Buying Advice 1955 International 300 Utility

[Carl in CT]

I looked at the tractor last night. It smoked a little at first but cleared out completely after a minute or two. It ran really well but the owner told me he forgot to mention it it has an oil leak at the rear main seal but it's not bad and he just keeps an eye on the oil. I went underneath and could see it dripping very slowly but after an hour there was an oil spot on the driveway about 6 inches in diameter.

Other than that and some rust eveything worked well. It did steer a little hard but not that bad, the backhoe helps take some weight off the front. The hoe is huge, built like a tank and looks like it weighs a ton. He said he had all of the cylinders on it rebuilt a few years ago. There was not a place I could try digging but it did move well. Didn't have the kind of outriggers I'm use to. The whole backhoe assembly goes down and rests on the ground with two feet the manually swing down and lock in with pins.

Not sure how scary that rear main seal issue is. If it needs to be fixed it's very scary to me. If it runs ok for a few years but leaks a little oil, no biggie. I think he would take between $3,500 and $3,800 delivered. If the darn thing holds together for a few years it seems like I'm not going to find a working backhoe/loader for less. If I could find something for around $5,000 with no big issues I would spend that much but not easy to find. I'll keep looking for now and think about this one until someone else buys it.

 

[Carl in CT]

Well, I passed on this IH 300. The rear main seal leak just scared me off I guess. Well, that and I bought a MF loader backoe instead for only $3,000. It was in better shape overall, no major leaks and even had power steering that worked well. The guy says it's a Work Bull 55 but I don't think such a thing exists. I think it's a MF65 with Davis loader and backhoe but not sure yet. If anyone is interested I will be posting pics and details in the MF forum later in the week. They guy is bringing the tractor to my house Wed night. Here's the forum link,

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/massey-ferguson-buying-pricing/180747-mf-202-loader-backhoe.html

Thanks for everyone's advice, I really appreciate it!!!!!

 

[Jdy]

My 300 utility is now having steering problems . It has power steering but is not working. The mower will raise just fine. What is my next step to take . Tear the steering box apart , is there another point of attack ? Thanks for any advise.