H on kerosine?

The fuel that was used in those old tractors is no longer produced in exactly the same formula as it was then. Kerosene is close. Because the fuel did not always evaporate completely, the tractors tended to smoke more, and engine oil dilution could be a problem, especially in cold weather. I've been told that the two petcocks on the side of the oil pan allowed the farmer to open the lower one and let oil drain out until it stopped, then close it and fill to where it came out the top one before use. The carburetor on my H also has a petcock that allowed kerosene to be drained from the carburetor so gasoline could then fill it for easy starting when the engine was cold.

(Wondering if I could run it for notalgic sake.

Tractor fuel can give you more power as well. My dad was running tractors during the late '30's and is adamant that for tractors equipped to run it, tractor fuel gave more power. I sure they were all low compression engines, but he claims they would plow faster and farther on a tank of fuel than a tank of gasoline. I don't know what they were burning in SW Mo. in that era, different areas called it different things, all they ever had was called "tractor fuel" so I don't know if it was distillate, kerosene, or a mixture although he tells me it was not kerosene, it would smoke in a lamp.

One secret was to keep the revs up. Most Ford drivers reduced to Kerosene chose to run in low gear in order to do so.

Now a Model T doesn't go very fast in low gear, even with the rpms up. But Ford drivers were usually forced to use Kerosene in remote areas where gas was unavailable, and were just trying to get to the next place where gasoline WAS obtainable.

In addition, in remote areas in, say, 1920, the roads were often so poor a speed in excess of ten miles an hour was not feasible...

As to how to start a gasoline-engined motor on kerosene, I would expect the usual cold-weather start procedures might make it start on kerosene in warm weather - that is, heating the manifold a little with a torch, putting warm water in the cooling system, and using ether if necessary.

But I don't know whether or not it would work in the cold.