Overview
The Farmall M is a row-crop tractor produced by International Harvester between 1939 and 1954 in Rock Island, Illinois. It features a 4.1L four-cylinder engine available in gasoline or distillate configurations and is equipped with a five-speed sliding gear transmission. During production, 270,140 units were built with an open operator station and a 2WD drive type.
Ideal Applications
Tested Power Output:
Nebraska Tractor Test 328 recorded a maximum belt power of 36.66 hp and a maximum drawbar pull of 4,266 lbs for the gasoline-powered model.
Transmission and Drive Configuration:
The mechanical system consists of a two-wheel drive chassis and a sliding gear transmission offering five forward gears and one reverse gear.
Physical Dimensions and Weight:
The tractor is listed with a shipping weight of 4,858 lbs and a ballasted weight of 6,770 lbs, supported by an 88.5-inch wheelbase and 11-38 rear tires.
Production
| Description | Row-Crop tractor / Built in Rock Island, Illinois, USA |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Farmall (a part of International Harvester) |
| Original price | $1,440 (1946 ) |
| Total built | 270,140 |
Engine
| Bore/Stroke | 3.875x5.25 inches (98 x 133 mm) / 3.875x5.25 inches (98 x 133 mm) |
|---|---|
| Compression | 4.75:1 / 5.65:1 |
| Coolant capacity | 24 qts (22.7 L) / 24 qts (22.7 L) |
| Description | International Harvester / distillate / 4-cylinder / liquid-cooled vertical I-head / International Harvester C248 / gasoline / 4-cylinder / liquid-cooled vertical I-head |
| Displacement | 247.7 ci (4.1 L) / 247.7 ci (4.1 L) |
| Exhaust valve clearance | 0.017 inches*Hot (0.432 mm) |
| Firing order | 1-3-4-2 / 1-3-4-2 |
| Intake valve clearance | 0.017 inches*Hot (0.432 mm) |
| Oil capacity | 8 qts (7.6 L) / 8 qts (7.6 L) |
| Point gap | 0.013 inches (Magneto) (0.330 mm) |
| Rated RPM | 1,450 / 1450 |
| Sparkplug gap | 0.025 inches (0.635 mm) |
| Engine type | International Harvester 4.1L 4-cyl distillate / International Harvester 4.1L 4-cyl gasoline |
| Aux. fuel | 1 gal (3.8 L) |
| Engine type | International Harvester 4.1L 4-cyl distillate / International Harvester 4.1L 4-cyl gasoline |
| Fuel tank | 21 gal (79.5 L) |
| Belt (claimed) | 31-33 hp (23.1 kW) |
| Belt (tested) | 36.66 hp (27.3 kW) |
| Drawbar (claimed) | 25 hp (18.6 kW) |
| Drawbar (tested) | 33.1 hp (24.7 kW) |
| Plows | 3 (14-inch) |
| PTO (tested) | 36.07 hp (26.9 kW) |
Transmission
| Gears | 5 forward and 1 reverse |
|---|---|
| Transmission type | 5-speed sliding gear |
| Type | sliding gear |
Mechanical
| Cab | Open operator station. |
|---|---|
| Description | Manual steering / Mechanical contracting band brakes |
| Drive type | Two-wheel drive |
Hydraulics
| Pressure | 500 psi (early) (34.5 bar) |
|---|---|
| Type | Lift-All *Optional. Transmission-driven pump. |
PTO
| Rear PTO Type | 540 (1.375) |
|---|
Dimensions & Tires
| Ballasted weight | 6770 lbs (3070 kg) |
|---|---|
| Bar rear axle | 2.75 inch diameter (69 mm) |
| Front tread | 9.125 inches (23 cm) |
| Height | 78.3 inches (198 cm) |
| Length | 133 inches (337 cm) |
| Rear tread | 52 to 88 inches (132 to 223 cm) |
| Shipping weight | 4858 lbs (2203 kg) |
| Wheelbase | 88.5 inches (224 cm) |
| Width | 84 inches (213 cm) |
| Front tire | 6.00-16 |
| Rear tire | 11-38 |
| Weight | 4858 lbs (2203 kg) |
| Wheelbase | 88.5 inches (224 cm) |
| Ag front | 6.00-16 / 22.50x4 (steel) |
| Ag rear | 11-38 / 51x8 (steel) |
Farmall M attachments
| Description | front-end loader |
|---|
M Serial Number Location
| Description | Data plate on the left side of the engine area. |
|---|
M Serial Numbers
| 1939 | FBK501 |
|---|---|
| 1940 | FBK7240 |
| 1941 | FBK25371 |
| 1942 | FBK50988 |
| 1943 | FBK60011 |
| 1944 | FBK67424 |
| 1945 | FBK88085 |
| 1946 | FBK105564 |
| 1947 | FBK122823 |
| 1948 | FBK151708 |
| 1949 | FBK180514 |
| 1950 | FBK213579 |
| 1951 | FBK247518 |
| 1952 | FBK290923 |
| Description | FAQ: How to read a serial number table. |
| Final | FBK298218 |
Nebraska Tractor Test 327
| Belt fuel use (max) | 2.8 gal/hour (10.6 l/hour) |
|---|---|
| Belt power (max) | 34.82 hp (26.0 kW) |
| Description | Distillate 5-speed 2WDSeptember 5 - 16, 1939Link: Nebraska Tractor Test 327 file / PTO performance / Drawbar performance / Gear 2 used for power test. / Gear 1 used for pull test. |
| Fuel use | 2.7 gal/hour (10.2 l/hour) |
| Max power | 30.62 hp (22.8 kW) |
| Max pull | 4,365 lbs (1979 kg) |
| Power at rated engine speed | 34.16 hp (25.5 kW) |
Nebraska Tractor Test 328
| Belt fuel use (max) | 3.0 gal/hour (11.4 l/hour) |
|---|---|
| Belt power (max) | 36.66 hp (27.3 kW) |
| Description | Gasoline 5-speed 2WDSeptember 11 - 21, 1939Link: Nebraska Tractor Test 328 file / PTO performance / Drawbar performance / Gear 1 used for pull test. |
| Fuel use | 3.0 gal/hour (11.4 l/hour) |
| Max power | 33.1 hp (24.7 kW) |
| Max pull | 4,266 lbs (1935 kg) |
| Power at rated engine speed | 36.07 hp (26.9 kW) |
References
| Description | Farmall Letter Series Tractors by Lee Klancher / No. 30 Power Loader published by International Harvester / Farm Loaders published in 1962, by International Harvester / Operator's Manual Farmall M and MV / General Line Catalog published in 1949, by International Harvester |
|---|
Tractor Tests
| Description | NTTL 327: distillate 5-speed 2WD / NTTL 328: gasoline 5-speed 2WD |
|---|
Variants
| AM | Australian-built M, built 1949-1954 |
|---|---|
| BM | British-built M |
| I-6 | industrial |
| MD | diesel engine |
| MDV | diesel high-crop |
| MV | high-crop |
| W-6 | standard-front |