Farmall H

[Ken Wagner]

I have an opportunity to purchase a Farmall H that runs fairly well and would be a fun restore project along withn the fact that the price is right. My long term goals would be to find a front end loader and use the tractor to remove snow, move dirt around with, etc. Is this the right tractor for the job or should I be looking for something else? Thanks

 

[tractorsam]

H's are great tractors and there are lots of them still about (read good parts availability). However they aren't the worlds greatest loader tractor. Not saying it can't be done, but they weren't really meant for one. No power steering or live hydraulics although many of these things can be added. It'd probably make a great project as they are fairly common and simple and can also be a great working tractor, you just need to keep in mind what it was designed for. I'd go for it if the price is right and it's local. You could always sell it if you find something better. Hope this helps, tractorsam

 

[Allan in NE]

I've got a loader on my H. Little stinker really works great.

Allan

 

[Dave H (MI)]

Wow. That is a great picture. I guess there must be some modifications on that tractor to give it the two way hydraulics? Or do that bale come down life the wrath of God when you tell it go??? I'm just going to say that I would prefer NOT to be the guy who has to operate that thing moving those round bales. Center of gravity looks like it is about at the top of the muffler. Might be a tich tippy unless you got a lot of weight down low.

 

[Allan in NE]

It's a pretty good little outfit. Feels kinda like a "small 560".

'Course, I've got quite a little tied up in it too. Live hydraulics, power steering and that Schwartz wide front. 2 sets of wheel weights, fluid in the tires and a set of truss rods.

Naw, that's a Farmhand loader. Center of gravity is right under yer zipper. :>)

Allan

 

[Andrew Z]

I have good luck with my H with a loader, I run 2000lbs of weight in the rear. And you want to make sure that you have good front tires, with atlest 6 or 8 plys. thats been my experence with it, but good size tractor with it being big enough to really "do" some serioius loader work, good on fuel, parts are everywhere.

this is my 46 H with a stan hoist loader

Andrew

 

[grantll]

Thanks for all the "H" pictures. I have a 1944 that was my Dad's and I think it is great

 

[Steven f/AZ]

An H is a good tractor for a small loader for little jobs... not something I'd want to feed big round bales with every day, but it could still be done.

Power steering and live hydraulics can be added... not just factory-type, if you can be a little creative. I've got belt drive, I've seen chain drive and also a shaft drive through the bolster...

 

[GordoSD]

You might want to talk to some cattlemen re stacking bales side to side vs end to end.

Gordo

 

[Allan in NE]

Why would I want to do that?

Allan

 

[Andy Motteberg]

An H will do the job!

 

[Dave H (MI)]

Excellent pictures, Allan. Thanks for posting them! ALmost makes me want to bring one of those home for my next project...well, it DOES make me want to. Wife would kill me, of course. One look at that loader and she would start shopping for a black dress. She worries about the chuck holes as it is. Need to find a set of those chains too.

 

[LenNH]

I can't speak for the H as to loaders and snowplows, but I CAN suggest that a Super H would give you live hydraulics, which would save you having to rig up all those things that have to hang out. The S-H has more power, slightly higher gearing--especially useful in fourth for moving around without going into road gear, which is just too fast for the kinds of "roads" that go through farms. Besides, 5th gear on H and SH is so fast that there is almost no torque when you throttle down to pull a wagon or trailer over a rough gravel road or a farm trail.
I've used Hs and Super Ms a lot for "utility work," like trimming fence rows with a sickle-bar and pulling a bushhog through meadows or along fence rows. I love both of them, for different reasons (The H is light enough and agile enough to be easy to whip around in tight places, and the S-M makes a little squirt like me feel about 7 ft tall--ah, that sound when it's pulling its heart out!). But....recently I needed a tractor to keep an 8-acre field trimmed down when the grass and weeds get higher than I like, and I found a little Ford (gasp! it's not red!) utility tractor that is infinitely easier to get on and off of than one of the old tall tractors, and it is short and can be turned on a dime. Since it's much newer than an H, it has a nice 10-speed transmission, which gives you lots of choices when you're working--you can choose a speed that will let the tractor pull the mower through heavy going, or you can slow down in a rough field and still keep your engine speed up.
I've also used a Ford 2N for this kind of work, and I have similar comments about the ease of getting on and off and the agility in tight places. The older Ford is pretty primitive in some ways (only TWO field speeds + a road gear), but I did learn to love the 3-point hitch. It's quick to hook up, and the lift control works in both directions--set it and forget it. The original hydraulics on the H and M are pretty primitive, as I remember.
There are a lot of low-slung utility tractors out there, made by most if not all the major manufacturers. If you're not after the "charm" of the old stuff, then I suggest one of these kinds of tractors. Well, don't get me wrong. If I thought I could afford--and find some use for--an H or M, I'd get one in a minute. First drove an H in 1943 when I was about 12 years old and was enthralled. I had "fallen" for these beauties in a dealer's showroom when they came out in 1939. Eventually, my father bought two of them in sequence. I had often used a rubber-tired F-20 for the heavy tillage, and was disappointed in the lack of torque of the H engine. It was, after all, a lot smaller than the F-20 engine. The older tractor was designed to have enough engine power to pull two 14" plows on steel (much power wasted through the lugs). When the F-20 was converted to rubber and a lot of the engine power was put to the ground, it became a real charging bull, and would work rings around the H. But it was a little like a rodeo bull to drive--uncomfortable seating and a very rough ride on that see-saw of a seat. The H, by comparison, was much more comfortable. Keep in mind that we're talking about a fairly civilized tractor FOR ITS DAY. There were drawbacks, like the engine that depended on speed for h.p. but didn't have much torque, and on a fairly-simple hydraulic system.