[Farmall] F-20 at work

[Karl Olmstead]

I took that '34 F-20 that I bought from Bob Currie out for some serious work 
yesterday.  I'm clearing space for another metal building, this time 40x60', 
just for old tractor storage.  I used more modern equipment to pull the 
creosote bushes and weeds, but the F-20 was just perfect for pulling my 350 
pound, eight foot hunk of I-beam.  Smoothes out the sand quite nicely.

The old tractor loved the work.  I did quite a bit of tinkering with the 
mixture while I pulled, but the tractor seemed happy to pull regardless of 
whether the mixture screw was open one turn or three.  Spark advance had 
more effect than carburetion.

I found the 'plow gear'; it was third.  You can always tell the 'plow gear'; 
that's the one with all the transmission howl.  Lotsa hours on those old 
gears!

I'm thinking that I need to get serious about brake and cable adjustment; 
with a load on, you really need differential steering, and it is only 
available from the steering wheel on early F-20s; they didn't have two brake 
levers.  If the steering braking is set up right, it'll help you turn. 
Otherwise, you pretty much go wherever the load takes you.  In sand, at 
least, the front wheels don't have much steering authority.

So now the tractor's all dusty, but running great.  And I'm smiling a big, 
sandy grin!

Can't wait to get the '36 F-20 running; it has high altitude pistons.  Ought 
to have even more grunt.  Yet another Zenith K-5 to rebuild...

-Karl