Advice on M

I have posted a few times over the past couple of weeks about the potential to buy an M.

I went to look at it two days ago, and now I can actually say some things for sure about it, and I just wanted to know the general opinions of everyone on here.

Its a "49 M, that had the engine rebuilt about 500 hours ago with the "power pack". Apparently thats oversize sleeves and the domed pistons to make it the equivalent of a Super M. It has new front tires and tubes, and fairly recent tubes in the rear wheels. The actual rear tires are shot and need to be replaced. It definitely needs a good powerwashing, and it would need paint, as its some shade of dark red right now. It has a wrench for a throttle lever, a cub cadet seat on it, and had a hydraulic pump similar to what you would find in a pickup truck to run a plow added to it for...well...running a plow. The carb has been rebuilt (it was actually missing a jet) and it runs out perfect. The govenor needs to be adjusted for when things are at idle, its a little lumpy there.

The current owner is only selling because he got a bigger machine with a loader on it. He knows everything inside and out on the tractor, and seems to have maintained it real well.

Im just looking to get a tractor to tinker with and putter around on, not really any hard work with it (at least not yet) and maybe someday put it in the local pulls just for fun.

I guess the overall question is what does anyone here think is a fair price for this machine?

Thanks in advance, sorry for the long post!

Sounds like that just might be the perfect tractor for you. Give you a lot of enjoyment in "finishing it off".

That new engine is worth quite a bit, but it also is gonna cost some sheckels to put a good set of rear tires on it too so the two kind of even out. Should be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of 1200 to 1,800?

Maybe somebody else can jump in here and give you a better idea of it's worth. Sounds like it is a good "sound" tractor.

Allan

I actually dont need the receipts for the rebuild, because it was done by the farmer just across the way from where this tractor lives now. That guy has about 25 red ones out and about his place, all in various states or repair (or disrepair I suppose) but he certainly knows his way around the IH motors.

He actually came over to work on it when he heard it running rough in the dooryard... Theres country living for ya...

The electrical system is all good, all the lights work, its a 12v conversion, electronic ignition, new coil, wires, plugs, distributor cap, resistor. Transmission is good, except that going up a hill at the top when you unload it it has a tendency to pop out of 5th gear. Ill look into that as I go along.

The new tubes without new tires is because the current owner just uses it to haul a wagon of wood back to his place, and he has a pretty good set of chains on it instead. So, the chains are his tracton, and the tubes just help hold the tires hold the chains up :)

So I guess Ill see soon enough if I end up with it in my driveway instead of his.

Im sure you'll all hear lots more questions in the next few weeks if its in mine...

~Bug