Attention: Belarus tractor owners

[Straw Boss]

I have somebody looking at a low houred Belarus 825 with FWA, cab and Miller loader.
I'd like to bypass all the surmises, guesses and opinions from those who don't own one and ask those of you who actually own one what you think of them? In short....dependability, parts and dealers? What say you?

I know they are 1960s technology compared to US tractors and not heavy enough for round bales and field work but for a yard tractor and snow removal, would a guy regret buying one if it broke down? That's the gist of my question. Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

[rustred]

you would have to check on parts or dealer availability. my neighbour had a 825 and i re-ringed the engine. he used it on rock picker and spraying. dont forget that they also have goofy tire sizes. i think the fronts were 19" tires and rear i dont remember. he used it quit a bit. but i dont think i would buy one unless it was practically a give away. its not like when you have other old tractors for parts u can go rob what u need.

 

[JD Seller]

The maintenance type parts can be found on line fairly easily. OEM can be a challenge . Some can be hard to get. As far as any local support that is real hit and miss. Not many areas still have a dealer of any kind. They are crude but fairly rugged if you do not over load them. The cabs had an add on AC system and they rarely worked even when new. They are not bad mechanically. The electrical system can be a PAIN to repair. Again the issue is finding manuals/wiring diagrams and such to work on them with.

As for value. If it is in good running condition then it could be worth $8500-10000 for the package. Anything wrong and the value drops like a rock. I have seen running 925s bring $3500-4000.

 

[Straw Boss]

Thanks for replying.
Did you source Belarus parts for the motor work or have to find aftermarket stuff to do the job?

I talked to a neighbor who has one but says it has yet to need a repair. ????
The dealer he bought it from no longer supports them.
Tractor House says there are other dealers in the area so I'll make some calls tomorrow to verify.

 

[JMOR]

Order the PTO output shaft and see what kind of response you get.

 

[Straw Boss]

A no go huh? I was told the pto was reversible 540 to 1,000 by removing 4 bolts and inverting the shaft somehow.
I think the plan is to use a snowblower on this tractor so I wonder how it will hold up ?
Thanks for your reply.

 

[Straw Boss]

Thanks for your input. Not sure if this one has AC or not.
I did learn that the electrical system is a positive ground. Maybe that's not a big deal ???
Thank you for posting values. I was completely in the dark on that and wanted to know. I kind of figured half the value was in the loader but I'm so out of touch with prices lately that I couldn't even get a feel for the value of the loader by itself let alone the tractor. Thanks for posting.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

I understand that they use the same engine in the newer models as in the old. And the engine is the same in them all , big or small, they just sped up the rpms , changed the harmonic balancer . and turbo charged to achieve more hp. I have a friend that owns two Belarus tractors , and I would bet he has squeezed close to 10,000 out of one of them . He used to do a lot of custom seeding and round baling . They can be made to work , but you had better be a handy fella , good at hunting parts , and not want the most in creature comforts. You can barley give them away in Ont. Can.

 

[steve706]

Last Saturday at an auction by Mt Forest a good condition including rubber Belarus 925 could only get 1500 with the auctioneer basically begging for bids. Ran fine and everything and even the Mennonites didn't want it.....

 

[Traditional Farmer]

Buy it cheap and run it til it quits or needs major repair and then go looking for another one just like it.

 

[NY 986]

3,000 dollars at auction a few years ago for an 825 and it ran. The auctioneer whined for almost 10 minutes to get that much.

 

[RodinNS]

We had a 520 for about 20 years... and it's close to 20 years since it left. It's a similar enough tractor to what you're looking at. I can't tell you much about the parts situation these days. Back then it wasn't a problem... but even here, all of the dealers are gone. What I can tell you is that the tractor is crude. They leak constantly. The electrics are garbage. They will pull. They're pretty good on fuel. Some guys that had them around here got a lot of use from them. But several also got broken in half. In spite of their dead weight, they aren't really all that strong. Some got converted to Delco starters and the wiring reworked on them sufficiently to make them usable.
For what we used it for at the time... which was mostly in the woods.. it was fine. You just put it in a gear and left it there. If it hit something it didn't matter. It was basic enough that there wasn't much to damage under it or get torn off. One guy used to remark that if you stuck it in a bog... just leave it there because you could buy another one for 1500 anyway lol.

