That belt pulley was most often used to power workplace hazards. There was an amazing selection of hazards available back then and most came as standard equipment. The aftermarket hazards that were available would amaze you, but the most incredible inventions of all were the hazards that a farmer built himself.

Running a 2020 John Deere in 2093 would be quite a thing, with having to scrounge up replacement computer parts, programming the proprietary firmware, and then getting sued by JD's immortal lawyers for daring to touch their IP. Definitely seeing the appeal of these old tractors :) Our 1960s International back on the farm was a great tractor too, never missed a beat and super easy to maintain by ourselves.

I was born in '49. I can relate to many of the problems. Hard to start...stalls after a short run and leaks. But it still runs. Praise-allelujah

Typical boss always hounding me. Wes… most underrated comedian on the internet. Just so subtle.

That tractor proves that new technology is not always best. Simple is easy to repair. Have a good one.

I’m sure you figured it out Wes, but for those who are watching and don’t know, that “hammering” noise he’s referring to from 9:54 to 10:14 is the magneto tripping (rotating).

I have my late grandpa's 1946 Farmall H he bought brand new, arrived 76 years ago this month after a 9 month wait, he ordered it with his Army bonus in December of 1945.

These old tractors were about as complicated as a nail. They were made with the expectation that the farmer would work on them. My late father told me about the time he was using his Farmall "H" and it started to knock. He pulled the oil pan and found a loose rod bearing. He went to the local IH dealer and bought a new rod bearing insert, put it on and went back to farming!

I love how the patina of the wrench matches the tractor during the carburetor scene.

I have a B and 630. There is a small mesh screen in the sediment bowl originally, use NAPA Part 3039 to replace it. NAPA Screen and filter combo will keep the crude out 👍If everything is right, you do not need to choke the carb, it will fire right up even in cold weather. A repair business here in Ohio will gun drill all the passages back to spec. The cheap carb repair kits only scratch the surface.

Hey Wes, you appeared to be smiling a lot during the video, I guess having a break from the electronic diagnosis work to back to basics mechanical repairs has its rewards in these modern times. Enjoyed the video.

There’s a simple solution for those who don’t want the commentary - mute their KZfaq video player. I enjoy the commentary, as well as your sense of humor.

My grandfather had 2 JD Bs. They had a compression release on both sides. Open them to start it. Then when it started you closed them. No battery. Coast it down a hill or crank it by hand. Great to see you working on one. I want to thank you for sharing. It brought back many happy times.

I was 8 years old when that tractor was new and I'm still percolating pretty good so I expect the John Deer to do so too!

I think that everyone needs a Wes in their circle of friends. Someone who can troubleshoot and fix almost everything, has the patience of a Saint, is a gentlemen who's word is their bond and can entertain you with their knowledge and whit.

"It's about as far as I go without cleaning" - The story of my life too, Wes.

I imagine that it is almost relaxing to work on a non-computerized machine like that

This video brings back a lot of memories. We have a family farm and we used to have Deere 600, 620, & 630. They are all setup virtually the same as this one. The sound of the engine and exhaust, the whine of the transmission and such as you drive. Those were the good old days lol back before cabs and AC and radios lol

Gotta love these old Johnny poppers. Rebuilt a 39A for my uncle when I was 16 years old. That’s when I discovered that these engines were a lot like the Harley Davidson engine where one piston fired a few degrees behind the other. I sure miss the time when you could open your window on a night in may and hear the spring frogs, whippoorwills and someone working ground in the distance on an ole Johnny counting them off.

My last experience with a John Deere "B" was about 45 years ago, helping a couple of friends load one on a trailer, and haul it, don't even remember where we took it, but I remember being very tired, that darned thing was heavy, even when I was young and strong.

That hose to raise the pickup level is genius.

Wes, it's been a long time since I worked or wrenched on a "Pop"n Johnny"! Thanks for making an old man smile, and for the memories!

Good old iron. Never gona see that simplicity and quality ever again

Haven’t seen you smile that big in a while!

