The F-12 was the first tractor I learned to operate as a kid in the mid-'50s. My father rebuilt the engine with larger, higher compression pistons and an aftermarket gas manifold. Later he converted it to butane and mounted the tank in front of the radiator.
My grandfather had an F12. We could saw wood using the flywheel PTO an ancient leather drive belt and his tilt table saw rig, all day long and then some. Sweet old tractor. Long gone now. Thanks for posting. Cheers.
My first tractor was a F12, gave $50 for it. I put a saw rig on the front to cut slab wood. I had to start it with the side pulley since I couldn’t use the crank because the saw rig was in the way. Cut many Rick of slabs with it. In the winter I didn’t use antifreeze, I would drain the water, from the tractor, into a 5 gallon gas can and bury the can in the sawdust pile, it never did freeze.
Beautiful antique! Uncle had F12 on small dairy farm. I got yelled at for boiling it over raking hay in 1950s. Got thousands of hours of F12 time spreading manure across the snow...
Dad had 3 an F12,F14, and a F20 and our starting procedure was clear from the owners manual on all 3 never crank the engine all the way around completing the fireing order as it may kick back and injury may result always utilize the half crank method to prevent injury. I tried the through cranking and nearly dislocated my shoulder.
Yup, been there, done that. I should have listened to my grandfather. He had an F12, don't know which year. Used the PTO on the right side near the brake with a flywheel and a long leather drive belt for cutting cord wood in the fall. Nothing else sounds like a Farmall. Very identifiable sound to those engines.
This is actually appears to be an F14. F12 steering shaft is parallel to the hood, not slanted. Unless someone has changed it. Most parts interchange. Another way to tell is F12 has two valve cover studs while the F14 has three. Yours also has the longer brake levers. F12 brake levers were very short. F14 revs a few hundred rpm higher as well, 1650 rom vs like 1450 on the F12 if I remember right. The more I look at it, I am certain thats an F14.
I also thought this was an F14 when I first acquired it due to the higher seat height and angled steering. The serial number plate however is stamped as an F12 and the serial number dates it to 1934. On closer inspection the steering and seat modifications were not factory but home built. During the restoration I cleaned up these modifications that weren't done very cleanly, i.e the steering support bar was just extended in height and the bushing for the steering shaft was removed so and angled steering shaft could pass through. The top support has now also been angled and the bushing re-installed for nice tight steering shaft. The original head for this tractor had some significant issues which look like they were due to the head of one of the valves at some point in it's life broke off and was banging around in the number two cylinder. Beat up the valve seats pretty bad. I picked up an already re-built F14 head to put on. Should increase the power output closer to that of an F14 with the higher compression ratio. Initially I also increased the governor speed to F14 spec but later reduced it back to F12 rpm. I think an additional change to the F14 was slightly different gear ratios so that the F12 and F14 had the same ground speed even though the F14 had a higher rpm. I didn't like the extra speed in first gear.
You plough with the crank handle attached to the front? Seems weird? Great piece of machinery - like all farm implements. There is just something special about them. Especially the smell.
The starting procedure for our old F-12 on the farm back in the 50s was; retard the mag, full choke, a little throttle and pull up on the crank. It seldom took more than a couple pulls.
Good lookin farmall. I have a few myself. Haven’t seen a f12 or f14 without tank in hood or the primer thing sticking through the hood? I have hydralics and an overdrive i want to put on my F14.
That F12 is beautiful, but I hope people who are new to antique tractors with magneto ignitions understand the potential dangers of hand crank starting. On a magneto as old as this, the timing advance is set to 0 degrees by hand. That keeps the engine from trying to start backwards and throwing the hand crank the other direct into his hand or arm. Newer mags, like the one on my '48 Farmall H, render spark adjustment unnecessary by having a start setting and a run setting. The start timing is set by turning the mag when the engine is off so it trips when at top dead center. Once set, the mag doesn't have to be moved again and the hand crank is safe to use. The run timing is set by an adjustment under the mag housing, in my case about 33 degrees before top dead center. If these are not followed, the result could be drastic loss of power or, worse, broken bones.
