As you are looking at this article, then its obvious that you have an interest in vintage tractors. Collecting, refurbishing and maintaining vintage tractors from yesteryear has grown in the last few years. The reasons for this are many; firstly they are relatively low-cost to invest in, and look after and sometimes they cost less than the tax on a newer tractor. As Well, they can still be used to do some work. They also less compliacted than new tractors and much easier to maintain. Every tractor comes with its own history and can be restored to bring pride and a great deal of enjoyment to the restorer. But, the big question is how do you know what to buy and how do you make the right purchase?

Antique tractors come in many shapes and sizes. As with many things in life, you should first understand your needs as this will drive what and how you start your search. have a clear understanding of your needs before you start then you should translate this into a clear list of what you are looking for that will allow you to make a clear headed decision.

Depending on whether you are looking for an antique tractor for your land or you are planning to set about restoring as a hobby you will obviously choose select a diferent type of vintage tractor. Certainly some of the most sought after tractors make poor working tracting and on the other-side painstaking reconditioning of an extremely popular tractor may not be worth the effort (not to mention the cost of getting hold of parts no longer manufactured).

The first thing you should do is detailed research when thinking about investing in an antique tractor. Research books are available that have this information giving you a vast array of detailed information from prices to maintenance costs.

While collectability, horsepower, PTO, etc make up the evaluation criteria for determining what type, size, brand, or model of tractor you want are looking for, a more straight forward set of factors will be used for determining the specific tractor you will invest in. As covered earlier in this article, restoring a vintage collectable tractor will have a completely different list of criteria.

Antique Tractors Bought for Working

Finding an antique tractor for day to day use is much easier than looking for a collectable tractor, but you must be careful to choose well, as many people who make quick decisions live to regret their purchase and quickly become disillusioned with antique tractors. The first consideration you should have is not what type of tractor, but the layout of your farm, also how hilly is it and then what type of farm machinery will you be using with the antique tractor. If you plan on using the tractor for tillage, such as barley or corn, then you should consider a Nuffield 342, a Nuffield 1060 because other machines may be too low to the ground and cause damage to your crop. On the other hand if you have fields which are hilly, you may need to consider something like a Massey-Harris Pony or a Lanz Buldog 2806 . If you are going to use machinery, you should look at the horsepower requirements of this implement and make sure the tractor model you select has the weight and power to do the job. If you see the need for a 12 foot disk harrow, then you will need more power than a Fordson N Thorough research will make sure that you don't fall into these basic traps.

Once you have selected your model, don't pay much attention to the look of the tractor, the basic mechanics of the tractor should be the first thing you focus on.. Many good working tractors haven't seen paint in years and will have been patched up and mended with a range of strange materials.

It's very important they you test all the basic mechanics of the tractor, so take time to test the steering, gears, forward and reverse, PTO, lift, lights, indicators and hydraulics. Even if you plan to work on it straight off, you may not be interested in a complete renovation 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.. If you don't have these tools, don't panic as these tools can end up costing more than the tractor itself.. You should in this case rely on your own common sense and your own observation skills.

However, having said this, you should still be armed with the a basic knowledge on the operation of the tractor you are previewing. You should, at a minimum beg, borrow or steal a copy of the owner's manual for the particular model of tractor you are planning to inspect so you are familiar with its operation and basic specs and what to look out for.

Here is a partial checklist for a simplistic preview of a working tractor:

?Does it start from cold? - A tractor that starts easily from cold may 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, it still may be a good machine but you won't escape some work 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. After running look for leaks, antifreeze and both oil. Then, shut it down and see how it starts up again.

?Do the brakes work well - Although relatively inexpensive to replace, they are inaccessible on many tractors and will require a lot of work to replace. You can check the brakes by locking one wheel and cranking the steering to that side. The tractor should spin and the wheel should not rotate, do this for both wheels.

?Does it generate a lot of - Blue smoke indicates many potentially difficult problems like rings, pistons, or valve guides. Smoke that looks black or white can often be fixed with carburetion or ignition changes but still costs time and money.

?Does it make clunking noises from inside the engine - A simple ticking from the top of the engine may be a simple valve readjustment 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 conditions. This may be an indication of trouble with the bearings, crankshaft or piston rods. And mean a very expensive repair job.

?What condition is the oil in - After you have run it for a period of time, turn off the engine and check the oil for foaming or the presence of water. This is a big problem.

?Is there head oozing - look for signs that oil are leaking out the head gasket. If the tractor is covered with grease and oil, it may hide obvious signs of seepage.

?Is the clutch in good working order - a clutch is not that expensive to fix but splitting the tractor in half is outside what most people want to do.

?Inspect the Dynamo - There should be a little charge shown on the ammeter when the engine is turning over and a movement in the charging level when the lights are turned on (this means that the regulator or resistor switch and cutout is operating). At normal running speed, no release should be shown.

?Use the hydraulics - Check the full extent of the power 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 leak down. Clacking noises from the pump while lifting indicate the pump is not getting enough flow of hydraulic oil. The pump will have experienced excessive wear when run this way for long periods of time and may be ready to fail.

?Look for cracks in the structure - If you don't do this you may live to regret it. Go over the cast and steel components and look for hairline cracks. A few spots of weld will fix the problem but it does render your tractor unusable until these cracks are fixed..

If, on first inspection the tractor fails some of these areas, you may be able to use these as bargaining points and knock down the price (as it was you who discovered these problems). At this point you must decide if you have enough time to fix what you found... and pocket the savings. If your tractor needs are time-critical, run a mile from this tractor.

The best situation for investing a day to day tractor is either to buy one that is currently being used (but the owner is looking to upgrade) or from a reputable dealer. The first is usually someone just like you who needs a tractor on a day to day basis. These dealings are usually enjoyable and can even lead to a long term friendship that goes beyond the buyer/seller aspect. This type of person will in all likelihood even let you use the machine with on your land and tell you all those things they would repair if they were keeping the tractor.

Buying from dealers can also be a good idea but even at a dealer you should be armed with your rating criteria rather than relying on "the warranty". Even if your dealer includes warranties, transporting a tractor back for even free maintenance will cost you a lot of time and effort. Also remember that the dealer is there to make a profit for himself and may not have your best interests at heart. So buyer beware!

While many of the above examples 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 invest.