2002sliverado
Member
I have been a member of this forum for quite a few years now and I do appreciate the great wealth of knowledge and opinions others are willing to share. Thank you! I wish to toss out a topic to the group as I am looking for some input/insight. My dad and I have a 3020 gasoline powered tractor. I believe it is a 1966 model, was purchased second hand in the early 1970's, and was used back then for planting, cultivating, hauling grain, daily livestock feeding, cleaning feed yards, and other similar tasks. It does not get used to that extent anymore, as there is no livestock on the place. It does have a front end loader, which gets used for snow removal, cleaning up trees and branches after wind storms, some minor weed spraying, handling some hay, a bit of grain hauling, and other lesser tasks. It gets 60 to 100 hours per year. The most recent repair work on the tractor was replacing the Marvel Schebler carburetor with a Zenith carburetor, changing the electrical system to a 12 volt negative ground with an alternator, a clutch replacement and a flywheel. Right now, my dad says it has a bad/weak valve in the head. I trust his judgment on this, as his ear has always been "in tune" to those sorts of things. I also think the main hydraulic pump needs some attention.
My father and I have different opinions on what to do with this tractor. Neither one of us is experienced enough to tear this tractor down and perform the work I suspect is needed. I am not one who likes to open the door to a "money pit," but I also do not want to have this tractor "crap out" at a time when it is needed either. I think it may have been back in the 1970's when the engine last had been overhauled. I am thinking this is probably what is necessary to get it back into top notch running condition. There are no issues with the rear end or transmission, as this tractor has been rather bullet-proof for all the years we have had it.
If we took this to a shop, any ideas as to the cost of paying someone else to do an overhaul? I am quite sure the head will need machining and the valves replaced. Am I thinking correctly the camshaft will likely need replacing, or at a minimum will need to be re-ground? I am anticipating the engine balancer should be "rebuilt." I would not be surprised to find the main hydraulic pump needing attention, or for that matter, the transmission pump, too, but I might be pleasantly surprised to their respective condition. I suspect it would probably be wise to rebuild the water pump at this time since everything is all apart? This would be a good time to switch over to the Pertonix electronic ignition at this time. Other thoughts on items it might be worthwhile considering while it spends some time at the "tractor hospital?"
Lastly, if I opt to go into it this far, what thoughts might you have on "engine break in?" I am thinking of having this done during the summer, so we could work it this fall to break the engine in. Anyone's thoughts on this? Any along what my original question was................any idea on worst case scenario costs on the engine and other components? Thank you for whatever input you can provide. I just wanted some thoughts on this so I can make a more educated decision on this. Some may simply scrap the tractor when it dies. I don't want to do that as this tractor has been on our farm for over 40 years. My dad had considered this tractor to be like a "pliers," as he was lost with out it. Not quite the case anymore as he is in his late 70's. I grew up driving a 3010, which is no longer on the farm, so I graduated to the 3020. Still want to keep a gasoline tractor on the place and I feel it remains an essential tool, and will be for years to come.
My father and I have different opinions on what to do with this tractor. Neither one of us is experienced enough to tear this tractor down and perform the work I suspect is needed. I am not one who likes to open the door to a "money pit," but I also do not want to have this tractor "crap out" at a time when it is needed either. I think it may have been back in the 1970's when the engine last had been overhauled. I am thinking this is probably what is necessary to get it back into top notch running condition. There are no issues with the rear end or transmission, as this tractor has been rather bullet-proof for all the years we have had it.
If we took this to a shop, any ideas as to the cost of paying someone else to do an overhaul? I am quite sure the head will need machining and the valves replaced. Am I thinking correctly the camshaft will likely need replacing, or at a minimum will need to be re-ground? I am anticipating the engine balancer should be "rebuilt." I would not be surprised to find the main hydraulic pump needing attention, or for that matter, the transmission pump, too, but I might be pleasantly surprised to their respective condition. I suspect it would probably be wise to rebuild the water pump at this time since everything is all apart? This would be a good time to switch over to the Pertonix electronic ignition at this time. Other thoughts on items it might be worthwhile considering while it spends some time at the "tractor hospital?"
Lastly, if I opt to go into it this far, what thoughts might you have on "engine break in?" I am thinking of having this done during the summer, so we could work it this fall to break the engine in. Anyone's thoughts on this? Any along what my original question was................any idea on worst case scenario costs on the engine and other components? Thank you for whatever input you can provide. I just wanted some thoughts on this so I can make a more educated decision on this. Some may simply scrap the tractor when it dies. I don't want to do that as this tractor has been on our farm for over 40 years. My dad had considered this tractor to be like a "pliers," as he was lost with out it. Not quite the case anymore as he is in his late 70's. I grew up driving a 3010, which is no longer on the farm, so I graduated to the 3020. Still want to keep a gasoline tractor on the place and I feel it remains an essential tool, and will be for years to come.