Re: Farmall M Power

Posted by john d on December 23, 2006 at 22:16:28 from (69.130.191.77):

In Reply to: Farmall M Power posted by Royal Cutler on December 23, 2006 at 13:18:21:

Depends on the soil, and depends on the condition of your M. The SM will have a slightly larger engine, and faster gear ratios in 3rd and 4th. They may or may not have the same rear tire size. To pull a 3-14 or larger plow with either, you'll need liquid ballast in the rear tires, and at least one, probably two, wheel weights on each rear wheel.

I live in central Indiana. I have the M and Super M that my dad and I farmed with. Both tractors had the over-bore high-compression sleeve/piston sets by M&W. We plowed for years with the M pulling a 3-14 IH plow and the SM pulling a 4-14 Moline plow. We ran the M most of the time in 3rd gear, the SM in 2nd.

Soils here are variable, but I never had that M anywhere that it wouldn't pull 3-14 in 2nd, even in sweetclover/alfalfa sod. Granted, with the kit that had been installed, and the rpms tweaked up to 2150, it wasn't a stock M. The rear end was upgraded with every 560 bearing that would fit.

The SM model has a faster gear ratio in 3rd and 4th than the M. 3rd gear on the SM is close to the same ratio as 4th on the M. 2nd gear is (I think) the same. One spring, the SM had to go to the shop for something, and I hitched the M to the 4-14 Moline plow. Dad told me how foolish it was to do that, until he saw that I was making round after round with it, mostly in 3rd gear. Again, 3rd on the M is slower than 3rd on the SM.

The M and I are both "retired" from farming now. It has a 3pt hitch on it now, and I have a 3-13 JD mounted plow that I use for a pretty large garden area. Six or seven years ago, the guy who farmed the heavy black-ground field across the road from me was plowing cornstalks with an 806 and a 5-16 IH semi-mount plow. When I'd finished my garden, I asked if he'd mind if the old M and I had a chance to do some serious work again. He grinned and said "Come on!" The M and I worked the rest of the morning in 2nd gear, plowing as deep as he was, and actually gaining about 20-30 feet per round on him.

I also still have one of the two 11' Kewannee tandem disks that we farmed with. The M would always handle it anywhere in 3rd gear, most places in 4th.

Take your M to a local implement dealer and pay a few $$ to have it put on a dyno. If the horsepower isn't up to stock or better, forget pulling a 3-14 plow. My M checked out at 52 hp; the SM at 54.

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