No matter where you set the spark advance lever on a F-12, the spark does not occur until the impulse coupling trips at DC. Full advance or full retard, makes no difference. The spark is only controllable after the engine starts and the impulse coupling disengaged. An F-12 can bite you, however, if the impulse coupling does NOT trip, and you happen to be cranking the engine fast enough to generate electricity.
Missing could have a lot of potential causes. Try to narrow it down to what system is suspect, i.e. ignition, fuel, .... Check if the idle and high speed mixture screws are properly adjusted ( not running to rich or too lean ). Checking the condition of the spark plugs could also give you a clue if one cylinder looks different than the others. The magneto could be another source for the issue, contacts could be fouled or not gaped properly or the condition of the carbon contacts and rotor surface. One thing I learned during my rebuild is don't assume parts you have bought as re-manufactured or sent off to be rebuilt are good. I had issues with both the magneto and the carburetor that were supposed to have been rebuilt. I would highly recommend getting one of the reproduction owners manuals you can find on line if you haven't already. It has a lot of great information on making all the adjustments and operation of the tractor.
It is positively an F12. The serial number tag confirms it and the serial number dates it to 1934. I suspect you believe it is an F14 due to the steering angle and seat height. These are both user modifications I retained when rebuilding it since I actually use it and is much more comfortable to drive . Doesn't sound like you watched the video, this is explained in the text during the video.
@@epsilonendary I guess because I like farmall red. : ) This was not intended to be a back to factory original restoration. Note the engine is black and the wheels have red spokes with black rims. Just some personal style choices I made.
The F-12 was the first tractor I learned to operate as a kid in the mid-'50s. My father rebuilt the engine with larger, higher compression pistons and an aftermarket gas manifold. Later he converted it to butane and mounted the tank in front of the radiator.
My grandfather had an F12. We could saw wood using the flywheel PTO an ancient leather drive belt and his tilt table saw rig, all day long and then some. Sweet old tractor. Long gone now. Thanks for posting. Cheers.
Nice job...runs good and someone spent a little change
My first tractor was a F12, gave $50 for it. I put a saw rig on the front to cut slab wood. I had to start it with the side pulley since I couldn’t use the crank because the saw rig was in the way. Cut many Rick of slabs with it. In the winter I didn’t use antifreeze, I would drain the water, from the tractor, into a 5 gallon gas can and bury the can in the sawdust pile, it never did freeze.
My '35 F-12 is grey and on full steel. The 12s can be tricky to start, because it takes awhile for the fuel system to prime. Nice tractor!
Beautiful antique! Uncle had F12 on small dairy farm. I got yelled at for boiling it over raking hay in 1950s. Got thousands of hours of F12 time spreading manure across the snow...
Dad had 3 an F12,F14, and a F20 and our starting procedure was clear from the owners manual on all 3 never crank the engine all the way around completing the fireing order as it may kick back and injury may result always utilize the half crank method to prevent injury. I tried the through cranking and nearly dislocated my shoulder.
Yup, been there, done that. I should have listened to my grandfather. He had an F12, don't know which year. Used the PTO on the right side near the brake with a flywheel and a long leather drive belt for cutting cord wood in the fall. Nothing else sounds like a Farmall. Very identifiable sound to those engines.
Brings back memories My dad had this tractor when I was 4 or 5 years old.
Nice oldschool tractor 👌💪🤓✌️
My great grandfather had an F12. I have a picture of him, my grandfather and my dad on it in 1946. So cool to hear and see one in action!
Nice Farmall 👍👍👍
I like, It's beautiful and classic.
This is actually appears to be an F14.
F12 steering shaft is parallel to the hood, not slanted. Unless someone has changed it. Most parts interchange.
Another way to tell is F12 has two valve cover studs while the F14 has three. Yours also has the longer brake levers. F12 brake levers were very short.
F14 revs a few hundred rpm higher as well, 1650 rom vs like 1450 on the F12 if I remember right.
The more I look at it, I am certain thats an F14.
I also thought this was an F14 when I first acquired it due to the higher seat height and angled steering. The serial number plate however is stamped as an F12 and the serial number dates it to 1934. On closer inspection the steering and seat modifications were not factory but home built. During the restoration I cleaned up these modifications that weren't done very cleanly, i.e the steering support bar was just extended in height and the bushing for the steering shaft was removed so and angled steering shaft could pass through. The top support has now also been angled and the bushing re-installed for nice tight steering shaft.
