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Should I or Shouldn't I ?

S

spider

Member
I'm a city guy (south Denver area) and am pondering whether or not to buy an older tractor and restore it. There seem to be a number of reasons not to, but also I like this site and am on it every day reading alot.
1) I have a 20' X 20' standard garage which is big enough as long as my wife doesn't plan on using it for about 3 years.
2) if and when i finish the project I wont have anywhere to keep it.
3) absolutely no practical experience restoring any kind of antique (car or otherwise)
4) Have no known mentor close by to guide me
5) some mechanic's tools but no specialty types
6) no idea which tractor would be the easiest for the first time ( not to upset anyone but I prefer JD)
7) don't know any good shops that do the engine overhaul work
8) I can tear anything apart but honestly am not sure if I can get it reassembled properly

soooo the question is; WHAT THE H-LL IS THE MATTER WITH ME !!! all opinions are welcomed here
 
I'd suggest reading Roger Welsch's "Old Tractors and the Men Who Love Them", or "Busted Tractors and Rusty Knuckles". If, after reading them you still don't know whether you should buy and restore an old tractor, then come back and ask again.
 
The only answer to "What is the matter with me?" seems to be the married part.

Get a Farmall Cub or model A that at least runs.
> Lots of them
> cheap enough that buying it won't break you up
> small enough for your garage
>if it runs, you'll not have major engine work to be able to play with it.
> Lots of help via internet

an air compressor and some air tools will be handy - impact wrench, die grinder with wire brush, blow gun
> Easy to sell if you don't "take to the hobby"
 
Do it. It will keep you off the streets late at night, because you will not have any money to be on the streets with.
 
I know I'm gonna start something here,but it's not bias,just the way it is. If you do,I'd stay away from a 2 cylinder Deere. You WILL need special tools and special knowledge.
 
(quoted from post at 14:54:01 01/13/12) Maybe do a motorcycle first? Honda 750 Fours are hot.
Click to expand...

Really? You think a guy with NO experience should tackle a motorcycle first?

I have experience working on both motorcycles AND tractors, and the tools and knowledge needed to work on tractors are much less costly and more easily attainable than what is needed to work on motorcycles.
 
(quoted from post at 14:16:34 01/13/12) I'm a city guy (south Denver area) and am pondering whether or not to buy an older tractor and restore it. There seem to be a number of reasons not to, but also I like this site and am on it every day reading alot.
1) I have a 20' X 20' standard garage which is big enough as long as my wife doesn't plan on using it for about 3 years.
2) if and when i finish the project I wont have anywhere to keep it.
3) absolutely no practical experience restoring any kind of antique (car or otherwise)
4) Have no known mentor close by to guide me
5) some mechanic's tools but no specialty types
6) no idea which tractor would be the easiest for the first time ( not to upset anyone but I prefer JD)
7) don't know any good shops that do the engine overhaul work
8) I can tear anything apart but honestly am not sure if I can get it reassembled properly

soooo the question is; WHAT THE H-LL IS THE MATTER WITH ME !!! all opinions are welcomed here
Click to expand...
I was only 12 yrs old when i was in your situation (beside the married and garage part).
I had found a 48 AC- B with a stuck engine,hadn't run in 12 years.
I tore the whole tractor apart and put it back together outside all by my lonesome without any outside help and drove it to school a year and a half later.I didn't paint it though(no money)The tractor served on our farm for quite some years as we had priviously only horses to do the work.

No reason you could not do it too,you'll learn on the go.
 
