Would a Farmall Super A make a good maple woods sap hauling tractor?

[claystroup]

Does anyone have any experience using a Farmall A tractor in a Maple Woods to haul sap? My father in law has a 1949 Farmall A that runs good he will sell me for $600. Was wondering how it would work to haul sap out of my sugar bush to my barn. The trails I have been cutting through the woods are about 8' wide and relatively flat. Was wondering how the old Farmall would do with snow up to about 12-15" deep at most. Thanks, Clay

[Michael Greer]

Tire chains and wheel weights will make the most out of it. You may also need weights on the front end to allow it to steer.

[dblact38]

Go to Farmallcub.com youll get all your answers from there

[WESTMAPLES]

it will do it with chains, wheel weights, and a few front weights to steer (with alittle help of the foot brake) . my 1960 IH t340 dozer loves the snow... it goes so good with its half truck dually trailer loaded with 500 gals of sap. half the time breaking a new trail i forget trailer is there , ( i don`t plow the trails because its less impact/ mess afterwards) and look back to find myself dragging it through everything . can`t go wrong buying it for that kind of money , its a IH ... its born to be workaholic in every condition its entire life .

[BAP]

I would go for it. As others have said, put a set of tire chains on it. Don't try to use too big a tank behind it. That's a great price your father in law is offering it to you, most of them you see for sale run between $1500-$3000. I use my Farmall H with a trailer and a 125 tank and it works great.

[mudr]

I used my John Deere B last year. I think it is about on-par to the super A, not quite sure as I'm not completely familiar with older red tractors. Yes, it worked but I needed to know my limits with it being two wheel drive and not having a locking differential. Also mine has a narrow front, which adds to the "fun" of trying to drive through the snow/mud mixture. I got smart last year and drove the edge of the field during the fall after it was fall-plowed to pack down the dirt a bit. I really think that helped. Then again, it was an easy winter and we didn't have much snow to melt, yet the ground didn't freeze. It will be interesting to see how it works this year assuming we have a normal year.

I think it will work, just be smart.

[maple2]

good old tractor! That was my first gathering rig when i was 12. Headed up Rt.9 with a 5 barrel tank to collect from 200 buckets.Brakes were an option

[ehanson]

The IHC A is not the easiest tractor to get on and off of.

[Michael Greer]

Consider going out and driving your trails after each snow this winter. Squashed snow allows the cold to penetrate and freeze the soil which will provide much better footing later on.

[claystroup]

Update: My wife and I went and visited her 92 year old father(widower) on the farm tonight and he says to me after dinner: "You want to go out to the tool shed and see your Christmas present?" I said "What's up"? He said he was going to give me his unrestored 1944 Farmall A as he said I was the only one who had ever showed any interest in it. We went out and it started right up and purred like a kitten. He had all the sheet metal off of it as he was going to paint it. We are going to bolt it back together as I want to run it for a few years in the maple woods to haul sap and I would rather repair/rebuild any mechanical components that need it first before painting it. I thanked him and said it would hopefully be used for many years at our house/sugar bush. Him being a life long farmer I think he likes seeing me getting involved in sugaring and bee keeping. He is incredible at 92 years old and just last weekend actually ran the combine harvesting 120 acres of soybeans with his one son that still runs the farm. Clay

[BAP]

Congratulations, and you must be proud that your father in law thinks highly of you. Enjoy your tractor and it should serve you well.

[n8hutch]

Update: My wife and I went and visited her 92 year old father(widower) on the farm tonight and he says to me after dinner: "You want to go out to the tool shed and see your Christmas present?" I said "What's up"? He said he was going to give me his unrestored 1944 Farmall A as he said I was the only one who had ever showed any interest in it. We went out and it started right up and purred like a kitten. He had all the sheet metal off of it as he was going to paint it. We are going to bolt it back together as I want to run it for a few years in the maple woods to haul sap and I would rather repair/rebuild any mechanical components that need it first before painting it. I thanked him and said it would hopefully be used for many years at our house/sugar bush. Him being a life long farmer I think he likes seeing me getting involved in sugaring and bee keeping. He is incredible at 92 years old and just last weekend actually ran the combine harvesting 120 acres of soybeans with his one son that still runs the farm. Clay

I Gotta say that's pretty cool. Hopefully you can Pass that Tractor on yourself some day. Great story.