Buying a Tractor Part 1: Know What You’re Getting

Whether you’re buying your first vintage tractor or adding to an existing collection, many collectors find that the search for the perfect model is the adventurous part of the project. Where you start your search, though, depends a lot on your goals. 

If you’re buying a tractor strictly as a collector model, you need to realize that a whole different set of rules tend to apply. It depends, too, on whether you’re collecting the model for its value on the market, or its sentimental value to you alone. As an example, some tractor restorers simply have a desire to restore and collect all the models within a certain series, such as a letter series models, or a number series. Perhaps you just want to own a model like the one you drove while growing up on a farm or visiting a grandfather. 

If it’s the latter, it’s better to evaluate the tractor as if you were purchasing a model for doing work around the yard or farm. Since many of these models are not rare, look for the best combination of sound mechanics, good cosmetics, and a reasonable price, because you can easily spend more on restoration than the tractor is worth.

Is It What You Think It Is?

On the other hand, if you intend to buy a vintage tractor as an investment or showpiece, you should plan on doing some research. If you’re interested in a particular model, study factory literature or tractor books to find out how many of that particular model were built. This will give you an idea of how rare that model is and what it might be worth when you are finished. Find out, too, if there are any distinguishing characteristics of the tractor that might identify it as being the real thing—even if sheet metal or certain components have been changed. 

On the other hand, you need to be cautious about buying a tractor on which the cosmetic components are the only thing that makes that specific machine rare. One example would be an orchard model. Finding the tractor itself may be relatively easy, while finding the orchard components and/or sheet metal that make your project collectible could be next to impossible. If an incomplete model is priced as a rare model, it may be wise to pass. 

If you’re shopping for a collector tractor, you also need to look at the tractor’s serial number. As a general rule, the lower the number, the greater its collector value. In the same manner, a high serial number might indicate that the tractor was one of the last models of its type to come off the assembly line.  

Again, it helps to know some history of the serial numbers assigned to the model you’re inspecting. The website tractordata.com not only lists the serial numbers by year and model for nearly every tractor model that was built, but also provides the location of the serial number. The serial numbers on the Ford 9N-2N and 8N tractors, for example, are located on the left side of the engine block, just below the head and behind the oil filter. However, that provides the potential for confusion on two counts. For one, there are no 2N serial numbers; all 2N tractors retained the 9N serial numbers. Secondly, a lot of engine swapping occurred over the years, which means that 8N models with 9N engines and vice versa, are not uncommon. Other tractor engines were replaced with rebuilt units on an exchange basis. 

In addition, 9N and 2N models were often repainted with a red belly like the 8N. So, if you don’t know the differences, you may be buying a different model than you thought. If in doubt, since the serial number is only found on the engine, you can look for distinguishing features that identify the different models and model years as found on the Ford Fordson Collectors Association, Inc. website (fordtractorcollectors.com) for confirmation.

Search the Records

You’ll find that there is also a wealth of information available from the various collector’s clubs and associations. As an example, the Two-Cylinder Club, based in Grundy Center, Iowa, has published Production Registers for most John Deere two-cylinder models. 

For a fee, the Two-Cylinder Club will also provide serial number research on individual two-cylinder tractors built in Dubuque and Waterloo. The production information available varies considerably from one model to the next, and often from tractor to tractor within a given model. When possible, though, the club will provide the build date—which may not actually be the date the tractor was built, but rather the date it was entered into the inventory records—the ship date, the specific shipping destination, and the optional equipment installed on that model.

 Similarly, engineering memos and build records are available online for most Farmall tractors built between 1926 and 1944 on the Wisconsin Historical Society website (content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/ihc/id/5402). Information from corporate files on Oliver, Hart Parr, Cockshutt, Minneapolis-Moline, and White tractors, meanwhile, is available from the Floyd County Museum in Charles City, Iowa (floydcountymuseum.org). For other brands, it’s best just to do a search for “build records for ?brand? tractors”.

Buying the Right Tractor

The time you spend looking for the right model and inspecting each tractor will pay off later in the form of greater efficiency, less time and money spent on restoration, safety, and increased satisfaction with the finished product. 

Another aspect to consider when looking for a prospective project is the geographic location from which the tractor originated. You’ll quickly find that, generally, tractors from the eastern and southern part of the United States are more apt to have rust problems and/or a stuck engine from the humidity and salt air. On the other hand, tractors from the western part of the country tend to suffer more damage to rubber components like tires, belts, and hoses due to sun damage and dry rot. Of course, that can lead to other problems. For example, if the hose between the carburetor and the air cleaner is cracked or missing, it is an indication that the engine may have sucked in a lot of dirt and will need work. Likewise, a missing or cracked shift lever boot can let water into the transmission — and you know what kind of problems water can cause when it freezes and thaws repeatedly.

One John Deere collector, who has since passed away, stated that half of the vintage models he restored came from farms in Montana. In addition to having less rust, he claimed that western tractors also exhibit less wear on the steering mechanism and front axle, simply because the fields are bigger and flatter and the tractor has made fewer turns. Your choices, though, may be limited to larger tractors and Wheatland models rather than row-crop models.

In some cases, it’s even helpful to know the history of the specific tractor you’re buying. If, for example, the tractor was used to haul or load manure in a livestock operation, you can expect to spend some money on front-wheel bearings and seals. Conversely, the steering mechanism on a row-crop tractor is likely to require more work than that of a Wheatland version, as alluded to earlier.

Once you find the model you’re looking for, though, the next step is knowing what to look for and evaluating it mechanically. We’ll cover some tips and advice on that subject in the next article.