Hello everyone,
Ive been lurking on these forums for awhile LOL. Have learned quite a bit here. Thank you all for that.
I do want to start this post by saying I have never owned a tractor. Until a few weeks ago I had never thought about owning a tractor and knew relatively about them. I do have nearly one million miles driving a semi, which simply means I have experience with large machines, clutches, engines etc. Not implying I can fix them but perhaps I understand more about machines than would be average.
My husband and I have a piece of property that has recently (2 months ago) been dozed but not graded. There is currently a driveway (roughly 300 ft long) into a clearing of about 1/4 acre. The property is in total 30 acres - but only the above mentioned is cleared so far.
The contractor could not give us another day for grading or any other work on the property. We contacted several other companies both large and one-man-shops and while 3 appointments were made - no one showed up - and further didnt return calls or texts after not showing up.
At the end of the day we came to realize that in our little neck-of-the-woods, it appears we need to do more than previously thought as in do more of our own DirtWork than we planned. Hence, we decided that getting a tractor made sense. Since new really isnt an option at this time with so many other considerations - and since we were advised by a homesteading friend to look for something in the 8N, 9N or 2N world or Massy Ferguson To30 or MF35, we began our quest.
Over the last few weeks I have been researching these tractors, reading boards like this one and overall learning about the 30s-60s era tractors: Ford, Massey Ferguson and even some old European brands like Long and a few others.
We have gone to see many tractors in southern Illinois, Missouri and even one in Tennessee. Most all have been sorely disappointing and not what we were told by the owners. Prices in this area range from $1,500 - $4,500 for these old tractors so its a broad range. In our experience so far, the price difference doesnt necessarily indicate a better tractor in better shape. Its just someone wanting to get more out of it with a paint job perhaps but little else.
Which brings me to the latest tractor find this week the one I need to get feedback on if you feel inspired to do so.
I found an ad on CraigsList for a 2N Ford tractor over a week ago with every implement we know were going to need.
Heres the list:
(2) 5 bush hogs (though one will do)
(1) King Cutter box blade w/ teeth in very good shape
(1) 6 blade (slight dent in it but doesnt hinder its use)
(1) dirt bucket
(1) boom pole
The tractor isnt pretty by most folks standards - but I think its old patina is wonderful - it has not been painted (thankfully). We were told its a 1942, though I havent yet double-checked the serial on it as I forgot to grab a picture of it when there.
When we went to look day before yesterday heres what we found
WHEELS:
The wheels are not rusted through or rusted badly in any area. There might be a touch of surface rust here and there but nothing major. The valve stems are not rusted at all (which is the first weve seen in this good of shape so far). Nothing bent on the wheels.
BACK TIRES:
The tires on the back are AG tires and have life left in them. No bald spots, bad cuts or excessive wear. They are worn but not excessively and likely have at least 50-60% life left?
FRONT TIRES:
The front tires are a not the skinny ribbed tires but a wider, flatter tire with decent tread but not an AG tire exactly - more like an off-road truck tire.
STEERING PARTS:
The steering arms are in good shape, knuckles appear to be greased well, steering is straight (unlike the last one that turned hard to the right the moment you released the clutch).
METAL:
The metal is straight with no rusting at those usual spots just below the radiator fill. Overall good and straight and in decent shape. Appears to have never been painted over since new so its a wonderful soft shade of pink LOL.
SEAT:
Good spring seat (I like the saddle type seat). Seat is comfortable, the spring works well. Seat was red when knew and is now quite faded but not rusted out.
HEADLIGHTS/LIGHTS:
It has no headlights or lights of any kind at the moment.
MAIN BODY:
The main body of the tractor is NOT covered in oil, has not been painted or power washed to hide oil leaks. Seals are not leaking where the engine meets transmission and the engine isnt black with years of oil and gas leaking.
HYDRAULICS:
The hydraulics is a different story. We were told in advance it does leak hydraulic fluid some from just under the seat around the upper seal - and this did turn out to be the case. We were told it has been like this for the 8 years he has had it and he has cut and graded a driveway and done many jobs with the tractor in that time. He thinks it is the upper seal as there is no leaking from the inspection cover on the side of the tractor. NOTE: we were told the arms will lift and up all the way and down all the way but if you want it to hold anywhere inbetween you have to hold the lever - and this is true. The arm will shake at the top with the boom pole but eventually settle down and the boom pole stays in the lifted position. To get any kind of position control you have to hold the lever or it will go all the way down. The lifting happens quickly. Seconds.
When I drove the tractor it had a set of 300 lb homemade forks on the back lifted up and there was no bleed off. While driving the tractor the forks were in the air and didnt move at all.
Sometimes, when you pull the lever up for lifting it hesitates. You have to push it back down below the stop, release the clutch in neutral and lift it a second time. When it does come up it comes up quickly. But Im also unfamiliar with the 2N and am new to operating a PTO altogether so bear that in mind. It isnt second nature yet.
BRAKES:
The brakes - like most mechanicals (for me) sometimes require standing up to get their full power - like when I stopped on a slight hill and the tractor wanted to roll backwards. They need a lot of pressure to fully stop and hold.
