for the best utility tractor in that time frame to start it has to be the 9N Ford as it was only choice weith same tractor later being called the 2N untill Ferguson came along in 46 with the TE-20 And it being Ford or Ferguson untill Oliver came out with the S55 in 54 with a couple of others finally building a utility starting in 55-56 to 58. Not a lot of choise there.
 
D-4 Cat Would out pull any of the common wheel tractors of the day and still run for next to nothing on fuel. Would pull a 4-6 16's 24 ft of spring tooth drag and do it on less than 15 gallon of fuel per day on the plow. And has the best hand clutch made you pulled it back as you would back up to hitch to equipment not like that stupid bassakwards Jd hand clutch. The fool that designed that push forward hand clutch never ever ran a tractor, and should have been hung for it.
 
To me the way the Deere clutch is was the only sencible way to do it. Just as in a pust type garden cultivator you puisdh with your hands to go and let up or pull back to stop, same with a garden till or your lawn mower. You don't pull back on the handle of any of those things to make it go, it is alwasy push and that is the way the tractor clutch should be, not the backward thing you think they should be. Most tractors to speed up you push the throttle forward for more speed as well. Forwar to go only sencible thing. I have had 5 Deere tractors with that hand clutch and drove others and pulling to go would have been very anoing.
 
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