Deerelirious
New member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2009
- Messages
- 23
Hi,
I joined this forum last year (02/2009), while I was looking to buy a new compact tractor. And I thought that it was finally time for me to introduce myself. I'm a 61-year-old retired Union Steamfitter and I was also a certified welder during my working years.
I've always loved old machinery of all kinds, especially tractors. Having lived in the city for most of my life, I went to a lot of tractor events, but never owned a tractor until 2001. At that time, I was looking forward to my retirement, and planning to move out of the city once I was no longer working.... and finally buy me tractor!
One Sunday morning in the early Fall of 2001, I ran across a 1965 John Deere 110 Garden Tractor with it's original mower deck on it for sale on the Internet. It was located in Ashland, Nebraska, about 40 miles from my brother's (Tim) place just outside of Omaha. I e-mailed the link to the web page to Tim, and he phoned me as I asked him to. He agreed to drive out and take a look at the tractor, and buy it on my behalf if it was what it looked to be. At that point, I phoned the seller, asked him a few questions about the tractor, explained the situation to him, and told him that Tim would be calling him shortly.
I waited for a few hours 'on pins and needles', until finally the phone rang. It was Tim, and he told me that "the tractor was real piece of junk", and that he left it there. After I expressed my disappointment, he started laughing and told me that the tractor was sitting in his shop, and that it was just what I thought it to be....an original, one-owner, un-restored, and un-molested '65 JD 110. The 8 HP 'single-lung' Kohler engine had one re-build done on it a few years earlier... other than that, the tractor was 'un-touched' (with no modifications) as he put it. He went on to tell me that the seller had explained to him that the transaxle probably had a chipped tooth in it's gear train, and that the tractor would jump out of second gear from time to time. Nothing serious... it'still that way today.
The tractor sat at Tim's place until February of 2002, when we decided to ship it out here to CA. Tim crated it up and it was shipped (via truck) to me through my SIL's workplace. Once I got the tractor home, and un-crated, I serviced both the tractor and it's mower deck. We had a corner lot at that time with a fairly good-sized front lawn, and I spent the next few years using the tractor to mow the front lawn, and mulch the fallen leaves in the Fall of the year.
1965 John Deere 110 pictures from antiques photos on webshots
I retired in 2004, and we stayed in the city until 2006, when we moved up here to our 1.7 acre place in foothills of The Sierra Nevada. The JD 110 came along, and it wasn't long after we moved up here that I realized that with the varying degrees of the slopes of our parcel of land, combined with it's natural state, that I was going to need a larger, more powerful, four-wheel-drive tractor. That would have to wait a while, though. We had just bought a 35-year-old house from 90-year-old widow, and there were a lot of 'honey-do's' to be done, including a major 'major' kitchen re-model.. raising the ceiling and moving a wall three feet further out to enlarge the kitchen, not to mention new apliances, cabinets, flooring, etc.
Early in February of 2009, while I was shopping for bigger tractor 'on-line', I ran across a craigslist ad for a 1966 JD 110 that had it's original hydraulic lift, a front blade assembly, wheel weights, and a rototiller attachment. The tractor and it's implements had been sitting out in the weather for several years, and it was obvious that the tractor didn't run.
I phoned the seller and then drove the 150 miles to see it. After checking the engine for compression, I noticed that the tractor's carburetor bowl was sitting upside down in the battery tray, and the tractor's generator/starter motor was MIA. I asked the seller about it, and she had no idea as to who might have removed it or what might have happened to it... bummer! she went onto say that the tractor was in running shape when she last parked it in that spot several years before.
The seller was asking $350.00 for everything as I recall, I offered her $200.00 and she agreed to it. I went into town and rented a small U-Haul equipment trailer and headed on back to pick up the tractor. The tractor was 'stuck', with it's deflated tires having sunk into the mud during the numerous rainy seaason that it had sat there. I winched' it up out of the ruts and dragged it into the trailer with a cable come-a-along and chains. Then loaded up the front blade and rototiller, and headed for home with my new 'toys'.
