Bringing Rodger’s 51 M Back To Her Former Glory

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,314]

Piddled around a bit this morning with Rodger’s old M. Worked on the carb a bit more and got it reinstalled, but she still wouldn’t start. Little bit of diagnostic work and I discovered the old coil gave it up. Borrowed the coil off my Super M and she cranked right up. Ignore the flat tires in the video, tires and rims are shot anyway and I needed to get her to more level ground. Planning on next weekend rounding up some help and putting the tires and rims off the Super over on her until I can afford a set of new ones.

 

 

 

Edited December 11, 2020 by HandyProfessor

[ZXT 2,401]

Sounds like it runs pretty good! Those rear tires don't even look that bad TBH.

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,314]

33 minutes ago, ZXT said:

Sounds like it runs pretty good! Those rear tires don't even look that bad TBH.

They’re a lot worse than they look, there is places on them where I can poke my finger through and touch the tube. They sat flat for about 7-8 years in a barn, we got them to air up long enough to drag it to my house in town, but I couldn’t even get them to take air when I went to move it out to the farm a couple weeks ago. Rims are shot too, years of being loaded with calcium took its toll on them as well

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,512]

Good job, Handy (kind of reminds me of Red Green, "If the women don't find you handsome,...."  Anyways I digress, it does sound good.  With the rear wheels set at the narrowest position, it does seem a bit odd.  It looks like that not only the wheels are set in all the way on the axle, but they're dish out to make them even more narrower.  That's okay for storage and trailering, but not for driving on slopes, etc.  Any plans to move them out a bit?  I have both my B and C set in, mainly to take up less room in the garage and to fit on my 83 inch wide trailer.

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,314]

1 hour ago, T-Mo said:

Good job, Handy (kind of reminds me of Red Green, "If the women don't find you handsome,...."  Anyways I digress, it does sound good.  With the rear wheels set at the narrowest position, it does seem a bit odd.  It looks like that not only the wheels are set in all the way on the axle, but they're dish out to make them even more narrower.  That's okay for storage and trailering, but not for driving on slopes, etc.  Any plans to move them out a bit?  I have both my B and C set in, mainly to take up less room in the garage and to fit on my 83 inch wide trailer.

Yes I plan on moving them out a bit...and also flipping the centers around. It has inside weights on it too. I was gonna start swapping things around yesterday...if it was just tires and wheels I think we could handle it, but when I decided to turn the centers around I figured I’d better call in help, that might be a bit more than Tasha and I can handle with just the two of us here

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,512]

21 hours ago, HandyProfessor said:

Yes I plan on moving them out a bit...and also flipping the centers around. It has inside weights on it too. I was gonna start swapping things around yesterday...if it was just tires and wheels I think we could handle it, but when I decided to turn the centers around I figured I’d better call in help, that might be a bit more than Tasha and I can handle with just the two of us here

I hear you.  Messing with 145 lb plus wheel weights isn't fun.

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,314]

Started pulling wheel weights off tonight. I thought we did pretty good, had about an hour of daylight left after I got home, got one side done with only one cussing fit and one smashed thumb 

 

Ready for a full day of daylight Saturday so we can get the other rims and tires put on her

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,314]

Made a little more progress on the M tonight. Got the other side weights pulled off and one tire/rim assembly removed. I screwed up and let the tire fall flat on the ground...now I’ve got to figure out a way to stand up a 38” tire that’s loaded with calcium to get it out of the way. Then proceeded to loosen the axle clamp and one of the bolts twisted off, I think it was already broke and barely hanging on, I barely put any pressure on the wrench when it snapped. So I gave up and came inside for some coffee, work on it again in the morning 

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,512]

Loaded tires aren't fun to handle.  I replaced a badly worn tire on my '49 C (36 inch tire) with a better one, and moving the worn, loaded tire wasn't fun.  It may stay where I moved it too also.

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,314]

Got the tires on today. My help never showed up, but Tasha and I managed pretty good with just the two of us here. Really liking the looks of the 14.9-38s instead of the 13.6-38s that were on it. Got a couple that need a shot of air from sitting so long. Have a new sediment bowl coming in the mail soon, as well as all the oil and filter sitting in the barn to service it. Plan on giving it a full tune up and a 12 volt conversion, but other than that and fixing a few leaky seals I hope to not have to do much more mechanical repairs. 
 

I am thinking the more I look at it that it needs a set of fenders put on, and planning on doing something a bit different with the seat. On Rodger’s H he had an under body tool box mounted on top of the transmission with a bench seat built on top of it for parades and tractor rides. Thinking about doing something similar with this one, that way Tasha and I can both ride if we take it to a long tractor ride somewhere.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,512]

I like the looks of those tires also, plus like the look of the faded red on the tractor.  Nice M.

 

On a sort of related note, the looks of the older tractors, any brand, had an uniqueness about them and just as old cars and trucks, you knew what brand it was just by the shape of the tractor (you didn't need the color to identify what brand it was).  And just like the newer cars and trucks which seem to be designed by the same guy, the newer tractors are hard to identify without see the name or the color (with some exceptions).  Yes the newer tractors may have more horsepower (with less torque), have 4WD, but also have no style and too much plastic, and probably won't last 80 to 90 years like an old Farmall or John Deere or Allis Chalmers, etc.

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,314]

This old tractor got put on the back burner for quite some time. About three years ago it developed a coolant leak, radiator had to come out but with the factory wide front axle that meant pulling the axle to gain access to the radiator mounting nuts…not really a task I felt up to trying in the front yard. But now that I’ve got a shop to work in I figured it was about time to get back on it and get it fixed. So we spent last week building a stand and removing the front axle and radiator.

 

 

Edited September 23 by ClassicTractorProfessor

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,314]

Got some more work done on the old M the past couple nights, which by the way now has a name. Courtney lovingly named it Lieutenant Dan 

 

We gave him some new legs and got him out of his wheelchair, you will notice that we opted to go with a narrow front axle instead of reinstalling the wide one. This tractor had a turning radius so wide you had to have 40 acres to turn it around. Still won’t be as nimble as my little C but should be better than it was before. 
 

Lieutenant Dan 1951 Farmall M Episode 2
 

 

Edited October 8 by ClassicTractorProfessor