Buying a used tractor - what to look for?

[sleuth]

I'm planning on buying my first tractor later this summer, probably a Ford 8N or 9N or something like that. I'll have a budget of around $2500. I know next to nothing about tractors and am hoping some of you can tell me what to look for on a tractor of this type.

From what I do know, I'm assuming I should look for an upgraded electrical system to 12V. I think all of them come with a 3-point hitch. And I'll want a live PTO. 4WD may be out of my price range. Minimal rust, good tires, etc.

For you tractor owners out there, anything else I that I can check before I buy or that I should be concerned about?

 

[k15n1]

This is an important decision! I've just been through it, so here's some thoughts to chew on.

If you want live PTO (and you do) you'll need to find a Ford NAA minimum. If you want to run a rotary tiller, you'll need to find something with really low gears or a hydrostatic transmission. The old Ford tractors run about 3 mi/hr at full throttle which is just too fast. Same for snow blowers... There were some Sherman low-speed transmissions that you could bolt on between the engine half of the tractor and the transmission (actually making the tractor longer) but those are super rare and it'll cost more than 2,500.

There are more old Fords than almost any other tractor ever made. But there are lots of other choices out there. I got a Ford NAA because it can be converted to other fuels and because you can still buy parts for it. For example, you can buy a new engine for one of these at Fleet/Farm.

The other thing to think about is what implements you want to run. I wanted a plow, disc harrow, and rotary brush cutter, so 35 HP is enough. But if you want to run a big tiller, you'll need a bit more. Also, the weight limit on the 3-point hitch can be important. For small implements, Category 1 is usually enough. The cost of implements is also an important factor. Some tractors will come with a bunch of implements and that'll be the cheapest. Otherwise, expect 500 for a plow, 600-800 for a 5.5' disc, 1,200 for a brush mower, etc, etc. It really adds up.

I highly recommend the 12-V conversion. Still, it's likely that you'll have to install a better wiring harness and a new battery. Lights are a plus but don't hold your breath. Rubber is a major cost, so make sure the back tires are OK (not cracked, etc) because that'll be 1,000 $ easy. I had to replace the front tires and that was about 250 $. To gauge the abuse on the engine, check the air and crankcase filters. If they're all buggered up, it's a sign of inadequate maintenance. Bring a compression gauge and socket to get out the spark plugs. Check the compression on all 4 cylinders. If they're all similar and within reasonable range (see the manual) it's OK. Even if they're all a little low, that's usually OK. But if 1 is very low, you should negotiate the price down by several hundred bucks. Look for welds and obvious repairs.

You may want to consider a walk-behind type tractor. They're very common in Europe and can be useful on farms that are 30 acres or less.

4WD would be nice but ag tires with fluid really work. Power steering and a front-end loader would also be nice but now you're talking real money.

 

[~gd]

It might be worth your effort to look at Garden [NOT LAWN] tractors Many have PTO but few have 3 point hitches. often have scaled down implements that won't interchange with Farm grade. Other wise Ditto k15n1.

 

[sleuth]

Thanks for the comments guys. I would like to be able to do (eventually) the following things with a tractor.

1. Post Hole Digger (right away)
2. Finish Mower & Brush Hog (right away)
3. Front Loader and Excavator (eventually)
4. Plant niche crops like pumpkins, perhaps a little sweet corn, etc. on my little 10 acre field. (within 2 years) - I'm not sure what implements I would need to do the plowing, the planting, and the harvesting work necessary. Also would like to be able to plant alfalfa, etc. to either turn under for fertilization or feed to horses.
5. Snow plow or ... whatever that scraper thing is you might pull behind.

~gd what kind of (used) garden tractors can you recommend that is in this price range and capable of doing most of the items named above?

k15n1, I'm going to have to find someone that knows how to check all those things you mentioned. I'm not the most gifted when it comes to working on this stuff. I'm working on these tractors for the first time.

 

[~gd]

Thanks for the comments guys. I would like to be able to do (eventually) the following things with a tractor.

