How long will my tractor last?

Tractortef20 · Oct 14, 2017

how long do you think I can continue driving this tractor before something bad happens? it has blow by and drops oil pressure to 200 kpa after 40 minutes of driving and burns oil down to half way mark after 3
hours of slashing grass other than that tractor starts easily and sounds good its a tef20

centash · Oct 14, 2017

Overhaul it now before something bad does happen.....a lot of bad things are going on now....excessive rings/piston wear, scoring of the sleeves and bearing/ journal wear due to low oil and low oil pressure. Ben

ptfarmer · Oct 14, 2017

(quoted from post at 07:41:51 10/14/17) Overhaul it now before something bad does happen.....a lot of bad things are going on now....excessive rings/piston wear, scoring of the sleeves and bearing/ journal wear due to low oil and low oil pressure. Ben

X2 on fix it now before any really serious damage happens, and not have to look for a replacement engine.

John Deere D · Oct 14, 2017

I had a Neighbour that also ran a Ferguson Tractortef20. He was pulling a two bottom Ferguson Plough, first gear, engine was consuming two liters of oil every eight hours, oil pressure was low,...... a connecting rod bearing failed....crankshaft could not be ground undersize and the hole in the Engine block was not financially $$$$$$$$$$ worth spending the $$$$$$$$.

Your engine heeds some comprehensive TLC..........

Bob....Owner operator TEA 20 & MF FE 35 X....

Phil Tibbetts · Oct 14, 2017

It will last until it self destructs, then you will wish you had fixed it.

Tractortef20 · Oct 14, 2017

Anyone have a rough idea on how much it'd cost to overhaul the engine not including the parts?

Tony in Mass. · Oct 14, 2017

NOT including the parts???? Zero.
20 or 30 hours of your time... but you will need parts...

Tony in Mass. · Oct 14, 2017

NOT including the parts???? Zero.
20 or 30 hours of your time... but you will need parts...

Tractortef20 · Oct 14, 2017

No I meant how much would it cost in labour for a mechanic to overhaul the engine not including the price of the parts?

rockepg · Oct 15, 2017

That is an it depends kind of question. Mechanics in a shop work off book time. $65/hour is pretty normal these days. If the book calls for 20 hours to do a rebuild then it'll cost around $1300 in labor. Assuming of course you do the R&R of the motor itself. Now if you happen to know a mechanic that will do it in his garage over a weekend then it might just cost you a case of beer.

Deutz Lover · Oct 17, 2017

I am not really familiar with Ferguson TEF20s. Just to make sure is yours a Standard Motor 4 cylinder diesel? I think that the engine has wet liners which can be renewed and can be an advantage. The important thing is can the oil pan be removed and the bearings, liners, rings, etc. be changed in the field without removing the engine"?

If the oil pressure drops to 29 psi after 40 minutes that is not too bad yet. If it is 100kpa (14 psi) that is getting low. That is why I quit using my Dexta. The psi dropped to below 10 after mowing 30 minutes. Time for an overhaul.

If the oil pan can be dropped without removing the engine, the first thing that needs to be checked are journal diameters, taper, and crank diameter out of round. Same on the connecting rod throws. If they are within tolerance then the engine can be in-frame overhauled. If they are not then the engine has to be removed and over hauled.

I think in-frame overhauling an engine can be done fairly cheaply compared to removing the engine for overhaul.
There were some tractors that were made to be in-frame overhauled, but I don't know which ones were.

ptfarmer · Oct 17, 2017

You can do a in-frame rebuild on a lot of tractors, the only thing is you usually can't change the rear main bearing, or the rear main seal (it depends on the engine was designed).

Deutz Lover · Oct 18, 2017

It is possible to separate the bell housing just to replace the rear bearing and seal without having to totally take the engine out. That way you don't have to remove the front end. Naturally multiple safety supports are needed to ensure the rear part of the engine block does not fall on the repair person. It still usually requires removal of the oil pan and should not take that long after all of the other parts are replaced.

ptfarmer · Oct 18, 2017

(quoted from post at 11:19:26 10/18/17) It is possible to separate the bell housing just to replace the rear bearing and seal without having to totally take the engine out. That way you don't have to remove the front end. Naturally multiple safety supports are needed to ensure the rear part of the engine block does not fall on the repair person. It still usually requires removal of the oil pan and should not take that long after all of the other parts are replaced.

It can be done that way.

How long will my tractor last?

Tractortef20

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centash

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ptfarmer

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John Deere D

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Phil Tibbetts

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Tractortef20

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Tony in Mass.

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Tony in Mass.

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Tractortef20

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rockepg

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Deutz Lover

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ptfarmer

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Deutz Lover

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ptfarmer

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