What plow class is a Farmall H?

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What plow class is a Farmall H?

Matt	I already know that the tractor is a 2plow rated tractor. I need to know if it is a 2plow light or 2plow med. Thanks in advance.
Hugh MacKay	Matt: I never heard tell of such a thing as light, medium or heavy. Plain 2 plow tractor and in the H era, 2x16 was the largest two bottom plow. I suppose one could call a 2x10 or 12 light, 2x14 medium and 2x16 heavy. My dad plowed for years with a 2x14 and the H played with it. I plowed a number of years with 3x16 behind a 300, it was loaded, but it always pulled it. Based on that I would conclude H would handle 2x16 quite easily.
Matt	The reason for the question is that I have a tractor club that rates your tractor like that. They rate a Farmall F-20 as a 2 plow med. The M replaced the F-20 and the H replaced the F-12 or F-14. Im trying to build a 1939 H pulling tractor because that is the newest steel wheel tractor you can pull. I hate to ask the club yet until the day of the pull (Surprise)Wondering who I am going to pull againist. Thanks
John M	WOW! Youre the first person Ive ever seen that paosted the replacement info right!
Hugh MacKay	Matt: I disagree, F-12 and F-14 had a C-113 engine, no way they could match an H with 152 cubic inches. As I see it A and B replaced the F-14, H replaced the F-20, M replaced the F-30 and you know what WD9 replaced the WD40
Matt	Hugh I understand and agree that the A or B seems like it replaced the F-12 but I have a farmall book that spells it out that in 1939 H replaced the F-12 and M replaced the F-20.When they replaced them they went bigger. The A isnt a row crop anyway. It doesnt matter though because here is a site that has the specs on the H- It is a 2 bottom med. http://www.farmall-h.com/specifications.htm Thank You-If you find something that says other wise let me know.
John M	Hugh, While in reality you are right, BUT IH marketed the H as a repalcement to the F14, M the F20. The A and B were sold as a compltely new line. Rather clever marketing, wouldnt you say.
Hugh MacKay	Matt: A Farmall book, by whom is it written? There is all kinds of guys written tractor books, and have no idea what there talking about. The Farmall A is very much a row crop tractor, IH did not put the name Farmall on them, unless they were designed for row crop use. Wide front or Narrow front is not the determining factor on row crops. It is pure design. Going back to your statment about H versus F-14 and F-12, every piece of information ever put out by IH, called the F-12 and F-14 a 1 plow tractor. The H and F-20 are clearly 2 plow tractors and M and F-30 were 3 plow tractors. I have a Nebraska test book and the F-12 did not generate as much hp as the Farmall A, it couldn't, same cubic inches and the F-12 turned 300 rpm slower. I don't belong to a club, I did not learn everything I know about Farmall tractors from a book. I climbed on the seat of a W4 for the first time in 1948 to do commercial farm work. The F-12, F-14 and F-20 were not that old back then, and I do remember what tractor replaced another. Your talking nonsence man.
John M	Hugh, Guy Fay stated that in his Originaity Guide book I do believe it was. As you know, he extensivly used the WHS records in his books. You both are correct in this matter.
Hugh MacKay	John: I don't dispute the clever new marketing approach. No question the A and B filled a niche, not done in the past. I've used an F-12 and it would have a hard time measuring up to the A and B let alone an H. One possible exception the F-12 or F-14 had an advantage over the A and B was the large diameter wheels on a hard pull in a tight situation. Those 24" tires just couldn't get as much traction. These were cultivator tractors, and I pull 4 rows of cultivator front and rear tools with my 140 on 24" tires You can also put the shoe on the other foot, when the B turned into a C with 36" tires, that little C-113 engine did not stand up to the task near as well as A or B with 24" tires. We had a local hometown rebuilder almost made his entire living keeping our Farmall engines going. He always claimed the C-113 in a C would not give the hours of service between rebuilds that it did in an A. Furthermore, at rebuild time there would be more wrong with a C engine. Coming to the F-20 and the H, they are both a relatively big block compared to either of the 113 cubic inch engines used in F-12, F-14, A or B. Put an H in the field new, it will do 20% more work than an F-20. I dare say most of that 20% can be credited to being more operator friendly than an F-20. Again you have the same with F-30 and the M, both a very much bigger block than an H or an F=20, yet the M will outdo the F-30 in the field. I've operated them all, and grew up knowing guys that took new F series tractors into the field. Those same guys, like me took new letter series tractors to the field. You'll have a hard time convincing anyone that operated these tractor, and over 60 years of age, anything different than I posted here. Just how many hours does Guy Fay have with his posterior in the seat of a tractor. And just because a manufacturer used great marketing, how many North American farmers listened to that bunk. Lets face it Deere has done the best job on marketing approach, yet the features of modern Deere tractor were all someone else's ideas. Oliver's 6 cylinder, IH's TA, Ford's power shift, Cockshutt's IPTO, Ferguson's 3 point hitch, just to name a few.
John M	All points very well taken Hugh, and I can agree with you 100%. I would not begin to debate your wisdom, you know that. I was simply stating what I was told, and have seen in writing from IH to its dealers to sell the new line. I also agree that mother Deere is/has survived on the backs of others! This has been a fun discussion.

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