So I would say to you if you're contemplating spending 10 grand, that will pretty well get you an old Ford with what you want, that you know you can buy parts for... with a transmission that will shift and brakes that will stop you... so why go buy an old Minsk tractor. Conversely, if you're looking at spending 2 grand.... then I guess you spins the wheel and you takes your chances. If it blows up, see remark above about leaving in swamp

Rod

 

[Trkr]

Have a old 820 with a loader,leaks hydraulic oil,electronics are quirkey.But,it has been run hard its whole life,and keeps on going.Engine,driveline,has never been touched,lots of power,and will always start,even in the coldest weather.Lubinecki Welding in Pa. is a dealer that has always been able to get any parts ever needed.

 

[Mike M]

I'll say it's like investing in the stock market. NEVER invest any more than you can afford to lose !
So pay whatever you think it's worth to you that you can afford to lose if it doesn't work out.

 

[paul]

The CaseIH dealer sold them for a few years a decade and more ago. Pushed thrn pretty hard.

It became a nightmare for them, parts, keeping up with the breakdowns, the low resale (trade in) value, kinda hurt the dealership. They had an auction and got rid of all of it, inventory, parts, etc.

Buying one is like playing a slot machine. Put your coin in, if what you get is a 10 year trouble free machine you won the jackpot, and that is very possible.

More likely you are buying something with problems already; or will break something that is hard to find parts for, and a mechanic that will touch the things. Thrn you lost a little bit of your good deal and see if you just cash it out for scrap iron or try to double down and spend more money trying to fix it up.

So you will get different answers to this. It is a gamble.

Paul

 

[Duner Wi]

One for auction tomorrow. Be interesting to see what it brings.
http://benmeyerauctions.com/june-17th-2017-large-moving-auction

 

[Leroy]

Positive ground was common on ALL cars, trucks & tractors untill mid 50's. It was thought it was a better system. Problem was people that did not understand it as at that time it was when the owners were starting to do their own work instead of taking to the dealer for all repair jobs. And that guy that was not a mechanic when his battery went bad and he bought a new one though things were wired wrong so he would hook it up negetive ground instead of positive and blow the entire electrical system.

 

[John Deere D]

My Cousin owns and operates a Belarus 825 (second owner)....Loader used for Snow Removal...North Western Alberta Canada......3000+ Hrs........Never had a minutes problem with the tractor:

I own a Belarus 420 since new,1979,65 HP. air cooled,4500 Hrs. At 4300 Hrs, Transmission had to be swapped with a parts Tractor Transmission. Engine has never had any Mechanical issues:

Bob...

 

[Robert Major]

Hi We sold the last of the 825 style new when we started our dealership in about 1993 before they moved up to the newer series with the syncro gearboxes in the U.K in 1996. You either get one thats pretty good or a total P.I.T.A. We moved to Canada in 2000 I still fix a few for guys. Parts are available from either MTZ who are the official factory dealers in North America , or through an online company or 2 that are in the U.S.

we still run our last new 5270 tractor from our farm in England. I've done the motor once due to sleeve o ring failures, the trans twice due to heavy loader work, and front axle repair a few times but we worked it real hard as it was our only tractor here for 14 years and the second tillage tractor before that in the U.K it's got about 9000 hours now. I wouldn't give it to my worst enemy to be honest it's worn out but still works when needed most of the time L.O.L.

You need a guy that understands them to fix some of it and get settings right, some stuff isn't in books and you need the experience. I get some of the last ones sold around here in Canada to fix,from back in 2000-04 when they kinda dropped from the market, guys beat the junk out of them as full time loader tractors. They spent very little in 17 years plus for older ones, but that doesn't mean they didn't have issues that should of been fixed before!. Now I'm at the point I don't want to fix them anymore, as they probably only washed them twice in that time and Fred down the road messed with it without knowing how to fix it a few time to causing more issues.

To be honest the last few I fix should be exported like the rest seem to of been, I'd personally buy and ship them to make sure they went if I could afford to. It's been an experience to write a book about meeting the people and being involved with but it's time to move on for me.
Unless you got a guy can fix it or you can do it your self I'd move on to if you can afford to, you won't really know what you got until you own it but thats like any used tractor to be fair.
Regards Robert

 

[buickanddeere]

They ain't pretty .http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/001/4/4/1448-belarus-825.html

 

[Robert Major]

Hi there are 2 styles of pto change over. Both need an adapter you can't just flip the shaft round and there is a change lever under the transmission to go 540/1000 on the gearing to. The old style like 825 has 4 locating dowels and a snap ring to hold it together. Any tractors with pto hours on thats probably been welded up with the common used shaft in, is loose and needs the update/welding if you are cheap!. or has been updated to the shaft type with bolts. I've done a few of the updates i think the kit with a 540 adapters about 3-$400 plus time fitting it as long as the bearings and other parts are good. There may not be many good ones left original now. I don't think there is a problem getting any of the adapters if you know where to look, I think there might even be some types old stock here in the shed.
Regards Robert

 

[rrlund]

I don't know what to think. A dealer here sold them. I asked the owner at the time how they were working out. He said they had issues on most of them at the 100 hour checkup with things coming loose. He claimed that after those issues were fixed,they were pretty trouble free. But,that was then,this is now. I know of two that I believe were 825s sold here that are still on the farm. No idea if they run anymore or not,I just know that they're still sitting in the yard.

