I spent some time archive searching yesterday on the CM HALL headlights trying to get accurate information on dates when used. I could only find that in 1942 Ford began making a clone of the HALL headlight with identical parts. The 'Tract-O-Lite' sealed beam style came around '45 -probably after the war (WWII)and produced at the Ford Flat Rock Lamp Factory. T-O-L was a Ford TM. That's about it. I was curious because I have three sets of the CM HALL headlights, all painted 8N Gray on the exterior but shows early 9N Dark Gray on the interiors. This doesn't surprise me because since lighting kits were dealer options, never factory installed, and like the late 2Ns they had in stock when the 8N was introduced, any leftover shelf items would have been pushed for the 8N tractor. Painting 2Ns Vermillion Red and Medium Gray was recommended by FMC in order to deplete 2N inventory. Painting NOS CM HALLS Ford Medium Gray would have been in line with this procedure. Now some may say that Ferguson used them as well, but that is partially true. Ferguson never used the original CM HALL style headlights -the TO20 used a newer, redesigned sealed beam style and had the new company logo "HALLAMP" stamped in a diamond on back of housing. You can tell the later Ferguson style by the bezel. It uses two screws 180 degrees apart on the bezel itself to secure to housing. Ferguson still used the headlight wings with these as well. My question then is did early 8Ns use the early CM HALL or FORD identical clone versions or was the Tract-O-Lite 'tear-drop style' bucket out by then?
Tim Daley(MI)
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