Are Antique Tractor Collectors a Dying Breed?
- Thread starter bakerg
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WVH1977
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- Richmond, VA
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- Massey 2860M Cab, New Holland TC40, Hitachi EX100, Gravely Pro-Turn 152
I live around three older brothers who have been farming since they were kids. I never really paid attention to their tractors too much when I started hanging around them. I just knew they had a lot of old tractors. I have a 2005 New Holland TC40 and was looking to buy another newer tractor for a long time. I never even considered buying some old machine. Thought they would not be anywhere as good as a new one.
About a year ago, every time I would visit them or get help with something I started noticing those older tractors they were using. One of the brothers has two 861 Powermasters. He uses one for pulling an old 10 foot woods cutter for bush hogging around his 80 acres (this got my attention). After I saw him using that I started asking questions about these older tractors. The other brother has a 901 Powermaster that he completely rebuilt. He has had it since new. They told me how they farmed hundreds of acres with just these tractors for years. They also have several bigger Ford tractors with over 10,000 hours on them and guess what, they still use them all the time.
After years of watching, asking questions and just learning from these brothers, I have ended up with a 841 Powermaster with power steering. It is a 1959 model. I hooked up my 6 foot bush hog to it two weeks ago for the first time to do some cutting. All I can say is that the tractor is awesome. It pulls that bush hog along like it is not even back there. Good strong, solid tractor. It also looks better than my New Holland TC40. I am a converted man concerning these antique tractors. I am saving up now for a 861 Diesel Powermaster if I can find one. To have a 59 year old tractor that I am now using says something about old American iron.
About a year ago, every time I would visit them or get help with something I started noticing those older tractors they were using. One of the brothers has two 861 Powermasters. He uses one for pulling an old 10 foot woods cutter for bush hogging around his 80 acres (this got my attention). After I saw him using that I started asking questions about these older tractors. The other brother has a 901 Powermaster that he completely rebuilt. He has had it since new. They told me how they farmed hundreds of acres with just these tractors for years. They also have several bigger Ford tractors with over 10,000 hours on them and guess what, they still use them all the time.
After years of watching, asking questions and just learning from these brothers, I have ended up with a 841 Powermaster with power steering. It is a 1959 model. I hooked up my 6 foot bush hog to it two weeks ago for the first time to do some cutting. All I can say is that the tractor is awesome. It pulls that bush hog along like it is not even back there. Good strong, solid tractor. It also looks better than my New Holland TC40. I am a converted man concerning these antique tractors. I am saving up now for a 861 Diesel Powermaster if I can find one. To have a 59 year old tractor that I am now using says something about old American iron.
Gale Hawkins
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- Murray, KY
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- 1948 Allis Chambers Model B 1976 265 MF / 1983 JD 310B Backhoe / 1966 Ford 3000 Diesel / 1980 3600 Diesel
Your post shows the possibility we are starting to get renewed interest in old iron.
ultrarunner
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- Cat D3, Deere 110 TLB, Kubota BX23 and L3800 and RTV900 with restored 1948 Deere M, 1949 Farmall Cub, 1953 Ford Jubliee and 1957 Ford 740 Row Crop, Craftsman Mower, Deere 350C Dozer 50 assorted vehicles from 1905 to 2006
Anyone have an opinion of Deere Lindeman Crawlers?
I've always like the small dozer set up and they pop up from time to time.
I've always like the small dozer set up and they pop up from time to time.
Gale Hawkins
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2009
- Messages
- 11,771
- Location
- Murray, KY
- Tractor
- 1948 Allis Chambers Model B 1976 265 MF / 1983 JD 310B Backhoe / 1966 Ford 3000 Diesel / 1980 3600 Diesel
In working with the 1966 Ford 3000 to get it ready for the next 50 years of its active life it became clear over the last year one can not really increase the selling price if you start with running and working machine. I think some people think if they start with a $5K running tractor and spend another $5K on it should be worth more than $10K when it fact the actual selling price may budge up maybe $2K.
Over the long haul rebuilding a tractor to use may work out very well over buying a new one. The electronics of today's new tractors in a 50 year old tractor say in 2068 may lead to them being melted down. Hydrostatic drives may be a concern, etc, etc. However is a problem in a discard and replace society?
