here's the checklist:
check oil.. look for signs of emulsion ( water ) in the oil. New oil don't mean much.. could be serviced to sell.. or hiding something.
check water.. look for signs of emulsion (oil ) in the water.
water in the oil or oil in the water can be as simple as a bad head gasket.. or as bad as a cracked head or block... coolant inthe oil will wipe out mean and rod bearings fast.
2 cyl yanmars sound like a gas engine that has a knock.. it's called yammer-hammer.. smooths out at high rpm...
make sure it has oil pressure.. there is an oil sender you can always probe with a test lamp if cluster ain't working.. clamp on probe to bat, then probe sender with engine off, lamp should come on.. start engine.. lamp should go out within a couple seconds.. few seconds at max.
look for leaks at engine to tranny.. could mean rear main f engine oil, or trans input shaft if UTF fluid.
make sure the pto spins in all ranges.. 540, 760 and 1024.. etc..
check for excess play in steeirng.. ie.. how much steer wheel turn before wheels start to respons. can be sector backlash in the box ( or thrust bearings/ bushings depending on box design ).. tie rod ends, spindle to housing wear.. or hub.
check front hubs with fronts of fthe ground.. see if they have play on the axle.. smae with rears.. make sure you cn't grab the top of the tire and move it toward the tractor and away and get clunking.
look for leaks at the pto shaft. minor weeping is ok.. gushing or constant drip means it needs at least a seal.. maybee a bearing.
make sure clutch engages smoothly, check gears and ranges... look for jumping out of gear.. etc..
make sure she starts good cold and warm.. look for excessive smoke when running.. black can mean air obstruction.. blue is oil.. black or white can mean unburnt fuel ( air obstruction? ).. steam is water... not uncommon to get a puff of smoke if ytou goose the throttle. units that have been idled alot can slobber.. this will be a black gooey mess at the stack or exhaust manifold. and unless the injector or pump has a problem and she sounds bad and starts hard.. ths usualy clears up when you run the snot out of her a few hours.
check laoder controls, look for leaks.. make sure all cyls cycle.. and she lifts good.
loaders usually stress the front end and steering on 2wd tractors.. so DO smoke the front end over, realizing thst you probably will find SOME wear.. Some wear is acceptable.
look for stress cracks ( or repairs ) in the front end as well. Remember.. a good repair is not a bad sign.. it means a problem occured and was fixed. I'd rather have a good fix, than a hidden problem.
1700 came with no water pump.. they are thermosyphon.. meaning you only add enough coolant to freeze protect. no 50 / 50 or higher mixes usually... or it may have circulation problems. a water pump from a 2000 can be installed on a 1700.. etc.
check brakes.. you want some brakes. don't have to be able to lock up and what not.. but you want halfway decent brakes..
unit should charge.. double check bat voltage before start and after starting to make sure she comes up from 12.6 to somewhere between 13.4-14.7 at high idle.
make sure 3pt lift works and will lift an implement.. try the box blade and see if you can go sink it in the ground and let the clutch out a lil and see if she slips, or makes the tires bite good and load the engins. same with the pto.. hookup and see if there is any brush to mow.. a good seller should let you test all these...
i'm sure i'm forgetting something.. but those ar e the major items to check..
soundguy
