Online Sources

Besides the web pages listed here, your best bet for online Farmall information is the farmall mailing list hosted by Antique Tractor Internet Service. Besides being a great bunch of people, there is tremendous knowledge there - if you can't find the answer to your question there, it probably can't be answered. Use the button below to subscribe. ATIS also hosts a Farmall discussion board.  Yesterdays' Tractors Magazine is a good general online source of information, and they also host a Farmall discussion board.

Books and Videos

The most essential book for your Farmall H is the original Operator's Manual. It is a great book which contains the full set of operation and maintenance procedures, as well as many minor repair procedures, like repolarizing the generator or timing the magneto.  It also contains wiring diagrams. These are still available from Case-IH, or you can order an excellent quality reproduction from Binder Books. While you are at it, consider getting the service book "Farmall H, HV, O-4, OS-4, & W-4, I-4, U-4, & IU-4 Tractors & Power Units" which is kind of disappointing after the Operator's guide but which still contains a lot of useful stuff. The "Serviceman's Guide" is a nice, inexpensive, concise guide to all kinds of repairs and rebuilds, well worth the money. You might also find a Farmall H & HV Parts Catalog useful - it contains exploded diagrams of everything in the tractor, so you can find out what it was supposed to look like before some clever farmer modified it 30 years ago. Both are also available from Binder. They also carry advertising literature and Farmall photo books.

If you are doing an engine rebuild, you will probably also want the "I&T" manual, from Intertec. It's a good source of information like head bolt torque, etc.

I would also strongly recommend Spencer Yost's book Antique Tractor Bible. While this book is not Farmall specific, it contains a tremendous body of good information about operating, maintaining, and restoring antique tractors.  You can order it from Binder Books, or from any other bookstore. ISBN: 0760303355. Spencer also has a new book out on Rebuilding Farm Tractor Engines.

Two other books deserve mention. Guy Fay's International Harvester Tractor Data Book (ISBN: 0760303215 ) gives complete specifications and identification information for far more than just the letter series. It is inexpensive and pocket-sized, just the thing to take along on any tractor finding expedition. Guy has also published the Farmall Letter Series Tractors Originality Guide (ISBN: 0760304386), which has the definitive answers to questions like "What decals go where?" and "Was the generator supposed to be black or red?". Both are highly recommended.

J&D Productions produces two videotapes which you might find useful, and which can be ordered online from Yesterday's Tractors. One is on rebuilding Farmall engines, one is on tuning them up. The actual title of the engine rebuild one is "Farmall MTA, with information pertaining to the Farmall H, Super H, M, Super M, 300 & 400 Series, McCormick W and O Series and International I Series Tractors" but don't worry, it is very relevant for your H. There is also one on painting tractors. If you're an experienced engine rebuilder, you might not need any of these. I was not, so I purchased both the rebuild and the tune-up videos. I found the rebuild video extremely useful, but by the time I got the tune-up one I had already more or less figured that out, so it was less essential. Still, it might be a great way for a new Farmall owner to get started. I have not seen the painting video so don't know how useful it would be.

Magazines

The most useful magazine for IH collectors is Red Power, P.O. Box 245 Ida Grove, Iowa 51445-0245, or phone 712-364-2131. Among other things, pretty much everyone selling useful restoration parts for IH tractors advertises in Red Power. And the classifieds are a pretty good place to find obscure parts. Subscriptions (last time I checked) were $16.00 per year, or $22.00 per year First Class.

You might also want to join the International Harvester Collectors club. Membership is $10 annually and includes a quarterly magazine Harvester Highlights.  You can contact them at ihcclub@aol.com. 

What Is My Farmall H Worth?

I get this question a lot. There is not an easy answer, it depends on part of the country, sheet metal condition, mechanical condition, tires, accessories and a lot of other things. You might want to check this list of recent tractor sale prices - you'll see that Hs have sold for as little as $350 and as much as $2200 (actually, I know a guy who got a pair of restorable Hs for $300 but that's not the norm).

Other Farmall Models

If you are looking for Farmall Cub information, you might check out www.farmallcub.com.

© 1999-2002 T.W. Cook - All Rights Reserved. Operating and repairing antique tractors is an inherently dangerous activity. In particular, Farmall H's predate many modern safety enhancements such as roll-over protection systems. Please, be aware of the proper safety procedures and take all possible precautions - be careful out there!

Some words, model names, and designations, such as "Farmall", mentioned herein are the property of the trademark holder, and are used for identification purposes only. This is not an official website.

This page last updated: September 27, 2003