Farmall M - Which One?

I have the potential to purchase a Farmall M from a neighbor who is looking to move up to a 560. As of yet I havent seen the tractor, but am hoping to when I head home for Thanksgiving (I am from Upstate NY, currently live near Washington DC) Its in pretty good shape, has the electronic ignition, and is used for farm chores currently.

I have always had a thing for the Farmalls, just to own one. My family has 125+ acres or so, and we have some other tractors around to tend to things. So now is my chance to get into some Red Power.

Im looking to just tinker with this tractor, pull around some hay wagons now and then, and occasionally take it to the local tractor pulls down the road.

So my question (finally) is; Should I grab this tractor, or keep looking for something else? I didnt know if I should hold out for a Super M, or perhaps a Super H or something like that. Do I want to move up to something like a 350 or 400?

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long post!

The farmers down the road from me have several of the red kind of tractors (M, Super H, Super M-TA, 656, 1066) and I have always been impressed with the fact that they get used for farm chores all the time and still work without fail, even after all these years. Plus the M-TA with the power steering sure is handy for backing in a four wheeled wagon... :) I guess its just whats stuck in my head for a tractor.

I just know some old iron is what I would like to have, be it Farmall, Oliver, or a MF. I actually even just saw a MF 1080 for sale for the same price as the M I am looking at, but I think that is probably needs more work than I want to put in it right now.

But thanks again for your input!

I hear exactly what you mean. I worked for years at the local veggie farm down the road from me, and the biggest tractor there was a JD 2940, and that was only for plowing in the spring and the rest of the time it sat on the irrigation pump. The smaller tractors were definitely more handy, and the farm my grandfather owned never needed a tractor with more than 50 hp.

I always have enjoyed driving a tractor around, but I think that you are right, its so much cheaper to buy old iron and get it running right than to go brand new. Maybe if I was a huge crop farmer I would feel different.

The newer tractors defintiely are more like a car, I just feel too disconnected from the equipment and what Im doing. Besides, the older ones are easy to fix, and parts are easy to find and cheap.

So, to conclude my long and pointless message, I just like old iron because its cheap, easy to fix, and just reminds me of an actual tractor.

I was feeling much the same way, that I would get one just because if its a good running tractor, and it something I always wanted, why not? I hope to someday have enough space that I can work on a full restoration, but for now Ill start small with just one tractor. If it ever came down to it, I could always sell it later I suppose.

And to El Toro - Thanks for finding a local listing for me! I appreciate it, but I am looking for tractors that are actually in Upstate NY, not down near DC. I live in an apartment building, and I dont have any place to keep anything down here. (plus I already checked, Im not allowed to have farm machinery within city limits :) )

I guess Ill go home and check out that M!

But I guess it all depends on what you want the tractor for. If it's just to have one to own, tinker with, parade, show, or just play with, then an M is the way to go. If you are going to work it and have the implements for it, the M is still the way to go. The fact that it's running is a big plus. But again--I'm prejudiced: I love C's, H's, M's, Super C's, Super H's, M's. These were and still are great tractors.