A sinking feeling in my stomach

[tmajor]

On a slightly different note: When I worked on aircraft communication and navigation units, occasionally, I would get one, which would not work in the guy's plane. Even though the "boxes" looked the same, some had additional features. When it came down to "this would never have worked, as you say, in your airplane", the truth would come out.

Someone, would steal a radio from one plane and put it into another plane. The radio, which had been replaced in the second plane, would then be sold. Nobody was looking for "that serial number" radio, because it had been re-installed and the actual owner had a radio, therefore wasn't looking for his stolen radio. Ya know, what I mean?

 

[California]

Know what you mean, I got close to a similar scam.

I went to look at a Subaru advertised on Craigslist; the guy's kid showed me the wrong Subaru. That one had a vin plate on the dashboard but its rivets had obviously been drilled out. The alarm module was loose in the glovebox with cut wires sticking out of it. The kid let me take a test drive and I stopped by the nearby CHP field office to show it off. The officer on duty said just take it back and forget you saw it. A month later I read of a major chop shop bust.

 

[284 International]

I plan on informing the seller of the situation; the results of the CHP visit will determine how things are disclosed...

I'm fairly confident the thing is a YM240D. It has a 2 speed PTO with an internal overrunning clutch, US-style throttle linkage, and what California said is a revision 4 air filter assembly. (My pics here that I robbed from California.) The loader appears the same as the one in these photographs too, made from channel steel and square tubing, where my earlier (has an automotive style air filter) YM240 has round tubing with square uprights.

Following a post here puts the suspected 240D serial number a little over 100 units later than justanotherjoe's machine, which again seems to match.


It also looks exactly like my YM240. The seat has an ancient, faded sticker that says "Sold and Serviced by _______" from an unreadable International Harvester dealer. (I happen to recognize the emblem.)

None of this changes the fact that the serial number plate clearly appears to have been ground. As California pointed out, fenders are replaceable, and tmajor showed how easy it would be to put a non-reported part as the sole identifier onto a machine that is "hot." The fender plate says "YM 240D," and I doubt they replaced it with the exact matching part. It's going to be reported, documented, and dealt with accordingly. It may mean I keep it since it's not in the system, it may mean I get my money back after legal action, or somewhere in between.

 

[Barry 1]

My 186D has a flat spot,that looks just like the one in your picture,BUT,that is not where the number is on mine. It is on another flat spot,half way up the left side of the transmission,where it bolts to the center section.Maybe you are looking in the wrong place?

 

[J_J]

Was the serial number on the bill of sale?

The insurance might have already paid for this tractor. Do you want to give the insurance company more money for it, if you can find out who paid.

You could say nothing, you paid good money, or you could convince the dealer to take it back .

You could stamp your own set of numbers on it, just for identification.

 

[California]

My 186D has a flat spot,that looks just like the one in your picture,BUT,that is not where the number is on mine. It is on another flat spot,half way up the left side of the transmission,where it bolts to the center section.

I lightened the center of this photo where the serial number apears on my YM240.
Mine matches 284's photo at the top of this thread. I don't think there is a second flat spot on YM240.

I first posted this in a thread about a stolen Yanmar but that one was a YM2002.

 

[clemsonfor]

Was the serial number on the bill of sale?

The insurance might have already paid for this tractor. Do you want to give the insurance company more money for it, if you can find out who paid.

You could say nothing, you paid good money, or you could convince the dealer to take it back .

You could stamp your own set of numbers on it, just for identification.

He bought it from a guy. Its not his or the previous guys who it was stolen from? I doubt whoever had this tractor had insurance on it.

My guess is that the police will not do anything after a very minimal search. There is no way to tell what it was the serial number is the only vaugly identifying feature on these old tractors. Plus there is no way to tell that 2 owners ago the rear trans section was not purchased to replace a busted gearset from a bone yard this way. Dont mean it wasent stolen but there is really no way to tell. Unless there is a local guy that is missing a ym240D? And has pics of it with some identifying bend or mark on it, which is unlikly.

I agree with 284 though asking is the right thing to do.

 

[284 International]

I did the best I could with what I've got. An inspection by an officer determined that yes, the serial number was, in fact, ground off.

Their search of records revealed no reports for a tractor with the serial number from the fender plate.

The serial number on the chassis was not restorable, and nobody at the station seemed particularly worried about it. They were more surprised that I had come in and asked about it.

I think my due diligence has been done; I don't know what else there is to do.

I'm relieved it didn't come up as stolen. :thumbsup:

Pretty soon I'll have a thread comparing the 2 and 4 wheel drive versions of the YM240, and some other assorted projects.

 

[Gator6x4]

Could have been ground off - Could not have been. Could be a replacement part without a serial number. A previous owner could have replaced/had part replaced and the serial number was removed to prevent unit having two different serial numbers assigned.

Some rainy day you might want to try this: http://www.evidencemagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=366

 

[Domush]

You found my stolen YM240!! Ooh, and it's a 4WD one. Yep, that is definitely mine! PM me for the address you can deliver it to. <whistles innocently>