We did put a deposit on the whole kit - tractor and implements - as this is the only way he intends to sell. We gave him $1,000 of the $3,000 asking price day before yesterday.
TRANSMISSION/OIL:
The transmission fluid is not grey or have the appearance of having water in it but there is a strong smell of gas in the oil when we pulled the dipstick to check it. Otherwise oil looks like it should.
TODAY
Today, we went to load up the implements and tractor and take it to our property a 300 mile trip.
When we started to move the first brush hog - to pull it out and set it up for hook-up, using the boom pole, the tractor could not lift or drag it. I expected the front end to get light and it did. Wheels didnt lift entirely off the ground - but it could not lift the brush hog at all. The pole did tug but couldnt actually lift the implement.
We switched to the 6 blade to see if it could lift that - it did.
THE BIGGER PROBLEM
When we drove the tractor for the first time, it drove great for me. When my husband got on to drive it, it died about 5 minutes in. The battery had to be jumped to get it back to its parking spot. We were told it might need a new battery.
Upon returning today - after placing the deposit - we went and pulled the battery, took it for a load test which it passed with flying colors. We thought the alternator wasnt charging the battery but my husband checked that today with a volt meter and it is putting out enough volts for charging.
The tractor keeps dying
Its hard to pinpoint exactly what causes the tractor to die but die it did several times today. When I moved the lever to lift the blade up the tractor would die. Wed get it started again. Then letting out the clutch would cause it to die. Wed get it started again - this time by jumping it - and it would die if I pushed the throttle down one click.
It does have a resistor, which we switched out with a new one.
Came to the conclusion it was the either throttle adjustment or the carburetor. Ended up pulling the carb (with the owners permission) to bring it back for a rebuild as I have a rebuild kit. However, we dont have the little screw drivers needed to do the rebuild. Thought we could find a screw-starting tool easily but none of the stores we checked have them.
So weve put a deposit on the tractor. We need the tractor to load/unload the implements but cant keep it running long enough to do that and it to boot -it doesnt seem to have the lifting strength for the job. Lifting is something we will be doing a lot as there are piles of logs and brush pushed over by the dozer that have to be pulled out and bucked - and thats just to start. Well be building with round wood and need to skid logs out of the forest for that this tractor will be doing a lot of lifting. It does seem to have the muscle for pulling but not lifting.
This tractor is in the best OVERALL shape of the many weve seen.
Is this tractor - with this compliment of attachments - worth fixing? Oh it does have a hi/lo lever on the left side of the engine.
Should we just let this go? Any ideas would be appreciated.
Andi
Ive been lurking on these forums for awhile LOL. Have learned quite a bit here. Thank you all for that.
I do want to start this post by saying I have never owned a tractor. Until a few weeks ago I had never thought about owning a tractor and knew relatively about them. I do have nearly one million miles driving a semi, which simply means I have experience with large machines, clutches, engines etc. Not implying I can fix them but perhaps I understand more about machines than would be average.
My husband and I have a piece of property that has recently (2 months ago) been dozed but not graded. There is currently a driveway (roughly 300 ft long) into a clearing of about 1/4 acre. The property is in total 30 acres - but only the above mentioned is cleared so far.
The contractor could not give us another day for grading or any other work on the property. We contacted several other companies both large and one-man-shops and while 3 appointments were made - no one showed up - and further didnt return calls or texts after not showing up.
At the end of the day we came to realize that in our little neck-of-the-woods, it appears we need to do more than previously thought as in do more of our own DirtWork than we planned. Hence, we decided that getting a tractor made sense. Since new really isnt an option at this time with so many other considerations - and since we were advised by a homesteading friend to look for something in the 8N, 9N or 2N world or Massy Ferguson To30 or MF35, we began our quest.
Over the last few weeks I have been researching these tractors, reading boards like this one and overall learning about the 30s-60s era tractors: Ford, Massey Ferguson and even some old European brands like Long and a few others.
We have gone to see many tractors in southern Illinois, Missouri and even one in Tennessee. Most all have been sorely disappointing and not what we were told by the owners. Prices in this area range from $1,500 - $4,500 for these old tractors so its a broad range. In our experience so far, the price difference doesnt necessarily indicate a better tractor in better shape. Its just someone wanting to get more out of it with a paint job perhaps but little else.
Which brings me to the latest tractor find this week the one I need to get feedback on if you feel inspired to do so.
I found an ad on CraigsList for a 2N Ford tractor over a week ago with every implement we know were going to need.
Heres the list:
(2) 5 bush hogs (though one will do)
(1) King Cutter box blade w/ teeth in very good shape
(1) 6 blade (slight dent in it but doesnt hinder its use)
(1) dirt bucket
(1) boom pole
The tractor isnt pretty by most folks standards - but I think its old patina is wonderful - it has not been painted (thankfully). We were told its a 1942, though I havent yet double-checked the serial on it as I forgot to grab a picture of it when there.
When we went to look day before yesterday heres what we found
WHEELS:
The wheels are not rusted through or rusted badly in any area. There might be a touch of surface rust here and there but nothing major. The valve stems are not rusted at all (which is the first weve seen in this good of shape so far). Nothing bent on the wheels.
