What to look for in an old tractor

Some of you probably saw my earlier posts asking about which tractor I should buy, and general questions about old tractors. I got some great answers and information then so I’m going to ask something new now.

I have the opportunity to buy a Farmall H for $900. There are 2 or 3 of them that run and are in similar condition, all for $900. My questions are: what should I look for to make sure the tractor not only runs, but runs well and will continue to do so? Are there any special things I should do or check on the tractor to make sure it’s good? Am I missing anything?

Thanks,

John

I think one of the questions only you can answer is if you buy one for $900 are you willing to put more money into it if necessary. If you need tires they will cost more than the tractor. If you get it home and doesn't charge that is more money. As far as things to look for - an H isn't any different than the typical old tractor. Does it start easily and not smoke, any leaks in the gas tank or radiator, condition of tires and rims, brakes work, any noise in the transmission. If you look in the gas tank the smell will tell you if its been sitting for a while and the gas may have gone bad. Manifold can be going bad, any patches on the transmission where a bearing may have gone bad or tried to move it with ice in it. Could have a lot of leaking oil seals and water in the transmission. If it has the old style pipe frame seat assembly I would check at the bend where the tool box is to see if it has rusted. They can rust enough to break off. I would start it, let it warm up a few minutes and drive it around. One thing all the old Farmalls would do is stick in 2 gears when the shifting lever and pivot pin wears out. I'm not sure how you know the condition until it actually sticks in two gears. Everything possibly bad is fixable for a price.

I didn't see your earlier thread, but if it were me I guess some of the things I would look for:
How WELL does it run? Does it smoke, or miss? Does it turn over easily or slowly when it cranks?
Take it for a drive. Is the steering tight, or does it wobble at high speeds? Does the shift lever seem tight or a lot of extra play? Is the clutch smooth or grabby? Is it good or about worn out? You should be able to tell by how much pedal you have.
How well do the brakes work?
I guess those are some things I would look for. Since you're looking at three basically identical tractors you should be able to compare one with another and buy the one you're most comfortable with. Just my opinion.
Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!

Two or 3 running H's for $900 is a no-brainer.

My mistake, what I meant is, there are 2 or 3 H’s for sale, each one of them is $900.

Buy the H that has the absolute best rear tires.

3 tractors the same? That makes it
easier. Test drive em all and pick
one. Sometimes it comes down to
which seller you feel most
comfortable about.

Thanks for the advice! There’s 2 of them that clearly have nicer tires, so my choice will probably be narrowed down to those two (the 3rd one has less tread and dry rotting tires). Someone mentioned something about smoke, what color should the exhaust be to indicate a good engine?

Grandpa used to see how worn out the drawbar holes were.

(quoted from post at 10:40:30 12/28/18) Grandpa used to see how worn out the drawbar holes were.

Click to expand...

Very smart!

As others have said tires can add up quick. Check the engine (do a compression test) an "old smoker" can add up quick. Test clutch and hydraulics in a working situation if there week or slip well that adds up. I would be less concerned with exterior and simple stuff. (broken headlights etc) Around me a good running moving h $900 is about as low as you can get.

Put is in high gear and see if the clutch slips.

Put is in high gear and see if the clutch slips.

You don't awnt blue or white smoke.Blue means oil burning.white indicates water gettinto the combustion chamber(blown head gasket or cracked sleeve). A bit of black smoke(running rich) is nothing to be concerned about,as most Hs here at higher altitudes tend to blow a bit of dark grey or black. Ideally light grey or clear is what want.

Well, realistically looking at a piece of equipment that old, don't expect to buy it and start farming happily ever after! LOL

There will be problems. Anything that can rot, deteriorate with age and sun, shrink, crumble, rust away, or leak... That hasn't already been replaced, will soon need to be. It's pretty much a given that there will be wiring issues, rust in the gas tank, and the radiator will need attention or replacing. Again, all depending on what has been replaced or repaired, and how well it was repaired.

That it is running is a big plus. Anything not running is worth no more than scrap unless it is a rare collectors item.

First to look for are "deal killers". Things like freeze cracked engine block or trans/differential case. Any broken castings, regardless how it happened or how well repaired are red flags.

Tires are a big expense. If it has good rear tires is a selling point. But still don't expect too much from them. If they are old, chances are they will soon fail when put to use.

Once you do make the purchase, do some long term evaluation. Do just enough to get it running without doing further damage. Put it through the paces. Try to run some attachments that you intend to use, make note of any and all problems.

Chances are you will be making some repairs, some will require major disassembly. Best to go in and do everything in one operation instead of having to back track.

Good luck! Hope you do well!

Good running gasoline engines should have no smoke. As others have said, white smoke - water vapor, blue smoke - oil, black smoke - incomplete combustion.

Like vehicles, look for a tractor that can do the work that you need to do. I'm under the impression you are looking for a project tractor to wrench on rather than a tractor ready to work.

For 900 buy all three. Cheap compared to here. Most of them price around 1500-2500.

you will want to drive them around . the corners on the shift levers and the corners on the shift rails get worn over time and they slip past each
other and get stuck in two gears at once. then you have to take the shift lever up and aline the shift rails with a rod. shift from reverse to 2 then
reverse to 3 then 3 to 1 and 2 to 1 and 4 to 3 and 4 to 2 and 4 t0 reverse. the shifter and rails can be built up. but its better to test for this
than to find out after you lay out money and have to build up parts latter.

Well, paying $900 bucks for a 70+ year old tractor with no 3pt, live hydraulics , no PS, and likely poor
tires, Why do you expect it to give you trouble free use????
Loren

I don't have the experience with tractors that a lot of guys here have, but here's what I've always looked for in any tractor or gas powered vehicle.

- Does it start easily from cold without long hard cranking and idle smoothly after a short warmup?

- After the engine is warm, looking just above the tip of the stack the gasses should be clear. Yes, you will get "smoke" as the warm, moist combustion gasses hit the colder air, but right above the stack, it should be clear. This is where you'll see white, black, or gray smoke if an engine has issues.

- Take it on a road test and run it in every gear. Throttle up and down in each gear. If it pops out of gear or you hear bad noises in any gear, it's not good. Move on.

- Others have mentioned tires. Absolutely true! Don't buy a low priced machine with bad tires or you'll end up with a high priced machine when you have to put tires on.

To underscore that point, I just put a new rear tire on my old Deere. I got lucky and found a 90% used tire and it still cost me $550 for the tire and installation. A new tire of that size is $900 plus installation! So you see the point guys are saying when they say don't buy bad tires.

Grouse