[Farmall] Winterizing Farmall H

[Mike Sloane]

I agree with Dean. The reason you need to partially block the flow is 
that, without it, your engine will not come up to proper operating 
temperature and run poorly. I have had good luck with placing an old 
piece of cloth in front of the grill and securing it temporarily with 
cheap magnets - the suction from the fan holds it in place while the 
engine is running. The older the rag the better, as the worn out 
material allows some air to get through. It may look funny, but it works.

If your tractor came to you with something like 30W non detergent oil, 
you might want to consider changing the oil and filter and putting in a 
multiweight detergent oil, something like 10W40. That will make starting 
in cold weather much easier, but still provide full lubrication as the 
engine warms up. On the down side, you will find that the oil does get 
"dirty" and will have to be changed, as the old non detergent oil leaves 
a LOT of dirt in the pan that the detergent oil will pick up and suspend 
and end up in the filter.

While it does get below freezing in MD, it rarely gets down to sub-zero 
temperatures, so you can probably get away with a lesser anti-freeze 
concentration than the usual 50/50 mix. But it won't hurt to use the 
regular mix.

If your tractor sits outside, put a plastic garbage bag over the seat - 
there is nothing quite like the feeling of sitting on a seat that has 
accumulated moisture, frozen, and then get thawed by your warm butt. :-0

Mike

Dean Vinson wrote:
> Hi Keith.  I'd say #1 make sure you have a good antifreeze mixture, and then
> #2 make sure you have a good battery and good (heavy) battery cables.
> 
> Only other thing that comes to mind is to put a piece of cardboard in front
> of the radiator, maybe 2/3 the radiator height, to help the engine warm up
> to normal operating temperature.  I have one like that on my M.  Spray
> painted it with some red primer and stuck it in there in between the
> radiator and the steering bolster, and it just sits there.  With the grille
> back on you can't hardly see it even if you know to look for it.
> 
> Dean Vinson
> Dayton, Ohio
> www.vinsonfarm.net 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: farmall-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
> [mailto:farmall-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of KEITH
> LIPSCOMB
> Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 11:09 PM
> To: farmall at lists.antique-tractor.com
> Subject: [Farmall] Winterizing Farmall H
> 
> I need some advice regarding winterizing my '48 Farmall H.  I purchased the
> tractor in the summer and am slowly working to restore it.  It runs fine, so
> that's not an issue.  However, I want it to run throughout the winter!  I
> live in Maryland, where temperatures will frequently drop below freezing
> during the Winter months.  
> 
> Keith