[Farmall] lets talk Farmalls

[Greg Hass]

Just a little follow-up to Larry Hardesty's letter...

Basically everything he has said is correct, however I will add just a 
little more.  For years, my brother, my dad and I shared machinery.  During 
that time we owned a Super C, a Farmall 340, and two International 350s 
(International version of the Farmall) among others.  Your assumption was 
correct.  A 240 is an upgrade of a Super C.  The father of a guy I went to 
school with owned a 240.  Unfortunately, at least in our area, 240s were 
given a bad rap as both the dealer and literature promoted them as a 2-3 
bottom plow tractor.  As anyone who has owned a Super C knows, they are 
strictly a 2-plow and then only for 12" bottoms, which is what my dad 
pulled with his Super C.  Adequately powered, there is no way it would have 
handled 3 bottoms.  So obviously a 240 (which was basically the same thing) 
was overstated when it was called a 2-3 bottom plow tractor.  Although we 
found the hydraulics on both to be of adequate speed, they did have less 
pressure because a couple of implements we tried to move with them would 
not lift with the 240 and we were forced to put a newer tractor with higher 
pressure hydraulics on in order to lift those implements.

And, yes, there is quite a difference between a Super C and a 340.   As far 
as an all-around utility tractor of a little heavier duty, an International 
300 is basically an older model of a 340.  I personally like the looks of a 
340 better.  A 350 makes an excellent utility tractor, as we have owned 
2.  It is about 5HP stronger than a 340, about equal to a Farmall 
M.  However, the 350 has a much more heavily built engine than a 340.  A 
460 is approximately equal to a Super M.  However, they have 6-cylinder 
engines, making them considerably longer than the other models we have been 
talking about and thus more clumsy.  This makes them less desirable as an 
all-around utility tractor.  All of our tractors saw heavy duty farming 
work, not hobby use.  Unfortunately, none of our tractors had power 
steering and I can speak from experience that it is a highly desirable 
feature to have!

Greg Hass