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Darren - Now it is *I* who must apologize for a long posting. I think you’ll find the information valuable, though, so bear with me... The Fordson engine is a 251-cubic-inch four-cylinder engine designed to run at 1000 RPM. Rated horsepower (running on gasoline) is 20 HP at the belt pulley & 10 HP at the drawbar. (As Adam indicated in his posting, these values are a bit lower when running the engine on kerosene – which hardly anyone does anymore, anyway, since kerosene isn’t the bargain fuel it was in the 1920’s). The lube system is very simple: the connecting rod caps have two holes cast into them to allow lubrication of the crankshaft, and the rod caps also have two “fingers” that dip down into the crankcase oil at the bottom of each stroke to splash oil up onto the cylinder walls. Not terribly sophisticated, but this was in keeping with Henry Ford’s desire to keep the machinery simple (and inexpensive to manufacture). **Note: If you do buy this tractor, one of the first things you should do is change the oil. Make sure you use non-detergent oil -- otherwise, a modern detergent oil will break loose decades of crud and probably plug the rod cap holes, ruining the engine. If you do a rebuild, however, this obviously won't be a concern. Price? This is a tough question to answer. A wide variety of factors affect the value of the Fordson Model F. Bear with me as I list a few factors which generally affect the value of a Model F... Examples:
Is it complete? Many tractors were used to keep other Fordsons running. Carburetors/vaporizers are often missing, and it is costly and time-consuming to find replacements. Duane Helman in Rosewood, Ohio, makes excellent-quality reproduction manifold/carburetor/vaporizer setups, but they run upwards of $350 or so, last I knew... How badly is it rusted? Often the wheels rot through (where they contact the ground) after sitting in one spot for decades. The fuel tanks also are highly susceptible to rusting through, and they are not easy to find, either. Expect to pay over $150 for one on eBay, on the rare occasions when they are listed for auction. Fenders (which many farmers removed and discarded because the vibration and buzzing would drive you half-crazy) are a desirable feature, but again, they may be severely rusted. Any freeze damage? Check the air washer; if it wasn’t drained (or if water leaked in) before winter set in, it may have frozen and broken. Same goes for the radiator and, God forbid, the engine block. Does the engine turn freely? Grasp the starting crank and turn. If the engine’s stuck, you can often free it up, although it’s not a certainty. Does it run? If it is, this makes it a lot easier to transport. If not, no big deal, but it makes it a lot harder to load onto a trailer or truck. Are the parts original to that tractor? If you’re a nuts-and-bolts restoration enthusiast, you’re going to want the machine to be as historically accurate as possible. Many farmers bought parts from junkyards or “cannibalized” other tractors to keep theirs going, and they didn’t care whether a 1920 part went on a 1927 tractor (practically all Fordson Model F parts are interchangeable, regardless of the year. Kind of like Model T automobiles.) You can find most parts on-line, either by auction (like eBay) or specialty suppliers. Check out The Fordson House in Escanaba, Michigan – http://www.thefordsonhouse.com. They list just about every part on a Model F. Lang’s Old Car Parts (http://www.modeltford.com ) specializes in automotive parts, but has a few select parts for the Model F. This is by no means an all-encompassing list, but just a few things I’ve thrown out as “food for thought.” I’ve seen Fordson F’s pulled out of the woods or the back corner of someone’s pasture and sold for $150 or so. (Rarer are tractors stored under cover, in a shed or barn, and they cost more accordingly.) A running tractor often goes for 600-800 or more, and a fully restored Fordson often sells for $2000-3000 or so. As my grandfather used to say, “It’s not what it’s worth, it’s what it’ll fetch.” You’ll have to come to some sort of agreement with the current owner. (Unfortunately many farm folks have these tractors that have been in their family for many years, and the sentimental value to them often causes them to establish a price that exceeds market norms.) Another thing to keep in mind: if restoring a tractor, you’re going to spend more money fixing it up than it will ever be worth (most likely). (Remember I said that fully restored Fordson F’s often sell for $2000-3000.) Old tractor nuts do it because they love these old machines and enjoy the challenge. Regarding the year of a particular tractor, there are a number of web sites out there which will help you make a fairly accurate ID. (If you like, send me the serial number (located above the fourth bolt which holds the manifolds on – closest to the radiator) and I’ll help you look it up. The sickle bar mower that is on the tractor you have inquired about is actually a somewhat rare and desirable implement. That alone would probably add another $300-500 to that tractor’s value, depending (of course) on its condition. Finally, the Hoyt-Clagwell tractor is a work of pure fiction. It comes from the “Green Acres” TV sitcom from the early 1960’s, and that is the only place you will ever see one. The main character, Oliver Wendell Douglas (a city-slicker lawyer who moved to the country to become a farmer) was plagued endlessly by his malfunctioning Hoyt-Clagwell tractor. Because the Ford Motor Company was a major sponsor of the show – and its Fordson branch was still an operating corporate offshoot in Europe– the writers of the show fabricated a cover story about two local men and their tractor company to spare Ford any embarrassment. Anyone who’s ever owned or operated a Model F, though, would know that tractor anywhere. The differences I recall about the show’s Hoyt-Clagwell was that the lugs on the rear wheels were taken off (leaving a smooth surface,) it had a battery (which shorted out and attacked Mr. Douglas with its cables on at least one occasion), and it had a set of gauges on the dashboard. There was one scene I recall where the front of the radiator was shown, and the name Hoyt-Clagwell had been fabricated where the word “Fordson” would normally be. Let me know what other questions you may have – I’ll do my best to answer them. Kind regards,
Another Fordson operator in Maine Bruce NoSpam R NoSpam Bowden (at) Hot NoSpam Mail dot NoSpam Com
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