How to Restore Farmall Tractors

 

How to Restore Farmall Tractors is a tutorial and technical guide in the Motorbooks Workshop series - this one is devoted to restoring iconic Farmall tractors. First published in 2005, this edition was released 10th Nov 2020 by Quarto on their Motorbooks imprint, it's 224 pages and available in paperback format.

When I was a kid, my paternal grandfather collected and repaired tractors of all makes and models, and reading this book brought back so many memories of hours spent in the barn handing my grandfather tools and watching and learning; me playing nurse to my grandfather's role as surgeon. He had dozens of technical and repair manuals for most makes of tractor, though I can't recall one specifically for the Farmall tractors which went through his collection.

This is a comprehensive  manual for sourcing, breakdown, repair, engine building, bodywork, hydraulic/fuel/cooling/electrical systems and exterior finishing; literally top to bottom fix-it information. The introduction includes a brief and interesting history of the Farmall brand. The following chapters give good advice for sourcing, evaluating, and buying a new project tractor through workshop setup, tools and equipment, and getting started. The rest of the book is a logical step by step tutorial which begins with troubleshooting what's ailing your tractor and tutorials aimed at correcting and restoring each project with specific manuals for engine, clutch transmission & PTO, drive & brakes, axle & steering, tires rims & wheels, hydraulics, electrical, fuel, and cooling systems, and some good info on sheet metal fabrication, paint, and other cosmetic restoration work. The author has also included a nice resource in the form of stock decal and plate placements for readers who want to restore their tractors as closely as possible to the originals as well as a cool guide on the social aspects of restoration - meeting up with other tractor fans and shows and networking.

The appendix contains a nice selection of resources including links to e-tailers and farm equipment shows and periodicals devoted to the hobby. The photography throughout is high quality and includes historical (mostly black and white) and modern material.

For Farmall fans, this is a definitive one-stop repair manual. Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.