JD H

[Super A]

So I did a thing over the weekend, brought home a JD H. I have always fancied these things for one the same reason I like Cubs--it's small, easy to haul, and kinda cute.......a friend of a friend in IN sold it to me, my buddy picked it up a couple weeks ago at the Portland Swap Meet and brought it to his home outside of Winston Salem, NC. I went and got it Saturday.

Now in true old tractor fashion, it had been running fine up until about an hour before I picked it up. We tried to start it and all it would do was flood. Got it to run about 30 seconds before it died. There was quite a bit of trash in the carb bowl when we drained it, which leads me to think the trip to NC sort of "stirred up" whatever was floating around in the tank. So it's safely in my shop, will work on getting the carb cleaned in the next day or two.

Still pretty excited. It's a neat little tractor.

[Slim140]

Sweet! I restored an H years ago and have a couple manuals and a lot of part #'s etc. If you have any questions ask away and I'll try to help you. I know some of the parts for the H are hard to find. I also have a hydraulic pump for sale, PM sent on that.

Side note, don't know if you know it or not but the belt pulley on the H turns backwards from all other 2 cylinder J.D.'s because it runs off the camshaft instead of the crankshaft.

[Landreo]

I have a 1940 hand start, no electrics, no hydraulics, just a tractor. The JD H and my Allis Chalmers G are my favorites. Fun sized tractors.

Check the fan mount bushing, if loose the fan can move forward into the expensive radiator.

There should be a leather piece under the shift gate to keep water out of the transmission, it may be gone.

Check the brakes, if the seals leak then transmission fluid will soak the brake bands.

[Slim140]

There should be a leather piece under the shift gate to keep water out of the transmission, it may be gone.

I remember that as a problem. The new leather eventually gets tough and the hole around the gear stick stretches and water still gets in if washed much or not kept in a shed. I used to wash mine quite a bit getting ready for shows and tried to avoid getting water near the gear stick even with a new piece of leather in.

[Indy4570]

Congrats! if I had time, money and a reaLLY big barn I think I would own one of every old tractor made before 1965

[Slim140]

Here's the 1942 H I had, I worked on it off and on for 6 years. It had every option you could get from the factory except fenders, I couldn't bring myself to spend $900 for fenders at the time. This tractor didn't have PTO, I bought a parts tractor and put it in it. I bought that complete set of cultivators from a guy for $100 minus the plant shields, I made those, scaled them down from a set for the A we have now. I eventually did a trade on a W111 power unit with this then traded the W111 for a J.D. 730 diesel with flat top fenders and 3 point then sold it and got almost all my investment back

[grnspot]

Nice find!

Size is a lot of why I like my 1953 JD 40S. I once saw three H's sell at auction for $150, of course that was over 50 years ago, they weren't a collector's item then!

[v w]

Super A I agree it is cute and IF collecting tractors I would want a JD LA, an AC G, MH Pony, you get the idea. Not so good for power. I have a few hours on a JD H mostly raking hay. No electrical system so was left parked at the top of a hill between the house and barn. Vern