Challenging restoration or junk??

[Dogballs]

Nobody abandons a perfectly good grader...

If it wasn't economically feasible to repair it back then it probably isn't now either.

 

[HCJtractor]

If I restored it, I would use it to maintain about six miles of dirt roads on my place. I would not care about show quality or originality, just whether or not it worked. I also brainstormed about how to use just the blade mechanism and adapting it into a 3 point hitch implement. I hate to see it just rust away.

 

[beenthere]

Sounds like you have a good reason to restore it, and prolly can make it worth while to do the job. There is no substitute for maintaining roads over the grader, and your find should do that real well. Good luck and success to you. Hope you see your way to giving it a shot, and making it run again.

I like your thought of putting it on a three point, but am thinking it would take a lot of work and be a lot of weight, and have to be a real serious makeover to get that to work for you. But...don't let me discourage you thinking more on how to do it.

 

[crazyal]

Do you have a way to move it and a place to store it? If so then by taking it you are not out any real money and if you find it costs too much for you to fix you can try to sell it for a few bucks or sell it as scrap (seams like a shame to cut it up though).

I've seen a lot of equipment like that just parked because it needed some work and the owner just didn't have the time. It could be one of those types that always needs some fiddling to get it running and it just wasn't worth the effort but he didn't want to get rid of it either. Usually they are out of sight and unless you stumble across them you would never know they were even there.

I know where an old International KB7 truck is parked. The land owner would give it away but it has been parked there so long trees have grown up around it and through the frame that are now 25 to 30 years old and a lot of them would need to be cut to get the truck out, something he's not willing to do.

 

[KWentling]

I also brainstormed about how to use just the blade mechanism and adapting it into a 3 point hitch implement. I hate to see it just rust away.

If I had it that is what I would look at doing. Could be either pulled by the tractor drawbar or a 3 point hitch arrangement. It would take fair sized tractor to handle it.

Kim

 

[Mace Canute]

I'd definitely salvage it. It would be almost criminal to let it rot away or get hauled off for scrap metal. 6 miles of dirt road? Wow! Lots of room to play with it! It's not like it won't be worth anything when you do fix it up, it will be a valuable antique. The Model "D" was introduced in 1949 and remained in production for over 20 years. Here's what it will look like once you have it all done! P.S. I saw one estimate of it's weight...8500 lbs.

 

[czechsonofagun]

Another vote for restoration or at least fix up to work again.

 

[rtimgray]

If you've got the time and inclination, it could be a good project; if not, it would seem to be about $600 of free scrap (if it weighs 8,500 lbs at the rates that are current around here) if you can haul it off.

If it were me, I'd take it and start tinkering when time allowed. If it ended up taking too much money or time, I'd scrap it. Good luck.

 

[Egon]

Transmission and final drive parts, if required, may be the hardest to come by??

 

[HCJtractor]

I'd definitely salvage it. It would be almost criminal to let it rot away or get hauled off for scrap metal. 6 miles of dirt road? Wow! Lots of room to play with it! It's not like it won't be worth anything when you do fix it up, it will be a valuable antique. The Model "D" was introduced in 1949 and remained in production for over 20 years. Here's what it will look like once you have it all done! P.S. I saw one estimate of it's weight...8500 lbs.

Thanks for the picture. That really looks nice! Very tempting!!