Back at the house the following morning, I aired up the tractors' tires and rolled it off of the trailer. I cleaned up the tractor and it's implements, and that's the way it sits today.
My 1966 John Deere 110 Tractor pictures from home & garden photos on webshots
John Deere Model 42 Front Blade pictures from home & garden photos on webshots
John Deere Model 30 Rototiller Attachment pictures from home & garden photos on webshots
The 66's original 50 lb. cast iron wheel weights have been 'loaned' to my '65, which is mainly used to tow my Troy-Bilt chipper/shredder around the place. Eventually I hope to get the '66 up and running but for now, at least it's covered up and out of the weather, for the most part.
Just before I first stopped at the John Deere dealership in Auburn, CA in early February of '09, I had been to the Kubota dealer in Woodland, Ca to look at an "Internet Special" left-over 2007 Kubota BX 24. It's gauges and paint were faded from sitting out in the sun, along with the tires and hydraulic hoses starting to show signs of sun damage. The hydrostatic drive had a loud 'whine' to it, and the whole thing felt 'rough'. The salesman couldn't give me an answer on my firm offer, as I was told that their sales manager was out of town on business and couldn't be reached". (What, doesn't he have a cell phone?) So I left it at that and headed for the Deere dealer.
Once I drove the Deere, that Kubota was "out of the running" (in my mind). As I got in the truck to head for home, my wife told me: "You just didn't look right on that orange Kubota.. but you sure look like you belong on that John Deere". Nuff said!
About two days later, the Kubota salesman phoned regarding my offer, saying that they would accept it. I told him "You're too late, I bought a John Deere 2305."
Today, the JD 2305 TLB sits in the garage when it's not in use, moving downed timber, digging holes, moving rocks, cutting 'tractor trails' through the manzanita and trees down into the lower area of our parcel, etc. I can see the need for me to add both a tilt-meter and a 'thumb' to the backhoe, that's for sure. I eventually hope to put up a tractor shed out back.... to keep the three JD tractors in.
_________________
Regards, Deerelirious
I joined this forum last year (02/2009), while I was looking to buy a new compact tractor. And I thought that it was finally time for me to introduce myself. I'm a 61-year-old retired Union Steamfitter and I was also a certified welder during my working years.
I've always loved old machinery of all kinds, especially tractors. Having lived in the city for most of my life, I went to a lot of tractor events, but never owned a tractor until 2001. At that time, I was looking forward to my retirement, and planning to move out of the city once I was no longer working.... and finally buy me tractor!
One Sunday morning in the early Fall of 2001, I ran across a 1965 John Deere 110 Garden Tractor with it's original mower deck on it for sale on the Internet. It was located in Ashland, Nebraska, about 40 miles from my brother's (Tim) place just outside of Omaha. I e-mailed the link to the web page to Tim, and he phoned me as I asked him to. He agreed to drive out and take a look at the tractor, and buy it on my behalf if it was what it looked to be. At that point, I phoned the seller, asked him a few questions about the tractor, explained the situation to him, and told him that Tim would be calling him shortly.
I waited for a few hours 'on pins and needles', until finally the phone rang. It was Tim, and he told me that "the tractor was real piece of junk", and that he left it there. After I expressed my disappointment, he started laughing and told me that the tractor was sitting in his shop, and that it was just what I thought it to be....an original, one-owner, un-restored, and un-molested '65 JD 110. The 8 HP 'single-lung' Kohler engine had one re-build done on it a few years earlier... other than that, the tractor was 'un-touched' (with no modifications) as he put it. He went on to tell me that the seller had explained to him that the transaxle probably had a chipped tooth in it's gear train, and that the tractor would jump out of second gear from time to time. Nothing serious... it'still that way today.
The tractor sat at Tim's place until February of 2002, when we decided to ship it out here to CA. Tim crated it up and it was shipped (via truck) to me through my SIL's workplace. Once I got the tractor home, and un-crated, I serviced both the tractor and it's mower deck. We had a corner lot at that time with a fairly good-sized front lawn, and I spent the next few years using the tractor to mow the front lawn, and mulch the fallen leaves in the Fall of the year.
