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Another Old Tractor

J

James Howell

Well-known Member
Just when you think that there"s no more room in the tractor shed, well you find <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCxV9jmtO7k">another old tractor</a>.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/John%20Deere%20Equipment/Rusty/?action=view&current=003.jpg" target="_blank">
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Located this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH4xP5gw95Y">JD 51MT "Rusty"</a> just northwest of Greenville, TX.

It has an aftermarket 3pt hitch that appears to be designed especially for either an M or MT lift.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/John%20Deere%20Equipment/Rusty/?action=view&current=005.jpg" target="_blank">
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<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/John%20Deere%20Equipment/Rusty/?action=view&current=035.jpg" target="_blank">
035.jpg" width="500" height="400" border="0" alt="Photobucket
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Put 90wt oil in the upper and lower pedestal for the first time since it left Moline.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/John%20Deere%20Equipment/Rusty/?action=view&current=012.jpg" target="_blank">
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</a>

Naturally it started to leak.

Removed the front grill and used the air hose to "blow" dirt out of the radiator.

Naturally it started to leak.

Adjusted the choke on the carburetor because it was sticking.

Naturally it started to leak.

While checking out the Touch-O-Matic...

Naturally it started to leak.

Other than two oil leaks, a radiator leak, a carburetor leak, and hydraulic leak, it is in <s>excellent</s> <s>exceptional</s> <s>exorcist</s> repairable condition.

Carburetor is off the K & K for a rebuild.

Radiator comes off and goes to the shop this weekend.

Will tighten hydraulic line behind the fan once the radiator is off.

Will replace both fan belts while radiator is off.

Will also replace the generator.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/John%20Deere%20Equipment/Rusty/?action=view&current=009.jpg" target="_blank">
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Just one more winter project to keep me busy and out of trouble.
 
The joys of a new machine.Should fit right in with the rest of your herd.Seem to be getting smaller in stature though.

Enjoy

Vito
 
Have fun with it this winter. I think I'm gonna take the winter off and just keep the ones I already have running. Maybe next year I'll get the itch for one more. It's no more rusty than my 1944 B was when I got it. The sheet metal does look pretty straight. Good find.
Paul
 
Dear James,

In 1995 while working on a swimming pool in Gainsville, Texas, across the road was a church and I needed a place to dump some extra clean fill so I asked the pastor and he said sure!, then I noticed a tractor sitting there with new tires on it,and it was a John Deer model MT.. asked him if he wanted to sell it and he said yes.

Long story short I got it for $550.00 with new tires,it run and loading ramps made of steel that went with it.. it is now at the farm in Mn. it has been a nice tractor,it looks a lot like yours.

I wish you would of told us the price along with sharing your photos of it,and I liked the story you told about it , especially every time you touched somehting it leaked

Always like to read your posts..

I have an M farmall with bush hog and power steering that I bought from my borthers' neighbor across the road.. brother lives outside of Van Alstyne,Texas bought it for $450.00 with stuck motor, but my brother and I got it unstuck in less then a half hour and now it runs real well,and has one new tire on the rear..

Also have an Allis Chalmers model B and that I have at my friends place in Lake Dallas, across the highway from where I work at a swimming pool company, sure is nice to stop after work some days and sit on the chairs at my friends house (he is near 80) I am 59.. and talk with him and his friends.. always so many cars going north and south on I-35..

Hope you are having a good day!

~Will
 
How did you free up the motor on your M Farmall so quick? I have one with a stuck motor that last ran about 2000, but has been stored inside since. I'm not even sure how it froze up really since it was inside, but it did! Any advice would be appreciated.
 
I bought an MT just south of you close to Palestine, Tx about 3 weeks ago. About the same shape except two flat tires. I had mine running the next week end. It is in about 50 pieces now and the paint is coming off. I paid $750 for mine.
 
Looks like an easy restoration. Have noticed Texas tractors seem to have a lot of surface rust, mainly on the hoods. Is that from the the sun or because you don't put them in sheds as much like we do up north ?Maybe both ?
 
My Father-in-Law has one. IT IS THE HARDEST TRACTOR TO GET ON AND OFF YOU WILL EVER OWN. I have a History of JD book where it states this was one of the causes of the tractor not selling well when new.

Kent
 
Dear M nut,

Obviously it wasn't all that stuck,as my brother and I pushed into his workshop and we removed the plugs put in some penetrating oil in the cylinders.. let it set for an hour I think and put it in high gear then "rocked" the rear wheels (back n forth),and soon I noticed the fan moving, then it came unstuck.

