N H TC35

rims421 · Dec 22, 2008

I am looking at upgrading my tractor from a cub cadet 7275 (27 hp. approx 2400hrs)with FEL and 6.5' 3 pt. backhoe to a New Holland TC 35. (35 hp.)
The tractor has approx. 1300 hrs, a NH FEL, and Woods frame mount 7.5' backhoe.
It is 4wd. and hydro trans.
I was able to test drive it, everything works and it seems to run well with no leaks.
It did seem to have a few cosmetic issue's.
The seat is torn, the cowl was missing a few bolts, pedals worn, hood latch not working, etc.
The asking price was $14,500.
Talked them down to $13,000
Does this sound like a good deal?
Anything else I should look for before I pull the trigger?

Soundguy · Dec 23, 2008

Sounds like a deal to me... Figure the backhoe and loader add as much as 6k$ at minimum to the tractor value.. that means you are getting a 30-ish hp tractor with 4wd and hydro trans for 7k$ bucks.

At that HUGE savings.. ( 50% ).. you can recover the set.. or use a curved needle and stitch it up with a patch.. or iron on a patch then stick some black cloth tape over it.. and then you can hit the hardware store and buy a pack of bolts for the cowl.

Worn pedals on a hydro ain't so bad.. worn pedal on a clutch tractor means you need to check the clutch.

Hit a 3$ rattle can of paint ont he worn pedals and she will look new again.

Latch? I havn't met one yet that I couldn't jimmy-up and make work with small hardware and some hand tools and an hour of sweating..

Cosmetic damge that reduces the price is your friend.

I got a great deal on my NH 7610s that was 2ys old and had 700hrs.. owner used it in an orchard and ket running the left fender into trees and the aluminum sun shade into low branches... fender was crumpled and shade had some bends... dropped the price to sell by near 10k$ though...

as with any used machine.. see if it leaks.. has oil in water.. water in oil.. make sure she starts cold and hot good and that the hyds and pto function.. and steeirng and 4wd works... if it does.. it sounds like a CHERRY of a deal.

I'm sure others will chime in as well.

soundguy

kozak · Dec 24, 2008

rims421,

Holy-Ring-Moly.....TC35 with FEL and BH, I'd buy that rig in a heartbeat for that price. Even converted to Canadian fiat currency.....say roughly $15.6K, it's still a steal at relatively low hours. As Soundguy indicated, at that price it gives you room to fix some of the cosmetics or any other issues that may arise after you use it.

Will they let you put it through its paces. Would be nice if you could try out both the FEL & BH on a pile of dirt.

Definitley check out the stuff Soundguy listed. Also check under the hood & see if radiator and/or area around the battery are corroded. NH CUT's have had an issue with leaking battery fluid. May be able to reduce price even further.

Have the tractor started & run for a while. If the temp gauge does not go up, you will need to do another mod on the tractor coolant system. For some reason the Class III NH Boomers were notorious for this. I had to get my coolant system re-tubed to fix. Fairly simple job actually.

Good Luck & post pics if you get the tractor.

Vic

jinman · Dec 24, 2008

Make sure the PTO and 3PH works. If this is at a dealer, ask them for a 30-day guarantee so you can take off the BH and see how the PTO and 3PH operate. They may volunteer to do that and show you rather than give the guarantee. If it is an individual, ask them to remove the BH and hook up a rotary cutter if they have one. It may be that the BH has been on the tractor since it was new. If so, then the PTO shaft should show no wear. It can still be engaged to see that it rotates and stops when disengaged. I'm guessing that the BH does not have a separate PTO pump. If probably uses the tractor's hydraulics.

Also, check that 4wd engages and disengages properly. You may have to lift the front wheels with the loader to get 4wd to disengage easily. This is normal.

Check the steering wheel tilt function for operation. Having missing cowling bolts makes me think that they may have had reason to work on the steering or maybe they just replaced some relays. That's about all that is under that cowling.

Bottom line, a TC35D with a BH at $13,000 is a good buy. Don't pass it up unless you find something really wrong with the tractor.

Doc_Bob · Dec 25, 2008

Rent it for a few hours work. If it runs well, then buy it. if the seller balks at this idea, walk away. Tractors are very expensive to fix. A worn clutch pedal? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

If something is to good to be true, then it is to good to be true.

Bob

jinman · Dec 25, 2008

Doc_Bob said:
A worn clutch pedal? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Bob, the TC35D does not have a clutch.

