To Super M,or to NOT Super M????

[mike1972chev]

OK,I thought I would get some input here from my Farmall Crowd. As some may remember,I acquired a 1952 Super M stage 1 a few years back. I bought it at our local junk yard when steel prices were A LOT higher. They kept threatening with "We are gonna have it smelted down if someone doesn't buy it !!!" And I am not one to let these get "murdered" so it ended up with me. I figured it could be good parts for my 1953 Super M Stage 2 if needing gears,axles,ect...But it could be a tractor as well?? I am now again trying to decide what to do with it???

Bad points:
This thing has been fully picked over at the yard. Missing: front wheels/hubs,rear tires and rims are shot ,seat,seat support,battery box,starter,distributor,carb, U bar and supports,throttle lever,all control rods,brake linkage,radiator has a chunk out of it,exhaust/intake is busted apart(I am thinking the latter two is the reason it was junked???)And the engine is frozen and I blew out cylinders and oiled with trans fluid when I got it(still soaking)

Good points:
The engine is a 281 off of a 450 Farmall,

Has all of the sheet metal,grill is in pretty good shape.(Someone cut the hood for alternator,but it is all still there to be welded back. ) fuel tank ,Air cleaner
front bolster,steering shaft

The belly pump is good and a bit rare to these Super Ms because of the bigger clutch.

PTO is still there

Unknown at this point:

Engine bock(COULD be busted??)

Final drive/gear case condition.(Will have to open it up)

Clutch,pressure plate,Brakes

So,the age old questions:

#1 Do I really need to invest 3 -4 times the money in something than it will ever be worth? Even if the engine and rear end/transmission are good,it is still an extreme amount to invest to end up having 2 Super Ms.

#2 This IS the year 2020. I have a fairly big place to tend to. I use my current 1953 Super M quite a bit,but should I consider a bigger tractor and get over the idea of doing another Super M?(Was thinking an 806 gas if I could ever find a decent one???)

#3 Or,just maybe do a bare bones Super M with zero bells/whistles? I thought of just building it like a puller with stamped steel wheels(I have a set of M&W 9 bolt rear hubs) I would STILL have a ton in an engine rebuild,but I have a few extra parts for these,but still would have to buy a lot more stuff.

#4 Or,just let this one be a parts source like it was originally thought as when I got it?

 

[Ken Loewenhagen]

I don't like to see old tractors scrapped but, I would have left that one where you found it.

 

[tmunday]

If you have space keep it, you never know what you will need. If your like me I collect parts all the time. I have put several Ms back together this way. I can't see anything scrapped either, maybe that's why I have over 40 farmall's.

 

[NY 986]

I'd keep it. It was not that long ago that I saw the perfect donor for that tractor and the would be donor wound up selling for 500 dollars. You never know when the perfect solution for your tractor will pop up.

 

[Leroy]

I would say start with dissambling it and actually see the problems engine and rear end, find out what would be needed there, then get rid of all unusable parts, keeping all usuable parts and then decide. May find things better than you think or worse. If after dissemblying you find out it is not worth fixing you will still have usuable parts to sell.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Save for parts or part it out. Then find an 06,56,66 series tractor with a diesel. The 806 gas will pass everything but the fuel truck. Once into those models forget about a gasser. They will start in cold weather fine and with care will last a long long time. Much better hydraulics,power steering and Pto.

 

[jhncp]

Thank you for sharing you didn't let the super M get murdered. On a billboard on highway advertising for scrap yard by me they have price for scrap farm machinery with a picture of a Farmall 460. Makes no sense. Pictures of your M would have been extremely helpful. All depends on your ambition.

 

[Old weldor]

You have gone this far, you might as well save it as long as the block isn?t cracked or the transmission isn?t toast. The good thing the missing pieces are fairly cheap for this tractor.

 

[Old Farmall Fan]

I would go with door #2. Scrap this and put your money into a more modern tractor.

 

[mike1972chev]

here are the photos for those who were asking.....There is just A LOT of great stuff here even though it is a disaster . I have a newer grill.Anyone have a 560 front end,wheels/tires???

 

[John M]

Unless it had some sentimental value, I wouldn't have ever brought it home. The parts business, as far as Hs and Ms, and hundred series, is in the dumps right now and has been for sometime unless youre a big time dealer or seller on fleabay. Most sellers just cant make any money anymore. I sent over 40 tractors, plows,etc to the scrap yard a couple of months ago. Made more money doing that than I have in the last 5 years of selling parts. Granted most of the good stuff was gone, but still. There were several salvageable tractors but would require a lot of money to get back in working shape.

 

[mike1972chev]

Thanks for all who responded/still responding and helping to "get my head right" on the subject matters here. I think what I will start doing is first pull engine and get the head off of it,then just take a look inside the gear case. Worst case scenario is I have A LOT of great,useable parts that I paid premium scrap prices for a few years back. BEST case scenario,I find another M/Super M as a parts supply and get one tractor assembled,but I REALLY doubt I ever do this... :/ If I ever did build another,it would be a "Bare Bones" tractor built like a puller with nothing on it.I have access to a few engines. I could even repower it,but would love to have that 450 engine redone even more...

I just LOVE my 53 Super Stage 2,but how long can I still keep her going??? Who knows??