Purchasing A Antique Tractor, How To Avoid The Pitfalls

By Author: Patrick Molloney
Total Articles: 3764
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As you are looking at this article, then you must have an interest in vintage tractors.

Make sure that your tractor performs all the basic tasks properly, so check the steering, gears, forward and reverse, PTO, lift, lights, indicators and hydraulics. Even if you are willing to work on it straightaway, you probably won't be interested in a full renovation for some time and need to keep to a minimum the number of initial maintenance tasks. You should have a detailed check list which included at a minimum the following: does it start easily from cold, run well when hot, all the electrical components work well, does it have good traction If possible you should go to your test armed with a toolbox containing a compression tester, expensive Fluke digital multimeter, hydrometer, and other specialty tools. or bring somebody with you who has these tools.. However if you don't own a set of these tools or have access to them then don't panic.. You should in this case rely on your own common sense and your own observation skills.

How easily does it start from cold? - A tractor that starts easily from cold may eliminate ...
... several particular problems in one shot Good Battery, compression, ignition wiring / magneto, tune up, fuel flow, Carburetor can be assured (not guaranteed) by this. If it doesn't start easily, it still may be a good machine but you will need to do some work on it. One key thing to watch out for is if the tractor is out and warmed up prior to your arrival, you lose an important checklist item, namely the cold start, because as we all know a warm engine starts much more easily then a cold one..

How does it run when warm - Getting it hot is a must if you want to find out how it will work after you plowed the first row. When warmed up you should watch out for a number of problems. You should run it for al least half an hour. Look for leaks, antifreeze and both oil. Once warmed up, stop it restart it again..

Are the brakes working well - Although relatively inexpensive to replace, they are inaccessible on many tractors and will require a lot of work to replace.

Does it smoke - Blue smoke indicates many potentially difficult problems like rings, pistons, or valve guides. White or black smoke can oftentimes be corrected with carburetion or ignition changes but still represent work.

Does the engine run smoothly - A simple ticking from the top of the engine may be a simple valve adjustment but a deep thunk from the bottom or middle of the engine would indicate very serious and expensive repairs. The clunk should be more pronounced under load conditions. This may be a sign of problems with the crankshaft, bearings, or piston rods. And mean a very expensive repair job.

Work the hydraulics - Check the full extent of the rams by extending them with a load. Let the load sit in the hold situation for a period of time to be sure that there is no slippage. Chattering noises from the pump while lifting indicate the pump is getting insufficient supply of hydraulic oil. The pump might have experienced excessive wear when run this way for long periods of time and may be ready to fail.

While some of the above examples may sound a bit negative, you should do your research make sure you are aware of the specific issues the model of tractor you are looking at before you buy.