Farmall tractors , especially Cub Farmall Tractor and the Farmall H Tractor have proven their worth as tough worker farm machines tested in many countries under all kinds of seasons. While tractors were primarily used in farms, other industries that have since emerged also needed to have heavy hard working tractors – like logging, mining, and quarrying. Farmall had the foresight to build heavier and tougher tractors to work in these areas.

Considering its reputation buyers today has no hesitation to look into buying a used Farmall which is still a good choice of modern machinery especially for farm use.

And folks love them. They have history, Personality, and they are Americana!

Now a good Farmall is worth it’s cost, but you always have haggle room. Here’s how to maximize the savings.

A Stealth Technique I use is this (works for used cars, etc):

• Get a clip board and a legal pad of paper so it’s yellow. It looks a bit intimidating. Like your’re a lawyer.
• As you go around the tractor, jot down as much as you can even if you like it, the more you write the more it looks like you found flaws.
• Make sure to walk slowly and thoughtfully. And if you see a flaw just touch it quietly in front of the seller, don’t say anything. Just touch it with a finger.
• The slower the better. Write a lot.

Now, things to look out for.
Your Checklist of what to look into:

OPERATION.
By this, we mean checking how the tractor actually runs and performs.
how does the unit start?
If in one click it comes alive then it can reveal some facts, which include a healthy battery, good compression, and ignition fine. The “cold start” is vital for buyer to check.
Once the tractor is started and running does it perform well even if it gets hot? 
While the tractor is running, try to check for smoke and the kind of color, which can tell you a lot. White or black smoke can easily be remedied. Put your ear close to the engine and check for strange clunking sounds if any. Try to pull a load and check the sound if it persists. When it does it could mean the involvement of crankshaft, or bearings, or piston rods. Then check the clutch and how it is working.

INSIDE ENGINE PERFORMANCE AND FACTORS
Turn unit off and then check the inside of the tractor and examine oil or presence of water. Check the charging system by looking into the ammeter. When the tractor ammeter is running it is supposed to show no battery discharge. When traveling also check hydraulics and how much load it can pull. By having the tractor pull a heavy load the part being tested is the pump to see if it is getting sufficient flow of hydraulic fluid. Then look for structural cracks also in the steel superstructure and search for hairline cracks for it might be a waste of time if these seemingly minor elements are not corrected before buying the tractor unit.

Note of caution.
When you arrive, if you find that the tractor is already running, your evaluation will be affected even if the seller says that he checked everything of the tractor and they are working well. You want to see the tractor cold and then you will start it to find out other weaknesses of the unit.

Use your observations (which you have written on a checklist) as haggling tools. Remember that if a tractor is parked for a long period of time not being used serious problems can develop. If it is substantial and you think you can make the needed corrections easily then you can purchase it.

However it the defects need major time consuming change, do not buy it and look for another used unit to evaluate.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 at 11:29 pm and is filed under Antique Tractors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.