Farming, Agricultural and Farm Machinery Books

Anyone who would use a small tractor will appreciate the clear insights of The Compact Tractor Bible. --Midwest Book review

There are more than 80 brands of compact tractor available today - a bewildering range to choose from. This is the first book to offer a oracticle, unbiased guide to choose which one is best. Written for residential, small-holding farmers, contractors, and professionals who work with compact tractors, this book makes sense of the choices faced, offering clear, objective evaluations of price, power, parts, and performance of the machines covered in this indispensable guide. Fully-illustrated, this book addresses concerns such as requirements, identifying attachments, matching equipment of the job, measuring performance objectively, assesses operating costs before purchase, fun and safety aspects of operation, plus knowing when it is best to hire, lease, or even contract out a job. There is also a useful glossary and reference section.

From the early 1900s and the time of the Friction-Drive Tractor, the the high-horsepower, auto guidance , bio-diesel machines of the early 21st century, authors Lee Klancher and Randy leffingwell have compiled a stunning pictorial array of Farmall machinery. It's big and bold and the photographic coutent of the book ( more than 500 ohotos) is of teh highest quanlity, with each picture accompanied by a bite-sized yet informative caption, And there are some truly remarkable highlights, for example the 1956 Farmall complete with cotton harvester and that conqueror of the mud and poor soil conditions, the heavy-duty, hardworking mid-1920s McCormick-Deering 10-20 TracTracTor. Look, too, at the pictures of the insect-like Cubs - the 1949 Cub Custom High-Clear, and the 1955 French, with their wide, spindly spans! The high quality of engineering for which this range of tractors is renowned is strongly conveyed by the author's excellent archive of material. There are many photographic histories on the market these days, but it seems cetain that this hansome hardback - with its fine print quality - is destined to stand out. --Tractor & Machinery, December, 2009

The first chapter gives the roots of Farmall and explains how the name was adopted by International Harvester Company before actually making the tractors that would bear the name. Many manufactureres were producing tractors with a wide front axel but IHC recognised that row-crop work would be a significant use of any tractor they made. IHC started making self-powered cultivating tractors which had only limited success. Development started in 1915 but was abandoned in 1916, but by 1917 a new design was in production. IHC battled on with the motor cultivator untill 1919. Development than took place of heavy and ligth Farmall tractors varients with the Heavy being dropped in July 1922 and by 1923 they had built 26 Farmalls, with proper production not really getting underway untill 1924, but production of the 10-20 and 15-30 limited factory capacity. The solution was to buy the Moline Plow Company in Rock Island, Illinois, in 1924 and in 1926 all Farmall manufacture moved to these works from Chicago. The Farmall name lasted untill 1979 when it was emoved from the model 140m, though the Farmall name was still used in the name of the Farmall Plant. A must for any International or Farmall enthusiast, or any one wanting to learn more of how this manufacturere evolved through the years. --Vintage Tractor, Feb, 2010

From the first tractor built in 1924 to the last Farmall to roll of the production line, this richly illustrated history tells the full story of Farmall's tractors and fills in a key chapter of tractor and farming history. Engaging and informative text by Kenneth Updike compliments the modern and vintage photographs, plus archive images from Farmall's early days. Whether farmer, mechanic, tractor enthusiast, you will find a captivating account of its manufacture under the beloved Farmall brand.