Growing up all summer all i ever did was mow grass with push mowers. Neighbors down the road was moving, went to the auction and bought an 8hp rider that didn't run for just a few bucks. Pushed it home, tore it down, and replaced the rings etc. Dad was astonished and from then on i road around while mowing. Its doable and you learn sooo much.
 
if your looking to attain some mechanical skills you gotta start some time. Consider small tractor that parts are readily available, ford 8n, cub, farmalls, agree get one that will at least start so you can do other work and listen to it run now and then, later decide if you want it to run better! Probably someone near you that could help if you get started, good luck
 
How about 'lawn tractors' to start with. No special anything, tires won't break the bank, the work won't break your back. After a couple of these, get a beat up 'estate tractor' and try some simple hyraulic projects. If you like IH, get a small cub cadet- 10 or 12 hp, finish that, and work your way up. Same with JD's, but cub cadets are impressive. Besides being a cheaper and easier learning experience, they will be easier to sell locally. I am happy with the 30 to 50 horse range, smaller doesn't have many uses for me, and bigger is a real drag to work on, mentally, physically and finacially... did I mention tires???
 

Get something small that'll be fun and not discourage you... And of course red..... Leave that green stuff in the weeds where it belongs :shock:

There was a guy on here awhile ago (mike in ca???) that was I think a sailor living in a housing division that did a farmall H and seemed to have had a ball doing it.

I'd go old, common, and small for simplicity... If you aren't planning any work with it, the fancy stuff isn't interesting... Just fix it up nice and enjoy playing with it......

Not trying to mock you in any way, but I've heard of guys collecting the old toy tractors (steel and cast) and restoring them... You may get more satisfaction out of that and would be able to display them on /in a nice cabinet.... Just a thought......

Good Luck.

Dave
 
All has to do with aptitude and determination and they are more closely related than you might think. I started restoring tractors when I was a freshman in high school, that was in 1949. It started as an ag class project and no one else was interested. The ag teacher eventually gave me a key to the shop and I spent a lot of enjoyable time in there by myself rather than in study-hall. I painted several tractors before I graduated. Farmers were standing in line to have their tractor redecorated.
 
Spider I read your post. The only problem I can see is the limited space, which means you probably won’t be able to hide it from the wife so you may want to discuss it with her first. 8)

There are plenty of posts in the archives about getting busted with a new tractor if you want to search for them. :oops:
 
Ever work on something like a Yamaha DT-1. A 250 two stroke? I blew one up, towed it to the trailer with another bike.sent my frind to the shop for piston rings etc. Tore it down while he was gone. Put it together on the side of the road, and off we went.
Total time just shy of 2 hours, about half was wait time.
 

Do lots of shopping around, maybe go to some tractor shows to look at different tractors and buy whatever you find interesting. (I prefer anything with hand crank & steel wheels, the older and uglier the better!)
You may not have many tools or much experience now, but when you are done you will. And you will meet some nice people in the process.
 
rrlund- what types of special tools and special knowledge can you be a little more specific please. Bruce
 
Hobbies are more fun when you enjoy it, it relaxes you and you get back something constructive to show for it. A productive outcome also helps to justify spending money on the next project. You won't make any money restoring a tractor or a car just for resale. At best you may get back some of what you paid for the parts, nothing for your labor.

You need enough space that you you can leave your work space setup between work sessions. It's no fun if you spend half your time dragging things out and setting things up just to pack everything away again in a few hours. Start small and work up to the bigger projects so you don't get overwhelmed and discouraged too easily. Mistakes, research and rework are all part of the discovery process to.

Try a number of things to see what you enjoy within your budget and more importantly elliminate what you don't enjoy without investing too much.

Is there something that you would enjoy working on that you could keep and enjoy with pride when it's completed: motorcycle, lawnmower, woodworking project, landscape project, boat, car, truck, snowmobile, chainsaw, weed whacker, gas blower, ultralight airplane, model airplane car or boat, build a kayak or a canoe, restore old radios, fishing tackle, cameras, photograph tractors cars or women, rebuild old power tools for use in your workshop, sharpen tools as a business, restore old guns, plant a garden, refinish a room in the house, refurbish a mountain cabin, make stained glass, brew beer, make wine, build a shed, build a dog house, train a dog for a pet, play an instrament, rebuild musical instraments, etc.

