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Homemade Model A Ford Tractor

G

grayrider

Well-known Member
Here?s updated pics after I cleaned the vines off the old gal this morning, owner said he could get $150 scrap price for it, haven?t made a deal as it?s only good for yard art, thinking on it for now, every thing is froze up on it, no hope for a restoration.
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What they say they can get and what I seem to be able to get vary widely ! lol.
Then plus it has to be loaded and hauled in.
 
Too bad whoever parked it didn't go a little further into the woods with it. I'd be surprised if he could get $150 scrap price for what's there. I suspect if he totally took it all apart and separated the cast iron out he'd do a bit better, but that' more work than hauling it in as is.
 
The restoration police rule book states very clearly that there has to be at least two of something manufactured to be a candidate for an official restoration. This might be a potential fixer upper, or maybe an effort at refreshing a scrap iron sculpture, but never never never a restoration. BUT certainly has been an interesting post.
 
Its only 100-150 bucks. If it looks like something you want to play with go for it. You can always get close to your money back and maybe more by scraping it. It would have to be just for fun, but you could lose a lot more having fun at something else. Even if it is yard art for a while you could always do something with it later.
 
That is a 39 to 42 Ford 9N or 42 to 47 8N hat rear wheel and if it is not completely gone is worth that for the pair just for the rims. That is if they are repairable. That is if it is the 28" size, the 32" size I would hate to even guess. Old9 might be able to give better figures on that.
 
A guy might have to tape a 100 dollar bill to the steering wheel to get a junk yard to take it.
 
It’s restorable under the right condition. The right condition would be family wanting to fund a restoration in grandpa’s memory. It doesn’t sound that way though. I’d let it go for scrap.
 
Tell him if he can get $150 in scrap he better jump on that deal.
Time they remove the tires; winch it to the road and load it on a flatbed he will be lucky if they do not charge him $150 to haul it off.
Can not blame the guy. He is just trying to get what he can out of it for sentimental value.
 
I may wind up with it later, have measured the dimensions of it and thinking of building some sort of dolly to sit it on and tow it back to the house, it?s only about 1/4 mile from my place and dirt roads from here to there, I?ve got a 7?-6? axle that I may split and extend the width to build the contraption I?m seeing in my brilliant mind, would be a low to the ground two wheel dolly, could easily sit the old A model tractor on and tow back home, border line genius I am, lol...
 
Also in my area the TON price is for a "long" ton which is more weight than a "normal" 2,000 lb ton.
 
Thanks for the update. Nice pics, but it looked better with the weeds and vines. Sounds like the old fellow "knows the value of a dollar" as the expression goes. Just sold some land, probably free and clear, and now wants a few more dollars for this old curiosity that he expressly made exempt from the sale. I'm sure the buyers had to laugh at that particular stipulation.
 
At a tractor show I'll bet that tractor will attract more attention than a totally restored, all shinny tractor. You just don't see this stuff any more. Stan
 
For me it'd stay right where it sits,no redeeming qualities I can see and any time and money put into it will be 'down the rat hole'.I'd be looking for a project that has some value
after its fixed.
 
If you do fool with it. The wheels look like they could be reversed on the hus to narrow it up. Might be as easy as building a whole deal to haul it.
I think I would let it go by though.
 
I would bring it home on a roll back. The model A engines are out there as others have said. Would grab a lot of people at a show. That could become your baby in short order. Should be pretty easy to work on.
 
With both of those trannys in "granny" and with that old low speed truck rear end, I bet a guy could win about any "slow tractor" competition.
 
It appears that some one had to much time on their hands and decided to make a useless piece of crap.
 
By the way. When you bring it home and start to do a restoration, the original color for a Model "A" engine is about a dark pea green color. That tractor is simple enough to work on. Please go rescue it. We might even start a fund me site for you.
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cvphoto2882.jpg
 
I'm curious if anyone recognizes the steering assembly ..... looks like it came from a tractor of some kind. Maybe someone has made a comment on that but I haven't seen anything. And the lower pedestal with the front wheels and axles on it as well.
 
It?s fascinating about all the replies of who?ll leave it there to continue rotting away and who would like to rescue it. The old man talked quite awhile today about the old tractor, he said his daddy passed away 30+ years ago, said it took his daddy a long time to build the tractor, he had someone else do all the welding on it, He tickled me when he said ?son, that thang would run about 80 mph down the road?. I just laughed, wasn?t going to dispute his story, he said it was a fine running piece of machinery back in the day. It needs to be saved and displayed for folks to see the ingenuity of a simple mans handi work to provide for his family back during some hard times in this country, I?m probably going to get it, my 601 Ford needs new rear tires and I could put those on the rear of the Model A tractor and find some used tires to put on the front of it, then uncouple the drive shaft from the rear end and could roll it then, just doing some thinking, would be a great display as yard art, I?d store it in one of the barns and tow it out for special occasions, the wife does photography on the side and would be a great back drop in pictures. I?ll post back if I happen to drag it home and start tinkering on it...
 
