1948 Farmall h. What are these switches and knobs

[pokitisme]

This first one is connected to the top of the pulley. Or belt pulley I don't know what you guys call it. I think it engages and disengages the belt pulley. I did attempt to move it but as there is no fluid in the Hydraulics I didn't mess with it long. Also can you tell me do I have to press in the clutch to engage that as when I moved it by hand there was a grinding like gears moving so I quickly disengaged it

https://ibb.co/jPAkmR


And this one here connects to absolutely nothing so I am just as perplexed about this


https://ibb.co/i6vJ6R

[Urbish]

Your are correct, first one is the 'shifter' for the belt pulley. The clutch must be depressed in order to engage and disengage it. The belt pulley has it's own oil supply. It's possible that it's dry or the bearings are rusted from lack of use. It's pretty easy to remove from the tractor if you need to service it.

You should have a second shifter around under/behind the seat in the form of a rod with a ring on top for shifting the PTO shaft clutch. You need to have the clutch fully depressed before actuating this one too.

The second photo is the crank for radiator shutters. They were used on distillate tractors to get the engine nice and hot (and keep it that way) before switching from gasoline over to distillate. I suppose they would be handy for cold weather operation as well. I see from your youtube videos that your tractor is a dual fuel distillate/gasoline tractor as evidenced by not only the radiator shutter crank, but a second fuel cap forward of the main one. Your serial number and carburetor model # should indicate this as well. Look at the front of the radiator and see if you have what look like metal mini-blinds in there.

The intended operation was to fill the smaller forward tank with gas, and the larger rear tank with distillate (similar to, but cruder than kerosene). You'd start the tractor on gas and get it nice & hot with the help of your grille shutters. You'd then turn off the gas, then immediately turn on the distillate valve. Upon completing work, you'd turn off the distillate, then turn on the gas again and let it run for a bit to ensure that the lines & bowl were completely full of gas. If the distillate wasn't completely flushed/displaced, starting (especially in the cold) would be very difficult if not impossible.

Shutter crank depicted in this diagram:


Whole assembly:

[pokitisme]

Your are correct, first one is the 'shifter' for the belt pulley. The clutch must be depressed in order to engage and disengage it. The belt pulley has it's own oil supply. It's possible that it's dry or the bearings are rusted from lack of use. It's pretty easy to remove from the tractor if you need to service it.

You should have a second shifter around under/behind the seat in the form of a rod with a ring on top for shifting the PTO shaft clutch. You need to have the clutch fully depressed before actuating this one too.

The second photo is the crank for radiator shutters. They were used on distillate tractors to get the engine nice and hot (and keep it that way) before switching from gasoline over to distillate. I suppose they would be handy for cold weather operation as well. I see from your youtube videos that your tractor is a dual fuel distillate/gasoline tractor as evidenced by not only the radiator shutter crank, but a second fuel cap forward of the main one. Your serial number and carburetor model # should indicate this as well. Look at the front of the radiator and see if you have what look like metal mini-blinds in there.

The intended operation was to fill the smaller forward tank with gas, and the larger rear tank with distillate (similar to, but cruder than kerosene). You'd start the tractor on gas and get it nice & hot with the help of your grille shutters. You'd then turn off the gas, then immediately turn on the distillate valve. Upon completing work, you'd turn off the distillate, then turn on the gas again and let it run for a bit to ensure that the lines & bowl were completely full of gas. If the distillate wasn't completely flushed/displaced, starting (especially in the cold) would be very difficult if not impossible.

Shutter crank depicted in this diagram:


Whole assembly:

Thank you again sorry been busy. I knew about the PTO engage and disengage and to use the clutch when doing that. I also knew about the fam shutters but did not pay attention to where they would actually hook up and as far as I can tell I do not have the shutters on there. As to the distillate as far as I can tell I only have a single gas tank on there I could find no other knob for a secondary tank. I did feel the belt pulley with one quart of 10 W 30 oil I filled the belly pump with five or six quarts I think it was 6 of 10 W 30 oil. Going back to the distillate question I do not have any other fill valves on the top of the tractor other than radiator and the gasoline. Now I have not taken the hood off as it is bolted on where the alternator is due to some crappy refurbishing work done by whoever owned it before.

[v w]

Do you have a hole in the hood just in front of the gas tank fill cap? The tanks were sometimes removed when distillate no longer was available. The valves for switching fuels would also be removed. Distillate became obsolete during WWII with a change in refining made it usable to make more expensive products I have read somewhere. Dad's H, a 1939, had the shutters removed but the crank was a bit more work and remained as did the tanks and valves. That tractor when overhauled had an M&W sleeve & piston change and no longer could have used distillate even if available. If you ever overhaul the engine and this has not been done I recommend doing it. There is quite a power difference. Vern

[Jim Becker]

At this point, it appears to me that you need to get a copy of the Owner's Manual and read it. In fact, do it before you go near your tractor again. You have put detergent type motor oil into the belt pulley, which runs it straight into the transmission. You have also put it into the hydraulic system. It doesn't belong in either place!

[Urbish]

As to the distillate as far as I can tell I only have a single gas tank on there I could find no other knob for a secondary tank.