The 70 year old (1948) Model B Allis Chalmers with the bad engine after someone claimed to have spent $7500 on it in the last several years sounded like a good risk for $800. A week later the crank is being turned (mains going from .010 under to .020 and rods journals are still standard just polishing off the deposits from the rod inserts) and all the bearings and bushings need replacing but the cylinders are just getting honed since they had no ring groove as it is now planned. Of course we are going to rebuild the oil pump and replace the radiator with a new one.
Had they pulled the sleeves when they turned the crank at some point in the past and put $25 of new o-ring seals on the sleeves then they would not have failed leading to using the liquid glass stop leak that flowed into the crankcase cutting out the bearings. For years clearly it has been ran without a thermostat and had overheating issues. The two o-rings on the bottom of each cylinder sleeve were just a mess of rubber looking stuff.
While cleaning up the engine is a butt kicking hard task it is going to take a lot of cash as well. With a new like engine I would hate to think I could sell in in a few weeks for a profit or even get my money back.
It just happens to be very close in looks and feel to the Model B I played driving tractors on at the age of 3 and actually started driving it at the age of 5 and solo at 7 taking the rest of the family on the trailer to the tobacco patch while dad was at the sawmill working. A few years ago my sister gave me the same trailer that dad build using the front end out of a 1932 Ford car that still has the metal spook wheels of the 1932 car. The wood is still good enough to make patterns to rebuild the trailer back to like it looked back in around 1948 when dad built it.
As you can see if I wind up with $500 - $1000 more in the tractor then it would bring on Craigslist soon that makes no nevermind at this point. While our kids are only turning 21 next month I hope to have grandkids and even great grandkids to ride behind the B like their great/great great grandfather had 100+ years ago.
While I plan to use the belly mower on it some it will not do that much useful work I expect but the 1966 Ford 3000 will but we have a lot of money in it.
Actually our 'sweet spot' old iron is the basically one owner rusty 1980 Ford 3600 with 2300 hours that we picked up this last spring for $3500 have done nothing to it except change the oil so far and it does a good job with the 7' finish mower and the 7' twin spindle mower (both are Bush Hog brands). The twin spindle is my favorite cutter in my 67 years. It has no belts but cuts like a finish mower. Both of these Fords are diesel and have power steering by choice. At my age I need power steering.
In the real world as we age old iron can have it drawbacks in safety so keep that in mind. With that in mind a 70 year old tractor in good condition with good rubber can do everything it could do 70 years ago and they should last longer since I now use synthetic oil in the 1948, 1966, 1976, 1980 and 1983 four cylinder diesels except for the 1948 Model B.
Is old iron a good investment? I say no. Is it a better value then the imported new iron? Maybe yes and maybe no. There is no right or wrong way in my view. To me it is awesome to have $3500 tractor like the 3600 and a nice 7' twin spindle bush hog for $1500 ($4K new today) that I just keep a tarp over the seat up to the exhaust that I can jump on at a moments notice and spend a few hours late in the day making the community look better.
While the Model B was the first tractor that I ever used we farmed with one 800 series Ford then added the second a 5 speed with the double clutch to pull the AC - 72 pull type combine that had two million grease fitting that I had to keep greased with a manual grease gun that I had to suck the grease out of a 5 gallon bucket to refill.
If one does not like to work on fixing up old tractors do not buy one but as a warning you can't stop with just having one old tractor.
Sunday a guy came up to me telling me about a lady wanting to sell her late husband's old tractor that does not have electric start. I think there are old tractors parked in old barns all over the country. Not being sure if the old tractor new part houses will be around forever is one reason I tend to over overboard on a tractor that might get passed down some day. The 3000 with the Ford 711 one arm loader is my daughter's already because she asked for it. Yes it was show ready and now it has horse manure on the bucket and tires.
On that note I see no point in having a tractor if all you do with it is to look at it or drive it in a parade on the 4th of July if it is up in good working condition and you have a task for it to do.
If the Woods AC 59 mowing deck is up to it I hope to put 100 hours on the B between now and frost just for the heck of it to get the Archoil AR9100 bonded to all of the moving parts that run in oil/fluids this season since we use it in 100% of our engines and also in the tractor gear boxes, etc. I do not ever want to have to rebuild another engine due to the lack of lubrication for the rest of my life.
Maybe the question should be are antique tractor "users/collectors" a dying breed?
Over the long haul rebuilding a tractor to use may work out very well over buying a new one. The electronics of today's new tractors in a 50 year old tractor say in 2068 may lead to them being melted down. Hydrostatic drives may be a concern, etc, etc. However is a problem in a discard and replace society?