There are other "remedies" that I have read on here from other folks that are more detailed and are perhaps best suited for severe cases of "being stuck engine'

I wish you well in your endevor...

and I'm still waiti'n for James to post how much he paid for his Mt. {he's not gonna sell it anyway so he can post the purchase price for us to know)

Will
 
You are very correct. They can be downright tricky to get on and off.

I learned there are better things to grab than the "adjusting" steering wheel when you're trying to get up on one.
 
Was it originally priced at $1000? If so, we thought about taking a look at it, but didn't. Ad said all it needed was a battery.
 
Thanks Nancy,

Like I said, I paid $550.00 for mine from a Baptist minister, but that was 14 years ago in 1995, and I last run it five years ago and it ran fine then..

Will
 
Nice find ... the sheet metal look good and straight and a little sanding it would be as good as new ...
The back tires look like they are in fair condition , should last a few years { or are they weather check bad }

I looking forward to the video .. with it out in the field and you PLAYING with it ...

Mark
 
mnut just a guess but i bet your shed is steal your m probably stuck from condensation moisture cant get away from condensation unless its parked next to a wood stove steel sheds are bad for condensation even though all sheds allow condensation
 
Yes that is the same one. Gas in the tank and carb were varnished over. Tube in one rear & one front were trash. Both rear rims were rusted through and both fenders had some rust. There was one dent in the metal around your feet. Of course the battey was missing.

Engine was good (90PSI in both cylinders) and all the pieces were there. Hydraulics & starter both worked. I thought it was a good buy.
 
This is our third M/MT series tractor.

They are very handy utility tractors.

We use "Sparky" Nancy's 51M to mow the yards, around the shop, and around the hay barn.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/John%20Deere%20Equipment/Sparky/?action=view¤t=IMG_1674.jpg" target="_blank">
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"Spark" will be headed for Dallas next Spring.

Nancy is moving her other two horses to the farm and we will need to start mowing again.

We use "Sam" our other 51MT to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlcFC8Di37s">pull the hay rake</a> and for advertisement.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/Haymaking%202009/The%20Hunt%20Place/?action=view¤t=IMG_1593.jpg" target="_blank">
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"Rusty" will probably share duties with "Sam" and pull a Bug Hog 720 finishing mower.

Hope all is well with you and your family.

Tell your boys that I saw a very large buck two weeks ago in one of our fields.
 
Know what you mean about [b:654c4848f0]"just keep the ones I already have running"[/b:654c4848f0]. Seems like every time one is back in service, another one decides to quit.

The sheet metal is in good shape, but has damage to the right fender.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/John%20Deere%20Equipment/Rusty/?action=view¤t=010.jpg" target="_blank">
010.jpg" width="500" height="400" border="0" alt="Photobucket
</a>

Been watching this tractor on Craig's List for over a month; finally got time to go see it.
 
I keep an eye on Dallas Craig's List for Deere tractors and equipment.

Been watching this tractor for over a month, but never could find the time to go see it.

Seller lowered the original asking price from $1950 down to $1400.

Figured it wouldn't last long at the lower price so Nancy and I went to see it on a cold, wet weeknight.

As Nancy stated below, we paid $1400 for the tractor.

It will take some additional time and money to get it back in shape for our purposes, but overall it is a good running little tractor.
 
Now that the grass has finally stopped growing, I'm not mowing every weekend from sunrise till sunset.

Gives me more time to work on the tractors.

Thanks for the invition to Michigan, but I don't "stray" too far North of the Red River.

Always keep in mind that there's nothing more dangerous than a Texan on ice!

Hope all is well with you and your family.
 
That was a fair price for then. They seem to be popular with collectors, which has driven the price up a bit. We're not collectors. Our tractors are used for various tasks around the farm.

I liked the M's and wanted one. James bought "Sparky" our first M, for me as anniversary present. I wanted a small tractor to maintain our place in Dallas.

Sparky got taken to the farm for "maintenance". He was so handy at the farm, Sparky never made it back to Dallas. Because Sparky was so handy for the small or light tasks at the farm, we bought a second M, named "Sam".

Since we are planning to move all the horses to the farm, we will have to have something better than the riding mower to maintain the place in Dallas. That led to us buying this latest M, now named Rusty. We also bought a 5 ft bush hog for Rusty to keep the place mowed.
 
As Nancy mentioned, we considered going to see your tractor.

