Ford 5600 beginner advice

[Ozarkfrontier86]

I have 46 acres that I am looking to buy a tractor to work with. 10 acres are planted with hay and the rest is wooded. I will be using the tractor to skids downed logs and box blade road and brush hog. Not sure if I will mess with hay as it was already planted when I moved here. I looked at a ford 5600 today and the hour gauge does not work. They put a new gauge on that shows 112 hours. The ignition does not turn the tractor off and none of the lights work. Other then that mechanically if feels good. Shifting each gear worked. I'm nervous about buying a tractor that the hour gauge is broke and don't know any history. It has a oil leak too. This will be my first tractor. The tires look newer and they are asking 6900 for it. Here are some pics of oil leak. Seeking any advice anyone can offer.

 

[johnofnewhaven]

Welcome to YT. Ford 5600 is a great tractor. Being it is at least 40 years old the hour meter (proof meter) being broken and replaced is not uncommon. Even if it was original and worked I would not trust the hours without documentation and that is extremely rare. They were known to break a lot. As for the oil leak it doesn't look like anything major after all it's at least 40 years old. The oil/dirt under the fuel tank could just be from spilled fuel over the years. It appears to be a straight 8 speed transmission and not dual power. If you look up Ford 5600 on Tractor Data you can find more information on it. Without knowing more about the condition I would say $6900 could be in the ballpark but on the high side. However value will very from region to region. There are several guys on this site that are extremely knowledgeable about the Ford tractors. I am sure they will chime in. I have a Ford 5000 and it is a great tractor!

 

[Fordfarmer]

A 5600 is an excellent tractor. The tach/hour meter on this series is much more reliable than the previous ones, but they can fail. I wouldn't be too worried about it... just look it over well. How worn are the dimples on the clutch and brake pedals?
The key does not shut these diesels off. You have to pull a kill cable for that.

 

[wh]

Rode hard and put up wet, that series of fords (5600, 6600, 7600), will go forever. Taken care of while being used and they will go beyond forever! We ran a 5600 and 7600 for better than 20 years. Bought both new. Very simple to work on when needed, just did not need much repair. Traded the 5600 in on a cx90 cab caseih. Got more in trade than I gave for the 5600 22 years earlier. It had around 2500 hrs on it.

 

[Destroked 450]

Father in law bought a 5600 years ago, although he's gone the tractor is still there, I use in every year to pull my disc mower cutting 165 acres of spring hay and feed cows with it in the winter, it's showing 6300 hours and with repairs being a alternator and key switch 7 years ago, water pump and radiator last year.

They are a good solid tractor, as has been said Ford did not have electric shutdown on their diesel tractors until the 90's, that's one of the things I like about them, no electronic gizmos to give problems.
That price is in the ball park.

 

[Bern]

If it didn't leak at least a little bit of oil, it wouldn't be a Ford.

 

[derwen1959]

I am across the pond , when I converted the amount to
UK pounds it seemed on the high side and you need to allow for unexpected expenses like clutch failure but that is only my opinion

 

[showcrop]

I agree that the hour meter should not enter into your decision. Another indicator that you could factor in is the shape of the hole in the drawbar. It should with the number of hours be noticeably longer than wide. If it is a 1/4 inch longer it has been doing some serious pulling. If it is just barely longer than wide it has had an easier life. The value of the deal could hinge on the tires since tires are so expensive. "Newer" is not much of a description.

 

[SkipperII]

The 5000 series is a good reliable workhorse. They are relatively easy to work on for someone with a few mechanical skills, and a good manual. They have a pretty good power to weight ratio, and are pretty economical to operate. Parts are still available.

 

[Ozarkfrontier86]

I'm new to tractors. I'm mechanical inclined. My work is hvac and I do all my own work on my personal vehicles. That said I have never tore a tractor apart. I test drove it and the clutch felt good and strong. I locked one wheel with brake and let the clutch out and it was dragging it In circles. The oil leak is what worry me. If it's a rear main seal then how long before it leaks into clutch housing and tears that area up.

 

[sotxbill]

All of them are wet there. I dont see anything that would bother me. How quickly does it start? Does it blow white smoke or run a clean exhaust? Does it bobble in the radiator? Is the oil black, or light brown? You need to look at the important things.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 13:17:28 03/22/21) I'm new to tractors. I'm mechanical inclined. My work is hvac and I do all my own work on my personal vehicles. That said I have never tore a tractor apart. I test drove it and the clutch felt good and strong. I locked one wheel with brake and let the clutch out and it was dragging it In circles. The oil leak is what worry me. If it's a rear main seal then how long before it leaks into clutch housing and tears that area up.

If the rear main leaks it leaks into the bell housing and comes out the little hole at the low point of the bell housing. That hole is supposed to have a cotter pin in it to keep it from plugging . It is VERY important to check that hole. Oil should not be able to get to the clutch. I have never heard of the bell housing getting torn up.