The front steering is definitely off of an old tractor, I noticed that this morning when I was pulling the vines off of it
 
That?s a heck of a thing to say, this was a working piece of equipment back in the day that helped provide for a family, not every one then and even now can buy the best or something brand new , if you don?t like history or the ingenuity of a hard working farmer then don?t bother to reply to this post. It amazes me the nerve of some of you to throw off on a topic that someone shares, if you don?t like the subject matter or the topic then don?t bother to reply, it?s as simple as that !!!!!!
 
I know a lot of people who have dumped a lot of money and time into a ?rat hole? of a different description. Everyone has their own favorite pastime and passions, more power to them! If it is what you want to do and you have the time, money, and desire then do it regardless of what anyone else thinks.
 
Bet the builder didn't have $100.00 in it when he built it. I remember when you could buy all the Model A's you wanted for $25 - 50.00 without having to look very hard. For what he could afford he built a usable machine, I would love to have it.
 
I like it. If it was found 1/4 mile from my house i would get it.

It just shows some people had a lot of time on their hands and not a single thin dime. Had to make do.
 
I would not attempt to "restore" that tractor. Would not scrap it either.

That is piece of history on what folks did back then to get by with very little $$.

The most I would do is clean it up and do some basic cosmetic repairs on it to make it look as "whole" as possible. Then it needs an appropriate venue for display with the old man's story. County museum? You may scoff....

It reminds me of a homemade dirt track race car built out of model T or A parts that is/was in the Speedway Motors museum in Omaha, NE I saw around 2006. It was setup "as found" in some barn someplace.



(quoted from post at 00:20:54 11/17/18) It?s fascinating about all the replies of who?ll leave it there to continue rotting away and who would like to rescue it. The old man talked quite awhile today about the old tractor, he said his daddy passed away 30+ years ago, said it took his daddy a long time to build the tractor, he had someone else do all the welding on it, He tickled me when he said ?son, that thang would run about 80 mph down the road?. I just laughed, wasn?t going to dispute his story, he said it was a fine running piece of machinery back in the day. It needs to be saved and displayed for folks to see the ingenuity of a simple mans handi work to provide for his family back during some hard times in this country, I?m probably going to get it, my 601 Ford needs new rear tires and I could put those on the rear of the Model A tractor and find some used tires to put on the front of it, then uncouple the drive shaft from the rear end and could roll it then, just doing some thinking, would be a great display as yard art, I?d store it in one of the barns and tow it out for special occasions, the wife does photography on the side and would be a great back drop in pictures. I?ll post back if I happen to drag it home and start tinkering on it...
Click to expand...
 
I agree. during the WW2 years, any tractor was a joy to own, not only for the owner, but also for the neighbors. This machine would have been quite useful for hauling firewood
 
I think thats pretty neat. I have rescued a few things from the junkman, not sure why, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time...
 
You should take note that I said what I would do, not what he should do.Myself I can't see throwing money and my time away on something like that piece that will have no real value regardless
what is done to it.When I spend time and money I'd like to at least be able to break even,plenty of project tractors around with a lot more promise as far as I'm concerned.
 
If you pass on this one then decide you should have got it, where are you going to find another one just like it? 150 bucks is nothing these days. A mid sized loader tractor with pallet forks could easily pick it up and carry it 1/4 mile.
 
Those rims if not rusted out and around the valve stem it does not show rust so it would have to be on bottom from setting in dirt to be rusted out are worth more to a tractor collector alone than what he is asking for the tractor so the ones saying junk price is too high they don't know what they are talknig about.
 
Wheels are set out in cultivating mode just like on the 9N-2N Ford they came off of. They are only thing I reconise tho.
 
If he would just save and sell the rear rims he would get more out of them than what is asked for the unit and evening junking the rest as you would do.
 
Mistyped as should be 2N instead of 8N but that includes the center part, the rim itself is same as the 8N and the NAA and probably the 600 series.
 
that thing is so ugly you just have to make it run and drive it , even if its just to annoy the neighbors lol
 
Maybe someone will see it and want to study the enginuity of people during hard times. Local high school somewhere might want to instill some of those values in their young people. After all, hard times are coming along sooner or later.
 
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