Old Tractors with High Road Speeds

cam.man67

Member
So the situation is this: I own 210 acres on our home farm, and I rent another 120 one several separate plots. Problem is, one of the larger fields is 7 miles away. I only make hay over there, so I’d really like to get an older tractor with a higher road speed to make getting over there and back quicker. All of my tractors basically too out at 17 mph (with the exception of my baling tractor, an 856 that does 20) trailering isn’t a possibility. I’d really like to have a 30-50hp tractor with a road speed of about 35 mph. Older obviously would be preferred, but I just am not sure even where to start looking. 3-pt would be preferred but not necessary, and at least one set of hydraulic is basically necessary. Any old high-speed tractors that would hit these criteria?
 
I don?t know but for 7 miles I?d just enjoy the ride .
We road our big tractors 50 miles one way to put up
and then from there another 30 miles to another
farm and then back to home sometimes making the
50 mile trip two or three times a year the smaller
equipment we haul . We also don?t road them over
about 17 or 18 mph anyway because it?s hard on
those big tires to run that fast
 
Minneapolis Moline UDLX.

However, going slow down the road can be
faster in the long run. Brakes and
steering leave a lot to be desired on old
tractors.

Lon
 
An MF 135 diesel is as good as it gets for what you
want. With multi power, maybe one size over rears,
a tweak to the governor, you should get 30 mph with
no problem. 45hp, 3pt, remotes can be done. Good
luck. Sam
 

Interesting you mention a 135...I use a 35 gasser right now for mowing, tedding, and sometimes raking and it tops out at 17. Great little tractor, but I never considered that there’d be anything I could do to speed it up. It makes good power...I’ve always felt that an extra gear (I have the 3x2) could have done wonders.
 
(quoted from post at 18:48:44 02/18/19) An MF 135 diesel is as good as it gets for what you
want. With multi power, maybe one size over rears,
a tweak to the governor, you should get 30 mph with
no problem. 45hp, 3pt, remotes can be done. Good
luck. Sam

I have the one my dad bought when I was a kid. After the original tires wore out, we had some 14.9 x 28's that we put on it with no fluid. It went pretty fast, but we were used to 14mph tractors...I don't think that massey did much over 20, but it sure seemed fast. When those wore out dad put 13.6's back on it.
mvphoto31647.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 18:57:52 02/18/19)
(quoted from post at 18:48:44 02/18/19) An MF 135 diesel is as good as it gets for what you
want. With multi power, maybe one size over rears,
a tweak to the governor, you should get 30 mph with
no problem. 45hp, 3pt, remotes can be done. Good
luck. Sam

I have the one my dad bought when I was a kid. After the original tires wore out, we had some 14.9 x 28's that we put on it with no fluid. It went pretty fast, but we were used to 14mph tractors...I don't think that massey did much over 20, but it sure seemed fast. When those wore out dad put 13.6's back on it.

It was fun when going down a hill to put the MP in low about half way down...probably hit 30+ with it then! Dangerous, tho, the brakes were touchy.
 
The way people drive today it's really too dangerous to take any tractor on the highway. You could get killed before the driver is done with their text.
 
What country are you in.In the USA what you are asking for is not legal. You are only allowed 25 MPH with an SMV and not alowed to travel faster than that without one. For a while there was a tractor called I think Fasttrack or somrthing like that but have never actually even saw a picture of one. Supposed to be able to do 45 MPH and for that a different type of emblem was designed for them but also have never seen a picture of one even. Haven't heard of them for years. Those Fasttracks were only able to do those speeds without anything behind them. And at that time talk was the implement could not take being pulled at those speeds so I think that outfit went byby. And old tractors that would do like that was the Silver King or the orignal Coop of the 30's to early 40's with no hydrolics on most of them. Those 2 are the only ones I ever heard of in my 75 years that would run that fast.
 
