Distillate Farmall Super MTA Question

[KenJDG]

A fellow tractor collector has a Farmall Super MTA Distillate tractor. SN 66398 AS.
A couple of questions.
I have found past forums stating production levels of 26,924. I was looking for information on how many distillate SMTA were built. Any ideas or a resource of where we could look?
ALSO, the grill and lower panel of the hood is painted white. We were told that dealers did this to the demonstration tractors. Any thoughts?

 

[rustred]

the super MTA tractor was only built in 1954. i have not seen a distillate unit that new, maybe i am wrong. i thought by the 50's distillate tractors were pretty much obsolete. i also thought demonstrator tractors where all white. many did paint their tractors with the white to make them look like the 50 series model. be interesting to see this tractor.

 

[used red MN]

@rustred you could get a distillate 450. I think that is when they were discontinued. In the link Select engine and diagram 040 manifolds, the distillate manifold is shown. Did not look to see if the shutters were available. IH F450 parts catalog
Ken JDG, welcome to YT! always looking for “me pot’o’gold”? Should have bought a green tractor if you want someone to pay big bucks for a rare one. Maybe you have a green one by your user name. I can’t help you with that quest, maybe someone will chime in with some details, if anyone knows it would be member D Slater. He might not check in until Monday morning.

 

[Janicholson]

A fellow tractor collector has a Farmall Super MTA Distillate tractor. SN 66398 AS.
A couple of questions.
I have found past forums stating production levels of 26,924. I was looking for information on how many distillate SMTA were built. Any ideas or a resource of where we could look?
ALSO, the grill and lower panel of the hood is painted white. We were told that dealers did this to the demonstration tractors. Any thoughts?

Used Red is correct. Though rare, even 450s could be ordered in distillate. The white paint was used to mimic the 350 and 450 white panels to make them appear more current. Though not at all correct or more valuable. The paint might even have been put on at a dealership. Jim

 

[wh]

Not sure how many were made but we had one. Got it around 1960. Traded it in in 77 On a mf275. Wish we still had it. It ran on distillate until around 74 when we could no longer get it. Just went to gas with no ill effects. Remember it did love to drink. Fill in the morning, noon and before dark if we were running very long after dark.

 

[rustred]

Used Red is correct. Though rare, even 450s could be ordered in distillate. The white paint was used to mimic the 350 and 450 white panels to make them appear more current. Though not at all correct or more valuable. The paint might even have been put on at a dealership. Jim

seams crazy to me, as just buy the diesel model. the distillate engines are all worn out due to oil thinning from that distillate. it was more of the 1930's thing. i have a 1949 w6 here that was distillate that the neighbor owned. it has the little starting tank on it. them old john deere D's were distillate runners and even had a water injection tap on the block. so if a person found a real distillate tractor in 1957 like the 450 i would say ya its rare.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

A fellow tractor collector has a Farmall Super MTA Distillate tractor. SN 66398 AS.
A couple of questions.
I have found past forums stating production levels of 26,924. I was looking for information on how many distillate SMTA were built. Any ideas or a resource of where we could look?
ALSO, the grill and lower panel of the hood is painted white. We were told that dealers did this to the demonstration tractors. Any thoughts?

The only "white demonstrator" tractors were SOME of the Cub, Super A, and C, tractors built in the first quarter of 1950. Most production tractors came off the line in their normal red color, and most white tractors got repainted completely red when the program was over.

Legend has it that some dealers would paint white panels on the older tractors to make them look like the new 350/450 tractors. The 130/230/350/450 tractors were supposed to have white accents.