Farmall C still relevant?

slingworks · 2025-07-07T09:18:24-0400

A neighbor a few miles down the road has a Farmall C for sale. Not a super, just a C.

He's asking $1400. Looks ok. Was repainted a few years back and showing a bit of that Farmall "fade" but not too bad looking. Straight C so no fast hitch or fenders.
Seems to run decent, gears seem ok as well as clutch. Brakes, about typical for the old bands.

I'm maybe a little warm to it. I always liked the C, but I wonder if it's going the way of the dinosaur? How are parts and cost of parts for one these days? Anything in particular that is unavailable?

Is there any decent 3pt kit for it? It has a hydraulic pump mounted below the distributor for what I'm guessing is for cultivator use. What about Power Steering? Are there any kits available for it?

I don't really have a serious use for it other than I just like it. If it had a 3pt that could be effective I could use it for hilling/cultivating potatoes and sweet corn.

I have experience with 2 other models of Farmalls, an H that I grew up with (Overall I hated it) and I had a SMD for a decade or so. The SMD was pretty decent as it had PS and live hydro w/remotes, but parts, especially engine parts, went up by a factor of 4 over the time I owned it and was part of the reason I traded it off.

wolc123 · 2025-07-07T12:38:20-0400

Is at a standard C with a tricycle front end ?

Those are really nice for 2-row cultivating, because they turn on a dime and let you work your way across the field with no turn around space at the ends.

They are also very nice in the woods for dragging out logs. That’s the only thing I really miss about my old Allis Chalmers model C trike. Much lower impact on delicate forrest floors than wide front 4 wd tractors, almost as light as horses.

We have way too many lawyers in this country these days for any modern tractor manufacturer to try and build or import a trike.

slingworks · 2025-07-07T15:06:30-0400

It's a wide front. I actually "wish" it was a tricycle to a degree. That would make it slightly better for cultivating/hilling that I would like to do. I guess there's a place for both?

I don't know what part of the country you're in Wolc123? In my youth we used dad's H to drag logs for firewood, hilly county and row crop tricycle tractors don't always mix! lol

Once we borrowed a neighbors H that had a manure loader on it. The neighbor used it to pick up round bales (smaller ones). But it has a bit of history when it came to flipping over. When we used it we had a bale up about 2' off the ground and in a bottom field that was totally flat. we were barely moving and the loader "swung" about 8" to the right. (Slop, play, I don't know). The whole tractor tipped sideways, hesitated a minute then fell over on it's side. No major damage other than the battery arcing out and going dead. We used a farm truck and a cable to right it up and finish work. When we mentioned our mishap to the neighbor, he just said, yeah sometimes it does that...

Most of the ground we have that's suitable for tractor work is creek bottom, so it's as close as you'll find to flat.

jkmfarmer · 2025-07-07T16:25:20-0400

Although it's semi retired, I still use my dad's 1950 Farmall C for brush hogging. I used to use it for plowing snow and plowing and prepping a field for planting. And my grandfather who was a dairy farmer used to use it quite often because he liked it's ground speed better than he liked the ground speed of his H. It's a handy little tractor. Parts seem to be readily available but oil and filters are about the only things I need for it.

wolc123 · 2025-07-07T18:11:08-0400

I’m in upstate NY on a farm that’s as flat as a pancake so trikes work well here.

Generally, my experience with non-green antique tractor brands has been poor, so I’d probably pass on that one, especially with a wide front. Lack of power steering is also no problem with a trike.

My current Farmall (Cub with wide front) is still at my buddy’s shop. I do hope to get it back soon, because it is fun to operate, when it runs.

slingworks said:
It's a wide front. I actually "wish" it was a tricycle to a degree. That would make it slightly better for cultivating/hilling that I would like to do. I guess there's a place for both?

I don't know what part of the country you're in Wolc123? In my youth we used dad's H to drag logs for firewood, hilly county and row crop tricycle tractors don't always mix! lol

Once we borrowed a neighbors H that had a manure loader on it. The neighbor used it to pick up round bales (smaller ones). But it has a bit of history when it came to flipping over. When we used it we had a bale up about 2' off the ground and in a bottom field that was totally flat. we were barely moving and the loader "swung" about 8" to the right. (Slop, play, I don't know). The whole tractor tipped sideways, hesitated a minute then fell over on it's side. No major damage other than the battery arcing out and going dead. We used a farm truck and a cable to right it up and finish work. When we mentioned our mishap to the neighbor, he just said, yeah sometimes it does that...

Most of the ground we have that's suitable for tractor work is creek bottom, so it's as close as you'll find to flat.

slingworks · 2025-07-08T08:30:14-0400

jkmfarmer said:
Although it's semi retired, I still use my dad's 1950 Farmall C for brush hogging. I used to use it for plowing snow and plowing and prepping a field for planting. And my grandfather who was a dairy farmer used to use it quite often because he liked it's ground speed better than he liked the ground speed of his H. It's a handy little tractor. Parts seem to be readily available but oil and filters are about the only things I need for it.

How big of a brush hog do you run? Is it a pull type or do you have some sort of lift on your C?

slingworks · 2025-07-08T08:45:43-0400

wolc123 said:
I’m in upstate NY on a farm that’s as flat as a pancake so trikes work well here.

Generally, my experience with non-green antique tractor brands has been poor, so I’d probably pass on that one, especially with a wide front. Lack of power steering is also no problem with a trike.

My current Farmall (Cub with wide front) is still at my buddy’s shop. I do hope to get it back soon, because it is fun to operate, when it runs.

I'm wondering if the C is easier to use w/o power steering because of the weight? It looks like it's lighter in the nose than an H?.

Growning up we used an H for everything (Dad still has it). When I was 19 I bought myself a Super MD that had PS and live hydraulics. It really felt much more like a modern tractor than a letter series Farmall. After using the SMD the H felt like I was operating a piece of rebar. Both of our machines were tricycles. Wide front ends were always a rarity in this area and brought a premium...But I wonder what the advantage would have been on a C?

Paystar · 2025-07-08T09:50:07-0400

I'd buy it if you like it. I wouldn't worry about parts. Lots of suppliers out there that have pretty much everything you need.
I'm running Allis Chalmers, Ford and Massey Ferguson and I've gotten every part I've ever needed for those no problem.

slingworks · 2025-07-08T10:15:29-0400

Paystar said:
I'd buy it if you like it. I wouldn't worry about parts. Lots of suppliers out there that have pretty much everything you need.
I'm running Allis Chalmers, Ford and Massey Ferguson and I've gotten every part I've ever needed for those no problem.

Thanks for the advice. I probably will. right now I'm a "might" LOL. Mainly I am looking around to see what options there might be for a lift. Something that could pick up something as heavy as a 5' bushhog. So far I only have seen kits that hook on the side lift (like the super A or 140). I'm not too thrilled about that. Wonder if there's one that has it's own cylinder? Looks like I could maybe tap into the pump directly?