As to the H replacing the F-14, I have heard that dealers were told to sell them that way, but you don't see that in the IHC sales brochures. I'm looking right now at an original sales brochure (probably about 1941) that says the H "will pull two 14-inch bottoms in normal fields under any plowing conditions." It was understood back then that "two-plow tractor" meant that it could pull 2-14s. As I mentioned in my earlier blurb here, the Farmall and F-20 on steel would pull only 2-14s at around 3 mph, but on rubber, their horsepower-to-the-ground increased and they were able to work harder. On 36" rubber, the Farmall and F-20 were considerably faster than they were on steel. The original steel wheels were 40" in diameter, but the 36" rims must have given a diameter close to 50" (I'm estimating 5-6" top and bottom for the tire-don't have any way now to measure this). The result of the rubber and the bigger wheels was a faster ground speed in each gear. I once "raced" an F-20 next to an F-12, and the -12 in third (supposed to be about 4 mph) was about as fast as the F-20 in second. We used to pull a PTO combine with an F-20, and even in low gear, it was sometimes too fast for conditions. I'd guess that low was about as fast as the original second gear. The end result of all this was that the F-20 would pull 2-14s at about 4 mph instead of 3, as on steel. Too long story short: The H would replace a steel-wheeled F-20, but it was no match for a '20 converted to rubber. This may have been why dealers were quietly told not to push the H too hard as a 2-plow tractor. There is no doubt that the H acts more like an F-14--small engine, running fast, good horsepower, not much torque. It is, in fact, a lovely tractor for all kinds of light chores--raking, mowing, hauling. It is fairly agile for a tractor of its day, not nearly as clumsy as an F-20. Quite comfortable, easy to steer, nice and quiet with a muffler. I used to get frustrated when plowing because I couldn't rip up ground like I did with the F-20, but I loved driving the beautiful H. Looking down the hood of an H or M is just wonderful. Never thought I'd sound so sentimental about a bunch of iron and steel. I had an uncle whose ground was full of clay, and he bought an M to replace his 10-20. He never pulled more than 2-14s. I never had the good fortune to plow with this tractor, but I imagine that the M compared to the F-30 was a little like the H and the F-20--horsepower up there, but less torque. The Super M raised the ante. I had a chance to do some heavy work with one of these a while back, and I was impressed with its torque.
When my father "retired" and rented his farm to neighbors, he kept his H to keep the meadows clean. He had a 5 or 6 foot Bush Hog, and in some conditions, this was just too big for the H. If you decide to use it for heavy trimming, get some advice on the right size Hog.
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Today's Featured Article - Identifying Tractor Noises - by Curtis Von Fange. Listening To Your Tractor : Part 3 - In this series we are continuing to learn the fine art of listening to our tractor in hopes of keeping it running longer. One particularly important facet is to hear and identify the particular noises that our
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