841 ford diesel totaled?

[Ross Darsey]

on sunday I took my stroll down my dirt road with my old friend my ford 841 diesel to freshen the driving surface again (like I have for the past 35 years) and low and behold i was struck by an elderly woman driving a mini van in a hurry. she was charged and im trying to find out an apprx value and info to replace the tractor. here are the specs:1955 thru 58??? ford 841 diesel power steering,hi lo range trans with 4 speed. full time hydraulics. any idea on value etc? Thanks in advance..

 

[paul]

I suppose you need to find a realistic, documented value. Something you can go show the adjusters, not just 'paul said it was worth....'

So, there are bluebooks out there, my Hotline one doesn't have any price, none musta sold in their network in 06. Banks have bookvalues of ag machinery for loans, but I suspect they likewise won't have anything so old. You can look up prices on the varoius tractor selling web sites, like tr ac to rh ou se dot com. But, again, you won't find too many older machines, have to search them all.

I'll guess it would sell for $2500-5000 at an auction. That doesn't help you much.

Man, how did you survive, if a minivan hit hard enough to total the tractor????

--->Paul

 

[kyplowboy]

Here's my take, I am sure you will have plenty. There are alot of blue book type publications out there (Machinery Pete is my favorite). Most of these are based on auction sale prices. You never know when one like yours is comeing up for auction close by. If the insurace company is going to pay you for the tractor you need a tractor now and not when one comes up for sale at auction. Go to external_link, usfarmer.com, and fastline.com and search Ford 841. Find some that are real close to what yours was and print the adds. That should be make the insuranse happy and you should have enough in your pocket that you can make a few sales this winter to find a new jem (or spend the winter puting the old one back together).

Best of luck.

Dave

 

[super99]

I'm with Paul here, If she hit you hard enough to total it, how bad are your injuries and how did you survive? How about a picture of the tractor?
Dave has some good advice there, go all over the net to find ones for sale, Dealers usually are priced a little higher, might be better for you than auction results.
Unless you want something newer, just how badly damaged is your Ford? Can you buy it back from insurance co. and fix it yourself or sell it for parts? Not sure how insurance co's treat old tractors, If it is over X years old, total it regardless of damage??? Unless it's rolled into a ball, or split in to in several places, I would think it could be put back in working condition. Just a few rambling thoughts, Chris

 

[MarkB_MI]

You're going to have a hard time coming up with a documented value for your tractor, because prices vary so much depending on condition.

I'd say that any running hundred series Ford is worth a MINIMUM of $2000. And that would be one in very poor condition. With the exception of the Select-O-Speed models (which command lower prices), a tractor like yours in good, working condition should be worth at least $3K. I would think $4K would be the upper limit for a tractor in good condition without a loader. Maybe five grand if it was exceptionally clean. Now a "fully restored" tractor might bring much more, but it sounds like yours was a working tractor, not a show piece.

If you can't get the insurance company to give you a reasonable price for your tractor, you might want to buy it back from them and either fix it or part it out. Hundred series components are in demand, and the high/low plus four speed (if undamaged) could be used to convert a blown Select-O-Speed tractor to manual. I would think the salvage value of your tractor is at least $1000.

 

[notadeere]

im 99.9% sure that the insurance "adjuster" guy will come out & look at that tractor & tell you a price its worth totaled ? a tractor against a mini van? ya the van totald that tractor would have to be in half ? & u didnt get hurt ? good to know your OK atleast but let the insurance guy give u a price then laugh at him if u dont like it

 

[john in la]

First off get your facts straight and compair apples to apples. It will help you with the insurance company.

A 841 diesel is a 1958 to 1962.
The sherman high low trans is a add on and not included with the tractor. Make sure you compair yours with a tractor that has this $1000 add on.
All tractors of this age did not have power steering so watch for that.
Looks and paint are also factors. Is yours a rust color needing paint or does it have a decent paint job.

Start shopping around on ebay or adds like the ones on this site.

With a decent paint job and running well your tractor would bring 3500 + in my area. If your timing is right you can get almost that much by parting out the parts on ebay.

So like the others say. How did you survive this crash or is the tractor really totaled.

 

[KCTractors]

I just got done repairing a 860 that was hit with a car. It was not mine , but a relatives. Tractor was broken in two pieces. The engine was broke off the transmission. The block was junk, the whole front axle assembly, radiator, hydraulic pump, hood, grille, one steering sector, drag links, fan and the input shaft on the transmission. There was more odds&N's. I could have went and bought a tractor for as much as I have into this one. I basically started with just the back half. Most of the parts were bought off E-Bay, one part at a time. I tell people it's like Johnny Cash's song about his Cadillac, but it isn't the years, it's the States where it come from. The Cops said was both drivers fault so they each had to take care of their own damages. The home owners insurance paid for the tractor and he bought the tractor back for three-hundred dollars, but that was about 15 years ago. I just bought from this last summer, I could stand watching lay in the weeds.

 

[KCTractors]

The last line is supposed to say: I could NOT stand to see it lay in the weeds. MY one figured typing!

 

[JT]

The bad part, if you do not have a specific value insurance on the tractor, you may be in for a treat to get the actual value of the tractor from the insurance company. They may try to take the new price of the tractor, then depreciate it the price that they think it might be worth. This technically is considerd an antique, and it may have no value to the insurance industry. Be prepared for a fight. you are correct, i do not trust or like insurance companies.

 

[kyhayman]

Last one I had totalled (fire) this is what the ins company did. First they paid the service mgr from the local Case IH dealer to come out and estimate repair cost. It was going to be high as there was no way of knowing what damage was done inside the engine or transmission. Estimated repairs were 36,000. I had 12,500 insurance on the tractor so that was the assumed value. Then they had me get 3 for sale ads showing the same tractor. All 3 had a lower sale price than mine was insured for but I could list specifics as to why mine was more valuable.

