I admit I’m a tractor novice so help me out here. Property we’re buying comes with a Farmall Super M with a bucket, rear blade, bush hog type mower, disc, and harrow. Have had one person tell me it’s useless w/o a dual action loader and I’m not understanding that comment as its primary use would be mowing pasture and conditioning arena with the very occasional blading of snow in the winter. The tractor is very clean, runs well, and has new tires. Also, it’s the wide front model. I’ll be using small square hay bales, btw. Anything you all think I need to know is welcome.
This sounds like it will be fine for your purpose. The dual action loader will have up and down pressure on the front bucket. This can be useful, but not necessary for what you are doing.
Thanks Christa. I can’t imagine, at this point, what we would even use the front bucket for on this particular property.
How much are the sellers thinking this tractor package is worth? Since it would be included with the property that will be financed for 20 to 30 years.
In the long run it might be cheaper to buy something new
1 Like
We’re not getting a mortgage. The sale of our current home will more than pay for the acreage.
These were made mid 52-54. Decent HP for horse farm use, 47 hp. Manual steering which can be a PITA at times. 6 volt battery, electrical system. Which makes it problematic if it ever needs a jump and or new battery.
The bucket for it was usually an after market attachment. Doesn’t have a lot of lifting capacity and can easily be over loaded. Stressing the engine block/chassis. Check/look for cracks, repairs.
Does it have any hydraulic outs? Handy to have. Even if it doesn’t appear so now. It only has 6 gears, 5 forward, 1 reverse. This maybe problematic for general horse farm use, mowing etc.
These sell for around $2-$3,000. Not much more for “show room” condition. They are mainly of interest to collectors these days. It is over 60 years old.
The 3 pt hitch"bush hog" swing blade mower in decent shape is worth $4-500+. The disk and harrow depends on size and condition. Not much need for either to the average small horse farm owner. Not of much interest to the general buying public. Generic rear blades can be bought new for a few hundred dollars. This thing would struggle moving/plowing any amount of snow worth plowing. Esp without chains.
If I was selling the property I would throw it in with the sale also. Save the hassle of selling it and the attachments. Something you will be doing in the not so distant future, lol. I would keep the mower and buy a much better used tractor for $5,10,000++. That being said you will be using it for a while. Realize its limitations. You will really appreciate what a more modern tractor set up for horse farm use brings to the table.
I have this 1968 International, Diesel, power steering, 2 hydraulic outs, 12 volt, nice little tractor, 12 speed, Hi/low. The only draw back, not 4wd. I put a price of $3,500 on Craigs list. No takers yet.
[ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: IMG_0897.JPG Views: 1 Size: 26.4 KB ID: 10224674”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“10224674”,“data-size”:“full”}[/ATTACH]
I had a 1946 Farmall H when I was a kid. It was on my grandmothers farm when my Father inherited the property. It was a cool old tractor, but not very useful by modern standards. It was designed mostly for pulling implements from a drawbar, and many of the farm implements got their power from a traction wheal that operated them mechanically.
It had a sickle bar mower mower that had to be bolted on. There was no three point hitch in the 1940’s. There was also an old front end loader lying in the woods for the H that I never bothered to try to restore it because it was rotted. The loader looked like it was designed after steam shovel technology, and had wire cables and pullys combined with long thin hydraulic cylinders that worked the cables.
The H had primitive hydraulics that worked with motor oil as fluid.There was only one long rod for a hydraulic lever, and pulling it back made things go up, and pushing it forward simply opened a valve that let gravity collapse the hydraulic cylinder and push the oil back into the tractor. There was no power down.
By modern standards it was not a very useful tractor. It was good for pulling things from the draw bar, and that’s all I used it for. Otherwise it was a fun project for a 15 YO kid to work on, and it looked cool.
I was continuously warned by the old timer farmers who lived in the neighborhood about how dangerous those old tricycle type tractors could be. The warnings were usually followed by the recalling of a story about some farmer in the past who somehow rolled his tractor and got injured or killed. My H had both wheel weights and calcium filled tires that made the tires weigh more. The extra weight helped give the tractor more traction, and I think it made it less likely to tip over.
Being 15, I used to take the H out on the old dirt roads that criss crossed the farm land where I lived and open it up in fifth gear. The tractor was amazingly fast. Thinking back on it, I was lucky I didn’t hurt myself on that old H with all the things I did with it. I used to take it out on the horse trails and go all over the place with it.
I would never buy one now to use for any sort of work. They are more pieces of history from a bygone era. All the H’s, M’s, A’s, B’s, and C’s I see these days are restored and put on display.
The last time I saw one used for work on a horse farm, it was a dedicated tractor who’s only job was pulling a manure spreader.
They did have PTO shafts in the back, but their overall use was limited due to the lack of any three point hitch and live hydraulics.