Thanks for the memories Wes!! I appreciate the work you let us in on. And needing an exterminator skill set to start / finish a repair is entertaining to say the least. We lived 200 miles from Grandma and Grandpa. We got to visit a couple times a year. Mom and Dad would load us up in the 65 Wildcat and we'd make book. Grandpa was always busy, and if he had field work to do, he'd go out to fire up his old JD (may have been a B). He'd leave the can on the exhaust for us and shoot it off when he started the tractor just to entertain us. I rode with him some, but it wasn't very far. I remember white knuckling him to hold on. I guess potentially mashing a young grandson into paste wasn't on his to do list. That long skinny hood and the feeling of balancing on a tightrope was VERY familiar. Those were simpler times... I did get to "help" with chores: feeding cotton seed cake to the cows, letting the chickens out and scattering feed for them, trying to rob a few nests of their eggs. The outhouse was the weirdest place. That's the first time I ever heard a cat purr and it scared the life out of me. It's a wonder I didn't fall in... She had a few kittens behind the paper goods bucket. Strange what you remember when you let the memories unfold....

You fix their cars. You fix their trucks. You fix their 50+ year old farm equipment. You fix their snow plows in the middle of winter. Seriously Wes, you are a huge asset to your community...I hope they appreciate you!

When you see Max at the beginning of an episode you know its going to be a fun one. BTW...Max is an excellent supervisor he doe not micro-hound you.

Pup is your motivational coach. No one believes in you more than the pup does.

The emulsion tube as you called it is the nozzle and definitely needed pulled out and cleaned, would have never ran well. To get the brass screws out of the carb, it helps to hit them with a handheld propane torch until you get a green flash. Let them cool, then use a well fitting screwdriver and they'll come right out (usually). Loving this video!

Literally fist pumping right now. Wes you literally make my day when you post a new video. Thank you for keeping all of us wrenchers happy with your content.

When I grew up on a farm in Southern Illinois in the 40's and 50's there were a lot of farmers that owned the Farmall F20s and F30s. Many of the big farmers in Northern Illinois owned these tractors. I have driven a lot of them doing farm work. They were slow but work horses when you wanted to pull a big harrow or disc. Some of the farmers used the belt pulleys to grind grain for their livestock. The steering wheel caused the brakes to work on each back wheel according to which way you turned the steering wheel so the tractor could do a sharp turn. My father owned a F20 from the day he started farming until he died which was probably 40 years. My brother bought and restored several of them until he died. His son still has them in a storage building along with a lot of old cars. Thanks for the great video. It brings back lots of memories.

I spent many hours plowing fields and cultivating row crops on a JD B, but we didn’t have a fancy one like that with the electric starter and lights. I could ease it forward using my right foot to engage the clutch. I loved the tight turning radius. It was a good piece of equipment for a young fella like me. 👍 🌽

When I was 8 the old man plopped me in the seat of a B. First machine I ever piloted. Pulled a New Holland rake around the Okiehomie bottomland until I got the nod to run the Allis when I was tall enough to reach the pedals. Your video looking out over the nose sure took me back. Only thing missing was ours had a straight pipe with a flapper that percolated in time to the two banger.

Had a good friend who passed away. He had 1 g model, 2 a models, a styled a and an unstyled a model. Rode them in many parades. All of his were handcrank and multi fuel. The simplicity us amazing and they still run and work. Great work as always Wes!!!

I have a 1949 John Deere B. Enjoyed this immensely.

Ayo Wes, I don't comment on your vids a lot, but seriously, dude, I love your content. It's educational and entertaining. When I first came across your channel, you were rebuilding and painting a brake lathe I believe. Each of your uploads brings joy to my Saturdays.

Great video. I love the old stuff. If it’s cast iron I’m in. Thanks for sharing

I have a 1953 Farmall Super H that I use with a brush hog weekly. All original in Prescott Az. It sits all what we have of winter, and it starts immediately in spring. Amazing how a simple design performs so well decade after decade without out any problems. Nothing built today will be running 70 years from now. They are designed for failure so they will need repairs and replacement. Sad times lacking pride. Originally from the Southside of Chicago. Nice to be able to visit Illinois without having to be there, Great and best You tuber.

My grandfather and Dad ordered a B JUST BEFORE WWII - and the order was completed before pearl harbor so they got the tractor - it was 6 volt electric start with over drive trans and set up to run on kerosene (small tank to start on gas) and delivered with steel wheels - I made the mistake of letting my dad sell it back in the 70's - enjoy your videos Wes but man did this one bring back memories - nothing like the sound of a John Deer !!!!!!!

