Investing In 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 vintage tractors are clearly of interest to you.

Test all the basic functions of the tractor, PTO, steering, gears, lift, lights, indicators and hydraulics. Even if you plan to work on it straight off, you may not be interested in a full restoration for some time and need to minimize the number of things to do when you get the tractor home. Your check list should 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.

Does it start easily from cold? - A tractor that starts easily from cold may eliminate several items at once 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 tractor but you will need to spend some money 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 well 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, both oil and antifreeze. Lastly after warm up, shut it down and see if it will start.

Do the brakes work well - Although inexpensive to replace, they are inaccessible on many tractors and will require extensive teardown to get the new ones in.

Does it generate a lot of - Blue smoke is a bad sign like rings, pistons, or valve guides. Black or white smoke can frequently be corrected with carburetion or ignition changes but still represent work.

Does it make clunking noises from inside the engine - 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 point to very serious and expensive repairs. The clunk should be more pronounced under load conditions. This may be a sign of problems with the bearings, crankshaft or piston rods. And mean a very expensive repair job.

Work the hydraulics - Check the full range of the power 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. Clacking noises from the pump while lifting suggest the pump is getting insufficient flow of hydraulic oil. The pump may have experienced a lot of wear when run this way for long periods of time and may be ready to fail.

While many of the above experiences may sound a bit negative, you should do your research and understand the particular issues the model of tractor you are looking at before you buy.