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LenNH
11-07-2007 17:04:59
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Re: recommend a good vintage tractor book in reply to lekander883, 11-05-2007 16:44:34
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A general comment on books that claim to give the complete history of this or that. I have a number. Some are better than others. Some appear to have been written by people who were never around the "real old stuff" (20s, 30s, 40s). Here and there, I find statements that are in error. For example, several writers call the original Farmall "Regular." Lots of people did. I used to hear, "She ain't a F-20, she's just a regular Farmall," and that is exactly what they meant--the "ordinary, original Farmall". But....IHC never did, as best I can tell. I have several IHC brochures from the 30s and 40s, and they tend to say, or at least suggest, that any Farmall is "descended from the original Farmall."
Another thing I have seen at least once, and maybe more often, is that the F-20 is a "bigger Regular." Not so--it's basically the same machine, but with a 4-speed transmission, an updraft manifold, and enclosed steering gear (2 types--the worm-gear type being the most widely-produced). I've spent a lot of time on both, and there is not a lot to distinguish them. The Nebraska tests show a considerable difference in power between the two tractors, but the early-model Farmall tested had a 1" venturi; later models went to 1-1/4, the same size as the F-20. The Farmall I used to use would pull the same load as the F-20--two 14s in second gear, or a 7-foot double disk harrow. My message is: If you are looking for an overview, fine. If you are looking for absolute truth...don't believe everything you read--check around. By the way, I have seen similar mis-statements in books about automobiles. I suspect that the writers have pre-conceptions and don't follow them up enough to see if what they believe is true.
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