What's it worth 966

[dhermesc]

My son and I were looking at a 966 on Saturday. Had a pretty nice Hiniker cab, fair paint (original) and good tires. The front steering arms were loose on the spindles, had a decent looking 2300 loader. It was sitting running and no smoke, blow by or other issues. Just as my son was about to try the clutch the auctioneer asked him to shut off and pull the key for him. He then said the TA was out and hurried off with no other explaination (auction was starting). We finally tracked down a son in law that had run the tractor and asked him about it. First he said that the shifter occassionally locked up and would need to be pulled apart and pried back into position. Never said a word about the TA. Then I said The auctioneer says the TA is out - what does he mean by out? He hesitated for a second then said the TA slips a lot in the low side and the clutch is weak. Given how things were selling (the 966 was going last) we left without staying to watch. I told my son if we did all the work ourselves the TA is $2000 by itself, the clutch another $300 at least, then anything else we find while its apart. 50/50 shot the MCV pump would get replaced too just for good measure. Just to be safe we were looking at $4000 in parts alone (refilling with hytran is $400 alone). The tractor would have to go around $5500 to $6000 to do that kind of work with 100% of the work ourselves using a manual hoping we did it right. And if we didn't get it right and it failed during hay season we are paying someone to do it again. I said I'd rather buy one right then bid against a lot of people that were not aware of its issues then spend that kind of money to make it right or find another major issue.

I have a feeling that tractor probably sold for $9000 at least. I was going to call the auctioneer later today just to see if I made a mistake.

My son had just replaced the clutch in an old 1992 F250 with the ZF5 transmission - the new slave cylinder failed to operate and he had to drop it a second time and redo all his work. Second time it worked perfectly. He thought that was a lot of parts to expect to work out of the box on the 966 and if anything was not as it should what a waste of effort it would be especially without the knowledge to identify an issue before it was installed.

 

[caterpillar guy]

I think you made a good move to leave it set. IF I had an auctioneer tell me that I would walk out on his sale and never be back for any futures one either. After all if he wants the best prices for his client he wants the truth be known or lose a lot of sales.

 

[dhermesc]

Actually I thought the auctioneer did me right by telling me the TA was out. The son in law wasn't going to tell me until I prompted him with what the auctioneer said. The seller may have thought the auctioneer screwed him over by letting the secret out but that's between them and the auctioneer.

 

[Dieselsbest]

Sounds like the auctioneer wasnt bad, the son in law wasnt a guy to do business with

 

[fastfarmall]

I think you better keep looking, you could easily put 5,000 into that 966!

 

[dhermesc]

With the loader it brought $6000 even. Probably just as well to not buy a project of that size.

 

[NY 986]

Depends on what else was potentially wrong with it. I could see such a tractor selling for 1-2 thousand more around here. Your time is worth nothing and the value is figured on what it would be broken down into pieces. 3,500 for the engine. Good to very good rear tires 2,000 dollars. I am not saying that it is right but just how things are done nowadays.

 

[the tractor vet]

With 966's they have always had issues with the clutch , it's the same clutch as what is used in 706-up to the 966 , the 1066 has a bigger clutch . You can install a new flywheel and go to the 1066 clutch and they hold up better BUT it's a tight fit . As for the T/A this is NOT a job for a novice . setting free play has to be done correctly then setting preload on the lower shaft needs set . And it is wise to go thru the MCV valve body and check all the springs for proper length and tension and if need be a rebuild kit be installed then once that is done ya had to check pressure and sometimes ya have to trim the pressure reg spring . Pressure needs to be checked even if ya don't go thru the valve body as you want no less the 245 PSi . when doing the clutch here again little tricks save a ton of grief , you do not bolt the clutch to the flywheel then TRY and slide the tractor back together It ain't happening m, you hang the pressure plate on the IDPTO input shaft then ya HAG the clutch diosc on the input shaft then slide it together . Then ya go up thru the bottom and put your bolts in and tighten everything up from under the tractor . This way you would warp the clutch disc while tryen to slide it together . Yep long gone are the CHEAP days of doing a double split and a clutch and T/A Back while i still had the shop open that whole job providing i did not find ugly's inside the speed transmission the T/A would have set you back for a H D t/A around 625 a new std clutch was around 285 bearings and seal add another 45 the split since it had a cab 650 ^0 buck for a spring kit for the MCV a new MCV pump around 250 and ya got a three year warranty parts and labor . and the tractor would be down for three days.

 

[Highwayman]

That or the auctioneer wanted it for himself. Money to be made selling the loader separately.
3-4K for the loader then you suddenly have a cheap tractor.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

(quoted from post at 02:33:30 02/14/23) That or the auctioneer wanted it for himself. Money to be made selling the loader separately.
3-4K for the loader then you suddenly have a cheap tractor.

That's assuming the loader was in mint condition. Judging by the description of the tractor the loader was probably beat up, broken and welded.

Unless they're in mint condition 2350 loaders are only worth about $1500-$2000, and that's around here.

Auctioneers at least around here also don't jockey machinery. Real estate is their bread and butter.

 

[dhermesc]

Except for the bucket the loader was in pretty good shape with no welds. The bucket cylinders were in kind of rough shape with some rust that would probably take out the seals.