Thanks for bringing back the sounds of the B model, spent many summers riding when the paint was green, they really require two hands to operate what with the hand clutch

I noticed that for the vintage tractor you used vintage tools ( adjustable metric and rusted wrench).

Great video it,s good to see the vintage machinery still has a life and no where to plug a computer or diagnostic machine into just straight forward mechanics ,

I really enjoyed this type of video and would welcome seeing more videos of this type Wes. Thank you.

This is what i like the best! you messing with old stuff! Regards Stefan from Sweden.

This is one reason I watch your channel, you’re not afraid to take much of anything on, makes you interesting to watch. I grew up on a farm with a B model and a G model Deere, good tractors, but like anything else, it all comes down to maintenance and care of equipment. Thanks Wes, great video from my stand point sir.

Glad to see the artic cat earning its keep!! That low range helps!! Wonderful video wes!!

I've got a 1947 BN John Deere, still runs good, everything works well on it, pulls a two bottom trip plow very well, I'm slowly going through it taking one peace at a time cleaning it up and painting it in my small shop, hope to have it done by next spring so I can plow the garden and drive it in the 4th of July Parade as well, Love your show, like to see you working on old stuff like tractors and pickups, I grew up riding my horse and a John Deere B.

Old School! Our nieghbor used one as long as we farmed. He used it alot. great little tractor.

Great video wes amazing after all they years it still functions that's when stuff was built to last great job on getting it running and with no major problems will run for many years to come I guess take care and all the best 🔧🔧🔧👍👌😀

Thank you! Stirred up some great memories of growing up... had a B & an A - both from the early 40's. What a reliable set of tractors!

Almost 70 yo and that tractor is me in human form but it will way out live me cause I'm close to nonrepairable . Enjoyed my friend , God bless .

I watched this video with my 21 month old twin boys sitting on my lap. They gave you a round of applause when the tractor first started up!

Wes, the first tractor I drove was a jd “B”. I wasn’t strong enough to turn the steering wheel without stepping on the left or right brake also. Then I moved up to a 1954 jd 60 with power steering. That was in 1959 or 1960, 6 or 7 years old. Still farming with jd equipment that is a little bigger.

Sweet old tractor, simple and engineered to last. Planned obsolescence was still way off and manufacturers allowed for the fact that their products would need to be fixed using a few tools and basic knowledge! How have we allowed manufacturers like John Deere to dictate what we are 'allowed ' to fix. Guess thats progress? Great content as allways Wes! Best wishes from the UK 🇬🇧

I love old tractors! They are such an important part of our agricultural history. I would restore that tractor too new . Going to shows is fun too!

That smile when you got the old girl running is definitely a "keeper"! Enjoyed watching and learning.Thanks!!

Impulse mag. A good practice with hand clutches is to leave them engaged. That way, you know that it is not in gear. More than one person has been run over by bumping the lever only to discover that it was in gear and it moved causing mayhem and injury. The throw-out bearing is not as critical on an over-center clutch because it's only really under pressure when moving from one position to the other. That said, the bushing between the crank and the driven plate does then take the relative motion so that's the other reason to keep it engaged. Nice original condition tractor - I would love to have one (and the acreage to put it on). There's supposed to be a gauze sitting on that fuel bowl intake, about an inch or so long

I have restored about a dozen 2 cylinder JD's from the 30's through the 50's. I prefer working on the vertical engines...usually the 20 series from Dubuque. Currently have a 420U torn apart. I do all our tedding and raking with 420's. Loved this video.

I really enjoyed this. Back in 1987 I bought a 1968 Triumph Bonnieville motorcycle from a farmer in Jackson Tennessee. It had been stored in a shed and the gas tank was rusted out. You could poke your fingers in the bottom. I bought a new tank from a guy on Hemmings Motor News and it would run for about a minute. A friend of a friend said that I needed a zenier diode. I thought he was joking. I found an old motorcycle shop just south of town and they said "Oh yeah, we have a few". I bought two, It fired up and kept running. I bought it for $400 bucks and sold it for $900. I kick myself in the ass everyday for selling it. It was a classic.

Well that went nicely Wes! Gotta love that that old engineering...it sure stood/stands the test of time! Thanks for sharing!

