restoreing a tractor questions

how many of you all have redone a tractor in a building without a floor, or on gravel? i have a big ban i use for the tool shed, and a big ol tobacco barn, but would rather build one in the tool shed on gravel whats your all thoughts,

If it was me, and I couldn't (or didn't want to) afford a concrete floor in the whole area, and could dedicate an area for just the purpose of restoring etc. I'd just hand mix and pour an area big enoughfor the size tractor I planned on doing with enough room around for jacks. Could always add to it later if you want. At least smooth and tamp the area and (since I know me) surround it with a small trench (old rain gutter) to catch runnaway bolts & nuts.
OTH, I probably have the only barn in my little town with a concrete floor. rest are just well used, packed, & swept dirt. Much cooler and stuff don't seem to rust as much in those barns because moisture is absorbed into floor and walls (dirt/straw stucco).

Dave

well I can see some advantages to both gravel and concrete. As clumsy and decrepit as I am, I am constantly dropping small parts and fasteners and having concrete makes retrieval possible. On the other hand I am constantly having to clean up oil and paint spills which I wouldn't have to worry about if I were on gravel. Gravel would have to be very smooth and well compacted to make splits possible, so it probably wouldn't be much more work or expense to pour concrete.

You could always make a temporary pad with treated plywood. Six sheets of 3/4 overlapped in a 8X12 pad 1 1/2" thick should be enough to put up most older tractors on jacks and support it well as long as the gravel is level. Use liquid nails and screws to make it a solid pad.

I say, Try to work on some sort of pavement. I don't know why but all things small seem to vanish into the ground. Nuts, washers, fittings and even small sockets. BTDT

I work on them all the time on a gravel type floor. I do lay plywood down on it so my creeper can be used for some thing but I now would not want a cement floor. I do have one area that has the concrete and I can not work in that area as long as I can the other area because concrete is hard on a persons back

I'm working on dirt floor now until I can afford concrete. Paul

You did a good job on your "tractor shed".

Alot depends on where our tractor is parked.

Will drive a tractor into our shop area to do "repairs" on a gravel floor.

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Future plans include laying a cinder block/paving stone floor in the work area.

Unfortunately the gravel floor was also used by our barn cats for their "jobs".

I did all of the mechanical work (on one, every bolt apart at one point or antoher and every seal and bearing replaced and all that goes with that) and laid down primer on two tractors outdoors, working on weekends. Still needed to keep things like the crankcase ( while the head was off, sleeves were out and the crank out for turning) indoors under cover. Not bad work if the weather cooperates. Still, I had to borrow some heated and well-lighted garage space for the final finish and paint.

Spray some water on the floor with a garden hose before u paint, will keep the dust down, not on the fresh paint

Standing on concrete used to bother my back pretty bad too. Now my bad knee and bad hip make me sit before my back hurts. I picked up an old office chair on wheels with gas cylinder height adjust so now I can scoot around and up and down and spend a lot less time on my feet.

Worked a lot of years on dirt/gravel floors. You can do a good job it just takes some thinking through of some things. Like if you have to take a motor out make sure and use wide boards under jack stands and such things. One of the best looking JD 4020s I have ever seen was restored on a dirt floor. So I would just jump in and start. Too many people wait until its "perfect" to do something and they never get started.

LOL ya people have asked me why I have a few chairs in my shop and I say it is for when my back hurts. People with out problems do not understand we who do hurt can get a lot done we just takes our time doing it. But the mane thing is we still gets it done all be it maybe a few hours longer then it took years ago

In a way, I prefer a hard dirt floor over a gravel floor--I have spent a LOT of time hunting for small parts dropped in gravel. Especially parts that I cannot pick up with a magnet.

However I sure do like a nice smooth, but not too slick concrete floor to work on. It's also a real luxury to be able to do some jobs inside a building rather than out in the weather. I did clutch jobs a couple of times in my driveway so I could drive the car to work the next day. Once with snow blowing around me under the car. But I got it done!

"Restoring" a tractor can mean different things to different people. That can range from complete disassembly and returning all parts to factory condition and finishes, to the other extreme of repainting with rattle cans without taking anything apart or cleaning things very well. I don't claim to restore my tractors, but rather I just try to keep them working fairly well.

I think you could do a lot on your tractor in the buildings you have available to you. It is really nice to have a good concrete floor for some jobs, and it is easier to get a paint job to come out well in an area that you can get really clean and where you can avoid flying bugs. Good luck!