The original head for this tractor had some significant issues which look like they were due to the head of one of the valves at some point in it's life broke off and was banging around in the number two cylinder. Beat up the valve seats pretty bad. I picked up an already re-built F14 head to put on. Should increase the power output closer to that of an F14 with the higher compression ratio. Initially I also increased the governor speed to F14 spec but later reduced it back to F12 rpm. I think an additional change to the F14 was slightly different gear ratios so that the F12 and F14 had the same ground speed even though the F14 had a higher rpm. I didn't like the extra speed in first gear.
OMG the cranking ,,,,
My two F-12's have removable cranks in the front. I started going to the gym to make me stronger to start these pain in the asses. No joke!
You plough with the crank handle attached to the front? Seems weird? Great piece of machinery - like all farm implements. There is just something special about them. Especially the smell.
The starting procedure for our old F-12 on the farm back in the 50s was; retard the mag, full choke, a little throttle and pull up on the crank. It seldom took more than a couple pulls.
You are correct something isn't right these tractors were made to start in a couple of cranks
Amo os pequenos tratadores vermelhos.
Principalmente o Massey Ferguson 50.
Good lookin farmall. I have a few myself. Haven’t seen a f12 or f14 without tank in hood or the primer thing sticking through the hood? I have hydralics and an overdrive i want to put on my F14.
That F12 is beautiful, but I hope people who are new to antique tractors with magneto ignitions understand the potential dangers of hand crank starting. On a magneto as old as this, the timing advance is set to 0 degrees by hand. That keeps the engine from trying to start backwards and throwing the hand crank the other direct into his hand or arm. Newer mags, like the one on my '48 Farmall H, render spark adjustment unnecessary by having a start setting and a run setting. The start timing is set by turning the mag when the engine is off so it trips when at top dead center. Once set, the mag doesn't have to be moved again and the hand crank is safe to use. The run timing is set by an adjustment under the mag housing, in my case about 33 degrees before top dead center. If these are not followed, the result could be drastic loss of power or, worse, broken bones.
No matter where you set the spark advance lever on a F-12, the spark does not occur until the impulse coupling trips at DC. Full advance or full retard, makes no difference. The spark is only controllable after the engine starts and the impulse coupling disengaged. An F-12 can bite you, however, if the impulse coupling does NOT trip, and you happen to be cranking the engine fast enough to generate electricity.
Very smart turnout indeed. Should it run smoother though? Regards 🇬🇧
I’m working on a 1938F-12 and when it runs it dosent sound like that. It misses a lot. Any ideas?
Missing could have a lot of potential causes. Try to narrow it down to what system is suspect, i.e. ignition, fuel, ....
Check if the idle and high speed mixture screws are properly adjusted ( not running to rich or too lean ).
Checking the condition of the spark plugs could also give you a clue if one cylinder looks different than the others.
The magneto could be another source for the issue, contacts could be fouled or not gaped properly or the condition of the carbon contacts and rotor surface.
One thing I learned during my rebuild is don't assume parts you have bought as re-manufactured or sent off to be rebuilt are good. I had issues with both the magneto and the carburetor that were supposed to have been rebuilt.
I would highly recommend getting one of the reproduction owners manuals you can find on line if you haven't already. It has a lot of great information on making all the adjustments and operation of the tractor.
missing RADIATOR BLIND that rolls up, pretty sure the engine was RED when new.
I'm sorry to tell you this but I'm fairly sure that's a F-14.
It is positively an F12. The serial number tag confirms it and the serial number dates it to 1934. I suspect you believe it is an F14 due to the steering angle and seat height. These are both user modifications I retained when rebuilding it since I actually use it and is much more comfortable to drive . Doesn't sound like you watched the video, this is explained in the text during the video.
@@joelswanson I admit I didn't watch it all the way through. But as a 34 Why did you paint it red?
@@epsilonendary I guess because I like farmall red. : ) This was not intended to be a back to factory original restoration. Note the engine is black and the wheels have red spokes with black rims. Just some personal style choices I made.