What is the difference between...

... an "A" and a "Super A"?

bigest improvement was hydraulics! oldiron29

Joe, all the A's had 113 ci engines, some Super A's had 123 ci. Some Super A's had water pump, no A's had pumps. Grille on the Super is taller I believe. Early A hoods had Zeus type fasteners. Torque tubes are different due to hydraulics. Super engines had flange to mount the hydraulic pump, A's did not. Some A's came with out starters from the factory. Late model Supers had a different dash. Due to a different starter switch arrangement, on the A you push the starter rod, on the Super you pull the rod to start. Many other internal parts were upgraded in production. If your swapping parts, check the CIH parts book online for details.
Best Regards,
Charlie

Water pump was standard on the Super A1, optional on the A and Super A. The tall grill was on the Super A1 only because of a taller radiator. Super A1 only had a 123 from the factory. Engine kits for the later Super A's and Super A1 have 3.25 sleeves to give 134 cu in, earlier ones could only be upgraded to 123 cu in.

Thanks, I stand corrected.
Best Regards,
Charlie

The addition of hydraulics is basically what made it "super".

And to be clear - "super" wasn't like an option - or an upgrade. - The super A was a new version of the A. You could only buy an A up to late 1947 - from then on it was only the Super A.

There are other minor differences, but hydraulics would matter the most if you're trying to decide between one or the other.

Great, thanks guys!

I didn't know what mine is... the plate is not readable.

Has hydraulics however...

Just to complicate things - some A's were modified by their owners to have hydraulics.

The super A's have a distinctive "touch control" box mounted under the gas tank, in front of the battery box.

If you look at pictures of A's and super A's it's very obvious. A's are empty in that area - the super A's have that big box with the rockshafts coming out of each side. Can't miss it.

If you can read the stamped-in numbers on the serial plate, if the number is 250001 or higher, it is a Super A.

Of course the seat support with the serial number could have been changed out for one off of an earlier A due to rust or other damage.

Having parts interchangeability does not make things easy sometimes. You could easily end up with a "Frankentractor" made from parts of several other dead tractors and brought back to life.

The "hydraulics" that make a Super A, a Super A, come in the form of the Touch Control block under the gas tank.

There have been all kinds of cobbled-up hydraulic systems added to regular As over the years, power steering pumps driven off the fan belt. They do not turn an A into a Super A.

You could also get a self-contained "Char-Lynn" hydraulic unit that mounts on the PTO. They do not turn an A into a Super A.

Only the Touch Control system makes an A into a Super A.

To complicate matters, there are a few As out there that have been heavily modified with Super A parts to add the Touch Control. In order to make this work you needed to swap out the entire engine block, and the "torque tube" section of the rear of the tractor.