It was located near Cayuga, TX somewhere about half-way between Corsicana, TX and Palestine, TX.

Anyway it is good to know that it is now your tractor.

If I remember it had rear wheel weights.

Sounds like your planning to restore/refurbish yours.

Good luck with your MT tractor.
 
My guess is the moisture from all the humidity.

There are two of our tractors, "John B" and "Uncle Earl", that sit inside the tractor shed and they also get moisture on them.

As you mentioned it is probably a combination of both leaving them in the sun and exposing them to other outside elements that contributes to the surface rust.

Probably will not restore this one; just get it in the best mechanical/electrical shape for our farm purposes.
 
I agree with your father-in-law 100%.

There is literally a three step process to mounting/dismounting the M/MT series tractors that have fenders.

One of the first "instincts" is to grab the throttle lever with your left hand and pull yourself up and over the seat.

Take a look at the throttle lever in the photo below.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/John%20Deere%20Equipment/Rusty/?action=view¤t=011.jpg" target="_blank">
011.jpg" width+'00" height="400" border="0" alt="Photobucket
</a>

Notice how the broken throttle lever was welded after one to many pulls up and over the seat.

Once you learn not to grab the throttle lever, then your next "instinct" is to grab the steering wheel with your left hand.

You just have to remember that it is a telescoping steering wheel and might/could/probably/will slide towards you.

Same feeling you get when someone pulls a chair out from under you.

Not to forget how to use your right hand.

Put your right hand on the left corner of the seat back.

Pull yourself up and then push down on the corner; after 50-60 years the rivets break.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/John%20Deere%20Equipment/Rusty/?action=view¤t=014.jpg" target="_blank">
014.jpg" width="500" height="400" border="0" alt="Photobucket
</a>

One other thing to mention is locking/unlocking the brakes.

Difficult if not impossible for those of us that have either a small, medium, or large "banjo" belly; my right arm needs to be at least 1ft. longer.
 
and the farm is near East Tx. like Emory or Grand Slaine? Glad to hear you have horses too.. I miss mine. I have several John Deer B's and A's some run some don't, and a few are painted, I have most brands,Cockshut,Allis, even a Moline and also garden tractors too, nice to hear from you two.

Will
 
For the most part the sheet metal is in good shape for a 58 year old tractor.

There is a lot of surface rust on the majority of the tractor, but have yet to find any "pitting" anywhere.

Back tires are in fair/good shape and will last my lifetime; fronts must be replaced.

Probably will not "spruce up" this one, but will put it in good mechanical/electrical condition for field use.

As mentioned below to [b:654c4848f0]Vito[/b:654c4848f0], "Rusty" will share duties with "Sam".

Will post photos along the way of progress on mechanical/electrical work.

Look for a video early next Spring.

Hope all is well with you and your family.
 
It does have both front and rear wheel weights. I did not know about the teloscoping steering wheel. I think mine is welded. I will have to check. My throtle leaver is also welded. I wondered how that happened. Now I know. I made a new one with a ball on the end and a little shorter.
 
My apologies for the geographical mistake of Michigan instead of your home state Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is just across the Mississippi River from Minnesota.

Sometimes folks mistake Texans and Oklahomans; afterwards they learn that we are smarter and better looking.

And then the fight started.
 
Finally remembered my password to login on my YouTube account.

Did the approval so we should be set.

We really enjoy making the videos of working/playing with our old tractors.

Watching them is a welcome relief when situations get hectic here at the office.

Hope your model 60 that you got from our friend [b:654c4848f0]Vito[/b:654c4848f0] is working for you.
 
There are aftermarket steps so you can get on & off from the front. Check out Green Magazine or two Cylinder magazine.
My arthritis makes the "ups & downs" a bit slower these days!!
Nice find; just got my neighbor's M tuned up. Starts up just fine now.
 
I'll do some research on the aftermarket front steps; thanks for the information.

Main thing I try to do is secure my footing and not get in a hurry.

One secure step at a time using my legs and not my arms.

All three of our M/MT series tractors start up on the first pull of the ignition.

Had trouble starting "Sparky" Nancy's 51M one time; it was out of gas.
 
Hey, you forgot to mention why Texas stays put and doesn't slip off into the Gulf Of Mexico.
Cuz Oklahoma Sucks and keeps Texas in place!
 
Hi James

Would love to see some clear photos of how the top link point is made/set-up. I have an M. I have always figured if I could make a solid top link, it make the tractor a lot more functional.

Thanks
 
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