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Investing in your first Antique Tractor: How to spot problems

Published by Robert Thomson | December 15th 2008 | Views:

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As you are looking at this article, then vintage tractors are clearly of interest to you.

Test all the basic functions of the tractor, PTO, steering, gears, lift, lights, indicators and hydraulics. Even if you plan to work on it immediately, you may not be interested in a full reconditioning for some time and need to keep to a minimum the number of initial jobs. Your check list should 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.. If you are not lucky enough to have access to these tools, as many don't then don't panic. You should in this case rely on your own common sense and your own observation skills.

How easily does it start from cold? - A tractor that starts easily will eliminate several items at once Good Battery, compression, ignition wiring / magneto, tune up, fuel flow, Carburetor can be assured (not guaranteed) by this. If it doesn't start quickly from cold, it still may be a good tractor but you will need to spend some money on it . One key thing to watch out for is if the tractor is out and warmed up prior to your arrival, you lose an important checklist item, namely the cold start, because as we all g well - Although 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. White or black smoke can oftentimes be corrected with carburetion or ignition changes but still means work.

Does it make clunking noises from inside the engine - 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 show very serious and expensive repairs. The clunk should be more pronounced under load. This may be an indication of trouble with the crankshaft, bearings, or piston rods. And mean a very expensive repair job.

Work the hydraulics - Check the full extent of the rams by extending them with a load. Let the load sit in the hold situation for a period to be sure that there is no leakdown. Clacking noises from the pump while lifting indicate the pump is not getting enough supply of hydraulic oil. The pump might have experienced excessive wear when run this way for long periods of time and may be ready to fail.

While many of the above examples may sound a bit negative, you should do your research make sure you are aware of the particular issues a tractor may have before you buy.
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