1964 ford 4140 industrial , worth fixing ??? New to tractors

[Ultradog MN]

If you could get it running you could contrive a way to hoist the loader off the ground a few inches to test drive it. Evaluate the loader later.
It is a very worthy model and worth saving.
Would do a heck of a lot of useful work for you too.

 

[wahayes]

Ok so I have an update ! Sorry for the delay I’ve ALOT going on not the least of which was recovering from crushing my foot lol but on to the tractor, so for those curious by “dirt work “ I don’t really mean anything serious just stuff a modern subcompact could do. Would more likely be used more as a fork lift or hoist more often.
I was able to get to my FIL house earlier today and work on it a bit. To my surprise , I actually had it running for a short period in under an hour! Now it wasn’t running long mainly due to fuel and me not trusting the fuel line , so I only used a small amount of fuel in the carb and starter fluid to get it going. I put a new battery in it and took the key ignition off and put a switch and starter button in its place. Apparently when my brother in law left the tractor at my FIL house during the dispute , he decided to break the key off in it. So I took that off and put in a switch and starter button. Was also able to pull the distributor cap and clean up the points , check the plugs and give them a clean up and got it to crank.

Im pretty confident it will run continuously once I switch out the extremely suspect condition fuel line.
I also have some hope for the hydraulics as all the cylinder seals look good . One hydraulic hose looks worse for wear but other than that it’s looking promising. FWIW someone mentioned distance , my FIL lives 20 min from us so no biggie there. I am building my shop currently but once it’s complete I’ll have a place to work on it / store it indoors.

Won’t be doing a museum resto or anything but just rather a “working restoration “ I think , get it completely mechanically sound and then address some of the cosmetic issues lol

 

[NDIHC]

Since you had it running, my first suggestion would be to check the hydraulic fluid and add as needed, then see if the hydraulics will work.

 

[wahayes]

Since you had it running, my first suggestion would be to check the hydraulic fluid and add as needed, then see if the hydraulics will work.

Yep I checked all the fluids before I cranked it. Hydraulic fluid is full and clean . I also checked all the hydraulic seals and they all appear to be in good condition. The fuel tank was also dry and not gummed up , so it was either drained before storage or that fuel line leaks like Swiss cheese lol

Due to the key being snapped off like it was and the family backstory to this thing, I’m almost think it may all actually still work and maybe my bil just told my FIL it didn’t to be petty. Gonna try it out today hopefully

 

[560Dennis]

Sounds good to me what you’re doing. Just make sure the transfer of ownership is completed before you invest more money and time. Press ahead.

 

[sotxbill]

If it runs, unpin the bucket and back away from it... Problem solved for now and you can use the tractor. That model could have multiple hydraulic pumps. One for the 3pt, one for the power steering if equipped, and one mounted in front and driven off the front of the engine for the loader. SO... does the 3pt work when running? If so, that pump is working fine. The loader could run off a front pump that has separate hoses and separate oil reservoir. This pump also had a shaft and coupler that connected it to the front of the engine that could strip out and the pump not spin/work. There could be no fluid in the front reservoir, or a hose busted. So a little investigation could go along way...

 

[wahayes]

If it runs, unpin the bucket and back away from it... Problem solved for now and you can use the tractor. That model could have multiple hydraulic pumps. One for the 3pt, one for the power steering if equipped, and one mounted in front and driven off the front of the engine for the loader. SO... does the 3pt work when running? If so, that pump is working fine. The loader could run off a front pump that has separate hoses and separate oil reservoir. This pump also had a shaft and coupler that connected it to the front of the engine that could strip out and the pump not spin/work. There could be no fluid in the front reservoir, or a hose busted. So a little investigation could go along way...

