Service manuals

[ahhorner]

Just wanted to get everyone's opinion on the best service manual for their Super A. I picked up one from tractor supply, but it seemed like it was missing some stuff, so I picked up one that was blue and white (can't think of the name), but the ignition section didn't talk about a distributor ignition, just a magneto. Since the trend I'm on is picking up manuals that don't quite match what I have, I wanted to get peoples opinions on the better ones out there.

 

[John Deere D]

As per e-bay..........I have no connection with the below sale)

Vg McCormick Parts Catalog Farm Implements Farmall Super A Tractor extra Manual​

 

[rustred]

I really don’t know what all the hype is about manuals. Sure they are nice for spec’s and stuff. Very rarely I need to rely on a manual. I’m pretty much self taught and licenced and been working on engines and stuff from my early teens. It just takes me to look at things to get them apart. And to understand a Manual u must be mechanically inclined. A doctor won’t have a clue about anything in it , while I don’t have a clue what a doctor is doing half the time, well maybe a quarter of the time. In other words that’s why there is qualified trades people for specific jobs. And the ones that do the job on their own good for you all. I don’t know why u need a manual to work on a distributor, nor would a manual cover it . Unless u get into the repair manuals for each item , like carbs , injection pumps, hyd pump, magneto,s and such. That is a whole different deal.

 

[ahhorner]

I really don’t know what all the hype is about manuals. Sure they are nice for spec’s and stuff. Very rarely I need to rely on a manual. I’m pretty much self taught and licenced and been working on engines and stuff from my early teens. It just takes me to look at things to get them apart. And to understand a Manual u must be mechanically inclined. A doctor won’t have a clue about anything in it , while I don’t have a clue what a doctor is doing half the time, well maybe a quarter of the time. In other words that’s why there is qualified trades people for specific jobs. And the ones that do the job on their own good for you all. I don’t know why u need a manual to work on a distributor, nor would a manual cover it . Unless u get into the repair manuals for each item , like carbs , injection pumps, hyd pump, magneto,s and such. That is a whole different deal.

It's to provide a known good reference. If things are there that shouldn't be there or someone else tried to add wires to fix something that didn't fix a problem or did something wrong that caused a problem, knowing how it's supposed to be bring you back to the beginning.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Long story short, you're never going to find that "complete" manual. Manuals in that day and age (maybe even now) were written for professional mechanics, not someone still trying to figure out "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey." If there was something considered "common knowledge," it was not included in the manual. You were pretty much expected to remember how the tractor came apart, in order to put it back together. The manual will instruct you to remove the gizmo, for example, but it wouldn't tell you if there were three bolts holding it, or six. It was on the mechanic to know, be able to figure it out, or get that knowledge from a more experienced mechanic.

On the specific issue of the distributor, your manual only covers standard equipment. Prior to 1950, I think it was, the magneto was standard equipment. To get a distributor, the dealer had to install it, and there was a separate battery ignition manual.

Take a look at the back cover of the manual you have. At the bottom should be a number that's in the format of a date. Check that publication date on any manual you purchase. You want the newest versions possible, meaning the publication date should be as near the end of production for the model as possible, or even AFTER production has ended.

 

[grandpa Love]

I really don’t know what all the hype is about manuals. Sure they are nice for spec’s and stuff. Very rarely I need to rely on a manual. I’m pretty much self taught and licenced and been working on engines and stuff from my early teens. It just takes me to look at things to get them apart. And to understand a Manual u must be mechanically inclined. A doctor won’t have a clue about anything in it , while I don’t have a clue what a doctor is doing half the time, well maybe a quarter of the time. In other words that’s why there is qualified trades people for specific jobs. And the ones that do the job on their own good for you all. I don’t know why u need a manual to work on a distributor, nor would a manual cover it . Unless u get into the repair manuals for each item , like carbs , injection pumps, hyd pump, magneto,s and such. That is a whole different deal.

Rust.....I agree,I had a terrible issue collecting manuals, at one point had stacks of them. Bought one ( or two or three) for every tractor or piece of equipment. Final realized,with help from my wife,I really didn't need them. The only useful manual is a parts catalog showing everything in "exploded" view.

 

[560Dennis]

A good set of reprinted factory service manuals is the best thing a new to that tractor owner can do.
The best place as mentioned is eBay’s, but there may be other places that offer them .
yt has them here a link to look over

https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/IH_SUPAAV_OP_8601.htm

 

[Charlie M]

I rely on an I&T manual and the parts manual for the work I do on my old tractors. I'm not a mechanic by any definition but I do know how to work a wrench and get things apart. An I&T manual isn't designed to train a mechanic - its designed to aid a mechanic that may not be that familiar with the machine he is working on. The parts manual is handy many times to see what all the parts are going to be before taking it apart and have a number when you need to purchase a part. I can see someone with a life time of being a mechanic on the old tractors wouldn't need a manual but the rest of need something helpful.

 

[Jim Becker]

I have always found the Parts Catalog to be as useful as anything for doing repair work. There are exploded views of the entire tractor. Seeing how they fit together is a good guide to the order you take them apart. Beyond that, about all you need is the tune-up specs. Back in the day, the owner was expected to do basic tune-ups and minor repairs. So the Owner's Manual has all that information, including point and plug gaps, valve adjustment, clutch free play, etc. It also has nearly any owner-level step-by-step that has been written, such as setting timing. If you don't have the Owner's Manual, you should hang your head in shame, go get one, and read it cover to cover before looking for more manuals. By the way, both the Parts Catalog and Owner's Manual have wiring diagrams.

The I&T (also called Intertec) manuals were designed for repair shops (that typically didn't have every Owner's Manual). They include tune-up specs and a few specific procedures that would be beyond what an owner would typically do. The I&T that covers the Super A (IH-8) covers 26 models/variants in a total of 88 pages. Don't expect much detail on each one!

There is a good IH service manual that covers the engine (along with the C-123, C-135, and a few others). The usual sources (here, Binder Books, etc.) may have it. You may find a scan of it online.

 

[rustred]

Rust.....I agree,I had a terrible issue collecting manuals, at one point had stacks of them. Bought one ( or two or three) for every tractor or piece of equipment. Final realized,with help from my wife,I really didn't need them. The only useful manual is a parts catalog showing everything in "exploded" view.

its nice to have wife with a photographic memory !

 

[rustred]

So with all this manual talk how come there is so many stuck engines from sitting ???. It has been stated in manuals many times when storing a tractor remove the plugs and squirt some oil into each cylinder turn it over and let it sit. I sure didn’t need a manual to know that. Plus keep the muffler covered at all times when not in use. It’s just a common sense thing. I was in my 20’s when the neighbour asked me to replace the clutch in his 4020 j d. Did the job and did not look in a manual. It’s all common sense. Replaced the crank in another nieghbors truck here when I was in my 20’s. He was hauling grain and broke the crank. Replaced the crank and plastigauge all the brgs and and that truck ran for years till he sold it on auction. Big ford gas engine don’t even remember the size probably over 500 cid. He used to brag. To me yes that truck is still running u repaired. Then another farther away guy with his Louisville I did an engine job on it also. I never looked in manuals. All I needed was torque spec’s , to me people needing a manual by there side I don’t trust working on my stuff as it would go. Them manuals are for farmers when they buy a tractor so they have a reference. I am not saying manuals are bad but geez it’s not something u must depend on other than to have some spec’s to go by. But what ever blows up ur dress.