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Farmall & IHC Tractors Discussion Forum
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more tractors bite the dust

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Andrew Kappers

04-18-2008 15:06:38




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Today, i took a drive to the local junk yard today to drop off some scrap from around the yard and over in a pile was a bunch of IH tractors up in a pile. Around 10 as far as I could see. They were parted but has some good rearends, engines, etc. Its too bad with scrap as high as it is right now, all these good parts are being used for scrap instead of bringing another tractor back to life. I guess some people forgot that they only made so many 450,300, m, h, c, sc, which made up most of the tractor. I tried to buy them back but they wouldnt sell them back. If I personally see someone haul in an international tractor while im there, I may just have rearange him on the spot!

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Jesse

04-18-2008 16:45:50




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 Re: more tractors bite the dust in reply to Andrew Kappers, 04-18-2008 15:06:38  
Unfortunately with the rising price of scrap metal, fuel, tractor parts, etc..alot of people find it easier to scrap them rather than keep them running. It is a sad fact. I try to keep these old treasures running, but it gets harder all the time. I called a guy not too long ago, to work on one of my tractors. He told me that "from my description" the minimum would be about 10G. Well I admit it needs alot of work, but it just seemed way too high. In my opinion, in the last few years, speculators seem to be running the price of parts up and it makes it hard to afford things. Not only that, but as time passes, it makes it harder and harder to keep a 60+ year old tractor going. If you are lucky you can find one that has had a good life and is easier to work with financially, but I am afraid the days of restoring these tractors from the ground up(fence row), are slowly slipping away.

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Randy-IA

04-18-2008 22:14:53




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 Re: more tractors bite the dust in reply to Jesse, 04-18-2008 16:45:50  
We were talking about that today while I was working on the Old '47 M rearend . I already have just over $500 in the tranny bearings and gaskets and am expecting to spend at least that much more for axle bearings and the final drive bearings . I checked prices on bearings two weeks ago and went to pick some up yesterday and the prices went up between 10 and 22% ! We were moving the axles and the comment was made that there was a lot of weight there . At near $350 a ton and the M weighing about 2 tons cleaned that makes my tractor worth $650 to $700 as scrap . That's just plain sad !! And forget buying salvage yard parts for ANY kind of machine made out of iron or steel at a affordable price anymore . Roughly 5 dollars a pound ! This is where it gets complicated - I have a tractor I paid 935 dollars to buy , about $200 to get home , another $1000+ just to renew the bearings behind the clutch , it has no paint and poor tires so it'll be worth around $1200 when all is said and done and 50% of that value is as scrap and the other 50% is the 9-speed in it since the M isn't a very useful tractor really for a farm of any size today . OH Well ! I like it and enjoy driving it . ...Randy

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dansuper27

04-20-2008 22:33:03




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 Re: more tractors bite the dust in reply to Randy-IA, 04-18-2008 22:14:53  
Well I have to jump in here on the "M not useful on any size farm today" I have an M and it is a valuable piece of the puzzle on my farm. It does all my hay raking, most of my cultivating and plants all my hay, small grains, and pinto bean crops. It cuts my beans for harvest, pulls my ditches for irrigation, and runs my 125 gallon 3point sprayer. Where are you going to find a tractor that can do this much work and still leave a light foot print in the fields. I have put a custom 3 point on it and that has made it a very valuable tractor. Unless you have a corporate size farm the family farmer today cannot cost out all the new equipment and still hope to make a living. I just rediscovered how good and dependable the old tractors and equipment are and figured out how to work smarter with them. I have a JD4430 and a JX95 and just got a right priced JD4630. Those tractors are for the bigger stuff and for sure have their place but don't count out the old iron. (I laugh as I write that as the John Deere's are 1970's and the JX is new but only 95 horses but they are dependable) When I get done planting with my old 1950's 6 row bean planter and that M I haven't compacted the ground and it still does a great job. Might take a little longer but I'm not a corporate farm, I'm out there to enjoy life farming not isolate myself from it. And what do I have to cost out per acre.... a 1000 dollar tractor and a 200 dollar planter that where paid for years ago. I know all the new guys will want to talk precision planting and that you just can't get the yields with the old stuff and it's too slow but I don't have to since my machine costs aren't in the 100's of thousands of dollars and I'm not trying to farm 3 thousand acres to pay for them. Plus the GMO crops aren't giving the advantages promised for the cost paid in the long run. Just my 10 cents worth

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RustyFarmall

04-19-2008 06:11:22




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 Re: more tractors bite the dust in reply to Randy-IA, 04-18-2008 22:14:53  
Randy, there is another way to look at it. Let's say that by the time you are completely done fixing that old M, you have $3,000 invested. Maybe even $4,000. Now, take that same $4,000 and go shopping for a tractor that needs no work, and is capable of doing the same work as that old M. My guess is that you will have to add at least another $10,000, just to buy a tractor that is no better than that M.

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Randy-IA

04-19-2008 13:30:49




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 Re: more tractors bite the dust in reply to RustyFarmall, 04-19-2008 06:11:22  
Totally agree with you ! My post sounded negative I guess but that's not the way I meant it . I'm used to losing value (?) on machines with engines . I spent $3500 on the engine in my 74 Chevy pickup that never gets driven about 4 years ago - I have less than 1000 miles on it now . And it's just a junk truck . I spent over $4000 about 5 years ago on a HI-PO rebuild on my 84 Harley so I could race it at the drag strip . It's still a street bike with head work and a huge cam but I have only put around 1500 miles on it since it was done . So I'm not that worried about the cost contrary to the way it sounded in my post . If you remember back when I first started posting here I had just bought my Oliver 1755D that I had to have rebuilt soon after I got it to the tune of nearly $3500 . I'm OK with it these days . It's just the way it is . If I did it to make money then it would be different . ...Randy

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