The fall colors are quite nice this year. Last Saturday I needed to go take and unhook the Number 5 mower from the Model A, so I thought it would be fun to take the tractor on the hill and take some photos as well. Unfortunately, it was overcast and not the best morning for taking photos (Sunday turned out much better). However, it was still fun and I think the video turned out okay anyway.
The video features a John Deere Model A tractor (1947/48 model year) with a John Deere Number 5 Sickle mower attached. The video shows shots of Star Valley, Wyoming/Idaho, as well as the Salt River range and Caribou National Forest.
In this video I give a brief comparison of the Farmall B and John Deere MT. The B and the MT were both targeted at a similar market, are around the same age, and pretty similar power-wise. This video is not a full in-depth review or a comparison of each tractor, but I thought it would be fun to show them off and have them be parked next to each other.
John Deere MT and Farmall B Comparison Chart (According to tractordata.com)
As you can see from the table above, the two tractors are pretty similar in many ways. In my own opinion and from my own reading, I would guess that the John Deere Model M was designed to compete against the Farmall A. Keep in mind that tractor development takes several years, so the two years between the two doesn’t mean the one wasn’t influenced by the other. Plus, no development is done in a vacuum (completely independent thought from the other). Also, given that the JD M may have been in response to the Farmall M, I would guess that the MT was in response to the B (as the M and A are both wide front “standards”).
Since the MT was developed later, they were able to make some improvements over the B, such as a better live-hydraulic system and a quick-attach system that was also hydraulically controlled. Unfortunately it doesn’t have a standard three point system (due to patents having yet expired), so the system Deere came up with for the MT was quickly abandoned once Deere was able to implement a standard three point system. However, the hydraulics introduced on the M would remain with Deere throughout the remainder of the two-cylinder tractors era.
Though the Farmall A continued to live on for several more years as a “Super A”, the B was to be no more. It was replaced by the C, which physically more resembled the layout of the Deere MT than the B that it replaced. The Super A and C would live on for many more years, and the M would see direct replacements until the 430 was eventually discontinued in 1960.
I never passing up an excuse to drive the tractors on a beautiful fall day, I used the opportunity to do some blade and box scraper work to fill in the pivot tracks. Though not a necessary task, it makes working up the ground in the springtime much smoother and is better on the equipment.
I used the John Deere 2010 Utility to fill in the tracks with an Allis Chalmers three-point blade, and I then used the John Deere 435 (2-53 Detroit Diesel) to finish it with a box scraper. Looking back, I should have used drag harrows and will do that next time instead. It tended to clump up some, so I’ll know how to do it better next year.
It’s just about October, which seems pretty crazy to me. This year has just flown by! It seems like just yesterday we were starting with the spring work, then the summer rush, and now the hay season is all completed. The only big tasks left to do on the farm now are putting things away and plowing a few fields in preparation for next year.
I thought post a few photos that I’ve taken over the past few weeks, as the colors have changed quite nicely this year. I’m sure all of that color will be gone though once we have the next big stormโฆ
On the 25th of September, we hosted the 2021 Star Valley Antique tractor show. This year was pretty busy farm wise, and we had some rains that pushed us behind a bit getting some crops in. As such, we were a little late getting invitations and announcements and such sent out. I think that hurt the attendance somewhat. However, despite all of that, I’d say we had a pretty good turnout overall.
Some of the equipment that was at the show included:
John Deere 7520 with chisel plow John Deere 5020 John Deere Model R Diesel John Deere 5 bottom pull behind plow Oliver Super 55 John Deere 70 Gas John Deere 630 John Deere A John Deere No. 5 Sickle Mower John Deere MT John Deere Model H Series 47 Manure Spreader John Deere 420 Utility John Deere 430 Utility with Oliver Loader John Deere 435 Diesel Case Model L 1937 Farmall F-30 1936 Farmall F-20 1937 International Hay Rake Farmall Super M Farmall Super M-TA with IH plow
I had a lot of fun, and I think those in attendance did as well. Currently we plan on hosting it next year as well. It will be the last Saturday in September. Hopefully we’ll see some of you there!
My father needed some help hauling some straw bales to his barn for his winter cattle bedding, so I took the John Deere 5020 over with the two old truck wagons to help haul the straw bales. He brought over the 3020 to load them. Straw bales are quite light compared to alfalfa bales, so the smaller 3020 did okay hauling them.
Being on the dry farm is always bitter sweet, as it’s currently up for sale. It’s a long story, but basically my father and his brother are still here in the valley, and the siblings that are out of the valley keep doing all they can to get whatever they can out of it. They changed the original trust while my grandparents were in ill health from the land going to the ones here to splitting it up with an equal share among themselves, which has left little for my dad and my uncle in return. They also continue to ‘move the target’ of what is going to happen to the land as to maximize their own return, with little to no regards for those here. Rather than follow through with what the trust says and settle things (which still isn’t right), they continually change dates and plans according to the market to try to get the most of what they can out of it. If you ask me, that’s quite the investment plan–move away and do nothing with the farm from right out of high school and come back years later to reap the rewards of those that stayed and labored to keep and preserve the farm. And they call themselves good Christians…
Anyway, now I’m just ranting. I guess when something you’ve cherished all of your life is being taken away by others and you’re helpless to do anything about it–you just have to vet little in a blog post.
A neighbor was selling an IH (McCormick-Deering branded) Number 5 side delivery rake. I don’t really need the rake, but part of restoring old tractors is having matching implements and equipment.
I have a good amount of John Deere implements, but I don’t have a lot from IH and some of the other brands I have. So, I thought it’d be fun to pick it up and match it up. I also thought it’d be fun to use a Farmall (IH, or International Harvester) tractor to pick it up and bring it home. As I mentioned earlier I don’t really have a ‘need’ for it–but hopefully I’ll be able to find some excuses to use it this summer and make a few videos while in the process. ๐
In this post I compare some of the differences between the John Deere 420 Utility and the John Deere 430 Utility.
The 430 has an Oliver loader, but I tried to focus on the mechanical differences between the machines. The 420 and 430 were John Deere two-cylinder tractors, manufactured in Debuque, Iowa. What makes them unique over the Moline tractors is the vertical two-cylinder engine and foot clutch. The Moline tractors had a horizontal two-cylinder engine with a hand clutch (among other factory-specific differences).
In this video we are disking with the John Deere 5020. The tractor has been gone all winter to a shop, so it was nice to have it back & be able to do some work with it. In this video we’re pulling a John Deere BW disk. The field was plowed in the fall, so in the spring we disk it to break down the soil further (remove the slumps from plowing) to help prepare a better seedbed for planting (seed drilling).
After we disk it, we’re going to plant new alfalfa on the East half and a three-way grain hay on the West side.
Yes, I know the disk is too small for this tractor–but it’s all I have. ๐
The tractor is a 1966 John Deere 5020 with a John Deere BW disk.
Over the winter I picked up a 1960 John Deere 430 with an attached loader (with bucket), box scraper, and tire chains. However, the exhaust manifold had a crack in it, and as such water was able to get into it and rand down the cylinders into the block. The cylinders were seized, and the oil pan was full of ice.
Getting the tractor out and home was also quite the ordeal. The transmission was full of water and was locked up. We had to melt that out to get the axles to turn. The tires were also frozen down to the ground, as was the heater. The bucket was frozen with the tip into the ground, which had sunken in about three inches and was quite frozen. To get it out we had to put the space heater onto it for a few hours, which allowed it to heat up enough to melt out the ice. Overall, it’s been a fun little project & I can’t wait to use it some this summer!