Good luck.
 
Larger tools for one thing. Everything about them is about triple the size of normal. As far as knowledge,nothing about them works the way it does on a 4 or 6 cylinder tractor or automotive engine. They fire at 180 degrees apart on the crank,then turn more than 500 degrees before they fire again. I've been working on tractors and engines for 45 years and still don't understand how those things work. I've tried working on them,but without the help of an old 2 cylinder mechanic,I'm stumped. Get one,tear it apart on your garage floor and ask one of your buddies who works on hot rods or something to put it back together. He'll look at you like you're nuts.
 
The first thing you need to do is decide if you are the type of person who will dig into a project like this and finish it or dig into it, get sick of it and be mad that you ever started such a project. Not everything is going to be fun or easy. It can be down right disheartening at times but that's when you need to be more determined than ever to continue. When you get it done, it's very satisfying. I bought my first of many tractors in 1964 when I was in fifth grade. It was a 1927 JD model D on steel. Found out when I took it apart that the block was split from one end to the other. Dissapointing but, I didn't quit. I'm not a JD guy but, I still have it and will never sell it. A JD A, B or H are good ones to start with because, you can tear them down and rebuild them while standing beside them and without having to split them thus no jack or stands. All the tractors the guys mentioned are great projects. It's a great hobby and stress reliever. I say go for it. If you need any help, just ask here. The guys here are great helpers.
 
Dean,

Do the math. Look at what a totally restored tractor is selling for. Nice ones on craigslist and YT photo adds. Then look at what it's going to cost you to buy a fixer upper. If the tractor you want to restore needs new rubber all the way around, price the tires.

I have invested in my tractors twice what I can sell them for. However, it would cost me more than twice my investment to buy a new tractor.

I have every tool I need to work on a tractors, workshop, a pole barn to store them, trailer to haul them and a truck to move them my properties.

My point is you most likely won't make a penny restoring old tractors. If I didn't have a need for old tractor power, I wouldn't have one. The fun factor using an old tractor is priceless.

George
 
Good older tractors are cheap right now.I would buy one that runs and drives well,but maybe needs paint or some easy tinkering.Some of those A john deeres can be bought for less than 1500 bucks.I've seen some nice 8n tractors for 1200 to 1300.For less than 2000 you can get a good old tractor to play with that doesn't need engine or tranny work.
 
I would suggest a John Deere stykled B or H. They're easy to work on, and parts are not too hard to come by. Remember, it's got to be a labor of love cause youll never get your money back unless you get the tractor for free and don't count your labor. I like all the old tractors. Whatever you choose, when you're done you'll have something to be proud of. I've been doing this for 20 years but my health is forcing me to give it up. I hate the thought of giving it up.
 
If you think you are going to make money. NO. If you want to learn how one comes apart and goes back together, go for it.

You don't need a mentor close, just a digital camera. Many people on here will help. You won't need as many specialty tools as you think.

Personally, I would get a 2/8/9N Ford. Why? Here in Michigan they are priced next to nothing. All day long under $1000 running, and many way less, running. That way if for some reason you decide old tractors are not for you, you won't be out a ton of cash.

Plus your first tractor is a learning experience. If you like the hobby, shoot for something a little more on tractor #2.

Rick
 
Questions that need to be answered and are not. 2 car garage so what size doors? 8 ft wide or 9 ft? 6 1/2ft high or 7 ft high door? how much space needed for other items? After it is done are you going to want to be able to drive it around town some. A row crop Deere or just about any other make tractor will not go in that size door as being too tall and also to wide. Then if you want to be able to drive it around town you want a decent fairly fast road speed with good brakes and quiet sounding so neighbors will not be complaining. I am a 2 cylinder guy but for you I am going to say a 8N or a NAA Ford because of the physical size to fit in your small garage, with a Sherman overdrive you could put a carrier on the 3 point hitch and go to the grocery store with it. And they do have good brakes. Parts are the easiest of any tractor to get. And they are some of the quietst tractors. Some of what are mentioned would be good but just do not have enough speed to get out on your residential streets with and are wide enough somebody would probably hit one of your axles sticking out beyond the tire. Also easy to work on. Where you say you like John Deere the only model that would fit in a garage like that would be a 320-330 utility, standard would be maxing out door clearance and then they would not be quiet enough for the neighbors and would be too slow for the trip to the store as there speed is about like the Ford would be without the sherman. And then you are talking about not $2,000 but $10,000.
 
