Do most older tractors leak?

[Gary Fowler]

It is obvious that you arent using it enough to keep the proper amount of oil 'sorb (dust) on the tractor. And by the way a 2002 is not OLD, heck it isnt even grown till at least 18 and 5000 hours or so. Most of the old farm tractors were used heavily spring and fall for 2-3 month and likely averaged 12 hours or more per day so it wasnt unusual to put over 1000 hours per year on one for the first 5 years or so, then they were usually replaced and or put out to pasture for a more gentle life. The engines were built to overhaul easily back then and parts were heavily constructed so you rarely saw a broken axle etc like on the CUT tractors today.

Machining of surfaces likely werent at the tolerances of todays equipment and relied on thick cork gaskets to seal. Cork is wood and over time will dry out and no long seal like many of the synthetic rubber type gaskets of today so I would say that all old tractors that havent been rebuilt recently will leak a bit of oil. If it is leaking like an old Harley then you may have to spring for a new gasket along with some mechanic work to install it.

 

[jenkinsph]

Seems to me most of the replies have been both an accurate and realistic summary of old tractors in general. If the leaks are bad enough you will wan't to address them. I have a few damp spots on my 820 but nothing I am going to worry about right now. This is a 40 year old tractor so I expect to see this. My injector pump is the next thing to fix as it leaks a little while sitting, more like a few drops a day. The 110tlb and 4520 have no leaks that I can see and with 1000 hours on the backhoe thats not bad.

 

[G3033H]

He'll my "NEW" tractor leaked from the time it was dropped off the truck ! Now the dealer is picking it up !

 

[LeviR]

It's just a fact of life. Old tractors leak. Like Gary and others said, tolerances, cork instead of rubber, etc...

Were they designed to leak? Obviously not, but nobody told the tractors that!

Old tractors are a far cry from today's tractors. The whole engine could be rebuilt by most owners. Worn cylinders? You just replaced the sleeves and rings. Lift wont hold? Turn to Group III in your Massey manual, and get to work....But on the other side of that coin, things didn't always get torqued to spec with the correct tightening sequence, old gaskets were reused in lieu of new ones, etc... things like that.

Unless it's pourin' keep it roarin'.....that's how it was put to me!

 

[mikehaugen]

Unless it's pourin' keep it roarin'.....that's how it was put to me!

:laughing:

 

[Soundguy]

some leaks are virtually 'normal' or at least expected.

leaks at cluth to eng would be rear main or inut shaft seal..e tc..

 

[murphy1244]

I would say my 67 MF 135 does not leak but I don't want to cause a gusher.

 

[Clint S]

Don't think of it as leak. Think of it as sweating horse power.

 

[Soundguy]

built in rust preventer!

 

[94BULLITT]

A tractor should not have a leak. A little seepage is alright and common. You are not going to get away from having a little oily residue here or there on a old tractor.