(quoted from post at 19:15:03 02/18/19) What country are you in.In the USA what you are asking for is not legal. You are only allowed 25 MPH with an SMV and not alowed to travel faster than that without one. For a while there was a tractor called I think Fasttrack or somrthing like that but have never actually even saw a picture of one. Supposed to be able to do 45 MPH and for that a different type of emblem was designed for them but also have never seen a picture of one even. Haven't heard of them for years. Those Fasttracks were only able to do those speeds without anything behind them. And at that time talk was the implement could not take being pulled at those speeds so I think that outfit went byby. And old tractors that would do like that was the Silver King or the orignal Coop of the 30's to early 40's with no hydrolics on most of them. Those 2 are the only ones I ever heard of in my 75 years that would run that fast.

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I’m in MD, where the SMV requirement is (or was last I checked) 35 like a couple other states. Hence the question. JCB still very much makes the Fasttrack with its 43mph top speed, and I know several New Holland abd newer JDs are tight up there too.

But...that’s all way out of my price range, and I don’t run newer equipment out of principle anyways. Too much crap I can’t fix.;).
 
Only the orignal Coop built in Indiana and used Chrysler engines were fast and they never had hydrolics or PTO. This was before WW2. The Coop that was built in Canada and is same as Cockshutt and some sold under Black Hawk name were not a fast tractor. They could win a slow race.The ones that were fast were the No.1. No.2 & No.3, the E3-30 and e4-40 were not fast. The E4-40 top speed with standard tires was 10.5 MPH, oversize tires 10.7 MPH. This is out of the Cockshutt book and Nebrasks tests.
 
Many of the Case tractors of the late 50's and early 60's had a triple range transmission (12 forward speeds). I have a 1956 Case 300 with a triple range. It will go faster
than I want to travel.
 
I had a 1975 MF 135 with multi power and someone
following me in a car said it was doing 30 mph and I
don?t have any reason to doubt them. It certainly
would scoot. Way too fast for the old drum breaks.
Sam
 
Olivers and Whites with the optional 3 speed Over/Under shift have faster road gears in overdrive, especially with the fast rear end ratio options and oversize tires.

Seven miles at 14 MPH will take 30 minutes one way;
21 MPH - 20 minutes
28 MPH - 15 minutes
35 MPH - 12 minutes
42 MPH - 10 minutes
60 MPH - 7 minutes.

Faster than 20 MPH for only 7 miles has quickly diminishing returns. Most tractors from the late 1960 and newer have a road gear around 20 MPH, even the smaller utility tractors. 30 to 50 HP may not have the power or the brakes to handle a loaded wagon at 20 MPH and will need to downshift out of road gear in hills. Will your implements handle the higher road speeds?
 
I owned a Oliver 1650 gas that just had the two speed shift and 18.4 x 34 tires. It would run right at 21 MPH. It really flew. It was not over speeding. I never really asked anyone why it would get up and go so well. My Oliver diesel 1655 does not run over 17-18.
 
(quoted from post at 19:43:36 02/18/19) I had a 1975 MF 135 with multi power and someone
following me in a car said it was doing 30 mph and I
don?t have any reason to doubt them. It certainly
would scoot. Way too fast for the old drum breaks.
Sam

Tractor data lists them at 19.8 top speed with 12.4 x 28 w/MP. Maybe you were going downhill in low :D
 
I have a farmall 560 that will run 28. I tested it
on one of the rideable signs the local police have
that tells you if you are speeding. I think the
governor has been tweaked on that one.
 
You could fix up a Farmall 560 like some Mennonites do here, remove the 3.26 ring gear and install a 2.63 ring gear from a Farmall 400-450. Then with the governor tweeked a bit easily get 40 plus MPH..
 
No but they tried to give a local guy for not having one on his 1066, his went over 25 , guy said fine clock me and meet me at the next intersection, never seen the cop again.
 
