Well, my boy and I went to look at that Ford this afternoon. Turns out it was a '68. Looked pretty decent, but I had one major concern. I printed out the pages of the 2000 service manual concerning serial numbers. According to the serial number, the tractor did indeed have a live 540 PTO. The guy told me the guy he bought it from told him it had a two stage clutch, but that's all he knew about it, he didn't know how to work it. He told me he had to turn the tractor off to engage the PTO and he just cranked it with the PTO engaged. I tried pushing down the clutch and it did feel like it was a two stage clutch catching just a couple inches before it hit the floor, but when the guy would gently try to engage the PTO with the tractor running, it would grind. Is this a sign that neither of us know what the heck we're doing, or a sign that the PTO engagement is worn out or needing work? My other thought was that the original serial number signified that the tractor was built with a live 540 PTO, but possibly the transmission had been changed out at a later date. My son got pictures of all the various serial numbers I think, so we can look that up if we can figure out how to. I admit I was a bit disappointed, but glad I didn't jump into anything. I told him I'd ask my mechanic buddy about it and see if we could figure it out. He really didn't seem like he wanted to sell it even though he's only had it about 6 months. He said he sold his 8N to buy this just to bushhog with, but this was too much. He could do everything he needed to do with his JD zero turn mower. He's only bushhogging a couple acres. Any thoughts? My other question is how do I tell if it has a locking differential? The brake pedals were locked together with a pin underneath, but after the PTO discussion, I didn't feel like getting into a differential discussion with me not knowing anything about that either. (sigh)
My buddies want me to go to a tractor dealer and finance a brand new tractor. They say it will last me the rest of my life and they're probably right. I just see a lot of horror stories from ALL brands about not getting dealers to honor warranty situations and what not. And dang it.... I don't WANT to finance a new tractor. You'd think that at 50 years old, I would know how to handle peer pressure by now. LOL
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Usin Your Implements: Bucket Loader - by Curtis Von Fange. Introduction: Dad was raised during the depression years of the thirties. As a kid he worked part time on a farm in Kansas doing many of the manual chores. Some of the more successful farmers of that day had a new time saving device called a tractor. It increased the farm productivity and, in general, made life easier because more work could be done with this 'mechanical beast'. My dad dreamed that some day he would have his own tractor with every implement he could get. When he rea
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
Sell 1958 Hi-Altitude Massey Fergerson tractor, original condition. three point hitch pto engine, Runs well, photos available upon request
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
