david brown

[730 virgil]

i have a chance to buy a david brown 1200 are these good tractors?
i need a good loader tractor to handle large round
bales and move snow
 

[Bret4207]

Yes.
 

[ArleninOr]

Virgil,have someone push the clutch pedal down while you wath the lower crank pulley.Any fore or aft movement can mean a bad thrust bearing.They make an excellent loader tractor if equipped with the later power steering not just the power assit. RG will probably chime in also. HTH
 

[RGMartin]

The other consideration for one with a loader would be a tandem hydraulic pump. Make sure it has one if you want to do much loader work. Very slow without, the standard pump is under 7gpm.

Thrust bearings can be replaced easy enough if they haven't been let go too far. They can be repaired if let go too far, but it is a job for a machinist. The 1210 which was my first real tractor, broke a crank and wiped the thrust bearing locators off the block. My dad machined the main cap for a bronze thrust bearing. It has been in there for 30 years and many thousands of hours with no issues.