Ford 861 LP

Anthony76 · Oct 9, 2014

Okay I posted on here awhile back about a Golden Jubilee on LP, well after some investigation, I do not have a lot of knowledge on Ford's, and with the help of another guy we figured out it was not a golden jubilee. On the left side of the tractor it has these numbers 861 and below that between two diamonds it has the serial number of 27596. Now I am pretty sure this is a 1958 861 with live pto and propane. The golden jubilee emblem up front through me off. Any I cant find any production numbers on the LP model. Does anyone out there have any idea how many were built and what they are worth not running

showcrop · Oct 10, 2014

Ford never kept track of the different models or equipment on the tractors as they came down the line. All models got sequential numbers, whether they were 861s, 961s, 841s, 641s, and so on. I Have never seen a propane Ford that I recall, but that is because I don't live in an area where they were popular. I expect that it would sell for less than a gas tractor due to the inconvenience of propane fill-ups. If you are looking to sell, your best bet would be on line where the person who "needs" a propane 861 would be more likely to see it.

Sean in PA · Oct 10, 2014

If it came from the factory with the propane setup, then it would have had a "-L" after the 861 stamped into the transmission case. But not having the "-L" on there now doesn't mean for certain that it wasn't originally a propane tractor. It may have come set up for propane originally and the transmission might have been swapped out at some point.

Any non-running tractor is a pig-in-a-poke and usually won't sell for much more than scrap prices unless it is a super rare model, which an 861 is not, even the propane version. As showcrop said, to most buyers the propane would be a negative unless they already have a way to refill it.

If the sheet metal is good and/or the tires are in fair shape then you can usually get a little more from someone who is looking for those parts for their tractor. If you have a good idea of why it's not running and it's not something major, then it's usually worth it to get it running yourself before you try to sell it.

hayfarmerdan · Oct 10, 2014

If you've never seen an LP model, then that would probably make it rare, am I correct? I think the rare tractors (like LP) are worth more because of the rare factor. I have an 871 LP that I am going to sell for $2500.

NNP · Oct 10, 2014

sorry to say, that with most buyers, with a non-running tractor, the propane setup hurts rather than helps the price.
I've bought a few like that. I always deduct a few hundred because of the serious dent I knew it would make in my spare parts pile to convert it to gas and get it running.

With that said, an 861 is a good machine. Don't give it away.
Ignore all the offers of scrap price you will get.
Buyers like me will take it at a reasonable price and convert it.
And with 85* and 86* tractors there is a good market for
80* owners that have a 4-speed and want a 5, and the owners of bad SOS tractors that want the whole rear.

Sean in PA · Oct 10, 2014

(quoted from post at 08:20:10 10/10/14) If you've never seen an LP model, then that would probably make it rare, am I correct? I think the rare tractors (like LP) are worth more because of the rare factor. I have an 871 LP that I am going to sell for $2500.

It really depends on where you're located. There were a lot of LP tractors sold in certain parts of the country, especially in certain parts of Texas near the oil fields, where propane was almost free because it was a byproduct of the petroleum business and selling it to local farmers meant no distribution costs. In those areas they are not rare at all, and lots of farms still have their own propane storage tanks for refilling the tractors and other equipment, and they might be desirable in those areas. But in other areas of the country where farms are not setup to do their own propane refueling they would not be worth much except maybe as a parade queen novelty.

Anthony76 · Oct 10, 2014

It does have an L after the 861, At first I thought it was a number one, but after you told me that it has to be an L

so is asking $2000 for loader and tractor and full set of pie weights on back not enough, that includes about 300 to take it to his house.

souNdguy · Oct 10, 2014

agreed. non runners are hard to price. have to price off tires and weights.

the propane setup.. if it looks bad. then have to figure in tin and tank and carb.. etc. that can really hurt a deal converting them.

I've done 2 so far.. and the tin ate me up..

Ford 861 LP

Anthony76

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showcrop

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Sean in PA

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hayfarmerdan

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NNP

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Sean in PA

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Anthony76

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souNdguy

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