Thought I’d submit photos of our 1951 Farmall M. The tractor has several OEM parts installed on it. Following is “pasted” version of the narrative that we display with the tractor. The restoration was completed August 2, 2010. Thank you for your time and my thanks to OEM for all the top quality parts and accessories that help those of us in the antiques tractor hobby.
Dusti Snider
Princeton, WV
Several years ago I spotted this old “M” sitting on a vacant lot just off a major four lane highway near our home. I stopped and looked at it there surrounded by other discarded machinery. It wasn’t near any houses or buildings, so I had no clue to whom it belonged. Every so often I would stop by and check on the ol’ tractor give the crankshaft pulley a tug and admire it for a few minutes. While the sheetmetal was relatively straight it was missing some parts; lights, pto shield, and the seat tool box. The fuel system and the wiring were almost non-existent. It was plain that it hadn’t been running for along time, but it wasn’t stuck either. Then one rainy, cold Sunday in January of 2008 we left church headed out to eat, and I drove out that four lane highway near the old M. I made a quick turn, pulled the car off the road and walked over there looking it over yet again, while my lovely wife waited patiently in the car. This time I took a digital camera and took a few quick pictures. While I was standing there a young lady pulled up at a paper box across the road, She walked over and asked me if I’d like to talk to her father-in-law, about “that ol’ thing” and she gave me his number. A few days later I called the man and he priced it to me. I wanted it terribly, in spite of the fact that it hadn’t ran in years, and I really couldn’t afford it. The price was a little more than I had in mind, but I figured it was worth something not having to drive a couple hundred miles to get it.
Nine months passed. Finally I made my mind up and called the man once again. He wasn’t as eager to sell this time, but finally agreed. He offered a little more information about the tractors history. The tractor came from a farm in Bland County, Virginia. He had tried unsuccessfully to purchase the tractor at an auction and man aged to keep up with its location. A few years later he was able to purchase the tractor from the man who had outbid him years before. We made arrangements to meet the next Saturday morning, September 20th 2008. Saturday morning finally arrived and I met him there at the tractor and paid for the tractor, with the understanding that I may have to leave it sit there for another couple weeks until I could get a trailer over there to get it. My lovely wife told me I’d never be able to wait that long and she was right. By noon on Monday I hired a local wrecker service to haul her the six miles to her new home. I tinkered around a few evenings and on September 30, 2008 she came to life for the first time in years…
Over the next few months I replaced the missing lights and pto shield, serviced the engine, transmission, and radiator. I read everything I could about these tractors on line, and ordered a reproduction Owners Manual and Service Manual, as well. During the summer of 2009 I gave the engine a light overhaul, serviced the rear brakes, replaced the front wheel bearings and put a new seal in the lift-all pump. Finally on January 15, 2010 the restoration process began. The tractor was dismantled, leaving the engine, transmission and rear end intact. Thoroughly cleaned and meticulously reassembled over a period of 7 months, the project involved over 200 labor hours. I did all the work myself, with the help of my wife and my daughter, right in my own shop. While I did purchase several new parts, including new Rochester gauges, I spent a lot of extra time locating and refurbishing good original parts wherever I possibly could.
I would be remiss not to acknowledge some people in my life whose help with this project was priceless….my great friend Ray Smith for all the free parts, priceless advice, and encouragement…my Dad for teaching me to work with my hands and instilling an appreciation for all things mechanical…my daughter Beth, my greatest accomplishment for at least trying to understand my fascination with heavy, rusty , smelly pieces of iron…my wonderful wife Sherri, for making room in the family budget for tractors and whose hard work at my side has only been exceeded by her patience with me. Of course I must thank The Master Restorer for the skill He gives to work with my hands, and for seeing enough potential in me to give me a second chance, just as I seen the potential in this ol’ tractor enough to give it a second chance…
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