Major tractor problems - opinions on what to do

I bought a '68 MF 165 (3300 hours) about 6 weeks ago. Wanted it for a 200 acre lease that I hunt (planting food plots, mowing, etc..). I gave $6300 for the tractor with a front end loader, rotary cutter, box scrape, hay tedder, and chain drag. I priced out the implements and figured that I could sell them off for a couple of thousand dollars. The front end loader was probably worth $3000. So I had $1300 in the tractor itself.

Well I thought I had blown a head gasket this past weekend. Took the tractor to the dealership, and got the call yesterday that the cyclinder sleeves and linings are worn out, one piston is toast, another is a step away from being toast, and I am looking at an engine rebuild. Quoted $2500 to $3000 if they have to rebuild top and bottom. I also need to get the differential lock fixed and brakes installed. Along with a couple of other things, I am looking at close to $4,000 in repairs.

What would you guys do? I just don't want to chase bad money with good money. First used piece of equipment that I have ever bought and I have a bad taste in my mouth. I am torn between getting this fixed or just trading it in on another tractor. Any opinions/advice would be appreciated.

With only $1300 in it you could have the work as quoted done, use it for a few years & still sell it around here for $5000-$7000(if it's a diesel).

BTW, do you have faith in the mechanic? I ask because my(weak)memory of your earlier post describing what happened made me think of your driveline. Maybe I remember it wrong.

Jeff

If you are all handy, you can do a lot of the engine work yourself and save quite a bit.(This is a farm tractor not the Space Shuttle or an F-22!) If you decide to do that, you'll need a factory shop manual and a parts manual.

Another option is to price out a remanufactured engine which you could install yourself, again with a factory manual handy. It might cost less than your quote and you'll be up and running quicker. Buying a another machine doesn't guarntee you "no problems".

That leaves you with the differential lock and the brakes to do. Brakes should be something you can do yourself (again with the factory manual). The differential lock might be another matter. How's the clutch? If you have to split the tractor to change out the engine, better check the clutch while you have it apart.

When all is said and done, you won't be able to replace a tractor like this with a brand new one for anywhere near what you can repair it for and you all ready have all the implements.

It's your $'s, it's your time, it's your choice. Good Luck on what ever you decide to do.

If the rest of the tractor appears to be in decent shape, I'd go for rebuilding it. After an engine overhaul you should get thousands of hours of use out of it.

And if taken care of, it should last you the rest of your life.

I don't know the details of parts replaced but believe the fellow who did it bought a kit.

When shopping around I'd asked detailed questions about what parts will be new, what will be used from the existing motor etc. and who made to parts to be sure your comparing apples to apples.

My feeling on your tractor is that if you have it done right you'll probably not have to have it done again in your life time as I suspect your probably going to be running the tractor less than 100 hours per year. A good rebuild will most likely get you another 3000 hours at least. You might want to consider having the hydrolics gone through and O rings replaced at the same time. While the tractor is split might examine the clutch as this is the perfect time to replace it as well. Then you should have a pretty good tractor for some time to come after that.

If you buy another used tractor you will have another unknown as far as actual hours and doubt as to the maintence schedule the last fellow did. If you rebuild you at least know where your at in the maintenance cycle.