Ins company paid me the 12,500. Then they sold the tractor on sealed bids at my place. Guy bought it for 1800 and uses it as a stationary irrigation pump power source.

As to value, Id guess yours 3500-4500 here. Glad you are ok.

 

[Ross Darsey]

The reason that "totaled ?" is there is because I don't know if the parts are there to get, or if the insurance co. will offer to replace with a tractor of the same caliber.I was brused and scraped up but nothing real serious. The damage is in the front axle, hub, rim, steering arm,steering box (power steering) and hyd. assist arm, all on the left side. Also the radiator is leaking. I don't know about the condition of the pivoting area of the front axle, or the condition of the front of the motor. As for the way it looks, well it's so so, but she runs like a champ. I freshened up the motor the right way. This tractor is very powerful and I want to make sure that the replacement (if not a 841) will perform the way this one has. I was hoping that someone could tell me the horse power of this tractor. Also, I would like to thank all of you for your replies & concerns. Ross ps going to take photos now. will upload shortly...

 

[john in la]

Your 841D has a 172 cu in engine and has 39.9 PTO HP.

You can find all the parts needed even though some will have to be used because new are no longer available.

 

[Ross Darsey]

damage by mini van

 

[Ross Darsey]

keeps saying im not connected while uploading the photo even though i am. shrunk photo to accomodate etc. any advice? thanks Ross

 

[caterpillar guy]

In our area if a tractor gets hit like that one dealer will total it just because you don't know if there is damage to the gearing in the unit or if the crank and rods got damage from the hit especially if it got hit from the rear due to the sudden speed change on impact.
If you get 5-6 prices for that tractor as the insuance company will through out the highest and lowest one then use the otheres for an average price soooo use the highest ones and that are in the price range that seems reasonable.

 

[730 virgil]

she rear ended you tell her insurance you want the tractor fixed.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Given that the damage is in the front end, I would sure tell the insurance company to fix it. I think all the parts you need should be readily available either new or used. And it will probably be easier to come up with a solid cost to repair than it will be to come up with a replacement value.

Do you have receipts for your earlier repairs? That can help you prove how much you have invested in the machine.

Good luck.

 

[John M]

My neighbor has an 841 diesel. He drove to Kentucky to get it and paid $4500 fot it restored. Kinda makes me sick to see him out there bishhoging with it, but, he got what he wanted and hes doing what he wants with it.THe guy he bought it from posts on here, but I cant recall his name. Ill ask my neighbor this afternoon what the guys name is.Im pretty sure he post mainly on the Ford boards, which I wopuld also suggest you do.

 

[Anonymous-0]

How bad is it broken? Will the engine still fire up and run? Or did it break the front of the block where the front end mounts up?

Undoubtedly you will have a hassle with the insurance company. It is their job to pay out the absolute least they can. They will dispute whatever you tell them. I would hire a lawyer experienced in dealing with insurance companies and I would guarantee you that I would have been injured some in the accident. And yes, I have gone round and round with insurance companies in the past and am a little bitter about the experience. They have been total JERKS!

I think the diesels started in 1958 and from what I have read, the diesels today are worth a little less than a similar gas model. The power steering probably adds $1K to the value of your tractor and the Sherman is probably worth at least $500 over and above the value of a basic tractor. The value of such a tractor might be very different depending in where you are, but I would doubt that you would find very many 841D's that work for much less than $2K and I would be surprised to hear of a basic tractor selling for a whole lot over $5K.

Depending on how badly it was damaged, you might want to consider fixing it yourself. If the engine is good and the mount for the front end has not broken the engine block, it might not be too bad a job. The tin is available, as are the radiator and the front end parts. The specific diesel fuel tank might be a little problem, but probably someone has one that they would sell you. In any case, I would try to retain the "salvage" of the damaged tractor, since it sounds like there would be lots of valuable parts that could be sold from it, even if you can't fix it. But I like to tinker with things, and not everyone does.

Back to the idea of hiring a lawyer: Lots of times they charge about a third of whatever insurance settlement they get for you, so you might want to consider that when you are talking about what to do about the situation. But the insurance companies tend to want to settle a claim, especially when an attorney is involved, where they might drag their heels in just dealing with you, and try to "lowball" you.

If that happened to me, I would hope to come away from the situation with about a $10K check (including pain and suffering) and keeping my tractor. That is assuming that I was in no way responsible for the accident...and if it happened on a public road, that might be a real hassle to prove.

Play hardball with the insurance company! Good luck.

 

[Ross Darsey]

Hi all! Thank You for all the great information and help with my tractor. Im the one that was practically mowed over by the blind driver in the mini van. The ins guy came out and considered it totaled and obviously an antique. now he wants serial number or numbers. I have only found ser numbers plural. need to get a value. have searched with no luck. here are the numbers ive got off the tractor. block/cast 310609 intake manifold=310659. over/under=310396. and rear diff=310396. 399 hp. any ideas on value etc would be greatly appreciated. Happy NEW yEAR! Thanks, Ross Darsey

 

[Ross Darsey]

heres the photo.

 

[Ross Darsey]

Thanks fo looking.

 

[JoshuaGA]

A good runner should be worth about $5000 dollars. Check some websites and farm paper ads and give 3-5 prices. Why did ge total it. From the picture, I should think it could be fixed for $1000 max. Take the money, buy it back or try to keep it, and fix it. Unless there is internal damage, you will not find a trator of similar calibar for a decent price. Little Jublies average $3500 around here, and 841's in good condition will bring $5000 on an average day. Little compacts don't have it in my opinon, except on a loader. What you own is a real tractor. HTH

JoshuaGA