Price Check 1989 Ford 4610

[ovrszd]

Oreillys Power Steering Fluid.

 

[spitter]

2 wheel drive and loaders don't usually mix for any serious work. If you need to ad remotes it will cost u a pretty penny.:drink:

 

[RickB]

Oreillys Power Steering Fluid.

I would use whatever UTF you put in the rest of the tractor. IMHO automotive PS fluid is too thin for that system and your climate.

 

[rScotty]

Evening TBN.
However, current owner has offered to sell me his 1989 Ford 4610, with 1959 hrs, along with a 5' mower and an 8' sickle mower he bought new in 2018. Says he has only used it twice for the dam. It looks brand new. Tractor also has a Westendorf loader on it. He is asking $13500 for it, which seems pretty reasonable. Also offered to give me an extra tooth bar. Says he has had no problems with the tractor other than power steering leaking and he had a new pump put on it but it still leaks.

I know the 4000 series are known for their reliability but asking opinions on the price. T

Thanks in advance. Always value the opinions here.

My opinion is....I don't think you will get that price back out of it, but I also wonder if it matters. You could get 75% of that price pretty quickly and the advantages might well be worth the difference.

One advantage is that it is right there. And you seem to be describing a nice - looks like new! - but basic US farm tractor with all the right attachments including the right loader. 4WD and syncro tranny would be nice, but frankly I do most of my work at one speed and do most of my loader work in 2wd anyway. Those heavy pre-compact ag tractors did OK in 2wd.

And all for a reasonable price with what I'd say is low to medium hours. Well broken in but not broken up. Probably will run pretty much the same for the next 20 years just as it has for the last 30. It's a popular model without emissions, and well thought of.

I don't see anything wrong with that picture. If the leak is bothersome, I'd probably offer $500 less, and immediately put that back into fixing the leak. Otherwise I'd go for it. Frankly it sounds like you will get a lot of good out of it for not much downside.
rScotty

 

[hdmyers]

I paid $3000 including the auction fee. But I had to haul it home on a rented trailer from 125 miles away.

I'm really not sure what I have in it so far. I've been buying parts a little at a time and storing them. The biggest expense was the 3-valve remote. I got that on Ebay for $499+tax shipped from, I think, Holland. Or that area of Europe. That included the hydraulic lines to the connectors AND the connectors with covers. The rest was new instrument panel, new hood panels, ignition switch, light switch, shutoff cable, some new LED lights, paint and, of course, labels. Oh, and a lighter. I used to smoke at the time but no more. I'll still put it in for a USB charger. I forgot about the new tires w/tubes on new rims. Even so, I'm guessing maybe all that adding up to about $2500 since 2008. It could be a few bucks more but you loose track over that length of time.

This is a pic soon after I bought it. I already had the flail mower from another auction when I got my JD 420C. I think I paid $35 for the flail mower.

View attachment 668369

THe look of your tractor is complemented by the decal on the side.. but you probably bought iafter someone else trashed it.
a 'county' tractor should have been well maintained.... township/county maintenance typically being done on time with zero regard to parts costs.

 

[RickB]

2 wheel drive and loaders don't usually mix for any serious work. If you need to ad remotes it will cost u a pretty penny.:drink:

It has 3 remotes.
A 2wd loader tractor properly set up and operated by someone who knows how to use it will get a lot of work done.

 

[RickB]

THe look of your tractor is complemented by the decal on the side.. but you probably bought iafter someone else trashed it.
a 'county' tractor should have been well maintained.... township/county maintenance typically being done on time with zero regard to parts costs.

Municipal equipment is typically well maintained or not at all. Too many supervisors think a half empty salt shed is excellent machine storage and far too many municipal mechanics do just enough to keep machines functioning at the bare minimum level.

 

[ovrszd]

I would use whatever UTF you put in the rest of the tractor. IMHO automotive PS fluid is too thin for that system and your climate.

I'll try that Rick. Thank you!!!

 

[ovrszd]

Municipal equipment is typically well maintained or not at all. Too many supervisors think a half empty salt shed is excellent machine storage and far too many municipal mechanics do just enough to keep machines functioning at the bare minimum level.

I run a Township Grader. I keep records and maintain it above standard. I wax it twice a year.

Township next to me called and said there grader had lost power. Had to run in a lower gear when blading because of it. I went to take a look. Obvious lack of maintenance. I asked when the air breather had been cleaned? He couldn't remember. I opened the filter container and it was full of dust/dirt. So full I had to dig some out with a long screwdriver before I could get the filter out. I wish I had taken a picture...... Never saw anything like it....

