Eric Rylander
Member
I helped spread used tractor sickness over fourth of July weekend- I was at my in laws in south west Virginia (Wise county) and checking the local Craigslist ads, and came across a B414 diesel, said $2000 OBO, moving, must sell!
My in laws have a few acres and some horses, and the aunt has land and horses as well. I was browsing the Craigslist for the local area and found an IH B414 for sale at 2 grand OBO, said it ran good. I know these tractors, dad in MN has one.
On Sat AM I called the seller's number, it was near Bull's Gap, Tennessee, a small town in east TN. Played phone tag with the guy a bit, he is a truck driver and was fading in and out signal wise on his cell.
He called back Sunday AM and the mother in law's man and I made plans to go. Took three forevers as we had to clean out his HD2500 of various junk, find chains and binders, drive several miles detour to pick up his trailer from the aunt who had it to haul something.
So we finally get on the road, we were supposed to meet up with the ladies, my wife and mother in law, my two kids and a cousin, to go to a water park near Johnson City TN. Well that was not working too well- we told them go go on and we would try and meet up.
So we get to Bulls Gap and the guy "Rex" meets us. Driving a faded blue old Dodge Dakota, he's a sun baked dude with a white beard, wearing a do-rag on his head, a white wifebeater, skull rings and his fingers and mirrored sun glasses. Shy a front tooth or two. jollow him in our truck, down narrower and narrower roads, he expertly chucks an empty beer can from window to bed while steering appearantly with his knees and popping another...we arrive at the greatest collection of slapped together from scraps sheds, old truck bodies, and
singlewide trailers I have seen in some time!
The ol 414 sits in some high grass. Rough looking, but it cranks right over without use of glow plugs. Rex says "I ain't gonna lie to ya! I don't know if they even work!" It does have a pretty good hydro leak from the valve assembly that is just an o ring, my dad's did it too. I test run it around the yard. Great oil pressure, temp gauge works, amps works, missing the tach (which he gives us from the shed, broken face) All the gears work, no bearing growls in the rear or anything. One brake grabs better than the other, no biggie.
It has 14.9 X 28's on back instead of the original 13.6's with about 60% tread, they have some years left in them, of course we have to listen to the story of how he got them from a buddy for fifty bucks and put them on himself with tire irons,,, all part of the deal! Fronts are about shot. Starter hangs up once on us, wiring is pretty cobbled but it mostly works.
He was asking 2 grand.... it is a bit rough, but solid where it counts. he has a home fabbed hitch off the three point with a reciever. We ask if that goes with, he says he keeps his balls (his ball mount in the reciever) and I tell he we have our own balls. Says he and the ol lady are "splittin' up" and he needs to get the tractor gone.
He says he has 18 in the tractor and won't really take less. Has a rough but useable Brillion 6 foot cutter he'll sell for $150. We haggle and he takes 1850 for the tractor and cutter. We load her up after hooking the hog on, chain it down.
Yeah, the sheet metal is rough, it's missing the drawbar, and there is a chunk broken from the front casting, which won't be a big deal unless they want to put a loader on it one day.
We follow him on his Sportster to a bank ATM. Between Chris (mom in law's husband) and I we come up with the cash, I put up $400 and told him I will gladly sell my share back when they have money. I just wanted to see them get it. It will suit the needs they have well. In this area a Ford or MF in the same condition would have been $2500-$3500 easily, IH's are just not as popular.
On to the water park we go, I get in a few slides and it is refreshing We get it home to the inlaws. I will take some pics tomorrow, can't believe I forgot the camera! The sheds made from old pallets, the billy goat fenced in behind the nicer of the singlewides
Funny thing is my Case used to share a shed with my dad's '63 IH B414, and now it has another one in it's new home in Virginia.
My in laws have a few acres and some horses, and the aunt has land and horses as well. I was browsing the Craigslist for the local area and found an IH B414 for sale at 2 grand OBO, said it ran good. I know these tractors, dad in MN has one.
On Sat AM I called the seller's number, it was near Bull's Gap, Tennessee, a small town in east TN. Played phone tag with the guy a bit, he is a truck driver and was fading in and out signal wise on his cell.
He called back Sunday AM and the mother in law's man and I made plans to go. Took three forevers as we had to clean out his HD2500 of various junk, find chains and binders, drive several miles detour to pick up his trailer from the aunt who had it to haul something.
So we finally get on the road, we were supposed to meet up with the ladies, my wife and mother in law, my two kids and a cousin, to go to a water park near Johnson City TN. Well that was not working too well- we told them go go on and we would try and meet up.
So we get to Bulls Gap and the guy "Rex" meets us. Driving a faded blue old Dodge Dakota, he's a sun baked dude with a white beard, wearing a do-rag on his head, a white wifebeater, skull rings and his fingers and mirrored sun glasses. Shy a front tooth or two. jollow him in our truck, down narrower and narrower roads, he expertly chucks an empty beer can from window to bed while steering appearantly with his knees and popping another...we arrive at the greatest collection of slapped together from scraps sheds, old truck bodies, and
singlewide trailers I have seen in some time!
The ol 414 sits in some high grass. Rough looking, but it cranks right over without use of glow plugs. Rex says "I ain't gonna lie to ya! I don't know if they even work!" It does have a pretty good hydro leak from the valve assembly that is just an o ring, my dad's did it too. I test run it around the yard. Great oil pressure, temp gauge works, amps works, missing the tach (which he gives us from the shed, broken face) All the gears work, no bearing growls in the rear or anything. One brake grabs better than the other, no biggie.
It has 14.9 X 28's on back instead of the original 13.6's with about 60% tread, they have some years left in them, of course we have to listen to the story of how he got them from a buddy for fifty bucks and put them on himself with tire irons,,, all part of the deal! Fronts are about shot. Starter hangs up once on us, wiring is pretty cobbled but it mostly works.
He was asking 2 grand.... it is a bit rough, but solid where it counts. he has a home fabbed hitch off the three point with a reciever. We ask if that goes with, he says he keeps his balls (his ball mount in the reciever) and I tell he we have our own balls. Says he and the ol lady are "splittin' up" and he needs to get the tractor gone.
He says he has 18 in the tractor and won't really take less. Has a rough but useable Brillion 6 foot cutter he'll sell for $150. We haggle and he takes 1850 for the tractor and cutter. We load her up after hooking the hog on, chain it down.
Yeah, the sheet metal is rough, it's missing the drawbar, and there is a chunk broken from the front casting, which won't be a big deal unless they want to put a loader on it one day.
We follow him on his Sportster to a bank ATM. Between Chris (mom in law's husband) and I we come up with the cash, I put up $400 and told him I will gladly sell my share back when they have money. I just wanted to see them get it. It will suit the needs they have well. In this area a Ford or MF in the same condition would have been $2500-$3500 easily, IH's are just not as popular.
On to the water park we go, I get in a few slides and it is refreshing We get it home to the inlaws. I will take some pics tomorrow, can't believe I forgot the camera! The sheds made from old pallets, the billy goat fenced in behind the nicer of the singlewides
Funny thing is my Case used to share a shed with my dad's '63 IH B414, and now it has another one in it's new home in Virginia.
