O/T When is it not worth it?

Ok, I'm reminded of the one Alan Jackson song...the Talking Repair Song blues (my tractor's themesong...) as I type this. I have a question that encompasses both pieces of equipment I own.

First one...I have a 3-Cyl Ford 4500 Loader/Backhoe with cab and I have a 1951 John Deere FB.

When my dad died back in 1993 all the equipment sat and my MF 135 was the only one I got working again. We sold two pieces of construction equipment and tried to sell the backhoe with it but the buyer said to scrap it.

I also have two FB drills at home. One my dad tore down 20 years ago to rehab it and the one I started to last year to finally tear it down to rebuild it and make it functional.

I was going to use my dad's as the parts donor for mine to convert it from double disk to single disk as in 2005 dollars it was going to cost me 150 at least per boot to replace everything as it had been trashed. The problem I think my dad and I have encountered is what to do about the fertilizer plates. Only the FB and FB-A used those plates and they're all obsolete and that one JD Dealer in NH wants 100 bucks per plate.

I was going to teach myself how to cast but I don't have anyone to show me and I was going to buy a few of the plates from Parts Depot so I can make molds of them.

Now for the backhoe...its rusty, the cab has rust all the loader cylinders have some pitting on them, needs new tires, paint, etc. Also has that chain boom that costs 700 bucks new from New Holland.

I know I could part them out and make some money off of the three of them. But since I have them and I do need a backhoe I thought about fixing at least the backhoe.

But, I suppose and what is my question to you all, when is it no longer viable to try and fix something but to scrap it? I know with the Grain Drills, I could part it, scrap what's left and buy myself a FB-B or a 8000 series drill.

I picked JD because of the parts for their seeding equipment would be more available as opposed to the Massey 33 drill I wanted to get in the first place. I figured most of the parts would be obsolete or too expensive but I also recognize that with any of the older grain drills I might buy I will probably have to plunk down at least 1-2k to rehab it. With the backhoe, I think to have all the cylinders fixed or replaced along with tires, fluids and hydraulic lines I'm looking at 3-4k.

So I'm curious what the line is for you all and your equipment?

Thanks,

Christos

anything with sentimental value i fix otherwise i look at wat its gonna cost to fix versus buying one thats usable if its gonna cost more to fix than i can buy one for then scrap or part out

It's hard to kill a 135. LoL Dave

I am working on a 135. Old and looks like crap, But it is still working.

NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING is ever as easy, or as cheap as it first appears when it comes to fixing old equipment. You see the obvious. Then we overlook small (hidden) details. We all tend to think in terms of what it SHOULD cost to fix something, not what it actually DOES cost. With experience, we can come to an average percentage of what we usually under-estimate. Now, subtract purchase price, estimated cost of repair, throw in that "contingency cost", subtract any intended profit, and if the remainder is in small numbers, turn and run (as fast as you can)

There's something to be said in favor of paying too much for "mint condition". At least you know from the get-go what you have to spend.

The drills are just scrap,really no parts value.If the backhoe was running probably in the 3000 dollar range.You can buy a good running older backhoe with a lot of hours in the 4000-5000 range.Take what you can get and buy something you can use.

I ran into that recently with my 300 ute. I had a busted crank, bent rods, possibly a cracked block. I couldn't sell it last year for $3500. I was looking at 2K+ in parts. Dealer was over 4K to repair it. A jockey offered 2k, he is gonna part it out. I took the 2k, I just didn't want to put any more money into a 50+ machine. I am buying a new Kubota this week. I need a loader tractor, and I want one I don't have to fix.

Going value for a JD FB around here, anyway, is about $2-300 bucks around here, keep your old one, buy a new one, and like me, you'll probably find that everything that is wore out on yours, will probably be wore out on the "new" one, too!