TractorTucker
Member
The tractor was originally an all fuel tractor and the small tank was for gasoline to start the engine on then switch to cheap fuel in the big tank.
Athol Carr
Member
- Location
- Christchurch, New Zealand
All Fuel is a John Deere term. The tractor was designed to burn kerosene or distillate (3 different heads with different compression ratios for gasoline, distillate or kerosene) There would also be a shutter on the radiator. My July 1941 W-4 is WBH 2381
used red MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Coon Rapids, MN
Hello Joe welcome to YT! It appears to be a 1941,
see link. Just run gasoline to much of a headache to
try and run the other stuff.
YT McCormick Deering serial numbers IDs
see link. Just run gasoline to much of a headache to
try and run the other stuff.
YT McCormick Deering serial numbers IDs
Janicholson
Well-known Member
- Location
- Central MN St. Cloud
The cheap fuel was called Distillate. When processing crude oil in the early to mid 1900s, the process was mostly heating it and separating light medium and heavy hydrocarbon chains. The
lower side of the medium group consisted of a kerosene like sludgy compound that was heavier than gasoline, and not terribly rich in energy. it burns, but requires heat to make it vaporize
enough to ignite with a spark plug. This fuel was cheap only because it was difficult to break down into more valuable liquids like gasoline and diesel/kerosene. There was no high
technology pressurized catalytic cracking to make that happen. Thus it was cheap and plentiful. It was sold to farmers because they could keep the engines using it hot enough to stay
operational by using shutters on the radiators, and hot intake manifolds. The tractors would not even begin to start on distillate unless just shut off after being well warmed up. The
octane rating of the distillate was in the area of 35 to 40. This was so low that low compression engines ~ 4:1 ratio were required to keep from detonating (knocking) to self destruction.
The key was cheap. The advent of catalyst based cracking of crude made gasoline and diesel fuel easily, and so the distillate was eliminated for the far more powerful (and better profit
from) gasoline/diesel. Diesel is more expensive today because it is still a bit harder to distill out of the crude than gasoline, and is being competed with by kerosene and Jet grade
fuels. There is no distillate available. A rather poor substitute can be made by mixing gasoline and diesel, but it is not the same, and is only done to prove the tractor will run on it.
Useless. Running a distillate engine requires starting it on regular gasoline and running it long enough to warm it to a high operating temp, then switching to distillate. The engines
smoked pretty radically, and fouled plugs every week, requiring a plug cleaner at the farm. They also condensed distillate on cylinder walls that ran down beside the pistons and
contaminated the engine oil with the fuel. So much so that the tractor oil was drained of a quart or so of contaminated oil each day of operation, and topped off with a fresh quart of new
engine oil. So there you have it. Run it on gasoline. If it needs an overhaul (and it may have been done already) put a gasoline only head on it, and higher compression pistons to make a
real tractor out of it. Unless you want to keep it as original as possible. The original intake manifolds are difficult to find, and pricy. not so the gasoline manifolds. Jim
lower side of the medium group consisted of a kerosene like sludgy compound that was heavier than gasoline, and not terribly rich in energy. it burns, but requires heat to make it vaporize
enough to ignite with a spark plug. This fuel was cheap only because it was difficult to break down into more valuable liquids like gasoline and diesel/kerosene. There was no high
technology pressurized catalytic cracking to make that happen. Thus it was cheap and plentiful. It was sold to farmers because they could keep the engines using it hot enough to stay
operational by using shutters on the radiators, and hot intake manifolds. The tractors would not even begin to start on distillate unless just shut off after being well warmed up. The
octane rating of the distillate was in the area of 35 to 40. This was so low that low compression engines ~ 4:1 ratio were required to keep from detonating (knocking) to self destruction.
The key was cheap. The advent of catalyst based cracking of crude made gasoline and diesel fuel easily, and so the distillate was eliminated for the far more powerful (and better profit
from) gasoline/diesel. Diesel is more expensive today because it is still a bit harder to distill out of the crude than gasoline, and is being competed with by kerosene and Jet grade
fuels. There is no distillate available. A rather poor substitute can be made by mixing gasoline and diesel, but it is not the same, and is only done to prove the tractor will run on it.
Useless. Running a distillate engine requires starting it on regular gasoline and running it long enough to warm it to a high operating temp, then switching to distillate. The engines
smoked pretty radically, and fouled plugs every week, requiring a plug cleaner at the farm. They also condensed distillate on cylinder walls that ran down beside the pistons and
contaminated the engine oil with the fuel. So much so that the tractor oil was drained of a quart or so of contaminated oil each day of operation, and topped off with a fresh quart of new
engine oil. So there you have it. Run it on gasoline. If it needs an overhaul (and it may have been done already) put a gasoline only head on it, and higher compression pistons to make a
real tractor out of it. Unless you want to keep it as original as possible. The original intake manifolds are difficult to find, and pricy. not so the gasoline manifolds. Jim
Athol Carr
Member
- Location
- Christchurch, New Zealand
From Wisconsin Historical Society records, (all '4' series tractors use same series of Serial Numbers) Built October 1941 s/ns 3134 to 3455.
