Farmall Super A

DeerMeadowFarm · October 17, 2016, 09:26:15 AM

I wasn't looking for another tractor. I happened upon CL and this ad had just been posted. I thought it was a misprint but replied anyway. As I expected no response....but later that night, there was one! Lady said she had a lot of responses but I was the first; could I come and get it the next day. The next morning, I showed my wife the ad and the response. She told me to reply and ask her to call the home phone to see if it was a scam or not. Less than a minute after I hit "send" the phone rang. It was the real deal. 1949 Farmall Super-A:

A woman owned it. She bought it from a guy who ran it in parades. She used it around her small horse farm to pull a trailer and a spreader. Her brother was there, visiting from Georgia. He said he used to tune it up for her each summer, but he had vascular disease and had lost a leg. He was in a wheel chair for 3 years and couldn't travel and even if her did he couldn't have worked on the tractor. One summer, it wouldn't start for her. She tried the basics, gave up and tarped it. She didn't want to see it rot away. She told me she had gotten 60 replies to her ad. Price? $100!

Ljohnsaw · October 17, 2016, 09:45:15 AM

Pretty sweet deal. But I would feel real bad giving her only $100. It's worth at least $300 ;) Neat looking tractor - funny how they are offset. I would worry about rolling one if you were the wrong way on a hill!

Jack S · October 17, 2016, 10:40:44 AM

You got yourself one nice little tractor. I grew up on a 1939 farmall A and had it from 1955 until into the 1990s. they were offset for one row cultivating with an attached name called cultivision. so simple and easy to work on also. We lived in hilly country and never felt that it was tippy from being off set. enjoy your new tractor Jack

sawguy21 · October 17, 2016, 12:06:46 PM

You bandit!!! I would have felt guilty. :D There are still many in use in our area, a lot of farms are less than a quarter section.

Roger2561 · October 17, 2016, 01:27:01 PM

Man, you stole that thing! The one my dad owned plowed many gardens and mowed many fields over the years. My uncle used to use it to plow the snow out of his drive way every year. We had a belt driven saw on the back to buck up the smaller stuff when we used to fell trees for firewood. I can still hear the ring of the blade as it spun. I agree, a very simple tractor to work on. Roger

DeerMeadowFarm · October 17, 2016, 01:29:02 PM

I just got off the phone with my brother-in-law. He has a cordwood saw that was made for the model A that he used to own. Told him I picked up the Super A and he told me I could have the saw!

Ox · October 17, 2016, 01:36:49 PM

You're a lucky sunuvagun. :laugh:

DeerMeadowFarm · October 17, 2016, 01:50:54 PM

Gotta get lucky once in a while!

sandhills · October 17, 2016, 02:56:48 PM

Have the police come to get you yet? I bet you sure are happy you called first eh? :D

DeerMeadowFarm · October 17, 2016, 03:16:51 PM

Quote from: sandhills on October 17, 2016, 02:56:48 PM
Have the police come to get you yet? I bet you sure are happy you called first eh? :D

I almost didn't reply at all.

loggah · October 18, 2016, 07:34:19 AM

Nice tractor !!! a friend of mine uses his every year pulling a tedder when hes haying,we also use it to run my Lane 24" lag belt planer with the rear belt pully. ;D

DeerMeadowFarm · October 18, 2016, 09:06:02 AM

I'm thinking of using mine to rake and tedder too.

Onthesauk · October 18, 2016, 12:55:19 PM

One just showed up on Craigslist this morning for $2,400, looks almost identical. You got an incredible deal!

Ox · October 19, 2016, 09:28:42 AM

I've raked a whack of hay using a Super A before pulling a Gehl side delivery rake. I remember thinking 3rd gear was too slow and it didn't have enough power to pull in 4th gear and it was frustrating when in a hurry. But if no hurry then it was enjoyable. Smooth running, quite transmission, surprisingly good ride for such a small machine. Neat little tractors.

Be sure to check the bull gears for good oil. A common place to cheat on maintenance.

chevytaHOE5674 · October 19, 2016, 10:37:16 AM

Not sure what I'd do with a tractor that small. But for 100 bucks I would have bought it in a heartbeat and found something for it to do, or resold it..

Ox · October 19, 2016, 10:40:59 AM

We also used it to move around empty wagons. Once I moved a loaded hay wagon with it. I won't do it again. It was almost out of control the whole time. Pucker factor is an understatement. Some guys around here hook up a Woods belly mower and mow their lawns and pastures with them.

DeerMeadowFarm · October 19, 2016, 10:52:33 AM

I'm thinking raking, teddering, cordwood saw, some sap collection, maybe take it in the woods when I go cutting but aren't skidding anything...

Of course, this all depends on if I can get it running again!

Ox · October 19, 2016, 11:08:46 AM

If she don't have no water got into her she'll run again. It's real hard to kill old Farmalls. One of the things I used to like to do was bringing old iron back to life again. You'd be surprised what will run! :D

DeerMeadowFarm · October 19, 2016, 11:14:57 AM

My father-in-law one set an old hit-and-miss engine on fire to free it up so if anyone can do it, he can. He is concerned though.... The woman told me it was under the barn overhang and under a tarp. The only water would be a driven rain or snow but my FIL thinks otherwise. The engine is stuck pretty good. I'm bringing a flexible scope over tonight to look into the cylinders. We'll see....fingers crossed!

Ox · October 19, 2016, 11:26:33 AM

Just put it in high gear and try to tow it a little bit. It won't hurt anything in the engine. Get a strap wrench and put on driven pulley to try to turn. Only time you can really hurt a stuck engine is by great big long cheater bars/pipes or by hammering. Putting a little kerosene/atf 50/50 mix down the spark plug holes will help a bit. I'll bet she ain't stuck too bad and just a little work and she'll be running again.

DeerMeadowFarm · October 19, 2016, 11:41:23 AM

We've used half a can of expanding (foaming) penetrating oil in each cylinder so far.... :(

Ox · October 19, 2016, 11:45:45 AM

I was trying to save you money with the quick, easy, cheap ways. I've never used what you mentioned but I know the 50/50 ATF and kerosene works great as a penetrating oil. Sometimes you need to take the head off and get inside the jugs to work on them. Sometimes you need heat. I hope water didn't get down the exhaust - that makes a big mess if it happened over and over again. I hope what you did works. How are you trying to spin the engine?

chevytaHOE5674 · October 19, 2016, 11:47:16 AM

All of my equipment is a little large for something that small. :D

If you want to wait a 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone or some Blue Creeper down each of the plug holes, then a socket and bar off the front crank pulley with a weight hanging on the end. Let it sit for a while and one day you will come out and the weight will be on the floor and she will be free.

If your in a hurry pull the spark plugs and the oil pan, get a piece of wood and start smacking the bottoms of the pistons until things start moving.

DeerMeadowFarm · October 19, 2016, 11:49:17 AM

The exhaust had a rain cap on it so I'm thinking that's good. We put 100 pounds of air in the cylinder and left it overnight. Also tried turning the pulleys.

Gearbox · October 19, 2016, 12:18:13 PM

Here is what I have done in the past on a very badly rusted LUC John Deere . Pulled the head cleaned the cylinders or rust as best I could then warmed the pistons with propane then cooled with penetrant and let sit over night and repeat . Lightly bump the pistons with a hammer handle or a block of wood . took a few days be for it started to move . I have also had ones that I had to push the liners out with the pistons in them . Good luck and do not get rough with it and break some thing else .