Hi guys (and gals),I have a neighbor who wants to get rid of a pretty ugly 1963 (so he thinks it is) 2010 Utility Backhoe/Loader tractor with a gas engine – wide from end. Yes I know the 1010/2010’s are born lemons from the factory, and I’m sure that at least 33% of any responses to this thread will tell me to run away. I have been researching this machine with my spare time for the past 2 weeks, making phone calls and scouring the net for info. I think I have read just about every single 2010 post that this forum has to offer and now that my research is complete I’m comfortable enough to consult the JD masters about my situation. I guess the easiest way for me to explain everything that I know is to sum it up in segments so here we go… The known history of this tractor:
When the neighbors bought a piece of property adjacent to mine 3 years ago they needed to run a stretch of water line (I just tap in from a spring myself), so instead of spending $4,000 to have it contracted out, they purchased this backhoe/loader for $3,000. It has essentially paid for itself for their uses. The neighbor recently went out and way overpaid for a good sized Allis Chalmers so this poor Deere has been sitting for a couple of months, needless to say my neighbor wants to get rid of it so it doesn’t turn into a permanent lawn ornament. What this machine has:
The neighbor said it’s a 1963 tractor, that’s all he knows about it. After a few trips over to his place to check it out I finally found the serial number (using a half can of brake parts cleaner to make it visible again), which was RU10172, about that time I noticed that the engine was green while the rest of the tractor was industrial yellow. This points that the tractor is on it’s 2nd motor, the current one being from a 1960 Row Crop Utility model. I found a serial tag on the inside of the right loader arm, saying it’s a JD model 700 serial 2879. All the other parts look to be intact and original, tractor has about 8 new hydraulic lines and was told a new (doesn’t look new, maybe rebuilt?) carburetor. The backhoe looks to be a JD, but I’m unsure of the model. Hydraulic condition:
The only known problem is leaking hydraulics out of the control box (right side of steering wheel), was told that makes the system weak in general, that it should have a lot more digging power then it does right now. Probably needs a flush/new filter. I checked the reservoir and it was completely topped off and the fluid looked new, but he might have added some after he used it last/parked it. Might need a couple more lines. Condition of the transmission is unknown. What’s wrong with it:
Now for the fun part, it’s definitely a fixer-upper. Let’s see, the paint is shot (probably original). Front tires are aged but holding; back left is aged but looks okay, back right is falling apart, but still holding air. Back right rim has a radius crack in it, but has been welded, missing studs/lug nuts here and there. Hoe and loader buckets look pretty beat up but functional, the frame I guess looks straight missing sheet metal here and there. Both seats are shot, would be surprised if half the gauges worked, one of them looked new. Radiator looks beat up, hoses are definitely shot, definitely needs some plumbing done. Oh yeah, ZERO brakes. It gets worse:
I didn’t mention the engine in the last segment since it deserves it’s own. This is the second block, but it will need a 3rd. I believe the neighbor’s son-in-law was using the tractor and either over heated it or left straight water in it over the winter. Block is cracked. Was told it has JB weld over it currently, but I wasn’t able to inspect the crack, maybe I will next time I go over there. The exhaust manifold is pretty much rusted away, but apparently still works. I heard the thing eats spark plugs every 8 hours of use, and “misfires like hell”, blows smoke the usual you’d expect from an idiot operating it for over a year (yes, the son-in-law). I am still yet to start it and drive it around, I have seen it run in the past, it did accomplish quite a bit of work. I have plenty of backhoe work that needs to be done and buying a cheap one makes more sense then subbing the work out, I can always resell it once I'm done. The guy selling it really wanted me to quote a price first time I checked it out, but I wanted to do some research first, he mentioned a thousand - which means I could break him down to $700 or so. I already have a good idea of how much I have to spend on parts just to get it to run, and the work involved, but the scary part is the motor. Everywhere I’ve checked I can’t find that motor, yes I’ve looked for 45 combines from the late 50s-60s. In the 2010 registry of this site, some guy says he re-powered his JD with a Toyota 2.2 L2 motor (which I think is an overseas diesel motor that is really 2.4 in size?) Has anyone heard of adapting a different power plant into a tractor like this? I’ve been putting v8s in cars not designed for them for some time now, but would I be biting off more then I can chew with this tractor? I’m really thinking about going either way with this machine now, every comment that ya’ll have is very much appreciated. Sorry that my post is so long, but I like to cover all the details. Let me know. Thanks -Ryan
|