You were correct on multiple pumps! I found the loader had a separate reservoir in front of the radiator and it was near empty. I also didn’t see it because of a certain mouse nest that was hiding it lmao.
Got some utf and filled it up. Luckily when I did that , it didn’t come rushing back out somewhere else. I put a small amount of fuel in it went to crank it , and now it won’t crank lol when I left the other day i disconnected the battery so nothing could drain it. I reinspected everything and it seemed that one of two things happened , the switch I put on in place of the key may have shorted out somehow although I doubt it as it would still try to click but not turnover, the other thing I’m thinking is we had a cold front move through the other day and may have zapped the battery after all the unsuccessful cranking the time before. Brought the battery home and charged it back up, will have to reattempt next time I’m home from work. When I was inspecting all the wiring I came to the conclusion once running I need to rewire the tractor as the wiring is old brittle and diy so first maintenance item once running will be a new 12 volt wiring harness.

 

[wahayes]

So an update , apparently the starter solenoid is toast . Need to order a new one. Also I found some sketchy wiring I need to redo . Also in my inspection of everything I also found that this is not a 4140 as I had thought but rather a 1841 tractor. The decals I guess were put on by someone later on . Distinction without a difference I suppose but leaves me to not knowing what year I have now. I found this above the starter which is where I’m drawing the conclusion from of 1841. This does make more sense on the paint now however as beneath the yellow and apparently once ford blue you can tell the original colors were what appears to be a lighter tan color or possibly ford grey and a rust red which seems to be consistent with 1841 paint job

 

[TomIn]

So an update , apparently the starter solenoid is toast . Need to order a new one. Also I found some sketchy wiring I need to redo . Also in my inspection of everything I also found that this is not a 4140 as I had thought but rather a 1841 tractor. The decals I guess were put on by someone later on . Distinction without a difference I suppose but leaves me to not knowing what year I have now. I found this above the starter which is where I’m drawing the conclusion from of 1841. This does make more sense on the paint now however as beneath the yellow and apparently once ford blue you can tell the original colors were what appears to be a lighter tan color or possibly ford grey and a rust red which seems to be consistent with 1841 paint job

TractorData has a serial number list for many tractors. Who knows how accurate their lists are or whether they refer to calendar or model years. The list shows the beginning serial number for the year. Yours would be a 1958.

 

[wahayes]

Well got some progress made on the old ford. We got it officially moved from my father in laws to my shop. Now the fun begins. Moving this thing with rotted flat tires was not fun at all but at least it’s here now.

 

[wahayes]

Worked on her a little bit this afternoon . Replaced the starter solenoid but it seemed to blow a second one. Now it won’t do anything. Thinking the starter is just toast . I have spark , I cracked the fuel line at the carb to confirm I have fuel to the carb, I cleaned the carb , so I have everything it needs to run but in my last crank attempt I had an arc come off the solenoid and then nothing.

Confirmed will need 4 new tires. After moving the tractor the tires that had looked somewhat decent were literally rotted away where they touched the ground.

 

[Mnethercutt]

Worked on her a little bit this afternoon . Replaced the starter solenoid but it seemed to blow a second one. Now it won’t do anything. Thinking the starter is just toast . I have spark , I cracked the fuel line at the carb to confirm I have fuel to the carb, I cleaned the carb , so I have everything it needs to run but in my last crank attempt I had an arc come off the solenoid and then nothing.

Confirmed will need 4 new tires. After moving the tractor the tires that had looked somewhat decent were literally rotted away where they touched the ground.

Have you tried removing the starter and cleaning the area where it bolts to the tractor? Maybe you have a ground issue and its arcing to try and find a path to ground. Just something that might be worth checking before buying a whole new starter.

 

[showcrop]

Check the cable connections at the solenoid. I have experienced connections that would carry current, then heard an arc, then nothing. Inspection revealed a coating of oxide in the connection which acted insulation. The connection needs to be not just clean but clean and shiny.

 

[wahayes]

Have you tried removing the starter and cleaning the area where it bolts to the tractor? Maybe you have a ground issue and its arcing to try and find a path to ground. Just something that might be worth checking before buying a whole new starter.

I haven’t . I will try this today.

 

[MM-TX]

I haven’t . I will try this today.

While you have the starter off open it up and check/replace the brushes and clean off the armature if needed.