Hysyde
Gold Member
I've patiently been on the hunt for a few years for a CUT/SCUT and finally got sick of waiting and pulled the trigger on a 1986 Ford 1210. I had ideally been looking for something like a Kubota B Series or even a B21 TLB, but it was far easier write a check for about 30% of what one of them would have cost. It will mostly be contained to the 7 acres where my house is (we have bigger equipment on the farm) and it pretty much amounts to a toy that will allow me to landscape and haul wood from the bush (so hard to justify $20k +). CUTs/SCUTs under $10k do not stay up for sale long around here it seems they are few and far between, so even though the little Ford wasn't ideal, I bought it anyway and decided I could probably easily unload it if I wasn't satisfied and upgrade later on. The lack of power steering was a real concern for me, but so far it seems manageable. Hydro, 4x4, and a FEL were "must haves". The tractor came with a small 3pt blade, 48" rear Ford finishing mower, and a 48" snow blower.
That being said, it has been a real game changer for me as far as work around the house and it will get the job done. I have a lot of dirt I need to move around and landscaping to do on the property and I didn't have the option before. Plus I can keep my old Kubota locked up for the winter instead of punishing it with a snow blade on the front.
Several issues have immediately popped up, which I didn't notice while buying it:
It smokes like bastard. I would probably describe it as a greyish/white smoke/haze that smells like diesel (I think?). It's pretty noxious. The air filter appears clean, the oil is at the proper level (recent change to synthetic), and there does not appear to be any blow-by when I open the oil filler cap on the valve cover. It appears to do it at various RPMs and does seem to get worse under load. I'm hoping to have a friend come by who is a diesel mechanic and diagnose the injectors and pump, but anyone else have any ideas? I dumped a bottle of injector cleaner/conditioner into it, but it didn't seem to have much effect.
When parked and idling, there's a fairly apparent rattle/knock that appears to becoming from the transaxle that goes away when the clutch is depressed. I'm assuming it's a throw-out bearing on it's way out?
Other issues appear minor. Leaking FEL cylinder (cheaper to repair or replace?) and a newly sprung leak from on of the front axle final drives (not looking forward to stripping that down).
Also, is the requirement to use the glow plugs to start, even in the summer, normal? It starts fine once warmed up.
I have way more work lined up for this machine than I have time and I think I'll be happy enough to keep it around for now. I just don't need it to turn into another project! I'd love to hear from anyone with experiences with these machines.
That being said, it has been a real game changer for me as far as work around the house and it will get the job done. I have a lot of dirt I need to move around and landscaping to do on the property and I didn't have the option before. Plus I can keep my old Kubota locked up for the winter instead of punishing it with a snow blade on the front.
Several issues have immediately popped up, which I didn't notice while buying it:
It smokes like bastard. I would probably describe it as a greyish/white smoke/haze that smells like diesel (I think?). It's pretty noxious. The air filter appears clean, the oil is at the proper level (recent change to synthetic), and there does not appear to be any blow-by when I open the oil filler cap on the valve cover. It appears to do it at various RPMs and does seem to get worse under load. I'm hoping to have a friend come by who is a diesel mechanic and diagnose the injectors and pump, but anyone else have any ideas? I dumped a bottle of injector cleaner/conditioner into it, but it didn't seem to have much effect.
When parked and idling, there's a fairly apparent rattle/knock that appears to becoming from the transaxle that goes away when the clutch is depressed. I'm assuming it's a throw-out bearing on it's way out?
Other issues appear minor. Leaking FEL cylinder (cheaper to repair or replace?) and a newly sprung leak from on of the front axle final drives (not looking forward to stripping that down).
Also, is the requirement to use the glow plugs to start, even in the summer, normal? It starts fine once warmed up.
I have way more work lined up for this machine than I have time and I think I'll be happy enough to keep it around for now. I just don't need it to turn into another project! I'd love to hear from anyone with experiences with these machines.
