Buying a Antique Tractor, how to avoid the pitfalls

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As you are looking at this article, then its clear that you have an interest in vintage tractors.

Its very important they you test all the basic mechanics of the tractor, so take time to test the steering, gears, forward and reverse, PTO, lift, lights, indicators and hydraulics. Even if you are willing to work on it immediately, you may not be interested in a complete restoration for some time and need to reduce the number of initial maintenance tasks. 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.. If you don't have these tools, don't panic as these tools can end up costing more than the tractor itself.. You should in this case rely on your own common sense and your own observation skills.

Does it start easily? - A tractor that starts easily 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 quickly, it still may be a good tractor but you won't escape some work on it. One thing you should be watch out for is if the tractor is out and warmed up when you arrived, 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. A number of issues can cause the tractor to run poorly after it warms up. Make sure to run it for at least half an hour. After running look for leaks, antifreeze and both oil. Lastly after warm up, shut it down and see if it will start.

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

Does it generate a lot of - Blue smoke means a repair job like rings, pistons, or valve guides. Black or white smoke can oftentimes be fixed with carburetion or ignition changes but still means work.

Does the engine run smoothly - A simple ticking from the top of the engine may be a simple valve readjustment 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. This may be an indication of problems with the piston, bearings or crankshaft rods. And mean a very expensive repair job.

Use the hydraulics - Check the full range of the rams by extending them with a load. Let the load stand in the hold position for a period of time to be sure that there is no leakdown. Chattering noises from the pump while lifting suggest the pump is getting insufficient supply of hydraulic oil. The pump will have experienced a lot of wear when run this way for long periods of time and may be about to fail.

While some of the above experiences may sound a bit negative, you should do your research and understand the specific issues a tractor may have before you buy.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Patrick Malloney is an internet entrepreneur who founded Youtractor.com which offers 1,000 of tractor videos showing Farm Tractors

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