1. Post Hole Digger (right away)
2. Finish Mower & Brush Hog (right away)
3. Front Loader and Excavator (eventually)
4. Plant niche crops like pumpkins, perhaps a little sweet corn, etc. on my little 10 acre field. (within 2 years) - I'm not sure what implements I would need to do the plowing, the planting, and the harvesting work necessary. Also would like to be able to plant alfalfa, etc. to either turn under for fertilization or feed to horses.
5. Snow plow or ... whatever that scraper thing is you might pull behind.

~gd what kind of (used) garden tractors can you recommend that is in this price range and capable of doing most of the items named above?Frankly none. There once was a fad for these tractors and when I was in the market many had been traded in either to go bigger or to go smaller [lawn tractor] good luck finding a post hole digger Front loader or excavator these machines don;t have the guts. I have never seen a finish mower and brush hog combo either. Garden tractors usually had rototillers culvators and grading blades {the thing on the back ~gd

k15n1, I'm going to have to find someone that knows how to check all those things you mentioned. I'm not the most gifted when it comes to working on this stuff. I'm working on these tractors for the first time.

 

[sleuth]

I didn't mean a brush hog/finish mower combo. I was just grouping them by similarity.

 

[k15n1]

I bought my tractor with basically the same list. One of the things I realized is that mowing a lawn with a tractor is kind of silly. To make use of all those horses you'll want a wide mower deck. The wide mower will only reveal how flat your lawn isn't. If it's 3-pt mounted, it won't follow the land perfectly and if it's belly mounted the tractor is too compromised to do anything else. My solution was to mow less grass. I use a small push-type mower around the house, pool, raspberries, and the kids' favorite trees. The rest of the grass grows long. It's a midwestern jungle. I'll overseed it with a CRP mixture this fall with wild flowers mixed in.

The post-hole digger requires a 3-pt hitch and PTO. They come and go on craigslist. You'd have to do a lot of holes to make this worth it.

Front-end loaders are nice but you can get a bucket for the back of the tractor that will do most of what you need. It's not the same but it's so friggin cheap compared to a modern tractor with power steering. You'll adapt to whatever equipment you have, so I doubt that it'll be a problem.

For farming implements, you'll need a plow and disc for most soils. If it's rocky, a disc plow but I guess those are not so common these days. I figure 15 HP per plow bottom and 5 HP per ft of dual-gang disc. A 5.5' disc is as wide as my tractor's tires at their widest setting.

Do you have a 1/2 ton pickup truck? That will make all of this a lot easier.

 

[~gd]

I bought my tractor with basically the same list. One of the things I realized is that mowing a lawn with a tractor is kind of silly. To make use of all those horses you'll want a wide mower deck. The wide mower will only reveal how flat your lawn isn't. If it's 3-pt mounted, it won't follow the land perfectly and if it's belly mounted the tractor is too compromised to do anything else. My solution was to mow less grass. I use a small push-type mower around the house, pool, raspberries, and the kids' favorite trees. The rest of the grass grows long. It's a midwestern jungle. I'll overseed it with a CRP mixture this fall with wild flowers mixed in.

The post-hole digger requires a 3-pt hitch and PTO. They come and go on craigslist. You'd have to do a lot of holes to make this worth it.

Front-end loaders are nice but you can get a bucket for the back of the tractor that will do most of what you need. It's not the same but it's so friggin cheap compared to a modern tractor with power steering. You'll adapt to whatever equipment you have, so I doubt that it'll be a problem.

For farming implements, you'll need a plow and disc for most soils. If it's rocky, a disc plow but I guess those are not so common these days. I figure 15 HP per plow bottom and 5 HP per ft of dual-gang disc. A 5.5' disc is as wide as my tractor's tires at their widest setting.

Do you have a 1/2 ton pickup truck? That will make all of this a lot easier.

My lawn man has a zero radius mower that he cuts in with but for the big jobs he has a 6 gang mower. Remember the old Reel tyse mow
ers that were pished by hand? He has taken o bunch of them and converted to pull mowers [recycle right?] and rigged so they overlap when pulled, He goes slow so the grass in clipped rather than chopped and since each cutting head is independent it fioats over the land. He has contracts for all the playing fields in town and cuts the fair ways for 3 golf cources [I don't know how they cut the greens] He is working on a second rig for his son.

