I've got my 1206 in the shop and split it for a new clutch. At it's age someone has been in there before me. Boy is it a shade tree job. Someone replace the rear main seal and buggered up the the crank....was able to get it worked down with a small file. The housing for the IPTO shaft had a lot of RTV on it. Plus on top of that the wiring harness is shot! Some people should not be allowed to buy tools made of metal! I've got most of the clutch/seal/IPTo issues sorted out but still have to un***K the wiring! There are people out there who are alive only because it's illegal to kill em!

Rick

my 1206 wiring was junk when i got it, i wound up biting the bullet and buying a complete set of harnesses and just replaced it all. about $600, but i hope i'll never have to worry about it again.


i have friends like the previous "mechanics" on your tractor, they could tear up an anvil with a feather.

Very few 50 year old tractors that have been used are going to be in like new condition in fact most have been junked out. If you want virgin tractor buy new one.

(quoted from post at 20:21:46 03/21/11) I've got my 1206 in the shop and split it for a new clutch. At it's age someone has been in there before me. Boy is it a shade tree job. Someone replace the rear main seal and buggered up the the crank....was able to get it worked down with a small file. The housing for the IPTO shaft had a lot of RTV on it. Plus on top of that the wiring harness is shot! Some people should not be allowed to buy tools made of metal! I've got most of the clutch/seal/IPTo issues sorted out but still have to un***K the wiring! There are people out there who are alive only because it's illegal to kill em!

Rick

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My thoughts exactly. I've seen more damage resulting from uneducated do-it-yourselfers than what any normal wear and tear could do.

that is definitly not the point,wanna be's should at least know the diff. between right and wrong and let the qualified people do the repair which saves them money in the end.

That would eliminate 90% of the people working on tractors on this forum. If former owner bought and paid for tractor it was his decision on how to repair it not someone who bought it years later. For what it is worth I have seen a lot of hack jobs done by dealer mechanics.

When I got my JD "60" it had romax for ignition wire

Seems to have worked quite a while for being such a half arsed job.

As for the "professionals" I've seen overhauled engines that didn't run long enough to change the oil.

Thats funny. I"ve never seen a hack job by a quailfied mechanic at a dealership. Not saying that some people aren"t capable of doing work of the same quality as a mechanic but by and large the do it yourselfers scrimp,cheat, and fudge just to get by and or save a buck. Qualified mechanics don"t do that.

ya, right. have you or you just need an excuse to exersize your fingers.if a mechanic does that he's no mechanic. most farmers want a good job done on their equipment. i have seen hack jobs too but when you see the farmers yard it tells the story.

You may be right on high dollar later model tractor but on 40+ year old 1206 if you can not patch it up yourself you had better junk it, "qualified mechanics" can run you up a bill twice what tractor is worth in a hurry.

My daughter was parts manager at tractor dealer for years and she can tell you a lot of tales about expenses thay have had to eat because of "quqlified mechanic" goofs.

(quoted from post at 13:17:48 03/22/11) You may be right on high dollar later model tractor but on 40+ year old 1206 if you can not patch it up yourself you had better junk it, "qualified mechanics" can run you up a bill twice what tractor is worth in a hurry.

My daughter was parts manager at tractor dealer for years and she can tell you a lot of tales about expenses thay have had to eat because of "quqlified mechanic" goofs.

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Why patch it when you can with a little effort fix it right? No I don't expect a 40 year old tractor to be perfect but you can at least replace that worn 2 buck seal with a new one instead of adding HY Tran every 15-20 hours plus the 4 bucks worth of RTV they tried smearing on it! heck my brother in law started a 560D with a screw driver for 3 years. When I was home on leave he ask me to look at it. Took about 5 bucks worth of connectors an some wire salvaged from a car and 20 min to fix it right. he stood there with a dumb look on his face and told me that had he known it would be so simple he would have done it himself!

I'm an old tanker (US Army).....starting to farm, but I know when something is fixed right. I want my stuff to start and run when needed. Can't afford new and kinda like the older stuff. I've seen a lot of working tractors that are 40 years old and in pretty good shape (just not at my BIL's....LOL.

I know that a temporary patch job with get the crop in but why not fix it right when you have the time? Or how about when you got the darned thing split replacing any questionable seals so you don't oil soak the clutch?

Rick the disgusted!

I think we only really disagree on one point. I think if someone buys tractor and wants to botch it up and paint it purple that is his privelege

(quoted from post at 16:41:09 03/22/11) I think we only really disagree on one point. I think if someone buys tractor and wants to botch it up and paint it purple that is his privelege

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Granted it's thier right to do so but I still get angry when I'm the one who has to make it right! LOL as far as paint is concerned I'm thinking about painting the M JD Green and yellow just to tick some people I know off!

Rick

Reading this made me think of my former neighbor's 1206 (which I posted a picture of a few weeks back and asked if anyone knew of it's whereabouts.. Wondered if it got restored or what)..

Anyhow, when it was sold, it ran, and moved, but was ROUGH.. It was his big tractor (he farmed about 200 acres).. and a lot of things were cobbled..

I grew up with his grandkids, and I knew the old guy really well. As the years went by, the equipment got worse.. He did his best to fix them, but, in his mid eighties he could only do so much (and he did it ON HIS OWN.. he wouldn't have help) so a lot of his repairs were "shotty" to be nice about them, but they were the best he could do on his own..

However, I too know the guys that can destroy an anvil with a feather..

Some people shouldn't have tools, and some that do have tools just don't have enough left in themselves to use em correctly anymore, and don't have enough quit in em to stop and let someone else do the repairs..

Brad