|
Jess, you don't say how long you want to work on it to "restore" it. a week? a month? a year? five years?? i usually look for projects that will take me some time (a year or so). the first thing i look for is that all the castings are there and in one piece (head, block, transmission case, final drives, etc.). then i check the wheels, as they can be a bit expensive if you need to buy new ones. if you don't mind welding, and aren't doing an automotive finish expo restoration, then you can repair some pretty rusted wheels. then i look to see if things like the carb and magneto/electrical system are there and rebuildable. then i start looking for things like the tin and other items that can be purchased for a reasonable price. depending on how much time and money you want to spend, you may want to look for a tractor with a free engine. i can say if you find two tractors in comparable condition and one has a free engine and costs several hundred more, it may be a worthwhile investment to go with the unstuck engine, even if you plan on taking the engine apart to at least clean it.
some decent deals can be had on tractors missing large pieces (like the head or block, or wheels, etc.), but you need to be willing to start looking for the pieces you are missing. it may take a while to find them, and in many cases it would've been cheaper to buy a tractor with all the parts included.
it all comes down to how much you initially want to spend (as no matter what you do it will end up costing you about the same amount for a complete and running tractor versus a big rust bucket you rebuilt yourself), and how long you want to spend getting the tractor running. andy b.
|
