flusher
Super Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2005
- Messages
- 7,538
- Location
- Sacramento
- Tractor
- Getting old. Sold the ranch. Sold the tractors. Moved back to the city.
Im new to the forum, looking to buy a tractor from the used market. I dont know much about tractors, just went and looked at my first one tonight(ford 2000). Fresh/clean oil leaking from joint right under seat, all 4 tires rotted, yet tractor said 914hrs. Now I want to go look at a ford 3600 diesel and the guy told me it has just under 4300hrs. Judging by the hours on the first one, I figured mint condition, but it wasnt. So now Im contemplating the other one and thinking is it worn out with that many hours? Im also not finding much on the ford 3600 looking thru the forums, was it not a very popular model?
thanks,
Ken
Unless you have maintenance records on that 3600, you're flying blind. That diesel could be in good condition or it could be headed for major (read expensive) repairs in the near future. My 1964 MF135 diesel had 4600 hours showing when I bought it for $3600 in Jul06. But the seller had to break into the engine around 3000 hours to replace a cracked crankshaft. So he installed the rebuild kit at that time. That 135 tested OK so I went for it. Right now it has pto clutch problems that showed up a few years ago. But you expect stuff like this to happen on 50 year old tractors.
Test drive that 3600 and check for all the obvious problems (fluid leaks, funny looking smoke from the engine, shifting problems in the tranny and pto, electrical problems, etc). Then adjust your bid based on these results, figure in a discount for high engine hours and see if the seller will deal.
Good luck.