Not meaning to be a name dropper but the tractor sports: Patterson coils, Fenton Anderson timer and Jack Daron restored straight through Wizard carburetor. Early Fordson carburetors are complex and inter-connected gizmos and located in 3 or 4 different places on the right side of the engine and very difficult to find. . . . and I don't have one of these systems. So I made a few adapter plates on each end of a 90 degree pipe fitting and used a T carb on a later Model F Fordson manifold. Only shortcoming on the first drive is an inability to get the transmission in 3rd gear. I think theres a few Forum regulars who also dabble in Fordsons. I'd like to hear from you because I have a few pertinent questions. .. Thats all; I just had to share
Try not to do any wheelies in it. You'll be fine.
Do you know the serial number on the engine? The first 70 thousand engines were built by Hercules Motors in Canton Ohio by my grandfather. Bruce
George, I restored my Fordson over 25 years ago. It could use a new paint job but does not look bad. I also adapted a different carburetor on my tractor and it works great. I have always had to let mine warm up for about 10 minutes to allow the clutch plates to free up. The clutch work the same way as a Model T clutch and it is wet but just like the Model T grooves get worn and the plates will hang up. Once the oil gets warm I don't have any problems shifting. 3rd gear is pretty fast and I don't like driving in that gear, if you are on a fairly hard surface it will bounce you right out of the seat. My tractor was built in 1927 the last year for the Model F.
As for tipping over backwards I think the Fordson got kind of a bad rap. In the early 1920's there were more Fordson tractors in the field than any other brand. For this reason there were more accidents just like there were more people involved in automobile accidents while driving Model T's simply because there were more of them being driven than any other brand. I really don't think it was any worse than any other tractor built at the time. Ford did recognize that they were developing a reputation for going over backwards and developed fenders with flares that would prevent them from going over. The fenders were always an option and not standard equipment. In 1927 the tractor was $35 more equipped with fenders.
The "Green Acres" Tractor
Another interesting tidbit is that the Fordson was the first tractor built using the engine and transmission/rear-end housing as the frame. All other tractors built at this time had the engine, transmission, etc. mounted on a frame.
Mike, I know that Fordsons used the engine, transmission and rear end as the frame as I had a Model F. I always wondered why they weren't modified for tractor pulling. If the other tractors had separate frames, that explains it.
Terry, I did enter my Fordson in an antique tractor pull once several years ago. Kind of a funny story, I had no intention of doing the pull when I arrived at the show grounds, I placed the tractor in the line of tractors at the show. A guy showed up with a Samson tractor built by General Motors and parked it next to my Fordson. He spent the entire day telling anyone that would listen how much better the Samson was than the Fordson. (GMC built the Samson to compete with Ford.) The next day was going to be the antique tractor pull and I saw the guy weighing his Samson so I decided to see how much better the Samson was and entered the Fordson. The Samson pulled before me and he was able to pull the progressive weight sled 59 feet. There were a couple of more tractors that pulled before I hitched to the sled. The Fordson does not have a governor so you need to apply power manually as needed. I ended up pulling the sled 314 feet and I won the the pull. I went up to get the trophy and the guy would not even look me in the eye as I walked passed him. We then parked our tractors back in the rows, the Samson owner parked his on the other side of the grounds. I guess he was embarrassed and could no longer tell people how much better his tractor was than the old Fordson. This was the only time I ever pulled the Fordson but it did very well.
Samson Model M
Mike, the Wallace tractor, a product of J. I. Case Plow Works,Racine, WI, introduced the "unit frame design" in 1913 on the Wallace Cub.
Ol' Henry can't claim this one....... ;)
Mike,
Great story (and tractor). I'm about to get the 1100 bushel grain cart out, would you like to hook on?
