Re: buying a tractor
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Posted by Fred on September 22, 1998 at 07:40:11:
In Reply to: buying a tractor posted by MikeH on September 19, 1998 at 18:59:07:
: I'm feeling a little sheepish right now, and wonder how the pro's would have done it:
: I bought a Ford 821 (like an 841) a few weeks ago. I checked out the brakes, hydraulic lift, started it
: a couple of times, drove it in each gear. I checked out all the gauges, tire tread, looked
: for leaks and stains from all the fluids. I made an offer that was in the ball park and
: negotiated to closure. When I got it home, I found that the transmission oil was half water,
: so was the hydraulic oil. The rear end was dry. Overall, I am still a happy camper. Nothing
: is beyond repair and a little TLC will make this a good tractor. Still, I feel like I was
: victim of someone unloading a machine with problems. What should I have done differently to
: protect myself? It sounds like you pretty much done the right things in checking out your tractor. Tractor fever is a powerful thing. Sometimes when looking for an old tractor, the junk will be obvious. When shopping for an old tractor, one must remember that the tractor could easily be fifty years old, so there is a lot of screwed up things that need to be unscrewed. To find an old tractor in mint condition is a rare thing and when it is found it usually cost dearly. When buying an old tractor, one must asume that there will be some minor tweeking to be done. One must figure out how much time and money you want to put into it. Not long ago I bought a 1949 8n that had a bad axle. The spindle would wobble inside it. After allowance in cost for this I bought it. I ended up replacing all four spindle bushings, both spindle bearings, overhauled the loose steering, replaced the front wheel bearings, replaced the whole ignition system because I wanted to, repaired a rear axle seal leak, and gave the starter a good cleaning. Was this tractor a lemon? Not at all. Should I have known about all of the nickle and dime repairs that I done on it? The axle was obvious but, the other things I did not see until I ran the tractor for several hours mowing. The repairs were not all that expensive and I did not do them all at once. Now I have a top notch Ford 8n that runs great and I know the status of all of the mechanics. As you stated, you figured out that your purchase also needed some maintenance and TLC. Once you do it you too will know where your tractor stands mechanically. Mine probably had no repairs done to it in the last ten years. If it started, they used it. Now that I played catch up, I too am a very happy camper.
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