 Looks can sometimes be deceiving. My former wife has been sitting out side and still looks good, but she does not work with a darn. The 640 rakes were built in the early/mid 60’s. All things being equal, one with a dolly-wheel may be worth a little more than one with a drawbar hitch. Start by checking the gearbox. This was the major expense on my rake project. Check the lever on top of the gearbox to make sure it engages and disengages the reel. The travel on this lever is 90 degrees. There will be a spring attached to the gearbox lever. There is a cable that is attached to the other end of the spring that leads to a latch lever on the left side of the frame. Check the latch lever to make sure it “locks” when pulled forward and unlocks when pulled again. When the latch lever is “pulled” forward towards the tractor and locks, it disengages the gearbox from turning the reel. When the latch lever is pulled again, it “releases” and engages the gearbox to start turning the reel. Try moving the reel attached to the gearbox up/down/left/right. If there is a lot of “wobble”, the bearing may need to be replaced. The only way to check the gearbox oil is to remove the two small bolts and end cap on the back. Take the end cap off and check the oil level; the level should be at the lower edge of the opening. Put in some 80-90wt gear oil and see if the gearbox leaks at either bearing. Check to see if both the left and right height adjustment cranks work. These two cranks allow you to “level” your reel on both sides to keep the rake teeth from scratching the ground and/or breaking. Rake teeth cost $1.58 at Tractor Supply Company. There are 72 on the 4 bar setup and 90 on the 5 bar setup. Rotate the reel and see if any rake teeth scrape against any of the strippers. Bent strippers are difficult to straighten and reinstall. Check the bearings on both rear wheels. There will be a “clicking” noise on the inside of the left rear wheel. It is a spring loaded lever on the pinion gear inside the hub. This is not a problem. Last but not least, hook it up to a tractor and give it a “test” run. Hope this helps.
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