My mistake. I saw your magnetic mount flashlight stuck to the top of the tank and saw it as a 2nd fuel cap.

[pokitisme]

As to the detergent oil I could not figure out for the life of me what the difference between detergent and non-detergent oil was. I did lots of research on it and when you go into a Walmart LOL it does not tell you it's detergent or non detergent. So I just grabbed a regular 10 W 30. As to the hydraulic fluid issue I was told and read many places. Regular 10w 30 can be used as hydraulic fluid as well. So that's what I was going off of I have read it on this form and on many other forms and other places along the internet. As to the gas tank I believe it is a one single gas tank the distillate gas tank you speak of I think was a separate smaller gas tank in front of the main gas tank. I vaguely remember seeing pictures of the regular gas tank and distillate gas tank I do not have a hole for the distillate I also do not see a secondary gas tank up against the main gas tank. Yeah this tractor is kind of a hobnob of things. I bought it off of a farmer who goes and buys auction things all the time I did not know what I was doing when I bought it but for $800 a running tractor seem like a good option considering everything else I came across for under 800 have Frozen engines or many other problems. This one was at least running an operational. All the guy did which I found out later was just spray paint it red which made it look really pretty LOL. After further review of things the air filter was completely full of a thick black sludge which I poured out on the pavement and cleaned with brake cleaner fluid and that black sludge still stays in the place where it was removed two months ago. The oil did have water in it I did the drainage test ride just loosen the bolt and let the water out and I tried to get as much of the old oil out by putting my finger in there and switching it around at all so spring break cleaner up in there to loosen stuff. Probably not the best choice but it's what I do. As to the transmission fluid on still working on that because five gallons of the recommended transmission fluid is a penny pincher. And as I stated the hydraulic fluid and oil I just used standard jugs of Walmart 10 W 30 so far it seems to be operating fine but I have not actually test the pulley yet but as to the engines running it seems to run okay. A little bit more white smoke then when I first bought it but that could be due to a number of factors such as me tearing apart the carburetor when it was not needed and damaging some rubber gaskets and seals. You are right I do need to get an operator's manual for it I have searched the internet long and wide because I am a cheapskate I did buy one from Tractor Supply Company and that manual was completely useless it only spoke of the most basic of things it didn't give finer details. Finer details referring to something as simple as where is the transmission fill plug or where is the hydraulic fill plug and even the reference to a hydraulic dipstick were not listed in the tractor supply company from all book. Which like I said I have posted for others to use thanks again for your guy's advice I try and use it with what minimal funds I have

[Urbish]

No worries regarding the dual fuel thing. Many old tractors are Frankenstein monsters that have had various bits and pieces replaced from other tractors over time. There's no real reason to run on anything other than gasoline anyway.

If you want a good, correct manual; get one from Binder Books: http://www.binderbooks.com/letter.htm#Farmall_H They aren't too pricey and you'll be getting the real deal.

Jim

[Jim Becker]

Non-detergent oil is usually marked with one of more of ND, SA, or SB. Sometimes it is labeled as compressor oil, maybe with the added statement not for use in internal combustion engines.

Any place that suggests using 10W30 for hydraulic oil is in error.

I assume the book you got from Tractor Supply is the I&T IH-8 Shop Manual. For it to cover something like 26 models in 88 pages, it is going to leave out some details. It was written for experienced mechanics that already know or have access to information in the Owner's Manual. You need the Owner's Manual as was supplied by IH when the tractor was originally delivered.
http://www.binderbooks.com/letter.htm#Farmall_H

[pokitisme]

Non-detergent oil is usually marked with one of more of ND, SA, or SB. Sometimes it is labeled as compressor oil, maybe with the added statement not for use in internal combustion engines.

Any place that suggests using 10W30 for hydraulic oil is in error.

I assume the book you got from Tractor Supply is the I&T IH-8 Shop Manual. For it to cover something like 26 models in 88 pages, it is going to leave out some details. It was written for experienced mechanics that already know or have access to information in the Owner's Manual. You need the Owner's Manual as was supplied by IH when the tractor was originally delivered.
http://www.binderbooks.com/letter.htm#Farmall_H

Yes that is the book exactly well from what I remember go on bin search and type in that and you'll see the manual I posted. Sorry about some of my musings above I'm using speech to text and it sometimes gets words wrong. Yeah I probably should not have used 10w 30 as hydraulic oil LOL but I don't think it's going to destroy the engine. It might loosen the seals a little bit but that's just the hassle I have to deal with. I did use 10w 30 as engine oil in that and have found no problems. It did have a very thick black sludge at the bottom of the transmission and like I said I put my finger in that transmission drain plug and swooped it around left and right up and down and tried to collect as much sludge as I could then I sprayed brake cleaner up in there to loosen more stuff. Yes I understand the standard procedure is kerosene but kerosene cost money. And considering I got paid about 1100 bucks just a couple days ago and now I only have $30 and that's going on gas tonight my funds are slightly tightened at the moment. My main thing now is just figuring out the 3 point system and then getting me a brush hog that has the appropriate PTO output. Which if you've ever looked on Craigslist is a bitch of a chore. And I know a few of you guys are in Missouri here. So you know what the pickings are around here.

