Great write up and great pictures! That bucket is a quality attachment! Do you know what year your H is?
See above for the answer to your question
I’m pretty sure it’s early 50’s (maybe late 40’s??) and I’ve probably been told the exact year but the expert died and I don’t recall for a fact. That and, much as I loved him, he told me so much BS for reasons known only to him, I sort of take whatever he said with a grain of salt.
I do remember it was originally kerosene not gas (still has the little gas tank you were supposed to start it with until it warmed up so you could switch to the big tank that held kerosene). It was converted to gasoline while Grandpa still owned it. Allegedly it was one of the early “styled” models that included sheet metal and was ordered with the optional rubber tires instead of the standard steel wheels. Still 6V and still running a magneto. I know that for a fact partly because the original magneto was wore slap out and I was involved in sourcing a reman unit along with a belt pulley that was lost (it interferes with the loader so it’s not on it but there’s one in the shed), the clean out door at the bottom of the grille (which is almost universally lost), nameplate for the front, and the obviously A/M 3 point. All that was while I was in college 35 years ago. If any of that narrows down the model year, I’d be interested to know.
The loader was originally a manure fork. By the time Dad got it back we didn’t have enough manure to need a fork, so he and his stick welder fabricated it into a dirt bucket.
I have considered removing the loader to make it better balanced and easier to drive. Of course no power steering and it’s way front heavy so it’s a bear to steer.
If I leave the loader on it, I’m thinking about replacing the water valves Dad used to isolate the loader from the 3 point with actual hydraulic spool valves so both ends can be used without getting off and cranking a couple of water spigot type valves open/shut. I have zero knowledge on the manufacturer of the loader. I don’t think it’s IH but really don’t know.
I was up for selling it when Dad passed but my brother wasn’t and at this point I agree with him. After I retire at the end of the year, it’s down a ways on the project list but I’d like to get it to where it’s a little more usable. Without the loader, it would pull a bush hog, disc, or a couple of plows just fine. It would probably struggle with bigger stuff with the chipper but sometimes it would be nice to have it pulling the chipper leaving the L free for grapple work. I’d at least like to give it a whirl to see how it performs.
Now that we have the L, the loader isn’t near as useful as it once was. It will pick up about the same as the L but not near as stable and having essentially one front wheel if the ground isn’t rock hard it has a bad tendency for the front end to bury itself, which really limits its utility.
So yeah, mine might look a little prettier than yours but it needs some work, too.
Edit: My brother says it’s a 1939. He’s probably right.