 

[rrlund]

Last I knew there was a dealer in Omer Michigan still advertising parts for them.

 

[Jeff in ND]

My late Dad bought a Belarus 562 new in 1989. Not sure how many hours it rolled up before he retired in 1997 but its now got about 2030 or so on it. It as used for cultivating, tillage, etc when he was still farming. He passed in 2012 and had in retirement been using it for bush-hogging as needed, snow blower in winter, and working up his sweet corn patch. I think it took longer to hook up implements than do the actual work for him.

In the later 90s, it had a head gasket failure. Dad and a neighbor, who had a older Belarus (late 70s vintage) did the repair themselves. That gasket failed again in 2015 while I was mowing the property for my Mom.

I had no problems getting parts from a parts depot in Milwaukee. I took the head to a machine shop to have it checked for flatness with no issues found. I think the problem was he'd not re-torqued the head bolts after some hours of run time. I spent way too much time on that gasket job but was being over careful. Its running again and I will definitely re-torque those bolts later this year I think as I've only put a few hours on it since.

They are definitely rude and crude. The FWA has a large turning circle and slow steering. Its not too maneuverable in close quarters.

I remember doing field tillage work with it in the 90s. It was OK in open fields. Hated it for row crop cultivator as its seemed the steering was too slow and hard to keep between the rows.

The only electrical problem Dad's has ever had was the starter. Water got in it and wrecked it somehow. Back then, parts were available from a local dealer. Not anymore and internet is your friend.

Basically, be prepared to do all your own work on it and source parts via internet sources.

 

[Straw Boss]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply. It's much appreciated. The knowledge and experience of fellow YTers always amazes me but your willingness to take the time to share it is what really makes this forum the best out there. Kudos to you all.

 

[bison]

(quoted from post at 20:33:20 06/15/17) I have somebody looking at a low houred Belarus 825 with FWA, cab and Miller loader.
I'd like to bypass all the surmises, guesses and opinions from those who don't own one and ask those of you who actually own one what you think of them? In short....dependability, parts and dealers? What say you?

I know they are 1960s technology compared to US tractors and not heavy enough for round bales and field work but for a yard tractor and snow removal, would a guy regret buying one if it broke down? That's the gist of my question. Thanks in advance for any insight.

have 2 of them, one 1978 800 and one 1993 925. the 800 has over 15000 hrs on it, engine re-ringed once and new crank bearings, not because it needed either but my brother was riding the clutch and took out the axial crank bearing).the rest of the tractor never gave me any grief and has never been apart. The 925 had only 800 hrs on it when i picked up for 4 grand.I put on since another thousand without any trouble. I buy another one in a heart beat, both good tractors and they start in a split second..even the old one with the 15000 hrs on it, hit the key and of it goes even after sitting over the winter.

Not heavy enough for round bales you say?? how about this for starters.LOL. I fed thousands of bales with this 1978 belarus 800, 4 at the time.

 

[Straw Boss]

Sounds like you've had good success. My comment about not handling round bales had more to do with the lightly built front wheel
assist axle as it was told to me by a farmer in my neighborhood who owns one. I see yours is two-wheel drive with a sturdy solid
front axle. Of course, common sense operation by the operator can make a big difference but the majority of cattle guys tend to
find the weak points in any machine when they handle bales on rough terrain.

 

[bison]

(quoted from post at 12:40:40 06/17/17) Sounds like you've had good success. My comment about not handling round bales had more to do with the lightly built front wheel
assist axle as it was told to me by a farmer in my neighborhood who owns one. I see yours is two-wheel drive with a sturdy solid
front axle. Of course, common sense operation by the operator can make a big difference but the majority of cattle guys tend to
find the weak points in any machine when they handle bales on rough terrain.

he 925(identical to the 825 but it has a turbo) i have is frontwheel assist and has a loader as well,.it too is used for feeding and has a fork in the 3 pt hitch.It carries 2 bales in the rear and 1 up front. It could handle probably 2 up front as well but as you mentioned the front assist axle looks like a weak point so why risk it.One bale improves the visibility as well.