Contents

Sidebar: Used tractors

The Small Tractor FAQ
Big Wheels

Used Tractors

[Copyright 1988 by Ronald Florence]

Twenty years ago, when many farmers were busily mortgaging themselves to the hilt to buy tractors big enough to move mountains, homesteaders could find real bargains in used tractors. Classic tractors like John Deere Bs, Ford 8Ns, and International Super Cubs went for the price of a new lawn mower. Parts are still manufactured for these classic tractors, they are rugged, simple and reliable machines, and if you are handy with a wrench and feeler gauge, or have access to a machine shop or a terrific mechanic who doesn't realize what his services are worth, they can be a bargain. Twenty-five horsepower pulls just as hard when it was made forty years ago, and there is perhaps no machine in the world that looks as classically right on a farm as a big green John Deere B, with those tiny pigeon- toed front wheels, the massive flywheel starter, and the unique hand clutch.

Today, most farmers know about the ready market for old machines among the "weekend warriors," and they have begun to drag every rusty hunk of machinery out of the shed and yard. Tractors that are more weldments than original steel, with bearings so wobbly that tolerances are measured in inches rather than thousandths of an inch, are gussied up with a coat of bright green or red paint, and offered as "the real thing," at prices that let the farmer chuckle all the way back to his shed. There are some solid classic tractors out there still, but bargains are hard to find.

And, nostalgia aside, tractors have come a long way since the John Deere B was built. It's fun to start a tractor with a flywheel starter, a nice way to spit in the eye of the technological-progress-at-any-price set, a way to post your manifesto of back-to-the-land independence. Even the quirks of a hand clutch or an exposed flywheel can be appealing; being able to master the ornery beast is cause for snobbery. But if you have limited hours to spend on and under a tractor, you may prefer sitting on the comfortable padded seat of a diesel utility tractor, turning the key, and hearing a diesel engine spring to life. A twenty-five horsepower utility tractor is smaller than a big two-bottom classic, but it will still pull the plow, if that's what you have to do, and do it with far less fiddling and maintenance. And for the chores that most people need on a country place, the smaller tractor is more maneuverable, more stable on rough ground, it compacts lawn and fields less, and takes up less room in the shed.

Also, because many older tractors do not have three-point hitches or standard PTOs, what may seem a bargain could turn out to be an expensive investment if you have to search for or modify implements to fit. Even if the tractor comes with a wide set of implements, remember that it may be difficult or impossible to get replacement parts for older implements, or to modify other implements to fit a tractor with a non- standard hitch or PTO. Unless you are experienced with welding equipment, or have a reliable welding shop nearby, proceed with caution.

It is sometimes possible to buy recent tractors used, but tractors, unlike cars, don't change much from year to year, so tractors usually go on the market only when they are tired. The hour meter shouldn't lie, unless it has been tampered with, but unless you're an experienced mechanic, you may not be able to tell how well the tractor has been maintained. One thousand hours of use, with regular maintenance, is almost new by tractor standards. One thousand hours without regular oil and filter changes can reduce a fine machine to a near wreck. It is a worthwhile investment to pay a mechanic to inspect the tractor before you buy, and to make sure that replacement parts are available either from the nearest dealer or from Central Tractor or one of the other large tractor mail-order houses.