Finished the video, great stuff and running good! For future reference, if you can get the ALL little plugs out with the tip I gave earlier, they really run a lot better if you carefully clean those passages, they control all the fuel flow for the idle circuit going to the needle adjustment

I'd say she's held up pretty well! My dad had a '38 "B". Hand started by spinning the flywheel. Same hand clutch you have there. Only other difference is that it had 2 fuel tanks. The small one at the back was for gas for starting the engine. The 2nd, larger tank, was filled with kerosene. Once the engine warmed up, we'd switch it over to the kerosene which was cheaper than gas back then.

Man this brings back memories! We never owned one of these but we did borrow one from the neighbor once to rake hay when our 20 Ferguson broke down. I was 12 or 13 and had never been on or operated a two cylinder John before. I finally got it figured out, but man an instruction manual or a word or two on how to make it work would have been nice. Thanks Dad for the lesson on figuring out how stuff works on my own! 🤣🤣

My dad bought a farm in central Indiana when I was 8 years old (1964). My uncle always came from his farm and planted for us using, I am fairly certain, a JD 'B' just like this one. Brought back some sweet memories. Thank you for bringing it back to life!

Mr Wess you have brought back so many memories. I can remember driving one of those bicycle tires tractor tractor's Down the road. In the fields. A lot of years. I don't know how many young people today could get up every morning at 4:30am Ready to go to the fields. Great content keep up the great work.

Electric start certainly makes things easier! I helped a friend get his hand-start Model B running again, and man if you don't have the carb set just right during start, it'll flood out. At that point you just have to heave the engine over and over with the throttle wide open and hope it clears out. Also, coolant level is very important on thermosiphon Model Bs. If the coolant level drops below the top of the radiator, no coolant will flow at all.

Had a 1947 GAS B with fenders. Real surprise when the springs in the seat broke and wore a hole through the wood at the bottom of the seat! Broken spring shorted out the battery and sparks were flying all over, Almost turned into a fire. Not a comfortable feeling when raking hay on a hot summer day. Have all of the old John Deere toys of the early Fifties: manure spreader, combine, 2 bottom plow, chopper wagon, etc. Great tractor and great toys!

We never owned any John Deere's ourselves. But my grandfather used to have a Massey Harris 33 when I was a kid. It was mainly used for pulling the trailers to and from our house and my grandparents house come firewood season and dragging trees out of the woodlot. Like this John Deere B, it was as simple could be to work on. Besides having routine oil changes and greasing all moving parts it always got drained and prepped for the winter. The battery was always brought to the house and kept on a slow charge. Come spring when the weather was getting nice it would get a fill-up of fresh gas and the battery was put back. It would start up every time, no questions asked. :)

IDENTICAL model to what my grandpa had on his Ohio farm! This instantly brought a flood of wonderful memories back of growing up on that farm & driving his John Deere before I even was in school. Sure wish I could find one like this today !!!!! Many thanks for posting this, Wes !!

1949 John Deere Model B. It helped feed a hungry world.

Wes, The glow on your face when you first towed this in was priceless!

I have a 1949 model R John Deere in running condition. Pony motor and the works. This was bought in 1961 by my dad. I was primary operator for the next few years till I left home. I purchased it from him about 25 years ago and have done some work to transmission and rear end. A neat tractor that will work hard and does it's thing in parades.

As a John Deere guy who works at John Deere this was great to see.

At 13:00 the appropriateness of that cricket is priceless. 😆

Love old tractors Wes. Thanks for sharing.

Several years ago I had the task of resurrecting several tractors from the 1940’s and1950’s that had been sitting for many years. It was a satisfying experience to find that parts were still available for these simpler old units. New batteries, spark plugs, points, condensers wires as necessary etc., fresh fuel and carburetors cleaned out made them all run and drive. This was for an estate auction and it made my day to see how much they all went for as a running, driving unit, compared to as found. As a Ford service technician, I have firsthand experience with parts obsolescence and can’t see modern tractors with all their electronics still working 70 years from now.

How cool is that seriously!! Good job Wes!! Love seeing old stuff run again.👍👍👍

Runs great and the top of the tank fix is something called Seal-All. It comes in a tube like tooth paste you may have to do it in several coats. The directions are on the packaging, my Dad used it all the time to "fix" gas tanks. Great video as always and Thanks.

Wes , the sound of that old girl sure brought back memories of growing up on the farm , thank you .

