Check out these letters from our faithful readers detailing their Fordson restoration and seeking to identify some of their vintage farm equipment.
Restoring a special Fordson
My grandfather bought this 1937 Fordson row crop Model N tractor new and I have restored it. This tractor is one of 250 built with this type of front end and the side-arm steering the casting out front is to mount a cultivator on.
Most Fordson transmissions had two slow speeds and a road gear. This one has a special ratio transmission. It has three speeds for field work and no road gear. Top speed is 4.3mph.
This tractor got a new engine in 1946. The story is that a piston pin came out and damaged the cylinder beyond repair. No parts were available during World War II. The piston was removed and the engine was reassembled. It would still run on three cylinders but lacked power, so it was used on light loads, to rake hay and pull wagons. A new engine came from England (where the tractor was built) in 1946. I have the cultivator, manuals, tool kit and receipt.
Today it goes to displays, runs with threshing machines and plows, and is in parades. I found this tractor in a falling-down shed of my uncle’s and brought it home. Restoration took a while as it was a complete disassembly. I made a new fuel tank for it. The tractor was purchased from Keegan Implement Co., a Minneapolis Fordson dealer. The 1937 tractor was purchased in 1938.
Tom Carlson, 2965 Norwood Ave., Slayton, MN 56172
Anyone recognize this horsepower?
I have had this horsepower for many years and have not been able to identify its maker or the year it was made. As shown here, I believe it is upside down. Any information will be greatly appreciated. No markings can be found.
Rex Miller,
Smithville Ohio;
(330) 317-5620
Could it be a 10th McCormick-Deering orchard tractor?
We read your article on McCormick-Deering orchard tractors in the November 2022 issue of Farm Collector. The article claims only nine are known to exist. We believe we own one. The man we bought it from in Paradise, California, a fruit-producing area, claimed that the tractor is a 1936 model. Our tractor could be number 10 if correctly identified. If it is a 1936 model, our tractor is one year older than me.
Roger and Diane Westman,
PO Box 95, Forest Ranch, California
Does this plow look familiar?
I am helping my neighbor identify an old plow. I grew up on a farm and we had an Oliver Radex plow. The plow in question has the old-style points, not the throw-away like the Oliver. I believe the lifting unit says “Made in Canada.” It is painted green, even the moldboard, so I think someone painted it with leftover paint before they put it in the barn years ago. Can anyone identify it?
Cal Breyley via email:
breyleycal774@gmail.com