Pricing on a worked 1988 Ford 1920 tractor

[mudking82]

I have been lurking a while, and finally joined. Lots of great information on this forum. I have searched to try to get some rough pricing, but have quite a range I feel it could be in. I have the opportunity to purchase a 1988 Ford 1920 4wd tractor with 12x12 shuttle shift that has 2050 hours on it. I think a good part of those hours were very hard hours with very little maintenance. I know this because I have been working on the tractor for a friend. Here is what I know: the original owner bought it brand new and probably used it on and off themselves and took decent care of it. At some point it became the second tractor and other employees began using/abusing it. It probably had very little maintenance, and people no doubt used it hard without caring. A few years ago the original owner sold it to a friend of mine and my friend hired me to do a lot of work to it to fix it up, so I know how rough it was when he bought it. For example the FEL has probably been overloaded many times as one of the FEL pivot brackets that support the load had been extensively re-welded before I worked on it, and then I found that the other bracket needed to be re-welded as well, which I fixed.

It has a 7108 FEL that I replaced about half the hoses on and put a brand new $1000 bucket on that has a reversible cutting edge. The bucket pins are long gone, but appropriate size bolts are in there acting as pins. It also has a 6' wide Gannon box blade with hydraulic tilt, angle, and scarifier bar with brand new scarifiers on it. The Gannon is really worn down though, they never flipped the cutting blade and just kept using the box and have actually worn away about 1" of steel off the bottom of the Gannon box itself. It is going to require some welding work to get it right again at this point.

The rear tires only have about 10-20% left, and the front tires need replaced now. It does have rear wheel weights. It has a ROPS. A bracket that bolts around the rear axle has a crack in it that needs welded, I think it is where the ROPS mounts. The sheet metal is rough, but all there. It has the Sims full metal cab and windshield, but the doors and back enclosure are gone. I know the headlights don't work, the flashers don't work, and the neutral safety switch doesn't work. At around 20 F degrees the 3 pt. goes up VERY slowly the first few times. There is a hydraulic leak between the main cases underneath. The steering ram leaks pretty good. One ram on the FEL leaks pretty good. At least one front wheel seal may be bad. The tube that encases the drive shaft is damaged.

The engine starts right up with no issue every time. I have adjusted the clutch pedal and brake pedal freeplay and both seem to work fine. I have no idea how to tell how much life would be left in the clutch though. All the hydraulics work good and the FEL seems to move at a decent rate with throttle. The rear scarifier bar will not stay up for more then a few minutes though without hitting the lever again as it bleeds down pretty quickly. All gears and ranges work fine. The 4wd works fine. The PTO spins, although we have not had anything hooked up to it. The engine seems to run good despite its perceived abuse.

I would be using it for general dirt/gravel/firewood hauling with the FEL, light grading with the box blade, snow plowing my driveway, hauling logs out of the woods, and bush hogging a field.

He is going to be selling it with a flatbed trailer that is probably worth about $1,500 around here. But I would like some advice on what you guys think this tractor is worth. He is thinking of trying to get $8,500 for the tractor, attachments, and trailer all together. Do you think this is reasonable considering the history of the tractor and what it needs? Thanks in advance.

 

[Billy Bee]

Welcome from Michigan. That seems pretty high considering all the things it needs. Tires alone will add lots to the cost. I don't know what used tractors go for out there, but for myself I wouldn't pay more than $5000 for that set up. I would keep looking, by the time you fix everything you could have bought a nicer lower hour tractor.

 

[Sprinklerman]

I have a 1925 , bought it with 420 hours , with some minor issues for $ 8000 . Came with a york rake and a box blade . Sounds a bit high

 

[Tonyinohio]

I had a Ford 1920 w/o the FEL with only 1250 hours but similarly abused (last oil change was 2005). This tractor was part of a company acquisition. I opted to sell it and bought a new tractor since this was ultimately for my personal use. I would pass, sounds tired to me.

 

[grm61]

I think I'd pass on it unless it was like REAL cheap..even if your buddy offered it for half of what he is asking, I think I would still pass...

Your in SO Cal....go sign up for a new one with A/C, stereo, heat, tilt, cruise, etc.
If you need any help with justification...lemme know , I can help:thumbsup:

 

[TnAndy]

The 7108 front end loader is a REALLY crappy design....I had one on a 1925 NH, and it broke the subframe the tractor engine sits in (yeah....that 5/8" thick steel frame that runs along the side !), and finally broke the bell housing that mounts the engine to the transmission (and since mine was hydrostat, houses that unit as well). It bound the engine flywheel and stopped the tractor DEAD.

