Super A Horsepower
- Thread starter Fast Eddy
- Start date
People forget that HP is not real. You can not measure HP. You have to calculate it from what you can measure - RPM and torque. It was invented by James Watt as a way to compare different engines but it has it weaknesses as a comparison tool. A Ferrari engine making 500 HP at 9,000 rpm is very different from a boat engine making 500 hp at 1000 rpm. These Tractors are about torque or the ability to maintain a given RPM under load.
You can increase the RPM easily enough, but as Sonny said at a cost, but you can not do much with the torque without re engineering the engine.
The best way to get more HP out of the smaller IH tractors is to make sure they are in good tune with quality ignition parts and have a clean fuel system.
You can increase the RPM easily enough, but as Sonny said at a cost, but you can not do much with the torque without re engineering the engine.
The best way to get more HP out of the smaller IH tractors is to make sure they are in good tune with quality ignition parts and have a clean fuel system.
That engine originally had a 3-inch bore. It has been common practice at overhaul time to replace the sleeve/piston assemblies with thin-wall sleeves that take a 3-1/8-inch piston. That provides a slight but noticeable increase in power.
ricky racer
501 Club
:thumbsup:Gary Dotson
501 Club
While you’re stepping up to the 3 1/8” piston and sleeve set, choose the domed style piston for a slight increase in compression ratio. These old engines had a pretty low ratio. These 2 changes will make a very noticeable difference.
Yes, it takes the displacement from 113 to 123. However it takes more changes than that to get the horsepower of the later engines.inairam":3sqzns25 said:
Matt Kirsch
501 Club
Question: How fast you plowing now?
If you're plowing in 2nd gear, the speed jump to 3rd will take an incredible increase in horsepower, far more than the ~3HP you'll gain from overbore sleeves and pistons. You'll need about double the HP to pull the plow in the next higher gear.
If you're plowing in 2nd gear, the speed jump to 3rd will take an incredible increase in horsepower, far more than the ~3HP you'll gain from overbore sleeves and pistons. You'll need about double the HP to pull the plow in the next higher gear.
Fast Eddy":29tmx3s3 said:
Absolutely. Today, the easiest thing to do is install 3 1/8” pistons. If you have a later tractor with the later block you might be able to go up to 3 1/4” pistons. That’ll take you to 135 CID!
In the 60’s IH sold Fire Crater sleeve/piston sets which amounted 3 1/8” domed pistons. Also included a different advance for the distributor, (not sure if anything changed on the mag if so equipped) and I believe different jets for the carb. It was referred to as a “Super C kit” by folks then. Granddaddy said when he had it put in his Super A in the early 60s, he could pull stuff in 3rd gear that he used to pull in 2nd.