I posted this yesterday, but it never showed up on the board, so here it is again. I am in the process of/considering buying what I believe is a 1955 TO-35. The owner agreed to hold it while I arrange my finances. So I thought I'd post about it here to see the reaction.It has almost new rear tires and newer fronts. The steering is tight with only a little play at the the rod end by the steering box on the left side. The tin is pretty straight but the roll pan under the front grill is rusted through as is the 'tool box' in the left fender. It looks to have benn sandblasted and repainted over the rust holes (Massey red/grey). I drove it a bit and it is quiet in all gears in both ranges. The clutch engages pretty far up in the travel range, but seems to hold well. The PTO shaft isn't loose or leaking. There were no obvious welds or leaks. It has a new leveling box for the three point and stabilizers for the arms. It has new gauges with the old (functioning) tractormeter. The brakes work and I see no oil leaks in their vicinity, but it seemed to take a lot of pressure to stop. Now for the questionable parts. The motor started and ran fine w/no bottom end noise, but there was a lot of what I assume is valvetrain noise. He has never adjusted the valves, so it might well be that. The radiator doesn't leak, but I suspect it may tend to overheat because the thermostat has been removed. Water is visiblly moving when viewed through the cap. The battery and coil have been changed over to 12V, but it still has the 6V generator and I assume voltage regulator. Other than not charging the battery, will that setup hurt anything? Included in the deal is a box blade and brush hog from tractor supply that are about 8 years old. The gearbox on the BH has no slop. Also included is a posthole digger w/9" auger. All of this for $4,000. Deal or no deal?
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