Re: Inherited F-20

Posted by LenNH on May 18, 2009 at 13:17:36 from (71.235.191.159):

In Reply to: Inherited F-20 posted by JIFAN on May 09, 2009 at 08:54:48:

Big lever clamped to brake shaft is lefthand brake. Because there were steering brakes operated by cable, the hand brake was primarily useful for holding the tractor on a hill, or to keep a belt taut. On rubber, the tractor would roll quite a bit and the handbrake became useful for stopping. I believe IHC sold a righthand brake lever, too, but it may be a bit shorter. I believe that aftermarket suppliers also sold brake levers for the right side, as they sold brake pedals as add-ons. Late models (1938?) had brake pedals, which may have been an option rather than a routine factory installation. Don't know for sure. I wouldn't be suprised if these weren't intended for rubber-tired tractors with the high-speed gears, to make stopping safer.
The little lever down by the frame on the left is the "pulley clutch lever," as IHC called it. Operates PTO and pulley, which are both run by the same gears.
Earlier tractors had a lever attached near the back of the gas tank, with a rod running to the manifold, operating a baffle that would give a "hot" manifold for distillate or kerosene, or a "cold" manifold for gasoline. Late models had a notched rod that did the same thing. Most of the original manifolds eventually burned through and were replaced by aftermarket "cold" manifolds, which is what you almost always see now in shows. I can't swear to this, but I don't think IHC ever made a "cold" manifold.
The variable governor came in probably sometime in 1937 (you could verify this with a SN and a parts manual). IHC variable governor has a notched rod on the LEFT of the gas tank, very similar to the same type of rod on an F-14. The company put out a kit to convert the old-style governor to the variable type. This had the notched rod on the right of the gas tank. There were other companies selling variable governor kits, too, but their hookups and controls were different (some used notched rods, some used levers up on the steering wheel, as I remember).
This was a rough-and-tumble tractor on rubber. I have spent many an hour wrestling with the steering wheel in rough ground, and my tailbone still smarts from the whacks you got when the front wheels went down and the seat came up, like a see-saw. Unbreakable machine, but uncomfortable to spend much time on. There is no good place for your feet, so you are always looking for some place to set them. I loved the one I used, but I sure wouldn't want to farm with one today. Fun to play with, duck soup to work on. The wonder is how long IHC got away with building a tractor with World War I technology (splash lubrication, ball-bearing crankshaft, no oil supply to the valves, a primitive governor until they added the variable governor late in production). The Farmall name meant a lot, and the battleship-like construction meant a lot to farmers. IHC also had dealers where some of the other companies didn't, and this meant a lot back in the 30s when driving 5 miles over washboard roads was considered a trip. We had a dealer 5 miles away, and the closest Oliver or John Deere dealers were 15 or 20 miles from our place. Must not have been any AC dealers, because I don't think I ever saw an AC tractor when I was growing up.

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