$1300 for that bell housing, plus a week in my shop virtually disassembling the tractor.

The problem is that front pivot point...every time you pick up something heavy with the front, it forces down on those two pivot points, and puts a lot of pressure on the front end of that sub-frame.

Look at the design of most loaders....you'll see the pressure point is back at the rear of the loader mount, and the hydraulics take that front pressure.


IF you do decide to buy it, carefully examine the sub-frame for cracks...look for loose or missing bolts that go thru it into the engine block....good indication it's already having problems.

 

[mudking82]

Thanks a lot guys, I did decide to pass. But believe it or not he sold it in the first 12 hours of listing it. He had three people wanting to buy it. One was willing to pay full price if he would take payments. He ended up settling with one person for $8,000. Just wanted to post that for reference.

That said, I did really like that tractor, and I know its great reputation on this forum. Regarding TnAndy's statement about the FEL, is the 7308 any better and did it even fit on the 1920? What is a better solution to the FEL on the 1920, if there is one? Because I would seriously consider getting a 1920 if I came across another decent one.

 

[Sprinklerman]

Well mudking , your description of that tractor was one that made money , and the 7108 loader was still working , wore our but still working . Mine has a 7108 , it has served me well so far . If it breaks , I will fix it . There are deals out there , I am not brand loyal .if ita a good deal for a nice machine with a decent track record , I am on it .

I have sold things when somebody wants to make payments . I tell them thats fine , I charge 10% interest . And when its paid in full you can come get it . In the mean time it sits right here .

 

[CDennyRun]

I can understand TnAndy's logic on the design. I have the 7108, and in my opinion it's not bad. There are more efficiently built loaders out there for sure, but we all know that FEL design has come a LONG way since the 80's-90's. He's the first person I've heard of that's had that problem, and I've read just about every post on the webs regarding the 7108 (that I can find with my skills). The 7108 has worked well for me, but I think it's too small for a 1920. My advice is to not advance the pressure relief valve for more capacity, and don't abuse it. It'll do you fine for decades.

I'm almost positive the 7308 fits the 1920, and can lift significantly more weight.

Chris

 

[fried1765]

Thanks a lot guys, I did decide to pass. But believe it or not he sold it in the first 12 hours of listing it. He had three people wanting to buy it. One was willing to pay full price if he would take payments. He ended up settling with one person for $8,000. Just wanted to post that for reference.

That said, I did really like that tractor, and I know its great reputation on this forum. Regarding TnAndy's statement about the FEL, is the 7308 any better and did it even fit on the 1920? What is a better solution to the FEL on the 1920, if there is one? Because I would seriously consider getting a 1920 if I came across another decent one.

Before I read your response I was going to suggest that you offer him $7500.
You will find many well meaning folks here on TBN who will give you a value estimate, based on THEIR opinion, and THEIR geographic location.
Even though the 1920 description sounds rough, the $8000 selling price may have actually been fair for Southern California.
A year ago I bought a 1988 4x4 1920 FEL, in Pennsylvania, with 1056 hrs. I bought it from a second owner (horse woman), and had it trucked to New England.
The tires were loaded (CaCl), and I wound up buying new rims, and then loading them with windshield washer fluid.
I made MANY repairs, mostly minor, and did a complete disassembly, for sand blasting, Bondo, priming and painting.
I paid $9500 for the tractor when I bought it, but am not willing to confess how much I have in it now.
I do now have a 1920 that looks new in almost all respects though.
The 1920 is heavier by far than newer tractors of similar HP, it has no plastic parts (except inst. panel), has no engine anti pollution garbage, and I can repair it myself, not needing to visit a dealer for anything. There are many aftermarket suppliers, and some aftermarket parts are on e-bay as well. What cannot be found elsewhere, can be purchased through Messick's, which is a first class PA. tractor dealership.
I have two other older Fords, and both are in excellent condition, but my new (28 year old) 1920 is a most beautiful piece of machinery!
Perhaps I should just admit that I am an old guy with lots of "old stuff".
Having "old stuff" in excellent condition, allows me to have much more "stuff" than I could, if I bought new "stuff"!
My "old stuff" is in far better condition than old me!
Keep a lookout for another 1920, it will be worth your while to be patient!