Ohhhhhhhhhh Green.
Record when you take it apart, invariably putting it back is just the opposite.
Your mentor is the computer.Right here.
 
buy a bigger old garden tractor to play with and then plow snow with it, maybe mow lawn-earn its spot in the garage.
 
Be careful. There is an illness that you will contract if you start working on old tractors called Old Iron Deficiency. Real easy to catch and not easy to cure-usually requires more iron to keep you going.
 
Leroy, you are giving him alot of good advice ,but you may be doing just what you did for me when you gave me advice. You may be overwhelming him .LOL
 
Pick out tractor at reasonable price, But and fix as needed. After 15 or 20 repairs, you will know if you want to continue and have more skill. If you don't catch on, sell it. Dave
 
I've done 2, might do another. But I know now that if I do it, I will spend more than it will ever be worth. Basically, they are small money pits. Not as bad as a boat, but pretty close. And I've read all of Roger's books. Great stuff, btw. My tractor work is theraphy, not investing.
 
Done one, hated it (JD MT) wished I had never saw the blasted thing, won't do another one, like driving and playing on them, some body else can do the work on them.
 
We have a club in your area. Check it out. Many helpful people in this club.
FRONT RANGE ANTIQUE POWER ASSOCIATION
www.frapa.us.com/
 
If you dont try it you will never know. Im sure you will learn lots and have many hours of fun playin with the old tractor...Just my thoughts
 
Have you thought about a Cub Cadet? They are a larger garden tractor (lawn mower) and the model spans many years so parts availability and knowledgable people are easy to find. It won't take up much room, you will have a use for it (to mower and plow snow), and you won't have a whole heck of a lot of money into it.
 
i would suggest a farmall cub or a massey harris pony. small, yet big enough you could find some ways to use it.
 
Husband has JD and FA 1930 era tractors... 3 of them. Says JD is much simpler mechanically, but the FA are cheaper to get parts for.

He also says if you are very neat, you could have room to do a small tractor in one half of your garage and still fit your wife's car in the other side. And says involve her so it is fun for her too. He does the work on ours - I find the parts on ebay or we go to the junkyards together and it is always fun (I take pics at the junkyard while he gets parts). ALWAYS involves a burger and barley pop on the way home.
 
Sweetfeet,
Thanks for answering my post. I believe I have decided at last which make and model I will buy. Most likely a JD 430 with wide front. It fits like a good shoe for me. Small enough for my garage, appears alot easier to get to everything for restoration and it's green hehe.

Bruce
 
Hope you and your wife enjoy this project.

Green is good (but parts are spendy), grey is good too... though we are both now partial to rust. Husband has a 1936 B JD, a 1936 Grey Farmall F20 (grey becaus it was made prior to Nov of 36) and our newest aquisition is a 1931 Farmall Regular that we will keep rusty.

My husband also wanted me to post this: when working on any tractor, the level of difficulty is determined by what shape it is in. Though JD are mechanically simpler machines... if you get one that is seized and missing a lot of parts, of course your project will be more difficult than buying one where the engine turns over and has all its components. He recommends getting one where the engine is NOT seized as it won't require as many tools or as much knowledge. He said if it is seized and missing a lot of parts, you may be in over your head for a first project - especially if you don't have a lot of tools or mechanical experience. Also, that if one does not have experience - one can actually damage/break a lot of parts when trying to tear a tractor down.
 
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