lets see.
space.
I could pull an ag chassie macine like a 8n/naa/600/800 into the bay of my shop.. wouldn't leave alot of room.. but can happen. in factg.. I had my naa in there a year ago to rebuild the steering and install the brackets for a loader.
the rowcrops are taller and have those drop box final drive axles and are just all around larger. if I neded cover I could pullt hem down to the barn... buat all my tools are in the shop..
so yeah.. they get worked on right outside the shop...
got a mower hooked up to her right now.. and that's probably her 'rest of life' job at least while I own her. I tend to stick specific tractors with specific jobs and then don't change them much. ( 850 moves hay, 5000/7610s mow with the big mowers.. etc. ) sell them? naw...
yep.. roughest one I've done.
I know it was going to be a bit of the project.. one, from looking at the pics, and 2, from talking to the owner. he told me plainly he wasn't very handy.. he had had the thing a year, and had already carught the dash cluster on fire and ruined all the wireing etc. the person he bought it from ran the snot out of it and apparrently the only 'fixing' tool he owned was an arc welder.
I also knew it would be a hard luck case due to the price. it's also the cheapest unit i've bought too.. that's a sign
when I got there I saw all the stuff the pictures hit.
vw gas tank, non oem radiator.. no charge syste, ( no genny at all.. no alternator.. etc.. ).. 2 pieces of garden hose were used to TIE the vw gas tank into the chopped up hood.. tank had jb weld and fiberglass patches on it.. lots of broken and missing fasteners and brackets.
i didn't realize I'd be removing sooooo many broken bolts and whatnot.. though I drove 7hrs for it, and it did start ok.. so I wanted to drag it home.. didn't want to come home empty handed after tractor hunting...
and sure.. i found hidden damage to the steeirng and hyds and rear end.. but that's part of the game...
I view it as a project. ie.. more of a journey than a destination.
when i say the condition, taking that into account with the price, I told myself that I would fix all the mechanical problems it had.. and if I ran into something expensive not fixable, I'd treat it as a parts tractor.. IE.. an assembled engine, trans, rear end.. etc. and use it accordingly, as I got it way cheaper than buying any 2 of those components by themselves.. since I own other rowcrops.. and other 00/01 series tractors.. it wasn't a bad stretch, though I did intent to try to amke it an operational machine, vs an organ donor. I didn't want to put alot of cash into it, though I didn't mind pouring on the labor.. I got lucky and found very affordable spare parts for it from friends here on the board ( our very own RickB from the NH section was one of them.. ), and on local craigslist.. so I'm not too deep into her for parts... labor was mine, and thus 'free'
shop supplies were limited to a walmart oil change and supplies..some cans of walmart carb cleaner.. most of a case of grease. I already had enough spare paint and primer to paint her left over from other projects. same with small spare parts items. on other refurbs I do,. I usually pull damaged parts and repair if I have time, or repalce with repop or good salvage.. then when i have time, I go back and repair the damaged aprts and put them on the shelf for later use. I aprticularly like to do this with pto assemblies. I keep an assy that will fit the 1955-1964 gear trans machines on the shelf. when one comes in with a bad pto shaft seal or bearing, I install my rebuilt one and toss the old one on the workbench. I usually keep common items like steering thrust bearings and pto seals and common gaskets and orings kits for the 55-64 fords on hand... thus when needed I open the drawer.. flip thru my cardboard dividers then pull the gaskets and orings / seals I need then go.
simple gaskets like inspection covers and pto and what not I cut myself from a master template. even exhaust flange gaskets. I keep a variety of rubber, cork and paper gasktet materials on hand.. even sheet leather for the old stuff.
for this project, I raided my box of spares and used alot of self-reconditioned parts I had.
still keep a spare pto shaft, starter, 6v gen and other asstd goodies on the shelf etc..
I'm also getitng a good collection of spare tires and body panels. right now I have about 1/3 of the sheet metal for a 55-64 machine tucked away into the barn. when i get a uinit in, I usually swap in my parts if they are better. then take some time and recon the old parts... etc.
soundguy
