How much horsepower out of MH 44-6?

The F226 is a good engine for what it was intended for. However on account of it's sidevalve design it has "breathing" (and thus power) limitations. And in the 44-6 tractor, breathing is further constrained by the stock manifolding and carburetor.

That said you should be able to crank it up to 70 - 80 HP by replacing items such as manifolds, carburetor, possibly camshaft and distributor with those from an F226 set up for automotive use. (The F226 was used in the mid/late 50's Jeep station wagons; also in Checker cabs). Also you'd need to turn up the governor from the factor high idle of 1,800 to around 3,000 - 3,500 RPM to get that much power.

That said, I gotta agree with Traditional Farmer below - that the 4 cylinder MH 44 engine (larger displacement, longer stoke, overhead valves etc.) is a better candidate for a puller engine.

Is there much difference power-wise between a MH-44 diesel and a gas??

Just curious...

Howard

AFIAK there’s “nothing wrong” with the 6 cylinder. In fact the 6’s smoothness of operation is quite satisfying when compared to their 4 cylinder sisters.

However for pulling, the bigger displacement/longer stroke 4 should have superior torque rise and hence lugging ability compared to the 6 cylinder. Also 4 cylinder’s overhead valve design provides opportunities for larger porting, bigger valves, etc.(presuming you’ve got the $$$ of course!). The valve-in-block 6 however is extremely limited in this regard.