Buying Advice Buying a to30

[MikeAC]

Buy a Ferguson to30?
Hi<br>I am interested in buying this tractor (the ferguson)and was looking for advice. The current owner says he has owned this tractor, "forever" or at least it has been on the family farm that long. It has fluid filled tires, according to him, also good rims, clean oil and new antifreeze. Tires are 11.2x28 and the front are new, one rear tire needs to be replaced. Brakes he says "are perfect". It is a 12 volt system, the generator was changed to an alternator. He says it has a high/low transmission, 4 spd, and has had a recent tune up/ going over. He is asking 2200.<br>I have a kubota 27 hp 4 wd currently and am keeping it, but would like to use the ferguson for mowing, and also if possible for a 2 -14 inch ferguson plow. The kubota does not align well with the plow. My questions are: would the ferguson be capable of pulling a 2 bottom plow in heavy clay soil? Is it suitable for a 5 ft bushhog, (assuming i use get an override clutch for the rear pto). I understand they are about 25 hp. I have a time using the kubota to plow,although the kubota was not designed for plowing and does not have ag tires. What would you look for in checking out this tractor?( I have not seen it yet in person), is the price reasonable assuming that the sellers description is valid? How much to replace the rear tire?<p>Thanks!

tractors IH /fergerson

 

[MikeAC]

Re: Buy a Ferguson to30?
ok i drove it today. checked the weep hole, exhaust ,shifting, and swang from the lifter arms(they held)etc. I could not test compression, the seller did not want anything mechanical touched, was selling it for a relative. clutch and brakes where good, but the shifting seemed hard. the high /low shifter allowed 8 forward speeds. High range ran really fast. Also, would take 2000 cash for the tractor. Any comments? on the shifting? I can to basic maintainance but don't want to rip a tractor down. i have enclosed a link to some pictures i took.
Flickr: Kumpulan Foto ac1897

 

[BobG_in_VA]

Appears to be a 4 sp with a Sherman Hi/Lo...good trans....does the alternator work? Yes, it will pull a 2 bottom 14" plow, and quite suitable for a 5' brush hog. A new rear 11.2 x 28 can be expensive...how bad is the current tire. For $2K...I'd say its a A-OK deal. BobG in VA

 

[MikeAC]

Ther is a little life left in the one rear tire. The others Have better rubber. I think it is a step up Sherman on the the tractor, but don't know for sure. It is a new agricultural alternator which replaced the generator, that is what I was told.

 

[The kid]

Re: Buy a Ferguson to30?
ok i drove it today. checked the weep hole, exhaust ,shifting, and swang from the lifter arms(they held)etc. I could not test compression, the seller did not want anything mechanical touched, was selling it for a relative. clutch and brakes where good, but the shifting seemed hard. the high /low shifter allowed 8 forward speeds. High range ran really fast. Also, would take 2000 cash for the tractor. Any comments? on the shifting? I can to basic maintainance but don't want to rip a tractor down. i have enclosed a link to some pictures i took.
Flickr: Kumpulan Foto ac1897

I'd speak with the owner face to face before handing any cash over. Get the owners phone number to address questions. If you decide to buy right away. Take a picture of the tractor and the seller together. Ask the owner over the phone if you can check compression. It has gone thru a cosmetic restoration and without knowing the engines condition, it would be crap shoot. The price is right if the Z129 Continental engine is in good shape. If the tires starts leaking, you could always put a tube in it and refill it. Dismounted and tube will set you back under $200 but the tire would need to be drained first. Puting a tube in is conditional. The person doing it will determine if the tire can withstand remount seating pressure without ripping the tire apart. Pricy when full of liquid. Mine cost $175 unfilled. You can refill a tire yourself using non volatile windshield washer fluid. The caution lights in the back appear to not be hooked to anything. Easy DIY. Does it have a serial number on or around the dash? Usually just below the battery mounted on the battery mount on left side. Unusual color scheme. Most are just grey. Some are Red sheet metal and grey body. Grey from factory though. From appearance only it looks nice and could easily be worth the money.. IF. Good luck.

 

[MikeAC]

From what I was told the owner is his relative and she lives out of state. Family members drove the tractor growing up and have owned it since purchase from dealer,was used for seeding mostly. We will see.

 

[The kid]

From what I was told the owner is his relative and she lives out of state. Family members drove the tractor growing up and have owned it since purchase from dealer,was used for seeding mostly. We will see.

Then they would know if anything has been rebuilt. If he can't prove everything works, then the price just dropped. JMO.

 

[Jerry/MT]

We've had a TO-30 for 16 years.T he TO-30 developed almost 31 belt horsepower from the Nebraska Test. It was designed to pull two bottom plows. It will handle a 6 ft rotary cutter without front ballast under most conditions as long as the cutter weighs no more than ~ 650-700 lbs. It doesn not have live hydraulics or live pto and since it has a transmission drive pto, you do need a ORC for pto driven equipment that has rotating high inertia.
The biggest weakness of this tractor is block cracking in the engine. So check the cranckcase oil carefully. A compression check is also a wise thing to do and it's really simple and quick so I don't know why anyone would not allow it. They tend to be hard to shift if you are used to synchronized transmissions. Check the transhydraulic oil ,. If it looks like coffee with double cream, you're looking at about $60 to change it.
Parts are readily available for it. The step up step down auxilliary transmission is a better choice followed by the step down only.
Considering it needs a new rear tire , find out what it costs for a new tire and tube installed and filled.
If the tractor starts easily, shows no blue smoke and the hitch works with a plow on it it and holds the weight for 15 minutes with the pump/pto disconnected (lever on the LHS near the floor board connects and disconnects the pto/pump)) and with good tires, I'd think $2000 is fair. With one bad tire I'd think it's worth less. If it had a step down aux tranny I would give $2200 less part of the cost the cost of the replacement tire. I'd also make a satisfactory compression check, dry and wet, a condition of the sale. New compression is around 125 psi at sea level conditions(29.92 in HgA on the barometer) and 90 psi is a worn engine. Variation between cylinders should be less than 10 % Really low compression that dosn't improve much dry to wet is generally indicative of burned exhaust valves .

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

[MikeAC]

After a lot of thought, I decided to pass on this one, for the reasons cited above. The transmission fluid did look just like coffee with cream, the tire would definitely need to be replaced at about $400 with me doing the removal and transport. I could not test the cylinders and there were no impliments to test the pump/pto. I'll keep looking. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[Jerry/MT]

After a lot of thought, I decided to pass on this one, for the reasons cited above. The transmission fluid did look just like coffee with cream, the tire would definitely need to be replaced at about $400 with me doing the removal and transport. I could not test the cylinders and there were no impliments to test the pump/pto. I'll keep looking. Thanks for everyone's input.

Water in the transhydraulic fluid is common in the TO- series fergusons and the Ford N's, etc but not necessarilly a fatal defect on a TO-30. It's generally cause by condensation and lack of use.

As I pointed out, cracked blocks are their biggest issue.