Farmall MD: you can’t beat the power for the price

Jul 14, 2016

Manufactured between 1941 and 1952

IN THE SHOP with Rachel

Farms.com

The Farmall M is one of my favorite tractors. It is popular for a reason: it’s reliable, easy to find parts for and fun to drive. The Farmall M Diesel is a bit more difficult to repair but has one significant advantage: fuel economy.

The Farmall MD was manufactured from 1941 to 1952. These early Farmall tractors (called the "letter series" by enthusiasts) used initials to indicate variants on the main model. In addition to the MD, standard M Farmall variations include the MV (high crop) and MVD (diesel-fueled high crop).

Farmall's inventive gas-over-diesel starting system was used in the MD (as well as many other models). Operators started the tractor on gasoline fuel (a lever adjusted the compression and got the spark plugs firing), then switched over to diesel once the engine was warm.

This system can be tricky to repair. Here are two reasons why:

The first reason is the number of systems. Two fueling systems (one for the gasoline, one for the diesel) give it twice as many things that can go wrong. A clever system like this requires an equally clever mechanic! Compared to similar tractors, there are far more "mission critical" systems to keep in working order.

The second reason why this tractor is difficult to repair is the lack of parts interchangeability. Normally, Farmall did a great job at using the same or similar parts across models. The laws of supply and demand work in your favor - with so many tractors using the same parts, they become easier to find and less expensive. That's not the case with some of the parts on this tractor - most notably the carburetor. Its unique design wasn't used on any other Farmall tractors, making it difficult to service. The injection pump is similarly unique. Even the distributor has a reverse rotation! Parts can be hard to find.

The HUGE advantage of the M Diesel is the fuel efficiency. Compared to other tractors in this size range, the M Diesel really excels in conserving fuel. My friend's uncle purchased one of these tractors new in 1959 to use as a power plant for his sawmill in northern Michigan. For 15 years, the tractor ran the sawmill (with power to spare) on just 8 gallons of fuel a day. What a workhorse!

While this might not be the best tractor for an inexperienced DIY mechanic, you can't beat the power for the price.

Video: 2025 USDA December Crop Report a “Dud” + Trump $12 Billion U.S. Farm Aid

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Mexico is now the #1 buyer of U.S. corn, soybeans (usually China), wheat and pork!
USDA also released its long-term early projections but expect more changes by February of 2026.
Trump announces a $12 billion U.S. farmer aid package to be paid out by February 28, 2026. This helps no one but the ag banks, farm equipment companies, seed and fertilizer companies. It does prevent more farmer bushels from being sold near-term but is not bullish grain prices long-term. The Trump administration should focus on increasing U.S. domestic demand and propping up grain futures so farmers can cover their higher costs, up since COVID of 2020.
The China U.S. soybean purchase tracker now stands at 4.521 mmt or 38% of the 12 mmt promised by China at year end or is it end of February or the growing season? Why the discrepancy vs. the fact sheet. The optics are poor for the Trump administration.
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Silver traded to new record highs as the debasement and de dollarization trade continued but technicals remain overbought near-term.
Soybean futures remained in correction mode after the funds went record long futures on Nov. 19 +233,000 contracts but the $10.80 support should hold into year end when the fund profit taking/liquidation comes to an end from the year end, end of month and end of quarter selling.
The U.S. Fed cut interest rates for the 3rd time by 25 basis points to a range of 3.50 – 3.75% and they will only cut one more time in 2026 and once in 20267/ but when Powell is gone next April the replacement is willing to cut more aggressively and we could see U.S. interest rates fall to 2.0% very bullish for ag and stocks as it could reignite inflation into 2027.
After 2 months of being drier than normal in Brazil the rains have finally arrived for the 1st half of December, and a record crop is still in the cards but if this pattern continues and verifies it could start to delay the harvest. Argentina after being too wet has turned dry but they are too small, compared top Brazil in the grand picture.
The Canadian dollar surged to $0.73 after better-than-expected employment data with 180,000 new jobs in the past 3-months and 3rd quarter GDP at +2.6% but this could be short-lived.
The latest CFTC report as of 11-19-2025 reported a record long fund position in soybeans at +233,000 contracts when 2026 March soybean futures peaked on 11-19-25 at $11.724/bu.