I think the only worn pedals he could have are the HST pedals. Since they have constant use, a little wear at 1300 hours would be normal. The brake pedals don't have rubber pads on them, so the HST is the only pedal that could show wear. Besides, on an HST tractor, you hardly ever use the brakes.

dqdave1 · Dec 25, 2008

HST have brakes ?????????????????????????????????????????? just kidding

Doc_Bob · Dec 25, 2008

jinman said:
Bob, the TC35D does not have a clutch. I think the only worn pedals he could have are the HST pedals.

Understood, wear on any pedal with that low hours seems (seems) to imply heavy use.
Bob

Soundguy · Dec 25, 2008

It's one of those issues where if the tractor is moving.. a foot s on an hst pedal.. thus lots of 'use' wear on them. I'd call it a 'no biggie' for wear on hst pedals as long as the tranny seemed to work fine.

soundguy

Doc_Bob · Dec 25, 2008

Soundguy said:
I'd call it a 'no biggie' for wear on hst pedals as long as the tranny seemed to work fine.

soundguy

Understood.
Bob

rims421 · Dec 26, 2008

Thank you guys for all the input.
I was at the dealer again today picking up some parts for the old tractor.
They are willing to remove the backhoe and demonstrate that the 3pt hitch, and pto are functional.
I was able to drive it around for a while and checked that the bucket hydraulics operated smoothly, the backhoe controls functioned properly, the temp gage did register, it started well, both hot and cold. The oil filter was replaced in the late spring.
I also engaged the 4wd, and used the bucket to lift the front tires to check for play in the front end ( it felt tight.) They are also supply a 3pt hitch setup that the tractor does not come with.
All in all it seems to be a winner.
I asked them to hold it for me and will make the final inspection next week.
If it all checks out I think I will go for it.

kozak · Dec 27, 2008

If you do get that tractor, you have to get some pics for us. That will just floor me seeing that tractor for that price.

Vic

johnnylight · Dec 29, 2008

run back over there and put some money down to hold that deal.
run run run.

Doc_Bob · Dec 29, 2008

johnnylight said:
run back over there and put some money down to hold that deal.

And where are the pics

?
Bob

rims421 · Jan 3, 2009

I made a deposit and will be closing the deal next week.
Thanks for the input.
I will try to post some pic's

jinman · Jan 3, 2009

rims421 said:
I made a deposit and will be closing the deal next week.
Thanks for the input.
I will try to post some pic's

I think you have a good deal and a good dealer who is willing to work with you. I see nothing that would not give me the highest confidence. Congratulations!

rims421 · Jan 9, 2009

I had the tractor delivered yesterday afternoon.
Have already repaired the cowl.
It is a two piece setup made of plastic.
The bolts thread into brass inserts molded in the plastic.
For some reason the inserts were broken off.
I was able to fabricate some 1/8" steel and screw it the inside of the cowl and mount the cowl with some self tapping screws. ( each half of the cowl was over $200)
The bar that holds the backhoe up is also broken off.
I will work on that next.
The seat is past the point of patching and will require replacment or recover.
What do you think the best option would be.
A replacement seat is around $260.00.
The dealer has also ordered an owners manual that will be mailed to me when it comes in.
What is the oil change interval on that machine?
The oil filter was dated 5/08.
I will post some pics as soon as I can

jinman · Jan 9, 2009

Engine oil and filter change is every 100 hours. It's hard to guess how many hours are on the oil because diesels blacken their oil pretty quickly. I'd change it unless it looks fresh and amber.

Transmission and hydraulic filter are changed every 300 hr.

Lube is every 50 hours, but I recommend 25 hours on the tractor and daily on the loader BH when using. Sometimes twice daily critical loader/BH pivot points, especially if exposed to mud.

Outer air filter is changed seasonally, but cleaned as required. Inner filter is changed once for every third outer filter or at 1000 hours.

Fuel filter element is changed at 200 hours or as needed.

What I do is scratch the hours into the paint on filters. That's a far better reference than the date of last change as long as your hourmeter is working. I guess a permanent marker might work too, but scratching the hours ensures it does not get washed off.

BTW: Lift your hood on the tractor and look on the bottom. You should see a placard with the maintenance schedule. You don't really need the manual for this if your placard has not come off or been removed.

Flatheadyoungin · Jan 9, 2009

sounds like you got a darn good deal.......especially from a dealer......with a hoe i would have thought at least several thousand $$ more....

good for you but pics would be good for us!