What to do?

Implements are worth scrap metal price, plus the amount of money you don't have to spent on wear parts. New blades, belts, disks, cultivator and plow wear parts soon run into money, and without all those wear goodies in good shape, you just have a pile of scrap metal.

The 140 I have, my son found it in a heated warehouse, the owners hadn't been able to get it going in 15 years since they bought the farm, 140 included. They refused to try and get it going. My son said, "It's a 4 cylinder gas Farmall, with fire at the right time and gas 20' of towing will start any of them." According to the owner they had been there and done that, had several mechanics work on it over the years, still no go. The owner said to Sandy, "You tow tractor, and when your finished tow it down in bush and leave it there." Sandy called me, said, "What will I offer for 140, 2x12 fast hitch plow and 6'fast hitch disk?" I said go back and offer them $1,000. He did and they accepted.

He called, said come quick with a truck before they change their mind. I did, and a friend and I went armed with 12 volt battery, jump cables, fresh gas, points, condencer, rotor, distributor cap, etc. In less than 5 min. my friend and I had it going and loaded implements and tractor.

I expect this tractor has yet to see 500 hours of service since new, it handles like a new tractor. The sheet metal is perfect. I have no idea who these guys had for mechanics, but they scewed up just about all one could imagine. I spent $1,500 on parts to get it running perfect. They had left the cooling system half full all those years and right off it was over $500. for new rad and water pump. Above the coolant line everything was a mass of rust. It required battery, amp guage, alternator, ign parts. It had been leaking calcium chloride some of those years and rims were toast. Someone had run it with rims loose on wheels, thus had to replace both the cast and pressed steel wheel. I expect that wheel damage happened the week the tractor was new. It is truly amazing how much damage incompentant folks can do, and really never do any productive work with a tractor.

Bear in mind, I don't just half fix tractors, everything is done so that tractor can be put to work, and work all day, all week with no break downs.

• Hobby farm

Then you have to ask yourself, why doesn't he tune it so prospective buyers could hear it run? It would be a hell of a lot easier to sell if they could SEE and HEAR for themselves that it ran well.

Conventional wisdoms says, if the seller COULD make it run, he WOULD.

This isn't always true, but it is true at least seventy-five percent of the time.

How many times have you seen posts on here, "Help! My tractor won't run?" Most people have a mental block that has them believing that they are not mechanically inclined, and are "too stupid" to comprehend anything that runs on gasoline.