Super A year

None of the Hs were suposed to have disc brakes, new type seat with coil spring under seat or front wheels with lugs rivited on rim. However my dad bought a new H in 1951 with all those items. I am not sure also but what that H didn't have the C-164 engine as we didn't notice a lot of difference in power 4 years later with a new 300. Truth of the matter is I wouldn't argue with anyone finding items from the next model at the end of a production run. You may well have an A with hydraulics. That will get the purests up in arms.

On the item of an H capability, when I was a young lad we used to have tractor pulls in my hometown and not the type of pull you see today. We pulled a flat bottom stone boat, which was nothing more than a piece of 1/2" steel 4' wide and 10' long turned up a bit on both ends so you could pull it both ways. We pulled with a 6' chain connecting tractor to stone boat or drag. We used 100 and 200 lb. boxes of sand for adding weight. Every tractor pulled in the same class. The winner being the tractor that could start away and move 4' with the highest percentage of own weight including operator. Three tractors were the hard ones to beat, Farmalls A and H or Supers and Cockshutt 30. If you separate the Farmalls, it is a toss up for first between A and H, M will place 3rd and C will come in 4th. On the hard track the C or Super C just have too much rubber on the ground for that little engine.

I remember one time, my dad's brother Wallace said that this pull was skill and not tractor, and to a large degree he was right. He said that since he was smart enough to farm a 100 acres with a Super A, He knew how to get the most out of a tractor. His tractor and farm were miles away. It was agreed by every one that my dad and Wallace would both pull dad's H. Wallace placed 1st, dad 2nd and the next week dad had to put a clutch in the H

We had guys roll in there with Ms, Cockshutt 40, Oliver 88, etc. loaded with enough weight to sink a ship, only to leave red faced. The A and H or Supers and Cockshutt 30 would always come very close to 3 times their own weight, and ocasionally over. You start adding big weight to the big tractors and they have to pull a lot. Of course this was managements thinking, get these tractors as they were working on the farm. If the big guys stayed home fine, that much less weight for men to handle. Lifting devices in those days were two hands.