MD half track

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

I am always fascinated by the unusual. Here is a picture form RPRU of an MD with half track kit. MD was a Farmall M that started on gasoline and then switched over to diesel when the engine was warm. No pony motor. The half track kits were an aftermarket company, sherman I think, but not sure. It was steered with the steering wheel, sometimes assisting with the use of brakes.

[Virginia Mike]

That would drag your picker through a muddy corn field. Bet it would ruin your day if a track came off.

Best
Mike

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

The idler wheels are spring loaded with turnbuckle type adjustments. May not be too bad. Not nearly as big a problem as a standard crawler, at least you could drive it to a shop

[Dale51]

John,

I had a neighbor that had a set of these on a AC D17 when I was
teenager.
He used it on a peat humus bog to get the peat on to hard dry land using
a home made dump trailer behind the D17
I worked for him summers & any other day of from school we had.
I drove it many many hours from the bog to where we stock pilled it for drying & screening so he could sell it.
They only had 3 small problems that we found out about in a big hurry
1. if you were pulling hard with the 1/2 track slipping or spinning & they caught hold of some good traction then look out they would climb them selfs & pick the front end right off the ground(fast clutch peddle push needed).
2. The do not like new tires but like ones the the bars are almost gone on.
With the new tires they try to run off all the time when he finely got some paper work for them it stated does not work well with new tires.
3. They do not like to back up they will run off in 1/2 of a heat beat
will go forward all day but when backing up you have to be very careful
& watch for them to run off.(ever try to watch both tires and where your going while backing up at the same time.)


Don't ever use them on ice you will take the ride of you life down the slope.(Don't even ask)
My friend & neighbor is long gone from the place we call earth & is in a better place I pray & all of his things were sold and scattered to the 4 winds.
Thank you John for for reminding me of the the good old days (pics of the 1/2 tracks.)

PS: He also had a 1971 cub lowboy with a 1000 loader on it we used it to load peat in to the back or your pick up or trailer. 4 rounded buckets
were 1 yard.

God but I miss the good old days & friends of the past.

[Steve Butram]

John I was doing some reading and found that the tracks were sold to county highway departments to be used on there 8N and9N tractors for snow removal. They were also used on some tractors that were sent to Antartica to move supplies from the ship to the base camp. I guess they were for high flotation. Steve