Posted by DFZ on April 29, 2010 at 13:53:35 from (75.175.43.122):
We have all worked on or used old tractors. Some good, some bad. I am sure most of you have wondered at one point in time... "WHY DID THEY BUILD IT THIS WAY?" or, "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING??".
I wondered what you thought were the worst design flaw in old tractors.
Some of the first flaws or just dumb designs that come to mind are:
Hand Brakes.... Not too good for an emergency stop if you have to steer around something....
Ford - Left brake next to clutch on left. Of course the worst mistake Ford ever did was not taking the blue prints for the 9N and enlarging them 40% and calling it a 10N, then again. Imagine in 1946 a Ford tractor with 3pt and a 280ci engine. Also the fact that Ford never made a row crop to compete with Farmall... HUGE Mistake.
John Deere - Brake locks that you have to be a contortionist to use. Even the newer 30 series were advertised as "Step up to farming Ease and Convenience". I don"t find anything easy about locking those brakes.
Farmall - Bad brake locks and how long does it take to design a dip stick for an engine.
All - One major design flaw in all early tractors was the lack of gears. Look at any old Farmall or AC and it has a large wasted space between the clutch and transmission. The first company that could have advertised a 10, 12, or even 16 speed transmission would have had a huge advantage over competition. But I guess a farmers time is not worth as much money as it is now...
So what do you think? I still love my antique tractors, but some days.... WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - 12-Volt Conversions for 4-Cylinder Ford 2000 & 4000 Tractors - by Tommy Duvall. After two summers of having to park my old 1964 model 4000 gas 4 cyl. on a hill just in case the 6 volt system, for whatever reason, would not crank her, I decided to try the 12 volt conversion. After some research of convert or not, I decided to go ahead, the main reason being that this tractor was a working tractor, not a show tractor (yet). I did keep everything I replaced for the day I do want to restore her to showroom condition.
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1958 FORD RARE 4x4 801 TRACTOR, ELENCO/FRONT DRIVE, FRONTLOADER AND WEIGHTED REAR WHEELS, FIVE SPEED, LIVE PTO, GAS ENGINE, NEW REAR WHEELS AND TIRES, ENGINE RUNS.
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
