[AT] A Few Questions

[Mike Sloane]

I don't know much about Farmall A tractors, but there are muffler, and 
there are mufflers - some of the ones sold today are nothing but tin 
cans with pipes on both ends, while others have proper baffles that (if 
correctly arranged) do a pretty good job of quieting engine sound. If 
you have an OEM muffler that sounds loud, it may be that the baffles 
have simply eroded to nothing over the last 65 years.

As far as the surging, that suggests attention needs to be paid to the 
governor.

For the clutch adjustment and other similar issues, I always recommend 
that you go to Binder Books <www.binderbooks.com> and obtain a service 
manual for the tractor.

Mike

On 7/5/2011 9:52 AM, Ben Wagner wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> I've got a few questions concerning my 1945 Farmall A.  I just started it up
> for the first time in four months yesterday after a paint job.  I'll number
> the questions so that they are easier to reference.
>
> 1.  The tractor runs fabulously.  It starts right up, even after sitting for
> four months, and is the most dependable engine I could want in an old
> tractor.  My only objection is that the engine surges whenever I adjust the
> throttle, unless I slowly creep the throttle up or down.  The surging stops
> if I slow the engine down.  My other tractor, the 1948 Super A, will also
> surge but only when the choke is not adjusted at exactly 1/2 choke.  The
> 1945 A will not run well unless the choke is completely open.  Because the
> engine on the 1945 A runs so well, I hesitate to do any adjustments on the
> carb.  Does anyone have any advice?  I can live with the surging, even
> though it is a little irritating, but I would like to be able to advance the
> throttle without the concern of the surging.
>
> 2.  I used the tractor this winter before a paint job for snow removal.  I
> remember thinking that the engine sounded incredibly loud.  Yesterday, I had
> both tractors out, and the 1945 engine sounds much louder than the 1948
> Super A.  I'm wondering if the muffler is working, since the muffler is
> original "Stanley" vintage.  Is there any way to clean the soot out of the
> muffler, without taking it to a muffler shop?
>
> On the other hand, if the muffler is fine, which is something I may test
> soon with my other tractor, what would make the engine sound like a two
> cylinder?  It has a distinctive "putt-putt" versus the smoothness of the
> Super A, although the Super A is not as good an engine.  Like I mentioned, I
> really don't want to mess with the engine since it runs so well.  I'm
> halfway wondering if the modern ethanol gasoline is part of the problem!
> But then again, the muffler could not be working, causing me to hear the
> pure engine firing.
>
> 3.  This question is for anyone who has adjusted, or knows how to adjust, a
> Farmall A, B, or C series clutch.  The clutch only begins grabbing when the
> pedal is about 1/2 to 1 inch from being completely up.  There is no
> freeplay.  How can I adjust the clutch to give me a little freeplay and a
> longer engagement travel?
>
> Thanks for your help.
>
> Ben Wagner
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