my recent purchase of a Farmall M

I recently purchased a 1943 Farmall M.

I just retired from being a professional pianist, but I grew up with an aviator/farmer father and I used to love to go to the hay fields and the "tractor show room" with daddy.
My dream was a bright red Farmall M (I could see eye to eye with the rear axle when I was very small...yet I wanted to drive one!!) Daddy never
purchased my dream, but he did buy a used W6 and
determined me was driving it with an huge New Holland square baler by the time I was 9.
Daddy is now gone and I have no one to answer my
questions. I am now almost 66 years old and need
some advise on what to do. I have a great mechanic and he has this tractor running to show room specs. It has an aftermarket 3-pt hitch and I would like to get a boom pole that is as sturdy as the tractor can handle. Is 1000 to 1500 lbs. out of the question to lift? What category pole do I need. Where can it be purchased? I only see tubular steel poles available. Does one need to be fabricated?

I know how to plow, disc, harrow etc. Mowing, raking and baling is a specialty, but I need to move things around that need a gin pole.

Any suggestions for an old lady?

Shirley Kilian

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First, let me say that you are in excellent company here and will get much great advice.
Congrats on aquiring your 'dream tractor'. I have a special spot in my heart for MY Super 'M'.

As for your lift, most tractors will typically lift enough weight to bring the front of the tractor right off the ground so a set of iron weights will become necessary to go to 1,500 lbs with many models. Not certain of the geometry on your 'M' tho.
Most of the 'aftermarket' boompoles are very cheaply made and probably will be a great disappointment for your needs. There are several threads in the archives here that address this subject. Some with pics and or dimensional drawings. Remember that a triangle is the strongest geometric shape so a longer pole made to look like a 'truss' is a good start.
Hope this helped,
jim
ps.......starting a tractor project at 65 plus don't sound 'old' to me.....good for you!

To add to Jim's good advice, remember that the farther away from the tractor the load is, the more it is multiplied. IE.. even if your hyds can lift 1500# 24" rear of the tractor, doesn't mean it can lift 1500# 8' behind the tractor on a gin pole. With any size.. I think you will be lucky to get about 500# on the end of and decent sized poles.. and i would suspect that a good aftermarket heavy 3pt lift for a big M should probably do that.. and more like 1500-to 2000 right at the rear... etc.

soundguy

Enjoy the Farmall. By the way you are not old I will be 66 July 3, and am not old yet, just have a lot of experience. Stan

Shirly, Welcome to the M owners club, grew up with 2 M's and and H. Still have a M and a Farmall 400. Why not tell us about what you want to move around and the 3pt hitch and boom pole you have or are going to buy ? For moving stuff around I have found a front end loader, in my case F10 and F11 Farmhands, much more usefull than the 3 pt pole I bought at some auction that I never used. In fact if anyone wants my boom pole and is willing to stop by when I am there they can have it.

I live in an OLD farmhouse (c. 1742) on a 140 farm in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Lots of
people have made "improvements" to the place, such as the man who formerly lived here. He built a cement and flag stone cover for the septic tank. It weighs around 500 lb.s It has an eye so that I can lift it off with a boom pole.
I have been borrowing a fancy kubota with front
end loader and backhoe to do the work, but I am
really wanting to not load up the kubota and transfer it when I want to just have the septic
pumped. A boom pole would be perfect.
Also, maybe my neighbor might want to chain and move long timber as he does firewood. I used to help Daddy do that at our sawmill(buzzsawmill)

My main purpose of the tractor is to use the brush hog for clearing 8' high briars, using a 3-bottom plow, small disc. etc. to plant around 10 acres of the working farm with various crops such as sweet corn (I have a 2-row drill), sunflowers, flowers, berry plants and also clear
around 20 more acres (eventually) which are overgrown to maybe start a small vegetable farm.
Hey!!! It's New Jersey....great produce!!!!!!!

I don't even know what category pole I need. I want the strongest lift capacity that the tractor can handle.

Any suggestions that you could give are greatly appreciated.

I am so much happier on the tractor seat of an M than on that filthy piano bench!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks so much,
Shirl
[email protected]

Thanks,

Well, at least I can't call you SON!!!!!!!!
Have a happy birthday. Will e-mail you to say that.
I love the way the engine "digs down" in sound and lets you know exactly how hard he is working.

All the best,

Shirl,

[email protected]

I understand!!!!
I was the skinny kid on the tetter totter and won
every time. I am thinking fabrication. Jim is
right. A triangle with either screw or cylinder adjustment is looking good. Also, just remembered, I might want to load or offload 3-pt. implements from an implement trailer to share with other aviator/farm fanatics.

I thought the boom poles by Kutter and Northern
looked weak. Thanks for the imput. Fabrication is in the works as we speak.

I was excited to hear you say that I need front
end weights. I know that. I don't know how many
times I have reduced power to not lose it on smaller machines than an M. I would love to get
brackets and weights for the front end.
Any supply sources??

I thought the boom poles by Kutter and Northern
looked weak. Thanks for the imput. Fabrication is in the works as we speak.

I was excited to hear you say that I need front
end weights. I know that. I don't know how many
times I have reduced power to not lose it on smaller machines than an M. I would love to get
brackets and weights for the front end.
Any supply sources?

thanks.....I am so motivated!!!!!

Iron/'suitcase' weights are around. Shipping will be a problem so shopping close to home is a must. I have a tractor friend in Mass. that may be able to help.
Extreme caution needs to be foremost when 'pulling' or 'skidding' dead weight. A ground/tilling implement acts as 'loop' prevention much like the 'wheelie bars' on our dragster motorcycles an insane lifetime past. Pulling logs eliminates this protection and a snag can result in the tractor pinning you to the ground B4 you can stomp the clutch. Caution. Sorry if I'm preaching to the choir here. Proper drawbar geometry education is a matter of life and limb.