 

[sleuth]

I bought my tractor with basically the same list. One of the things I realized is that mowing a lawn with a tractor is kind of silly. To make use of all those horses you'll want a wide mower deck. The wide mower will only reveal how flat your lawn isn't. If it's 3-pt mounted, it won't follow the land perfectly and if it's belly mounted the tractor is too compromised to do anything else. My solution was to mow less grass. I use a small push-type mower around the house, pool, raspberries, and the kids' favorite trees. The rest of the grass grows long. It's a midwestern jungle. I'll overseed it with a CRP mixture this fall with wild flowers mixed in.

The post-hole digger requires a 3-pt hitch and PTO. They come and go on craigslist. You'd have to do a lot of holes to make this worth it.

Front-end loaders are nice but you can get a bucket for the back of the tractor that will do most of what you need. It's not the same but it's so friggin cheap compared to a modern tractor with power steering. You'll adapt to whatever equipment you have, so I doubt that it'll be a problem.

For farming implements, you'll need a plow and disc for most soils. If it's rocky, a disc plow but I guess those are not so common these days. I figure 15 HP per plow bottom and 5 HP per ft of dual-gang disc. A 5.5' disc is as wide as my tractor's tires at their widest setting.

Do you have a 1/2 ton pickup truck? That will make all of this a lot easier.

I have a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 Lariat with 4WD. How are you thinking I could leverage it better?

I mow roughly 4 acres. I have 6 acres of woods that need a brush-hog, plus I would like to be able to brush-hog for a little $$ on the side. My 10 acre field is pretty-much a clay like soil. I have a little zero-turn Dixon ZTR with a 42" cut and 15 hp so it takes about 4 hours to mow the grass. The reason we want the auger is we want to install our own fence, but we're doing it a little at a time because we're cash-flowing it. Plus I want the convenience of having an auger around when I need it or when a neighbor needs it.

A lot of good tips. I appreciate the input.

 

[k15n1]

I bought my tractor with basically the same list. One of the things I realized is that mowing a lawn with a tractor is kind of silly. To make use of all those horses you'll want a wide mower deck. The wide mower will only reveal how flat your lawn isn't. If it's 3-pt mounted, it won't follow the land perfectly and if it's belly mounted the tractor is too compromised to do anything else. My solution was to mow less grass. I use a small push-type mower around the house, pool, raspberries, and the kids' favorite trees. The rest of the grass grows long. It's a midwestern jungle. I'll overseed it with a CRP mixture this fall with wild flowers mixed in.

The post-hole digger requires a 3-pt hitch and PTO. They come and go on craigslist. You'd have to do a lot of holes to make this worth it.

Front-end loaders are nice but you can get a bucket for the back of the tractor that will do most of what you need. It's not the same but it's so friggin cheap compared to a modern tractor with power steering. You'll adapt to whatever equipment you have, so I doubt that it'll be a problem.

For farming implements, you'll need a plow and disc for most soils. If it's rocky, a disc plow but I guess those are not so common these days. I figure 15 HP per plow bottom and 5 HP per ft of dual-gang disc. A 5.5' disc is as wide as my tractor's tires at their widest setting.

Do you have a 1/2 ton pickup truck? That will make all of this a lot easier.

I have a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 Lariat with 4WD. How are you thinking I could leverage it better?

I mow roughly 4 acres. I have 6 acres of woods that need a brush-hog, plus I would like to be able to brush-hog for a little $$ on the side. My 10 acre field is pretty-much a clay like soil. I have a little zero-turn Dixon ZTR with a 42" cut and 15 hp so it takes about 4 hours to mow the grass. The reason we want the auger is we want to install our own fence, but we're doing it a little at a time because we're cash-flowing it. Plus I want the convenience of having an auger around when I need it or when a neighbor needs it.

A lot of good tips. I appreciate the input.

The truck will make it easier to wheel and deal when you're buying implements on craigslist. Nothing kills a deal like uncertainty. If you show up with cash and a truck, the price can sometimes be made lower and no one can beat you to it.

Like I said, we're letting a lot of the grass grow long 4 hours a week could produce a lot of rabbits, chicken eggs, or vegetables. Just sayin.

Good luck on the tractor. Make sure you're having fun. Otherwise it's just work.