[AT] 1950 tractor and such

[Dean Vinson]

Hi Roy.  Welcome to the list, and have fun with that W-4.  For IH manuals, I
don't think you can go wrong with www.binderbooks.com.  You can also often
find good original manuals on eBay, although I don't see them for the W-4 or
W-6 as often as for the H or M.

"Restoration has been started" seems a pretty vague description indeed.
I've spent, ahem, more than the tractor is worth on assorted little parts
and odds and ends for my Farmall M, all without so much as looking inside
the engine.  It runs well but has some uneven compression numbers and some
smoky blowby out of the crankcase breather tube so I think of the tractor as
"cleaned up" rather than "restored."

One note on the puddle of oil under the hydraulic cylinders:  I think
there's some law of physics that keeps the quantity of oil dripping from an
old machine pretty constant, so you risk creating another drip if you fix
that one.  I thought my garage floor would stay dry after I replaced the oil
seals on the PTO shaft and brakes on my M, but then the oil pan and real
axle seals started leaking.  I put in a new oil pan gasket a few months ago
but now the hydraulic valve is leaking, and maybe also a few drops from the
belt pulley drive.  Sneaky little devils.

Dean Vinson
Dayton, Ohio
www.vinsonfarm.net


-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Roy Morgan
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 1:52 PM

...
Thanks.  I"m sure I'll learn a lot here.  The "new" tractor is a McCormick
1950 W-4 model.  The owner says "restoration has been started" but I don't
know yet what that means.  I do know there is some work to do - a big hint
is the puddle of oil under the plow hydraulic cylinders!  Eventually, I'll
fix most of the things wrong with it.

It's quite likely I'll simply get and keep it running till next Spring, what
with all the other urgent things to do at a new place and the need to have
at least a rudimentary plow for the New York snows.

It was interesting to run into a neighbor two days ago as he was turning hay
in a small field near the kids' bus stop with a 1944 H-4 model.  Same
tractor, pretty much, he told me.  (His is the same age as I am - pretty
ancient and still going strong!)

Can you recommend a source of manuals for these old machines?

Roy

Roy Morgan
k1lky at earthlink.net
Lovettsville, VA 20180