Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Tuesday, April 6. 2010

Farmall T-shirts

Found these at the Bass Pro Shop in Nashville a couple of years ago. In my case, their message happens to be true. Yes, there are still some Farmalls in New England, and my Grandpa's is still running fine even though he stopped running long ago.


The ones with the close-together front tires creep me out on Massachusetts hills, though. I prefer a "wide stance" on the hills.


Posted by Bird Dog in Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 07:12 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (0)

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used to work on a farm and used an old Farmall 'M' with trike front end. could get real scary at times. and the 6 volt electrics left a bit to be desired. we usually parked it on a hill just in case the battery was flat. it was either that or pull that hand crank out and risk breaking a thumb. you also learned to drive with your thumbs on the outside of the wheel, not wrapped around it. that way when the front wheels took off in a rut it didn't break your thumbs. but it didn't get any better for a 14 year old than 4th gear at full throttle on a smooth dirt road!!! and then there was the 'B' we had. i got pretty good at shifting it from 1st to 4th without too much gear crashing. those were the days!!!
#1 Alex G (Link) on 2010-04-06 09:22 (Reply)
We have a 1944 'M" and I concur with your experiences, Alex G. I would add that the crank start is very good at breaking forearms as well as thumbs. Even so, the 'M' was a quantum leap over the old F-30.

I don't believe we use our 'M' 20 hours a year. We should get rid of it. It would be nice to trade it for a '51 'B'. Those old John Deeres are great for teaching kids to drive with. They can run that hand clutch before their feet can reach the pedals on other tractors. It is what I learned on.
#1.1 feeblemind on 2010-04-06 14:17 (Reply)
I have the pleasure of owning and working a Farmall Cub,circa 1950. She runs like a whisper, and still performs well.Still too young to smoke and sports a fairly new coat of paint. She enjoys hauling small logs,cultivating and showing off for the neighbors.The good ole days still exist
#2 salty dog on 2010-04-06 11:07 (Reply)
Grew up on a Farmall 400, the slightly bigger and newer version of the M which anchored Harverster's tractor line for many years. The narrow front also didn't work to good in mud but was great for quick turns. The narrow front ends were the grandfathers of today's zero turn mowers. Still have it, converted it to 12 volts a few years ago and it starts much easier and spark plugs last much longer than with the 6 volt system. Batteries are a lot cheaper, too but we haven't had to replace one since we converted.
The first time my dad turned me loose cultivating corn in my very early teens he said "if you can run this you can run anything." Not much of a confidence booster but he was right.
#3 ricefarm on 2010-04-06 21:44 (Reply)

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