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How to purchase your first Vintage Tractor

By: Alex De Mostafa

Because you are reading this article, then you must have an interest in vintage tractors.

Make sure that your tractor performs all the basic tasks properly, so check the steering, gears, forward and reverse, PTO, lift, lights, indicators and hydraulics. Even if you wish to work on it immediately, you may not be interested in a full restoration for some time and need to reduce the number of upfront jobs. You should have a detailed check list which included at a minimum the following: does it start easily from cold, run well when hot, all the electrical components work well, does it have good traction If possible you should go to your test armed with a toolbox containing a compression tester, expensive Fluke digital multimeter, hydrometer, and other specialty tools. or bring somebody with you who has these tools.. However if you don't own a set of these tools or have access to them then don't panic.. You should in this case rely on your own common sense and your own observation skills.

Does it start from cold? - A tractor that starts easily from cold will rule out several particular problems in one shot Good Battery, compression, ignition wiring / magneto, tune up, fuel flow, Carburetor can be assured (not guaranteed) by this. If it doesn't start easily, it still may be a good tractor but you will need to spend some money on it . One thing you should be watch out for is if the tractor is out and warmed up when you arrived, you lose an important checklist item, namely the cold start, because as we all know a warm engine starts much more easily then a cold one..

How well does it run when warm - Getting it hot is a must if you want to find out how it will work after you plowed the first row. There are simple and complex problems that can cause the tractor to run poorly after it warms up. Make sure to run it for at least half an hour. Look for leaks, antifreeze and both oil. Lastly after warm up, shut it down and see if it will start.

Do the brakes work well - Although the brakes are inexpensive to replace, they are inaccessible on many tractors and will require a lot of work to replace.

Does it smoke - Blue smoke means a repair job like rings, pistons, or valve guides. Smoke that looks black or white can frequently be fixed with carburetion or ignition changes but still represent work.

Does the engine run smoothly - A simple ticking from the top of the engine may be a simple valve adjustment but a deep thunk from the bottom or middle of the engine would indicate very serious and expensive repairs. The clunk should be more pronounced under load. This may be a sign of trouble with the crankshaft, bearings, or piston rods. And mean a very expensive repair job.

Work the hydraulics - Check the full range of the rams by extending them with a load. Let the load stand in the hold position for a period to be sure that there is no slippage. Clacking noises from the pump while lifting suggest the pump is not getting enough flow of hydraulic fluid. The pump might have experienced a lot of wear when run this way for long periods of time and may be about to fail.

While some of the above experiences may sound a bit negative, you should do your background research make sure you are aware of the specific issues a tractor may have before you buy.

Article Source: http://www.newarticledaily.com

Patrick Malloney is an internet entrepreneur who founded Youtractor.com which offers 1,000 of tractor videos showing Farm Tractors

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