Co-op #3 with Chrysler 241 cu in flathead ran 20 mph at 1600 RPM /
Turn the wick up to 2700 RPM and you should make your target speed.
In trucks they were rated at 3000 and 3200 RPM and in cars at 3600
RPM.
http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/005/8/3/5839-co-op-3-transmission.html
 
fast tracs are still made. You are using your state law and applying it to the whole country, I can drive my tractor 35 mph with a smv in New York state.
 
There are many newer tractors in the USA that can legally exceed 25 mph. If the tractor is capable of this a Speed Identification Symbol (SIS) is used in conjunction with the SMV. The SIS is a round, white placard about 8 inches in diameter with the tractor's maximum speed, usually a multiple of 5 such as 30 mph, 35 mph, or 40 mph.
 
That 25 with a SMV is federal not state so your state cannot allow the 35 without breaking the law, they just don't enforce it.
 
Usually will not bother you untill you get in a wreck then they cannot overlook it. They do not stop the pickup pulling 2 wagons at 45 even tho it is not legal UNTILL your outfit creats a problem.
 
According to to agriculture equipment industry standards the speeds you are wanting to achieve
are permissible only with a suspended axle to ensure that the steering tires stay on the ground.
Four wheel braking is also required which is most always achieved by engaging the front axle
clutch automatically when the brakes are applied to effectively make the rear brakes act on all
four wheels. Trying to go this fast with a tractor lacking these features would be inviting
disaster. Also, to get up to these high speeds requires at least a synchronized transmission so
you can shift on-the-go progressively through the gears.

Being a fan of these vehicles myself I'd say to find yourself an old Mercedes-Benz Unimog 411 or
406. It would meet (411) or exceed (406) your power and speed requirements but the big catch is
finding one in decent shape that has the options you need (PTO's, hydraulics, and hitches were
all optional) at a reasonable price. Also, don't expect help from a Mercedes dealership, or even
from your local tractor repair shop, so service work would have to be a do-it-yourself kind of
thing.
 
A 8-N Ford with the Sherman Transmission and Funk 6 Cyl Conversion will go faster than you want. It has a 3pt and can get auxiliary hydraulics for them. I have
a couple of them and they are very interesting tractors. The engine is a Ford Industial and getting parts is not a problem. Some of these also had a V-8
conversion available. Mecum has had several of these at recent auctions.
 
The 8 series and 9 series four wheel
drive John Deere tractors and combines
all run 26.5 to 27 mph nowdays .so I
don't buy that it's illegal to run over
25 mph.
 
rigg up something like the tractor drivin' Mennonites (as we call them) up in the edge of ky I'm not real sure bout the whole set up but ive seen them pullin pick up bed trailers and runnin a pto shaft back to the truck rear end. I've run along behind them at 45 miles an hour . last one I saw was a older cabbed john deere the cab was loaded with young'uns and the trailer had a home made topper they piled out of that thing for what seemed 15 minutes must have been pack in there like sardines
 
rigg up something like the tractor drivin' Mennonites (as we call them) up in the edge of ky I'm not real sure bout the whole set up but ive seen them pullin pick up bed trailers and runnin a pto shaft back to the truck rear end. I've run along behind them at 45 miles an hour . last one I saw was a older cabbed john deere the cab was loaded with young'uns and the trailer had a home made topper they piled out of that thing for what seemed 15 minutes must have been pack in there like sardines
 
Some of the old CO-OPs would do 28 MPH and Silver King could do about 45 MPH and the Friday tractor could do
48 MPH.
 
Nice to think about on a cold winter day, but how much time would you save? At that kind of speed the tires would wear faster and consider the hazards to your self and the mailboxes along the road. Save one hour a season?
 
I bought a IH 1086 last summer just for this reason. I have a couple of fields on the home place that are 5.5 and 7 miles from my farm. With a 1086 with 20.8 duals and a tweek to the pump you can flirt with the 30 MPH boyz. You want weights on the steer axle to keep it from bouncing and a nice tight front end. Cab n heat when cold, nice radio. I use it for manure detail. Al
 
Just have the wife pull it while running the engine in Neutral for oil circulation in the transmission. I worked for a guy that would do that with a 230 Ih for scraping mud off the road during sugar beet digging. We limited to about 20. Tractor would only go about 12.
 
