David Brown 1212

[Chief 83]

Considering a David Brown 1212. This one has 1200 hours and looks to be in pretty good shape. It is about 4 hours away from me. Before I head that direction are there concerns with the 1212 model that I should be aware of? The tires look good in the picture and the seller indicates it runs well. No loader. He has it priced at $3500.

 

[rankrank1]

Well I can not believe no one has responded yet so I'll give it a stab.

The Good: David Brown's are known to be very fuel efficient and that tractor likely has 12 speeds forward and 4 speeds reverse so lots of selections. (I believe 1212 model may have even had an option for partial range powershift. If it has powershift I have no idea how good the the DB powershifts are. I do know any powershift is not cheap to rebuild. Straight Gear models are pretty rugged). Most DB castings and things are made very heavy with no scrimping on size.

The Bad. Well its a David Brown. While made heavy; some things are just not executed that well. Some parts will be harder to find, and take some time to obtain. This is not a problem if you can afford to be without the tractor. Lucas electronics, starters, alternators, and wiring are not known for reliability at all (they call Lucas the prince of darkness for a reason). Lastly, Some 4 cylinder models of David Browns are known for broken crankshafts. The 3 cylinder models do not suffer the broken crankshafts and are much more desirable in my opinion due to this. Your 1212 will be a 4 cylinder model. My MIL has a 1210 that suffered the ill fated broken crank phenoma and she now has a tractor that she has way more into it than she could ever sell it for after having a pro shop fix it. Supposedly an improved crank was used in her rebuild that remedy's the problem somewhat. Really who knows since the root problem is improper balancing on the 4 cylinder engines that causes resonance at certain rpm's which in turn breaks the cranks. (In other words, hard pulling is not what breaks the cranks).

My opinion: $3500 does not buy much these days. If you could afford to be without the tractor if it breaks then go for it if it is in as good of shape as you say and simply hope for the best of luck. However I would pass if it is going to sink you financially if it does break down. If you are in this position then there are more reliable alternatives if you will only have 1 tractor that you must rely on. If it were an 885 model I would be much more confident of it being good.

 

[wvcasedbman]

The 1212 is a powershift tractor if you take good care of it will last many years without giving you any trouble
have put over six thosand hours on mine had very minimal repairs

 

[RGMartin]

I would be highly skeptical of the 1200 hours bit(new tach or broken cable at some point in its life). For it to have 1200 hour it had better have the original French or Brit made 45 degree Goodyears on the rear with 75% tread or better.

Don't use ether and don't lug it and it will last a lifetime.

3 range manual with reverse, 4 powershift gears within each range. 2 speed PTO, fuel efficient, great draft control, garbage electrical system(can be readily converted to something better).

$3500 seems fair if it is decent or better.