 

[Tinhack]

Might be a couple of salt licks out in the fields but we don't have salt sheds in this part of the country. White stuff is pretty rare unless it's cotton. It is a shame how you feel about municipal mechanics in your area. Perhaps they're disgruntled dealer mechanics. They kept my tractor going for over 20 years and I've had it another 14. I think the engine was rebuilt and as I said before, came with many "new" parts. Those parts included an injector pump, power steering pump, assist cylinder, hose and alternator. If you're going to cheap-out, you don't put new parts on a tractor then sell it. At least not in Texas. We just don't care how we dress when there's work to be done.

 

[rScotty]

In buying an old tool of any kind I just don't care about the price as long as it is ballpark. Condition is everything.

 

[ovrszd]

In buying an old tool of any kind I just don't care about the price as long as it is ballpark. Condition is everything.

I agree. Makes it real hard to offer advice on price.

 

[RickB]

Might be a couple of salt licks out in the fields but we don't have salt sheds in this part of the country. White stuff is pretty rare unless it's cotton. It is a shame how you feel about municipal mechanics in your area. Perhaps they're disgruntled dealer mechanics. They kept my tractor going for over 20 years and I've had it another 14. I think the engine was rebuilt and as I said before, came with many "new" parts. Those parts included an injector pump, power steering pump, assist cylinder, hose and alternator. If you're going to cheap-out, you don't put new parts on a tractor then sell it. At least not in Texas. We just don't care how we dress when there's work to be done.

I was responding to the guy from Canada who was bragging up municipal maintenance. I do not need your sympathy, I have worked at dealerships in two states for over 25 years so I have seen the good and bad including a 25 year old TLB that hadn’t seen a transmission filter in over 15 years. Richards post about two motor graders in adjacent towns pretty much sums it up.

 

[ovrszd]

And to add to Rick's comments. Initial appearance is a very good indicator of maintenance to an experienced eye. I don't consider myself an expert but I knew this was a maintenance issue as soon as I saw the grader.

My 36 year old TLB isn't pretty. But it's clean. And it's obviously maintained, greased, etc.

 

[WW2017]

Appreciate all the responses so far. I am going to look it over more closely Saturday, but I'm pretty certain I'm going to get it, for several reasons. One, as rScotty said, "it is right there." It's 20 more HP than my gasser Ford 861, which doesn't have a loader or remotes. It's 40 more HP than my Kubota BX23S, which has a loader and backhoe. Both are great tractors and I have no complaints about them, but a), gonna be a pain to trailer them back and forth for the next 5 yrs until we build, and b), they seem too small and limited for this property. I could leave the 861 there since the place has a nice big shop, but with no loader, not much I can do other than mow, use the rear blade, and skid some timber out if needed. Not to mention he gets a little cantankerous when he doesn't get started every couple of weeks (another project I need to do this winter, tracking down the problem). The Kubota, while an extremely capable and underrated machine, is just gonna be too small for mowing, with only a 4' hog.

Another reason is the older gentleman I'm buying the place from has a shop/apt right across the road, and even though this is just a "get away spot" for him (he lives a couple of hrs away in the suburbs) he is there quite a bit, as he is retired. He offered the tractor and equipment to me because isn't going to need it and doesn't want to deal with having to sell it. He's got two other tractors in there but one is too small (8N) and one I just don't want (90 HP JD with grapple). The JD is a nice tractor and I will definitely want a grapple later but just don't want to spend the money right now (plus I'm just a little anti-JD, sorry !!). So, guess you could say it's just too dang convenient for me to buy this one, rather than look for something else, especially considering that he told me he used this one the most over the JD, with a few exceptions due to the JD being 4WD. The Ford is much more nimble and better suited for working in the woods and maintaining the trail, and as said previously, I know how to use a loader and what the limitations of 2WD are. I rarely put my Kubota in 4WD. I realize I may decide on something even bigger once I move there full time but I still see this one as being handy for mowing. Sadly, I may even see that I don't have enough work for the 861 to justify keeping it, and I really like that 861!!

The final two reasons I'm leaning towards this are really the only two reasons that count: one, I LOVE Ford tractors. Just think they are hard to beat for reliability, toughness, and dang it, they just look so dang good!!! Finally, I have the two tractors mentioned above, and will have two more (51 Ferguson TO20 and an AC D17 when my dad decides he's too old to continue taking care of his cattle), however, YOU REALLY CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY TRACTORS!!!!

Looking around this shop, it seems he takes good care of his equipment and he seems like one of those guys who can do a little bit of everything, so I'm just assuming the tractor is mechanically sound. I'll check it out better this weekend and post back with any issue I hope I don't find!

Thanks everyone.

 

[Birdhunter1]

If you get this tractor then send me an email address and I will send you the Owners manual for my 3910 (which is very much the same and includes alot of info on a 4610) and the shop service manual which has alot of 4610 info.

 

[WW2017]

Hey Birdhunter, thanks a bunch. I will definitely do so.

 

[ovrszd]

Sounds like a good plan. Post some pictures. We love pictures.