Ford 681 Diesel

Tom671

Member
Hello everyone.
I am going to look at a 681 Diesel tractor this weekend, and I am not sure if it will be worth buying for $2500. The owner says the injector pump needs to be rebuilt for it to run.
Are parts available for that type of injector pump, and can I rebuild it myself, with a common tool set?

Thanks for any help and advice.
 
Hey Tom, the 861 is a capable tractor and $2500 isn't a bad price, but it is a little high being that the injection pump needs a rebuild and you can't hear it run. The problem is you have to take the guy's word that it'll run once the pump is rebuilt and it doesn't have any other issues. I'm not familiar with that particular injection pump, but most of them are pretty complicated and sometimes require special tools. My suggestion would be to find a local rebuild shop and have them quote you a ballpark rebuild price so you know what you're getting into. My guess is that you'll be around the $750 mark depending on what's wrong with your pump, parts needed, and how knowledgeable the shop is. The other issue is that tractor has the Select-O-Speed transmission and they had their fair share of issues too, so again, being that you can't hear it run or test drive it, you're going to have to put a lot of faith in the seller's word. SOSs are hard to get parts for these days and it's like a lot of other things, they're really great when they work, but an incredible pain and expense when they don't. If he will come down in price and you're ok with giving it TLC, go for it, you could end up with a great piece of equipment. Not trying to bust your bubble, just encouraging you to be wary. Hope that helps, sir.
 
With it not running its a pig in a
poke. Price needs to be closer to
$1,000. Lots of issues you will
probably find if you get it running
that will triple that.

Yes IP parts are available but I
would suggest contacting Dieseltech
to rebuild it instead of attempting
to repair it yourself.
 

Thank you guys. Those are things that I never thought about.

I worked for a farmer, for 3 summers and he told me one day,
"Advice is taken by a wise man".
I appreciate the advice on the tractor.
 


I have never heard of a 681, but they did build them. It would have an SOS with ground speed. If it is a 681 and not an 861, in addition to having the SOS which you can't test, and an injection pump needing $750.00 work, the smaller diesel in the 681 is hard to find parts for. If it VERY good tires, it could be worth $1500.
 
Just to be certain It is a 681, not a 861? Two similar era
tractors that would could have two very different values.
Id think a 681 diesel would be collectible to the right
person. But a 861 diesel is likely valued by more as both a
decent working utility tractor, and by a collector.



As others have said though, as a non-runner, be very
careful about how much you are paying for it.



Good luck. Keep us posted!
 
As others have said, a professional pump rebuild (have Dieseltech do it) will set you back 500.oo+, and THEN you can (hopefully) hear it rattle and run. Before
you try and talk him down to a more reasonable 800.oo-1200.oo, make sure you can at least turn that engine over. A broken crankshaft is common on early Ford
diesels and is an even more costly repair...
 

I bet it is a 871. (881)
Here is a link to the tractor.
Ford 681 Select O-Speed https://classifieds.ksl.com/listing/69534256
 
If I personally were to buy a non-running tractor (car or truck), I would assume it needed an engine replacement & pay a price accordingly.
 

My brother has two 671 diesels, one has stripped splines on the transmission input shaft
The other needs the engine rebuilt, the 601s 144 ci diesel is a odd ball with parts harder to find than sos parts
He s been looking for pistons for a few years

That tractor being non running needing inj pump work basically makes it a parts tractor
I would have to hear it run and pull itself before I d pay more than $1000 for it, providing it has decent rear tires, if not the price goes down
 
(quoted from post at 11:06:54 10/26/22) Its a 681. Has small r/a center hsg and 600 style grill.

I agree. It's a 681. It's an S-O-S and it's got a diesel so it has to be a '01 series, not a hundred series, and that is not an 801 series grill. Plus I think I see the lever on the side of the trans for the dual speed PTO.
 
Destroked, I have a ford diesel core motor that I bought couple years ago just for the injector pump. They spun a main, so they pulled crank and lost the main caps, so the only thing that was good was head, injector pump and rods and pistons.
Have your friend measure piston diameter and I will pull the head , measure my pistons. If they are the same he can have these just for shipping cost..

Thanks
Keith
 

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