Rob
Thanks Mike, I greatly enjoyed the tractor pull story. Theres 2 antique tractor shows around here that I've never paid much attention to but now I might. Learned something from your Fordson -and Samson- picture. I might have my rear wheels on backward or on opposite sides. A friend mentioned this to me but I see where the cleats on yours are such that loose clothing wouldn't catch on a corner and cause a tragedy. Thats not the case with my new restoration. Gotta get out the floor jack and 2 jack stands now. Bruce, I'll get the engine serial number tomorrow. The very early Fordsons had 2 little forged brackets attached to the coil box that also attached to the engine side and head. I'm wondering if I should use mine to cast others for early Fordson owners? Serial #1 Fordson at The Henry Ford didn't even have a coil box.
John Deere model D was also built with the engine, transmission, and rear end as the frame.
Craig, I agree that the Wallis Cub was a "unit" design meaning the Engine and Transmission shared the same heavy casting for a pan. The Fordson was a bolted together design and the Engine and Transmission housing were separate units In that respect I think Ford was correct in his claim that his design was the first to use the engine "and" transmission as the frame.
Brian, Agree but the First John Deere D was not built until 1924 The Fordson was introduced in 1917.
Rob I'm ready all I need is fuel!
Here is a cover of an old magazine that shows a Wallis tractor, notice that the bottom of the tractor is one huge casting from front to rear with all the components attached to the single cast iron "unit".
Sorry for the thread drift, but where did they film those outdoor Green Acres scenes? And what's that big flash about? Been too long ago to remember the episodes--except I remember the pig could speak four languages--but not Hungarian!
David D.
Here is the photo of the Fordson engine at Hercules on June 8th 1918. My Grandfather is on the right.
Bruce, That is a fantastic photograph!
George, Wheel extensions were made for Fordsons and other tractors. Maybe you could double your rear wheel width and really have a "pulling tractor".
Mike great story. I have four Fordsons. I have a set of wheel extensions for one of them. Two of them have fenders, both are different styles. ( toolboxes). One was used in a Birdseye food commercial in the seventies. I agree with you on the bad rap of turning over. If you think about it, most farmers went from using horses to using tractors. They weren't use to the mechanical workings of the tractor. I Remember the story my father told about my grandfather: the first time he got on the Fordson, he opened the throttle, as he couldn't hear the engine it was revved up way too much, The tractor took off and pulled a wheelie and went across the barnyard on two wheels. As he was used to working with horses, and the panic of the moment he kept hollering woa, until he finally figured out to shut the throttled down. I had a John Deere H (Big mistake). That would raise up easier than any of my Fordson's, it wasn't good for much. It went down the road to a man Who thought he was going to skid logs out of the woods with it. I thought to myself lots of luck.
Forgot to mention, my grandfather was deaf.
Dan Great Story. I also have the complete tool kit for the Fordson. The tools are all Fordson scripted and will fit into the tool box that is mounted under the steering column. It took me several years to find all of them. The screw driver and pliers were the hardest to find.
Bruce, I have a hoist very close to the one in your picture. I have one Fordson story. In the early 70's when I was in Jr. high school I would walk to school and sitting in a yard 2-3 blocks from my parents house sat a Fordson with out fenders but did have rubber all the way round. If you know any thing about metro Denver I lived 3 blocks south of Cinderella City shopping center. By the mid to late 80's it was no longer there and no idea where it went.
I want to see pictures of George H's Fordson!
Just me. I like old tractors.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2
What does the third item[hook] do . One came with my ''F'' . I near through it away till i saw these tools.
What does the third item[hook] do . One came with my ''F'' . I near through it away till i saw these tools.
Bob, the third item is part of the 2nd item. 2 piece tool, the socket fits the rear hub bolts, the pry bar is used to pry the tapered hub off the axle after the bolts are removed.
Thank you Mike.
I sold all my Fordsons, but I have a new wood steering wheel built by a T man in Springfield Mo, coilboxes, and lots of Fordson Tools left danuser88@ktis.net, also a governor complete and maybe more