Some of those old tractors were modified to have three point hitches and live hydraulics installed.
But like Clanter said, their are better more modern old tractors that can be found for not a lot of money. that would probably be a better choice as a working farm tractor.
I think the main concern is that the old tripod (three wheel design), is just not a safe as a tractor with four wheels.
Fun comments. Like I said these are usually only of value to collectors. They can be had cheap in good working condition.
As per the OP “Also, it’s the wide front model”
I wouldn’t touch one with the narrow front wheels. For the reasons you gave and more.
This isn’t a tripod, it has the wide front tires, also has a three point hitch, and live hydraulics. I’ll have an indoor arena to maintain and a few acres that I’ll be seeding to pasture grass.
I’m not as familiar with the later model Farmall’s as I am with the early ones.
If the tractor has the ability to attach modern implements, then maybe it will meet your need’s?
The last tractors I ran as a farm manager were all modern New Holland’s and Kubota’s that we regularly used as/with backhoes, hay wagon pullers, manure spreaders, post hole diggers, loaders, mowers, york rakes, tedders, hay rakes, balers, and drags.
I think if the tractor is essentially a free tractor that comes with the purchase of a farm property, then it’s a free tractor. But if the purchase price of the property is in any way is adjusted so you are paying for the tractor, the real question is how much are you paying for the tractor?
Over the long term, any money that may be spent buying the M, might be money better spent on a more modern and more capable tractor, that will have a greater capacity to be used for other things, should the need ever arise for new uses in the future.
1 Like
Remember you said this, and in a few years you can look back and laugh about it. You will use the bucket for all sorts of things!
3 Likes
I thought of that as soon as I hit “post reply.” 
Speaking as someone with a Massey Ferguson from 1947, another from 1952, (both of which have 3 pt hitches and live pto’s) and one with all the bells and whistles from 2015,old tractors can have their places.
Ours do the heavy, rough work: brush hogging the stony fields, manure spreading, yanking down hung trees (you Have to know what you are doing or you will get killed), spraying, seeding, etc. But two is overkill, we have two because of an irrelevant story about a deal. The one with the hydraulics and the backhoe: does all that fiddly stuff you always need to do, most recently uncovering an entire septic field.
The real problem with the old tractors is that you better like problem solving on old machinery, a lot!! And the shop won’t help. And don’t expect to sell it for anything at all.
Assuming the M is a gas engine, the Farmall is a great tractor for a noob to learn about basic tractor mechanicals and machinery repair.
Days of by-gone technology like carburetors, distributors, magnetos. Just make sure you have a well-stocked tool box.
1 Like
the property sellers have some value in their mind as to the worth of the equipment, my son just bought a farm in Pennsylvania where the septic system would not pass inspection, estimate repair cost by the inspector was $20,000. The sellers would not do the repair. Our son negotiated a piece of equipment the sellers were trying to sell him for $18,000 into the deal telling them if they were to include this sell then he would be responsible for the septic replacement. They agreed and he put $20k into escrow so the closing could proceed.
After the closing he brought in the local septic guy who looked at the system telling him the “real” problem is the tank has the wrong lid on it that is allowing ground water to fill the tank… repair was $250.
The seller had in their mind that this tractor was worth $18,000
After several months of pricing property all over Iowa I’m pretty confident that we got a good deal on this place, under what the comps suggested it was worth. We’re happy with the deal. So far. One inspection is still pending.
1 Like
It is, the diesel model is MD.
Old tractors, cars are pretty easy to work on. Pretty straight forward “analog” engineering. Tractors back in the day were designed and built so owners could work on them. Dealer/repair shops were far and few. Farmers demanded/expected this.
Because these old tractors are fun relatively inexpensive projects. Hobby collecting is popular as are tractor show to take them to. Parts are not hard to find. The internet makes it real easy to find parts. And there are lots of Utube vids to be had to troubleshoot and or fix.
1 Like
First of all, congratulations on your new property!
I’m going to be more positive about your tractor. Having had multiple old ones, they all have their attributes. The newer ones are more user friendly, but this will be a great workhorse for you. And you will have all the attachments.
You won’t have down pressure on the loader. For what you are doing it probably won’t matter. Think of the down pressure as being able to lift up the front end of the tractor using the bucket. So, if you got stuck in the snow or mud it might help you by lifting the front end and help get you out. I know there are greater tractor minds on here that might be able to explain it better, but that is one way to think about it.
Like Gumtree said, with the internet, you can find anything you need for working on them.
1 Like
Congrats on your new farm! The md is a work horse and will satisfy most of your needs. My grandfather sold international harvestor/farmall and my dad often restores the tractors sold in the 1930-60 eras. The md was always the favorite of the bunch.