For my remote fields I drive the tractor and haybine there first, and get a ride back. then I use my pickup to move all the rest of the equipment to the field.
I'd like to set up something on the front of the tractor to haul a four wheeler, so I could drive myself back
Pete
 

I've traveled 7 miles from farm to farm many times driving a Farmall H. Just set back and enjoy the ride. You'll be there before you know it.
 
(quoted from post at 22:51:03 02/18/19) rigg up something like the tractor drivin' Mennonites (as we call them) up in the edge of ky I'm not real sure bout the whole set up but ive seen them pullin pick up bed trailers and runnin a pto shaft back to the truck rear end. I've run along behind them at 45 miles an hour . last one I saw was a older cabbed john deere the cab was loaded with young'uns and the trailer had a home made topper they piled out of that thing for what seemed 15 minutes must have been pack in there like sardines

I had one of these rigs pass me in Clarksville, TN @ 20 years ago. I was running 40mph down the main drag right off the interstate and he passed me. I don't remember what tractor it was but it looked to have street tires on the front and maybe turfs on the rear. The carriage he was "pulling" looked like your standard Amish carriage but there was a drive shaft from the PTO to the carriage. The carriage was full of folks, too. It turned in at Walmart....

-Scott
 
My fastest tractor might hit close to 20 mph but the ones I use most for haying are closer to 15 mph. So an 8 mile drive takes me a while but you get used to it. Usually allow 40 minutes to make the trip.
 
How many trips are we talking about and how large of a field?

Initially I was thinking all 120 acres was 7 miles away, and if you're talking about hauling small squares back to the home farm, you're looking at upwards of 12,000 bales or more in a good year depending on where you live. That's 120 wagon loads of hay on a wagon that you could feasibly and safely haul at 20+MPH with a 40HP tractor, and 120 trips back and forth down that 7 mile road, not counting mowing and raking.

If you're making big rounds or squares, and hauling them home on a trailer with a pickup truck, that's a different story.
 
Ya want a FAST tractor , Then get and old Oliver 88 and pull the org. engine out and stuff a Big block V 8 in and do a double pulley governor set up one side lets the engine run around 2100 and the other lest it go up to 3500 . You will need to add chin straps for your hat . Just don't push up to 5 grand , don't ask why .
 
(quoted from post at 02:31:15 02/19/19) So the situation is this: I own 210 acres on our home farm, and I rent another 120 one several separate plots. Problem is, one of the larger fields is 7 miles away. I only make hay over there, so I’d really like to get an older tractor with a higher road speed to make getting over there and back quicker. All of my tractors basically too out at 17 mph (with the exception of my baling tractor, an 856 that does 20) trailering isn’t a possibility. I’d really like to have a 30-50hp tractor with a road speed of about 35 mph. Older obviously would be preferred, but I just am not sure even where to start looking. 3-pt would be preferred but not necessary, and at least one set of hydraulic is basically necessary. Any old high-speed tractors that would hit these criteria?

I remember reading an article quite a few years ago (maybe 10 or so) about a haying operation that was being done with Dodge duallies with Cummins engines instead of tractors. Speed was the goal.
 