MJ in the UK
Member
As you can see by the above serial numbers the W4 tractors were like most IH models and started at 501 serial number. A lot of early W4s came to the UK including 503,504,536,537,538 768 and 769. These are all tractors in presevation here in the UK. MJ.
Draining a quart off is why there are two petcocks on the side of the oil pans on letter series IH tractors. When running a kerosene or distillate tractor the first thing you did in the morning was drain the light non-combusted oil that has floated to the top of the crankcase. Open both petcocks to facilitate draining. When oil stops draining out of the bottom petcock, close it and pour fresh oil into the top fill opening until oil starts to drip out of the top petcock. Close it & go to work.
A little more information. Serial numbers for Farmall H's began with the prefix "FBH" while the W-4's, that used the same engine as an H used the prefix WBH. The W = Wheatland model (as in W-6 & W-9).
In reference to the process described above, it was probably more economical to stamp all oil pans with two holes for the same engine blocks that were the same for kerosene, gas and distillate engines, subsequently all pans had two holes stamped, but gas engine pans sometimes had a pipe plug in the bottom hole instead of a petcock.
In reference to the process described above, it was probably more economical to stamp all oil pans with two holes for the same engine blocks that were the same for kerosene, gas and distillate engines, subsequently all pans had two holes stamped, but gas engine pans sometimes had a pipe plug in the bottom hole instead of a petcock.
Athol Carr
Member
- Location
- Christchurch, New Zealand
W=Wheel NOT "Wheatland", T-6 was TracTracTor
My understanding is V = Vineyard (Row crop design for tallervrow crops,as HV), W = Wheatland, I = Industrial, O = Orchard & R = Ricefield as to what market area the tractor was originally designed to target. Generally, the non-row crop tractors in the letter series are one basic design with specific features that made it adaptable to a special purpose. Allis Chalmers even made a "Beach Master" modification of one of its industrial models in the late '60's or early '70's designed to clean debris from ocean and lake beaches. They are vary rare with only one known to have survived the harsh environment they had to work in.
Athol Carr
Member
- Location
- Christchurch, New Zealand
That W = Wheatland might have been the convention in the late 1950s and 1960s but in the 1930s and 1940s when these tractors were built W implied "Wheel" farm tractor, Farmall was row-crop and T was TracTracTor (crawler). The O and I designations were for Orchard and Industrial.
The Fairway-12 was an O-12 with I-12 brakes and numbered with the O-12 tractors. As and aside, in 1936 they produced the Modified O-12 with bigger front wheels, bigger tyres on the back and an over-centre hand clutch and foot brakes instead of the foot clutch and hand brakes. The seat also changed.
The Fairway-12 was an O-12 with I-12 brakes and numbered with the O-12 tractors. As and aside, in 1936 they produced the Modified O-12 with bigger front wheels, bigger tyres on the back and an over-centre hand clutch and foot brakes instead of the foot clutch and hand brakes. The seat also changed.
Thank you Athol Carr!, as said "W" is for Wheel. F for Farmall. V stood for Vegetables, not vineyard. I know the replies already coming, Farmall's have tires. If one does enough digging, the info is out there. The first time IH put the word "Wheatland" was on an Utility 350 tractor that was made from 56 to 58. So how does one apply that name to a tractor that came out in 1940? The IH 560/660 do not have that name applied to them or written in IH sales literature either. There is a 460 Wheatland/Utility tractor. The 350/460 was a sales marketing way to sell more tractors with name applied to them. Then on 06/26/56 series of tractors, a true "Wheatland" didn't get a t/a, pto & a single remote. These items were not "deleted" as people like to call it. They were not installed as they were options. Either customer would choose what they wanted on their tractor, or if dealer was ordering a tractor they picked the items they wanted installed. If a person is "deleting" a part that's after the factory. Deleting something is removing it, factories don't put a part on then take it off.
BarnyardEngineering
Well-known Member
- Location
- Rochester, NY
Yup, Farmalls have WHEELS too, and so do the tracked machines.
The W machines were primarily used in the wide open grain growing areas of North America, the WHEATLANDS because at the time their primary crop was WHEAT.
I think that's where the disconnect comes from. "Wheel" makes ZERO sense.
The W machines were primarily used in the wide open grain growing areas of North America, the WHEATLANDS because at the time their primary crop was WHEAT.
I think that's where the disconnect comes from. "Wheel" makes ZERO sense.
mccormicksw4
Member
its Wheel , it applies to the Industrials as well, nothing to do with Wheat
Athol Carr
Member
- Location
- Christchurch, New Zealand
Thank you
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