LOL!!!!! OLD SCHOOL RULES: "KEEP IT SIMPLE" and it will stay running! LOL!!!!! Complicate it with electronics and software and you have surely guaranteed yourself years of headaches and a plethora of rising & expensive break downs, as we all have witnessed hear at Watch Wes Work. Great Job Wes! Happy and laughing to see John Deer still Kicking after 70 years!!! LOL!!!!!

I just restored a 1941 9N fuel tank was also rust through on the top. Same issue, rodents and probably 80 years of dirt. Was not expecting that. Love your videos. Keep it up

Wes, it looks like you enjoyed that old-school repair. No need for a scope or codes heck you didn’t even need the serial number. Very relaxing good job.

My dad and Granddad both ran 2 cyl Deeres when I was growing up on the farm. We had a pre war B that we used mostly for pulling wagons and pipe trailers and spotting equipment. Dad had a 70 that he liked for pulling a bailer; it was super fancy with lights that worked and everything. Grandfather had a 70 or maybe a 720 that he used for pretty much everything. The pony motor clutch was bad so he just roll started it every morning and let her run all day. He would stall it once in a while and come looking for one of us kids to give him a pull. I learned to keep my thumbs outside of the steering wheel on those old tricycles. Still drive like that today. My grandad taught me to push the clutch in with the back of my fingers when reversing up to an implement or anything else you didn't want to run over. That way when the grabby hand clutch grabbed it would throw you forward but your fingers would slip off and prevent the clutch from being fully engaged and probably cause only some damage. It wasn't all that uncommon for guys to run over their own plows trying to get hooked up. Thanks for the video it really made my day!

Wow what a trip 1949 John Deere damn that's cool.. Thanks for the ride I enjoyed this video

This is such a good looking tractor I hope someone restores this little gem. Great job as usual. Thanks for the videos.

Wes you would do quite well with a good skidloader to move things around the homestead i use mine all around the farm for moving everything from wagons to planters with the right attachments you can do anything but make dinner. Wonderful video Wes made for a great Saturday

Wes, your grandpa would be proud! Always enjoy your content and personality. Thanks again. Dave

It was nice to go for a tractor ride on green grass. I spent 2 hours yesterday on my 1953 Farmall M plowing 8 inches of new snow, March 12th, 2023. The old girl still runs well and works good. Bless those old tractors. Thanks for the ride, I could almost smell the green grass. I sold my 1941 hand start John Deere B to a friend 3 years ago. It still ran good too. I paid $200 bucks for it 30 years ago.

I plowed miles and miles of dry-land cotton in West Texas on a tractor like this. Got paid $22 a week for working six days a week, sunrise to sunset. Great job, Wes.

Ive worked at a JD dealer for 30 years but never had to work on a 2cyl. I do work on alot of 4020s though . We used to have a old guy that would work on them until he passed away . The main crank seal are actually reverse threads to auger the oil back into the engine not really a seal. Some had a valve on the fuel petcock that open using engine oil pressure .

Love it! That thing is only 3 years older than I am, so it's continued life is just the kind of encouragement I need! She's pretty, too! Thank you, Russ!

I will never understand how any one can just leave these beautiful and useful machines in a field for years.

The shifter gate is just like a Ferrari,that is plus

Awesome video as always Wes. What a great old tractor, nice to see it running!!

We had a John Deere B when I was a kid. It was a great tractor.

"Don't worry, the bucket caught about a third of it..." hahaha. What a man.

Thanks Wes, I have had a few of these over the years that have sat for long periods of time and the leaks was the worse repair. Easy to work on with the "big nut" carbs and babbit bearings for connecting rods but over all simple. The grease certs on the rear axle are a seal to keep the oil in the rear end. They was power houses for being such low hp. The only down side was no live power so brush cutting was interesting if ya didn't know how to run it.

How many tractors built today will be running in 73 years ? None ! Probably none in less than 20 years. The current generation of just out of technology collage can not keep them running now. I'll be dead and won't give a crap... oh wait I don't give a crap now. Wes you did a great job getting it running and thanks for sharing.

What an amazing variety of things to work on! Awesome.

29:40 I think I can answer that question about _"how many tractors built today will still be running in 73 years"_ and that answer is *ZERO!!* I sincerley hope the gentleman or gentlewoman who owns this piece of history is able to fix the leaks, throw on some new boots then sandblast and repaint it and take great delight showing it off to all the youngsters at the local Agricultural Show/parade today and in the future. *Thank You* for the video Wes. Much appreciated! 👍