Posted by Mike (WA) on August 21, 2012 at 16:07:36 from (69.10.199.107):
Daughter and husband bought a little horse farm not far from Seattle- Got a great deal (previous owner owed $445,000, got foreclosed- they bought from the bank for $260,000).
Lots of stuff to mow, blackberries, etc. I had an IH 504 diesel with loader that had been sidelined for several years, due to running a stob through the radiator and bending up a bunch of stuff, and decided I'd get it back up and running, and make her a "permanent loan" of it.
Radiator repair took a year, but came back in good shape. Removed sheetmetal, straightened it. Straightened the support structure that had also been bent. Most of the cage nuts that held it together ended up shearing in the disassembly, so bought a bunch from McMaster Carr, and replaced them. Quite a bit of grinding to make them fit in some of the heavier superstructure.
Front tires were old bald truck tires, both flat- so bought new tri-ribs.
Very difficult to get lower radiator hose back on, due to loader frame in the way. Started putting the sheetmetal back on, of course nothing fit exactly right because of previous crumpling, so lots of massaging. Everything was behind the massive loader frame, so lots of fun getting the bolts in. Bent the grill surround back into shape, hammered out the grill as best I could and re-attached it with baling wire.
Was leaking fluid from rear axle, so jacked it up, took off rear (loaded) tire (that sucker was HEAVY!), replaced the seal. One of the loader hyd. hoses was leaking at the swivel, and the return hose looked really ugly, so got 2 hoses. Replaced the leaking one, but rounded the lands on the other trying to get it off, so just left it. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It was leaking oil from underneath, figured out it was engine oil coming through a bad rear seal. "Just keep the oil level up, it'll be fine."
The big moment- hit the glow plugs, cranked it over, glow plugs again, crank again, and it started! Old gal ran OK, everything seemed to be alright.
Took it for test run, and worked the loader controls- when I tilted the bucket, another hyd hose blew. Got another one made up, put it on. Hadn't had the radiator cap on during all this, because a tab was bent. Cap looked pretty sad in general, so bought a new one, which didn't fit. So massaged the old one back into shape. Put it on, and after the thing warmed up and pressured up, it was leaking out the bottom hose.
At this point, I took a long hard look at the project. To fix bottom hose, it was a complete tear down. But more to the point, with all the adventures I'd had on this thing, how were daughter and husband going to cope with the continuing problems with a 50 year old tractor? He's fairly handy, but no tractor experience, and no shop.
So ended up taking her our 2005 JD 4010 (18 HP compact utility with loader and bush hog) for a few weeks loan, and the old IH is going the the consignment sale next month.
Its one thing to do the old tractor thing yourself, but quite another to inflict it on those who never asked for the problems it entails.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Usin Your Implements: Bucket Loader - by Curtis Von Fange. Introduction: Dad was raised during the depression years of the thirties. As a kid he worked part time on a farm in Kansas doing many of the manual chores. Some of the more successful farmers of that day had a new time saving device called a tractor. It increased the farm productivity and, in general, made life easier because more work could be done with this 'mechanical beast'. My dad dreamed that some day he would have his own tractor with every implement he could get. When he rea
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
2022 John Deere 5045E, 4wd, front end loader and 3rd function with grapple. 120 hrs, 55k new, must sell
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