couple of European posters showed some of the road worthy ones running around UK and Europe. Fendt as mentioned was one of newer ones. Some German Hanomag(?) had industrial/road pullers with fenders, lights
front suspenion axles with brakes and transverse leaf springs. Canadian and Irish posters noted a variation of MF165, 2165 for road use. Had a transverse leaf spring front sort of like a Model A Ford with arms
triangled to near center of under frame that acted as brake reaction arms, under and over drive second transmission , speed of 35 mph for road use. Fenders had turn signals front and rear. Seems the Canadian
road worker crews used some for mowers and moderately fast towers of wagons that had rear brakes and a tungue master cylinder, inertia coupler like some boat trailers. Irish poster noted a similar MF sold in
Ireland and some of UK, variations of 135, 165 models supposed to be available for export, some went to Australia and Canada, USA for some customers. Fridays and Loves were special 'Orchard/road tractors for
Michigan fruit and veggy growers use- road speed for hauling harvest to processors, drive train was Chrysler flathead 6 with multiple truck transmissions. MIGHT be able to find one of the road worthy MF units
in USA from a highway maintainence dept surplus - state DOT and city municipal customers seemed to be the main customers for those rigs in USA, likely they were exempt from the sign and speed limit rules for
other farm tractor users as government agencies. RN.
 
(quoted from post at 11:02:46 02/19/19)
(quoted from post at 22:51:03 02/18/19) rigg up something like the tractor drivin' Mennonites (as we call them) up in the edge of ky I'm not real sure bout the whole set up but ive seen them pullin pick up bed trailers and runnin a pto shaft back to the truck rear end. I've run along behind them at 45 miles an hour . last one I saw was a older cabbed john deere the cab was loaded with young'uns and the trailer had a home made topper they piled out of that thing for what seemed 15 minutes must have been pack in there like sardines

I had one of these rigs pass me in Clarksville, TN @ 20 years ago. I was running 40mph down the main drag right off the interstate and he passed me. I don't remember what tractor it was but it looked to have street tires on the front and maybe turfs on the rear. The carriage he was "pulling" looked like your standard Amish carriage but there was a drive shaft from the PTO to the carriage. The carriage was full of folks, too. It turned in at Walmart....

-Scott
well actually that's where I saw the last one. I live in a adjoining county to the south of Clarksville-Montgomery county in Dickson county
 
(quoted from post at 01:51:03 02/19/19) rigg up something like the tractor drivin' Mennonites (as we call them) up in the edge of ky I'm not real sure bout the whole set up but ive seen them pullin pick up bed trailers and runnin a pto shaft back to the truck rear end. I've run along behind them at 45 miles an hour . last one I saw was a older cabbed john deere the cab was loaded with young'uns and the trailer had a home made topper they piled out of that thing for what seemed 15 minutes must have been pack in there like sardines
eems to me that they would still need a step up gearing arrangement, because drive shaft for that kind of speed would be more than 540 and probably more than 1000.
 
(quoted from post at 19:47:12 02/19/19)
(quoted from post at 01:51:03 02/19/19) rigg up something like the tractor drivin' Mennonites (as we call them) up in the edge of ky I'm not real sure bout the whole set up but ive seen them pullin pick up bed trailers and runnin a pto shaft back to the truck rear end. I've run along behind them at 45 miles an hour . last one I saw was a older cabbed john deere the cab was loaded with young'uns and the trailer had a home made topper they piled out of that thing for what seemed 15 minutes must have been pack in there like sardines
eems to me that they would still need a step up gearing arrangement, because drive shaft for that kind of speed would be more than 540 and probably more than 1000.

2 speed rear end maybe?
 
Oliver had a high speed rearend
option..serial number started with a
504?? Not 100% sure on that. Grew up with
a 1550 that had that option...was the
most used tractor on the place
 
No I cannot but it was topic of discusion back I would guess 15 years ago in Farm bureu counsil meeting and that information was given, they just sited contents of law, not actuall numbers, then about that and the emblem for the 25-45 MPH tractors and that was also the last I ever heard of the Fastrac tractor so on that I gust had to assume they were no longer made.
 

Have 17 MPH, 20 MPH and 22 MPH tractors here.

Better hope your roads are table top smooth. I've been on roads that were 10 MPH tops, others where a 25 MPH tractor would have been fine.

Brakes need to work good, steering needs to be tight, and if you are towing anything...what tows nice at 15 MPH might not at 25 MPH.

I'd be more concerned on transmission gearing (shift pattern, speed gaps etc) than top speed if you have a lot of hills or stops and starts.
 

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