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aleiweke 01-14-2013 07:56:48 216.60.101.49 Report to Moderator	Well I have been wanting to buy a vintage ford for some time now and been lurking the craigslist ads for just the right deal and finally came across what I thought was a good tractor for fair deal ($1900). I bought a 1961 841 that also came with a Davis 101 Front loader on the side. The loader originally came off a MF-20 but I'll eventually adapt it to fit my ford. The tractor has been converted to 12v and runs pretty good. It has a little black smoke when it starts up but that goes away quickly once it gets warm or after running a few seconds. Other than being kinda dirty from an oil leak around the fill neck or distributor its in pretty good shape. Looks to have an older touch up on the paint and they did a terrible job but I'll fix that later on. it Steers nice and is not loose, Clutch seems real strong, starts good, shifts good , 3pt doesn't sag or drop and it lifts good. The Tractor also came with a Woods M5 5' brush hog. So far I am loving it. It has become an obsession of all my spare time and money. The previous owner did sort of a hack job on the exhaust and the wiring and bypassed the push button start for a keyed ignition which I already learned was a huge safety issue as I accidently started it while in gear. This will be fixed very soon. I recently bought a key switch, push button start, wiring harness for 12v and new battery cables. I also installed some new 12v headlights and have really been having fun with this thing. The 4spd is geared a little tall and now I sort of wish I had looked for a 5spd but I'll appreciate what I have. My ultimate goal for this tractor is to keep the brush down, grade the driveway and once I get the loader restored, move some dirt around my garden. I also may pick up a 2 bottom plow and put in some food plots for the deer in the woods and turn over a large area for a vegetable garden near the house. Overall I love the new to me tractor and its exactly what I was looking for. I still need to adjust the brakes there pretty loose but overall I am very pleased with my purchase. Attached is a link to a picture in my Google drive folder. [Reply]   [No Email]
aleiweke 01-24-2013 11:35:21 24.107.118.29 Report to Moderator	Re: New Tractor owner (1961 Ford 841) 801 Series in reply to aleiweke, 01-14-2013 07:56:48   So far so good, I did have to put a new starter on it. And ordered a new wiring harness and push button starter. I checked the oil and no gas smell the loader came without any mounting brackets so I"ll have to fabricate those but the cylinders seem good. So far I am really having fun just driving it around. I have been brush hogging with it and its doing a great job. Just got a line on a 2 bottom plow that I will be picking up this weekend. Tell me more about a Sherman Transmission will that lower the gearing? [Reply]  [No Email]
GT65 01-16-2013 14:25:52 50.48.48.230 Report to Moderator	Re: New Tractor owner (1961 Ford 841) 801 Series in reply to aleiweke, 01-14-2013 07:56:48   Wow,nice buy! Nice and straight. Must have low hours on it. I missed one a lot like yours this spring.Had the one armed loader with small trip-bucket and 1200 hrs. Great first tractor. Enjoy!! GT65 [Reply]  [No Email]
Kirk-NJ 01-15-2013 04:43:39 67.237.5.28 Report to Moderator	Re: New Tractor owner (1961 Ford 841) 801 Series in reply to aleiweke, 01-14-2013 07:56:48   NICE! [Reply]  [No Email]
FarmerBlair 01-14-2013 21:50:46 67.86.56.97 Report to Moderator	Re: New Tractor owner (1961 Ford 841) 801 Series in reply to aleiweke, 01-14-2013 07:56:48   That"s a nice looking tractor. Hope you have fun with it and get lots of use out of it. Since it lacks power steering, you"ll get some workout steering with the loader, but you"ll adjust to it. [Reply]  [No Email]
FarmerBlair 01-14-2013 21:50:46 67.86.56.97 Report to Moderator	Re: New Tractor owner (1961 Ford 841) 801 Series in reply to aleiweke, 01-14-2013 07:56:48   That"s a nice looking tractor. Hope you have fun with it and get lots of use out of it. Since it lacks power steering, you"ll get some workout steering with the loader, but you"ll adjust to it. [Reply]  [No Email]
Will Gumbert 01-14-2013 11:28:34 74.110.73.6 Report to Moderator	Re: New Tractor owner (1961 Ford 841) 801 Series in reply to aleiweke, 01-14-2013 07:56:48   That looks like a nice tractor for a very fair price. Good deal! Just a couple things to think about - As old said a loader on one of these without power steering is not too fun, so hopefully it has that. If the rear tires are not ballasted with liquid, you should probably consider that with the loader. You mentioned that there was some black smoke at startup. This could indicate fuel leakage through the carburetor, and if so can be very dangerous to the engine if it is left to sit long enough between starts. The MS carbs are notorious for that and you can't trust the fuel taps at the tank to stop flow. Check the engine dipstick for fuel smell, and after letting it sit overnight, check the choke shaft and even the intake tube for raw fuel. If found, you should address this right away. -Will [Reply]  [No Email]
soundguy 01-14-2013 11:15:56 184.247.111.206 Report to Moderator	Re: New Tractor owner (1961 Ford 841) 801 Series in reply to aleiweke, 01-14-2013 07:56:48   wow.. 1900$ for an 8xx AND a mower..AND a loader? swinging deal. 1900$ for the 8xx was ok by itself. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 01-14-2013 09:46:06 209.86.226.32 Report to Moderator	Re: New Tractor owner (1961 Ford 841) 801 Series in reply to aleiweke, 01-14-2013 07:56:48   I have a 1960 801/841 and have since back in the early 80s. If it does not have power steering you will learn to hate it with a loader on it. My 841 has power steering. My 841 also has a Sherman combo and a heavy duty loader. Also wit ha loader you will want to make sure you have the biggest heavies thing you own hanging on the 3 point or you will loose traction yesterday. I keep my back blade on with 6-85lbs suit case weights on it and a 150lbs wheel weight on the center link area of that blade and at times still spin out when using the loader [Reply]  [No Email]
Oaf 01-14-2013 09:22:46 108.198.103.73 Report to Moderator	Re: New Tractor owner (1961 Ford 841) 801 Series in reply to aleiweke, 01-14-2013 07:56:48   Very nice! Good deal too. [Reply]  [No Email]
ARHunter 01-14-2013 08:30:16 24.119.244.114 Report to Moderator	Re: New Tractor owner (1961 Ford 841) 801 Series in reply to aleiweke, 01-14-2013 07:56:48   That is a nice tractor. I have one that looks just like it. I just put a new push button starter switch on mine too. You will need a starter relay that has an isolated coil. I left the key start ignition switch wired to the + side of the starter relay and use the push button on the transmission to supply the ground. This gives you a double safety. I have to push the button and turn the key switch to start position. Not really necessary, but I like the way it works. [Reply]  [No Email]
W_B 01-14-2013 08:22:33 155.188.183.25 Report to Moderator	Re: New Tractor owner (1961 Ford 841) 801 Series in reply to aleiweke, 01-14-2013 07:56:48   Looks pretty nice. I wouldn't mind having something like that someday but getting along with a 9N and 8N for now. Let us know what you end up doing with it. [Reply]  [No Email]