BACK TIRES:
The tires on the back are AG tires and have life left in them. No bald spots, bad cuts or excessive wear. They are worn but not excessively and likely have at least 50-60% life left?
FRONT TIRES:
The front tires are a not the skinny ribbed tires but a wider, flatter tire with decent tread but not an AG tire exactly - more like an off-road truck tire.
STEERING PARTS:
The steering arms are in good shape, knuckles appear to be greased well, steering is straight (unlike the last one that turned hard to the right the moment you released the clutch).
METAL:
The metal is straight with no rusting at those usual spots just below the radiator fill. Overall good and straight and in decent shape. Appears to have never been painted over since new so its a wonderful soft shade of pink LOL.
SEAT:
Good spring seat (I like the saddle type seat). Seat is comfortable, the spring works well. Seat was red when knew and is now quite faded but not rusted out.
HEADLIGHTS/LIGHTS:
It has no headlights or lights of any kind at the moment.
MAIN BODY:
The main body of the tractor is NOT covered in oil, has not been painted or power washed to hide oil leaks. Seals are not leaking where the engine meets transmission and the engine isnt black with years of oil and gas leaking.
HYDRAULICS:
The hydraulics is a different story. We were told in advance it does leak hydraulic fluid some from just under the seat around the upper seal - and this did turn out to be the case. We were told it has been like this for the 8 years he has had it and he has cut and graded a driveway and done many jobs with the tractor in that time. He thinks it is the upper seal as there is no leaking from the inspection cover on the side of the tractor. NOTE: we were told the arms will lift and up all the way and down all the way but if you want it to hold anywhere inbetween you have to hold the lever - and this is true. The arm will shake at the top with the boom pole but eventually settle down and the boom pole stays in the lifted position. To get any kind of position control you have to hold the lever or it will go all the way down. The lifting happens quickly. Seconds.
When I drove the tractor it had a set of 300 lb homemade forks on the back lifted up and there was no bleed off. While driving the tractor the forks were in the air and didnt move at all.
Sometimes, when you pull the lever up for lifting it hesitates. You have to push it back down below the stop, release the clutch in neutral and lift it a second time. When it does come up it comes up quickly. But Im also unfamiliar with the 2N and am new to operating a PTO altogether so bear that in mind. It isnt second nature yet.
BRAKES:
The brakes - like most mechanicals (for me) sometimes require standing up to get their full power - like when I stopped on a slight hill and the tractor wanted to roll backwards. They need a lot of pressure to fully stop and hold.
We did put a deposit on the whole kit - tractor and implements - as this is the only way he intends to sell. We gave him $1,000 of the $3,000 asking price day before yesterday.
TRANSMISSION/OIL:
The transmission fluid is not grey or have the appearance of having water in it but there is a strong smell of gas in the oil when we pulled the dipstick to check it. Otherwise oil looks like it should.
TODAY
Today, we went to load up the implements and tractor and take it to our property a 300 mile trip.
When we started to move the first brush hog - to pull it out and set it up for hook-up, using the boom pole, the tractor could not lift or drag it. I expected the front end to get light and it did. Wheels didnt lift entirely off the ground - but it could not lift the brush hog at all. The pole did tug but couldnt actually lift the implement.
We switched to the 6 blade to see if it could lift that - it did.
THE BIGGER PROBLEM
When we drove the tractor for the first time, it drove great for me. When my husband got on to drive it, it died about 5 minutes in. The battery had to be jumped to get it back to its parking spot. We were told it might need a new battery.
Upon returning today - after placing the deposit - we went and pulled the battery, took it for a load test which it passed with flying colors. We thought the alternator wasnt charging the battery but my husband checked that today with a volt meter and it is putting out enough volts for charging.
The tractor keeps dying
Its hard to pinpoint exactly what causes the tractor to die but die it did several times today. When I moved the lever to lift the blade up the tractor would die. Wed get it started again. Then letting out the clutch would cause it to die. Wed get it started again - this time by jumping it - and it would die if I pushed the throttle down one click.
It does have a resistor, which we switched out with a new one.
Came to the conclusion it was the either throttle adjustment or the carburetor. Ended up pulling the carb (with the owners permission) to bring it back for a rebuild as I have a rebuild kit. However, we dont have the little screw drivers needed to do the rebuild. Thought we could find a screw-starting tool easily but none of the stores we checked have them.
So weve put a deposit on the tractor. We need the tractor to load/unload the implements but cant keep it running long enough to do that and it to boot -it doesnt seem to have the lifting strength for the job. Lifting is something we will be doing a lot as there are piles of logs and brush pushed over by the dozer that have to be pulled out and bucked - and thats just to start. Well be building with round wood and need to skid logs out of the forest for that this tractor will be doing a lot of lifting. It does seem to have the muscle for pulling but not lifting.
This tractor is in the best OVERALL shape of the many weve seen.
Is this tractor - with this compliment of attachments - worth fixing? Oh it does have a hi/lo lever on the left side of the engine.
Should we just let this go? Any ideas would be appreciated.
Andi
