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Farmall & IHC Tractors Discussion Forum
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Auto Pilot for M Farmall - Fact or Fiction?

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ATR72

01-23-2004 03:39:30




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Have heard vague stories of tractors (was an M in one story but could have been anything) rigged up with a mechanical guidance so as to plow with no one at the controls. Apparently plowed in a big spiral and stopped when it reached the center or timed to run out of fuel. In one story the tractor lost it's guidance and plowed a tangent line accross several other properties. Has anyone else heard of this or is it complete baloney?

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john d

01-24-2004 19:47:54




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 Re: Auto Pilot for M Farmall - Fact or Fiction? in reply to ATR72, 01-23-2004 03:39:30  
Not fiction. At the Indiana State Fair in the late 1950s, you could typically find several of these units on exhibit. Most were farmer-built. As mentioned in some previous posts, a couple of disc blades set at about a 45 degree angle to each other were on a long pipe arm and rigged to follow the furrow and steer the tractor. A kill switch was tripped if the arm raised enough to leave the furrow. Controls for the throttle and clutch were typically run to the back of the plow on the left side. A kill switch was also used in case the plow hit a rock and unhooked from the tractor. These things worked best in large fields with the farmer running another tractor and following. After a couple of laps around the perimiter of the field, and plowing out the corners into a nice smooth curve, the "auto-pilot" tractor was turned loose. Here in central Indiana, the fad only lasted a few years, partly because most fields at that time were 40 acres or less.

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Jim in michigan

01-24-2004 09:47:32




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 Re: Auto Pilot for M Farmall - Fact or Fiction? in reply to ATR72, 01-23-2004 03:39:30  
My dad said he used a JD when he was younger to plow,, he tied the wheel with twine then walked along ,,,Jim



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John of Canada

01-23-2004 19:47:19




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 Re: Auto Pilot for M Farmall - Fact or Fiction? in reply to ATR72, 01-23-2004 03:39:30  
My Dad had a horse like this one time.He used her in the bush to skid logs.The horse would skid logs by it self all day long,aslong as somebody would point her the right way.Dad said she had to go about a half a mile .I don't think the horse had auto pilot,just smart.Dad said he could never seem to get the old Farmall to do the same thing.



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Bill

01-23-2004 13:03:10




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 Re: Auto Pilot for M Farmall - Fact or Fiction? in reply to ATR72, 01-23-2004 03:39:30  
During the 1960s, this was a frequent sight across the Texas plains between Plains and Lubbock. I have seen four tractors plowing a circle, one behind the other.



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Kurt F. Cordes

01-23-2004 08:00:50




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 Re: Auto Pilot for M Farmall - Fact or Fiction? in reply to ATR72, 01-23-2004 03:39:30  
From the 30's through the 60's this guidence system was used.The first trip around the field, the tractor had to be driven by the farmer.He the turned the tractor loose.Farmers ran multpule tractors this way.Most were just used for guidence, but some did shut the tractor off when the guide rose up out of the furrow.It was advised that someone remain in the field to make sure your tractor didn't jump out of the furrow and plow the neighbors field.In TX. my uncle ran 5 JD-70's at one time using this method.He said this was the only way he could make any money, was not having to hire all those tractor operators. Beleive it or not.In the book"150 years of International Harvester" on page #308, you will find one of these critters hooked up on a Farmall F20. Like they say,a picture is worth how many words.

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Hoppy

01-23-2004 06:45:58




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 Re: Auto Pilot for M Farmall - Fact or Fiction? in reply to ATR72, 01-23-2004 03:39:30  
My grandfather had a 10-20 Titan and it had auto steer in about 1928. I was a disk blade mounted on a long pipe fastened on a long right hand spindle and droped into the furrow. At the end someone would get on and pull a chain to lift it out, make the turn, and drop the blade back and get off and it ran across the field to the other person at that end. This was a factory option.



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FarmallF-12

01-23-2004 06:26:42




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 Re: Auto Pilot for M Farmall - Fact or Fiction? in reply to ATR72, 01-23-2004 03:39:30  
I have advertising for the F12 that shows a disc blade running in front of the tractor in the plow furrow. Basically it just turned the front wheels to follow the plow furrow - really simple idea. I don't know how well it worked in real life though....



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Slappy

01-23-2004 04:34:21




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 Re: Auto Pilot for M Farmall - Fact or Fiction? in reply to ATR72, 01-23-2004 03:39:30  
Out on Tindle AFB here in NW Florida, the Air Force has an entire fleet of utility vehicles, tractors and such that are run on remote control or self control. I don't remember any Case tractors (I didn't see any pre-80's tractors in my two trips out there), but everything from trucks to giant earth movers were roaming around. It was really strange to see these large pieces of equipment going about their business with no one at the wheel. As far as a tractor that could plow a field on it's own - that would be a snap for these Air Force guys.

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Nebraska Cowman

01-23-2004 03:49:56




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 Re: Auto Pilot for M Farmall - Fact or Fiction? in reply to ATR72, 01-23-2004 03:39:30  
lots of things were tried. saw a pic just the other day of a radio controled tractor, i believe it was pre war.



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Roy in UK

01-23-2004 14:20:26




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 Re: Re: Auto Pilot for M Farmall - Fact or Fiction in reply to Nebraska Cowman, 01-23-2004 03:49:56  
I have a picture in a book (somewhere) of an experimental radio controlled IH B250. if I find it I will scan it and post it on here.



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