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Fix the antiques right, spend a little extra money. Pay attention to what your problems have been. Price the new tractor you want and see what the payments will be. All new wiring, new battery cables, a new radiator (if required), new hoses, weld up the rims and put on new tires and tubes and even with paint you'll be short of one year's payments on the new one, maybe short of six months' payments. You might save enough to buy an M in good shape. I originally told my wife I needed some spare Farmalls so I could keep harvesting when one broke down. I found out that if you use them (it keeps the rust out of the gas tank), keep oil in them, and don't overload them, they just don't break down. I don't know about the Ford, but the old H will still be going strong when the new tractor is sitting on a dealer's lot with a flat on the rear and electrical problems. I loaned an M to my hay hand one fall. He had seen the light and was going to help his family bale in the fall. He called laughing a few weeks later. Their 4020 had a bad hydraulic pump, their little Ford had a radiator blow, and the big New Holland was back at the dealers' for a elusive electrical problem in the cab to chassis conneciton. He was mowing, raking, and baling square bales with the M while his folks were waiting for parts and service. Like NC said, how will you feel when the new one is broke down. And all those fancy gadgets are what break. And what a deal when it is broken down or winter and you still get to make payments.
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