The 70 year old (1948) Model B Allis Chalmers with the bad engine after someone claimed to have spent $7500 on it in the last several years sounded like a good risk for $800. A week later the crank is being turned (mains going from .010 under to .020 and rods journals are still standard just polishing off the deposits from the rod inserts) and all the bearings and bushings need replacing but the cylinders are just getting honed since they had no ring groove as it is now planned. Of course we are going to rebuild the oil pump and replace the radiator with a new one.
Had they pulled the sleeves when they turned the crank at some point in the past and put $25 of new o-ring seals on the sleeves then they would not have failed leading to using the liquid glass stop leak that flowed into the crankcase cutting out the bearings. For years clearly it has been ran without a thermostat and had overheating issues. The two o-rings on the bottom of each cylinder sleeve were just a mess of rubber looking stuff.
While cleaning up the engine is a butt kicking hard task it is going to take a lot of cash as well. With a new like engine I would hate to think I could sell in in a few weeks for a profit or even get my money back.
It just happens to be very close in looks and feel to the Model B I played driving tractors on at the age of 3 and actually started driving it at the age of 5 and solo at 7 taking the rest of the family on the trailer to the tobacco patch while dad was at the sawmill working. A few years ago my sister gave me the same trailer that dad build using the front end out of a 1932 Ford car that still has the metal spook wheels of the 1932 car. The wood is still good enough to make patterns to rebuild the trailer back to like it looked back in around 1948 when dad built it.
As you can see if I wind up with $500 - $1000 more in the tractor then it would bring on Craigslist soon that makes no nevermind at this point. While our kids are only turning 21 next month I hope to have grandkids and even great grandkids to ride behind the B like their great/great great grandfather had 100+ years ago.
While I plan to use the belly mower on it some it will not do that much useful work I expect but the 1966 Ford 3000 will but we have a lot of money in it.
Actually our 'sweet spot' old iron is the basically one owner rusty 1980 Ford 3600 with 2300 hours that we picked up this last spring for $3500 have done nothing to it except change the oil so far and it does a good job with the 7' finish mower and the 7' twin spindle mower (both are Bush Hog brands). The twin spindle is my favorite cutter in my 67 years. It has no belts but cuts like a finish mower. Both of these Fords are diesel and have power steering by choice. At my age I need power steering.
In the real world as we age old iron can have it drawbacks in safety so keep that in mind. With that in mind a 70 year old tractor in good condition with good rubber can do everything it could do 70 years ago and they should last longer since I now use synthetic oil in the 1948, 1966, 1976, 1980 and 1983 four cylinder diesels except for the 1948 Model B.
Is old iron a good investment? I say no. Is it a better value then the imported new iron? Maybe yes and maybe no. There is no right or wrong way in my view. To me it is awesome to have $3500 tractor like the 3600 and a nice 7' twin spindle bush hog for $1500 ($4K new today) that I just keep a tarp over the seat up to the exhaust that I can jump on at a moments notice and spend a few hours late in the day making the community look better.
While the Model B was the first tractor that I ever used we farmed with one 800 series Ford then added the second a 5 speed with the double clutch to pull the AC - 72 pull type combine that had two million grease fitting that I had to keep greased with a manual grease gun that I had to suck the grease out of a 5 gallon bucket to refill.
If one does not like to work on fixing up old tractors do not buy one but as a warning you can't stop with just having one old tractor.
Sunday a guy came up to me telling me about a lady wanting to sell her late husband's old tractor that does not have electric start. I think there are old tractors parked in old barns all over the country. Not being sure if the old tractor new part houses will be around forever is one reason I tend to over overboard on a tractor that might get passed down some day. The 3000 with the Ford 711 one arm loader is my daughter's already because she asked for it. Yes it was show ready and now it has horse manure on the bucket and tires.
On that note I see no point in having a tractor if all you do with it is to look at it or drive it in a parade on the 4th of July if it is up in good working condition and you have a task for it to do.
If the Woods AC 59 mowing deck is up to it I hope to put 100 hours on the B between now and frost just for the heck of it to get the Archoil AR9100 bonded to all of the moving parts that run in oil/fluids this season since we use it in 100% of our engines and also in the tractor gear boxes, etc. I do not ever want to have to rebuild another engine due to the lack of lubrication for the rest of my life.
Maybe the question should be are antique tractor "users/collectors" a dying breed?