1965 John Deere 110 pictures from antiques photos on webshots
I retired in 2004, and we stayed in the city until 2006, when we moved up here to our 1.7 acre place in foothills of The Sierra Nevada. The JD 110 came along, and it wasn't long after we moved up here that I realized that with the varying degrees of the slopes of our parcel of land, combined with it's natural state, that I was going to need a larger, more powerful, four-wheel-drive tractor. That would have to wait a while, though. We had just bought a 35-year-old house from 90-year-old widow, and there were a lot of 'honey-do's' to be done, including a major 'major' kitchen re-model.. raising the ceiling and moving a wall three feet further out to enlarge the kitchen, not to mention new apliances, cabinets, flooring, etc.
Early in February of 2009, while I was shopping for bigger tractor 'on-line', I ran across a craigslist ad for a 1966 JD 110 that had it's original hydraulic lift, a front blade assembly, wheel weights, and a rototiller attachment. The tractor and it's implements had been sitting out in the weather for several years, and it was obvious that the tractor didn't run.
I phoned the seller and then drove the 150 miles to see it. After checking the engine for compression, I noticed that the tractor's carburetor bowl was sitting upside down in the battery tray, and the tractor's generator/starter motor was MIA. I asked the seller about it, and she had no idea as to who might have removed it or what might have happened to it... bummer! she went onto say that the tractor was in running shape when she last parked it in that spot several years before.
The seller was asking $350.00 for everything as I recall, I offered her $200.00 and she agreed to it. I went into town and rented a small U-Haul equipment trailer and headed on back to pick up the tractor. The tractor was 'stuck', with it's deflated tires having sunk into the mud during the numerous rainy seaason that it had sat there. I winched' it up out of the ruts and dragged it into the trailer with a cable come-a-along and chains. Then loaded up the front blade and rototiller, and headed for home with my new 'toys'.
Back at the house the following morning, I aired up the tractors' tires and rolled it off of the trailer. I cleaned up the tractor and it's implements, and that's the way it sits today.
My 1966 John Deere 110 Tractor pictures from home & garden photos on webshots
John Deere Model 42 Front Blade pictures from home & garden photos on webshots
John Deere Model 30 Rototiller Attachment pictures from home & garden photos on webshots
The 66's original 50 lb. cast iron wheel weights have been 'loaned' to my '65, which is mainly used to tow my Troy-Bilt chipper/shredder around the place. Eventually I hope to get the '66 up and running but for now, at least it's covered up and out of the weather, for the most part.
Just before I first stopped at the John Deere dealership in Auburn, CA in early February of '09, I had been to the Kubota dealer in Woodland, Ca to look at an "Internet Special" left-over 2007 Kubota BX 24. It's gauges and paint were faded from sitting out in the sun, along with the tires and hydraulic hoses starting to show signs of sun damage. The hydrostatic drive had a loud 'whine' to it, and the whole thing felt 'rough'. The salesman couldn't give me an answer on my firm offer, as I was told that their sales manager was out of town on business and couldn't be reached". (What, doesn't he have a cell phone?) So I left it at that and headed for the Deere dealer.
Once I drove the Deere, that Kubota was "out of the running" (in my mind). As I got in the truck to head for home, my wife told me: "You just didn't look right on that orange Kubota.. but you sure look like you belong on that John Deere". Nuff said!
About two days later, the Kubota salesman phoned regarding my offer, saying that they would accept it. I told him "You're too late, I bought a John Deere 2305."
Today, the JD 2305 TLB sits in the garage when it's not in use, moving downed timber, digging holes, moving rocks, cutting 'tractor trails' through the manzanita and trees down into the lower area of our parcel, etc. I can see the need for me to add both a tilt-meter and a 'thumb' to the backhoe, that's for sure. I eventually hope to put up a tractor shed out back.... to keep the three JD tractors in.
_________________
Regards, Deerelirious