[Eugene]

I bought it off of a farmer who goes and buys auction things all the time I did not know what I was doing when I bought it but for $800.

My main thing now is just figuring out the 3 point system and then getting me a brush hog that has the appropriate PTO output. Which if you've ever looked on Craigslist is a bitch of a chore. And I know a few of you guys are in Missouri here. So you know what the pickings are around here.

At the auction, below link, there were many mowers (brush hogs) for sale. Mowers are frequently listed on Craigslist.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=98583

Above link are some prices from a recent AG auction. Just thinking that for a few hundred dollars more than the $800- paid for the H, you could have purchased a tractor in very good, work ready condition. Probably 3 or 4 tractors had the 3-point which was included in the sale price. Thus saving you a ton of money.

Also, since funds are tight, might sell the H for what ever you can get. Save up for a work ready tractor, not cobbled up, not immediately needing repairs.

[pokitisme]

Yeah I get your point on that the problem is this is my first tractor it works pretty damn good it's strong and it's tough plus I'm a cheapskate and a pack rat. Don't take this as any offense this is directly related to my cousin who owns a business out in Holden Missouri but I can't just sell stuff I hate to say that but I consider that kind of a white trash mentality and like I said it's not based on anything you're saying I'm just saying my cousin can't seem to keep anything in his clutches for long he sells everything. He's had nice cars he had a huge boat he's had two tractors he's had a bunch of stuff but he's always selling it to make a buck because he can't make ends meet because he runs a business and can barely keep the business running. So he's always having to sell something to make sure everything works out at the end of the month whereas I work a job where right now I have a study 52 hours a week I bring in about $1,100 paycheck each time and if I stop buying stuff I can actually save some money up. But then again you're talking to somebody who's driving a 95 Lincoln Town Car with 330000 miles on it LOL. I don't sell none of my guns I don't sell none of my cars and I'm probably not going to sell my tractor because like I said it is my first tractor and I have become quite attached to it I know it's just a piece of machinery but I've never had a tractor before and it's mine I have it in hand right now it might not be perfect but it does work and like I said it's a very strong tractor I was able to pull a trailer around with the front end of it the other day. And that trailer was a very sturdy tough trailer actually it was the same trailer that I brought it home on.

As to the old guy in Ottawa Kansas. It's not very often that you can make deals with people on trust alone and the guy trust me I told him I was an honest person and he took a chance with me and believe me and allowed me to make payments on my trailer and you wouldn't he would have made payments on the tractor as well but I paid for that out right. The guy has a Ford 8N with a mower which he plans on selling and I don't know the condition of it but I would be very interested in trying to work with him on that and he already told me the other day actually he told my sister that he trusts me and then he told me he was willing to make payments with me that's a pretty good deal for an $1,800 Ford 8in with more. Like I said the only issue is he just kind of repaints this stuff and sells it

[Eugene]

Before you purchase or make payments on another tractor, you need to educate yourself on tractors. The potential tractor's capabilities, how to kick tires (what to look for), condition of the tractor and any implements, can I afford repairs and maintenance, is this tractor and implement(s) going to meet my needs. Lastly, the family's financial condition.

Pretty good deal for an $1,800 Ford 8in with more. The $1800 for the Ford 8N with mower is the ball park price for one in work ready condition.

Don't fall in love with things. Circumstances change, stuff happens. I currently own 5 tractors. Over the years I have owned some where between 15 and 20 tractors, plus associated equipment. Sold the stuff that I no longer needed or had a use for. Later, purchase a different tractor that met current needs.

[pokitisme]

yeah I understand you're owning and reselling of items it's different between your idea and the idea that I concern with my family. Yeah you're right I shouldn't fall in love with that and I have watched quite a few YouTube videos on what to check for. Such as Tire condition leaks after it's been running for a while and all kinds of stuff. Also how to check the brush hogs for damage such as whether the cutting blades we go up and down too much and other such things. Yeah the YouTube videos have been a great help. The only reason why I'm interested in this Ford is because I do know that the horsepower is greater than a Farmall. Yeah I bought the Farmall on a whim because I had checked out tractors for like a year and this one for 800 bucks was an absolute steal yeah one tire has very weather damage on it and the other Tire looks and pretty damn good condition it's got some leaks still has starting issues which I have now traced back to the push pull starter or the wires actually connecting to that which I might play around with today. But the PTO works the belt pulley works I believe that the Hydraulics work of course I have not been able to test that yet. And yes I know I should have checked out all of those things beforehand.

[Eugene]

The only reason why I'm interested in this Ford is because I do know that the horsepower is greater than a Farmall.

Tractordata.com is a good source for information on a tractor.

Suggest comparing the listed and tested differences between the H Farmall and the 8N Ford.

Make a list of things/tasks you want your tractor(s) to do, be able to accomplish.

An edit almost 7 hours after my post. Craigslist, MO is a great price to determine asking prices for local tractors and tractor parts.

As I read the original post, $800 for the H Farmall and $400- for the 3-point.