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MH44-Special
03-12-2008 16:21:41
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Re: Newbie MH44 Special in Greenfield, MO in reply to MoHillbilly, 03-05-2008 15:25:51
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Hello there Missouri MH guy! You have brought out some good discussion topics about the differences, some apparent, some not so apparent, between the plain 44 and the 44 Special. Some peculiar identifying features of the 44 Special, to the best of my knowledge, (and I own 6 of them in various stages of repair)are as follows:
1) The Specials had wider foot pedals than the 44
2) The Special gas tractor had the filler cap mounted on the rear of the tank, not the front like the 44
3) The Special came stock with cast center wheels, both front and rear. (And yes, cast rear wheels were an option on the 44.)
4) The Special gas 277 engine did have a 260 number cast into the block, but then a numeric 277 was hand-stamped into one specific area of the block which had been treated to a disc grinder cleanup! (Without looking at one of mine, I cannot recall where that "277" number is stamped.)
5) Special diesel and LP engines used the 260 engine of the earlier 44.
6) The Special came with an operator step. What a great convenience!
7) The Special had extra (narrow) rails mounted between the inner portion of the fenders and the foot-rest platforms.
8) Later Specials could be ordered with a "Hitch-All" much improved 3 point, over the 44"s inherently weak, 3 point, "plow hitch".
9) Hydraulically equipped Specials generally, (perhaps not always), came with an oval shaped reservoir up front rather than a round tank.
10) And as you have already been told, your serial number indicates that the Special you have was made around the end of their production run in 1955, right before the last of the GREAT Massey-Harris tractors were making their appearance - the "Triples".
Have fun with your Special, a great representative of the innovative, (for their day), and very durable Massey-HARRIS tractors.
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