Don't shoot me

Ok, guys.
I have posted some pictures of a what looks like a John Deere 620. We have always had farmalls but have come across this tractor while trying to purchase a Farmall M in similiar shape to this that apparently can't be purchased. He offered me this tractor instead.

I'm used to the lingo on the Farmall side so I'll ask my questions here if you don't mind.

What year range would this be? Any unforseen restoration items that would be very costly? I don't know anything about this John Deer Tranny and 2 cylinder engine, it just looks so much different than normal.
What restoration cost could I expect?, I'll do all the labor.
What is she worth? It appears in pretty rough shape but all is there.

Thanks.....I just didn't want to hop in on the John Deer site for one such question.

Looks like a 620 to me. If you aren't familiar with the ins and outs of 2 cyl. deeres I would post it up in the deere forum and get some guidance from them. They are a bit of a different cat to work on but fun to tinker with.

Looks like a 1957 to me? Only made 1957 & 58

This is a early modle 620, with out gas gauge
& tach... & It looks like you will get your
fill of green work..

Everythink that cost alott of bucks it looks
like it needs..But it appears complete. I
wouldn"t offer over a grand....

That tractor is going to take a ton of work and tons of money.

Its starting to turn red so maybe there's hope for it.

I will add, I own a 620 1958 6221964
has a few more options on it than the
one posted & I love the tractor.. Like
the title said Don't shoot me!! I don't
own any Red Tractors & never have? This
is the 1st time for me to Post on the
Farmall Section. In my Book a Fine running
tractor orginal or RESTORED Correctly & in
detail, is fine in my book, no matter what
color it is....

If you are used to Farmalls and get yourself a Deere remember this DEERE PARTS COST BIG BUCKS. Some of it is that expensive green paint which increases cost more that gold plating, some of it is just their parts are unique or if common much bigger than Farmall parts. Think how many two cylinder 327 cubic engines do you see? Big heavy pistons rods and such, big starters, price a starter for a late A, 60, 620,630,70,720,730 then go buy yourself a nice M-It'll be cheaper. On the other side they make fun noises and with the hand clutch you'll feel like you're driving a steam locomotive and the six speed tranny is nicer the 5 speed Farmall, PTO runs a little fast.

The manifold is very likely going to need to be replaced, they seem to get so hot they burn out.

I grew up driving a JD 60, my next tractor is going to be a JD 520

Keep in mind you could probably buy one of these for about what it might cost you to fix this one up.

Did it run when "abandon". If not why not. Internal engine parts to have reworked, crank bearings, rod bearings, etc. is a fortune. I know. Good luck with your choices.

The ones I had always sounded like they were only running on two cylinders. I could never get them to run smoothly.

Goodman! I worked on enough of this old 2 bangers finger pinchers, would not touch one with 10 foot pole. They like to bend the top shaft in the tranny then can get sfat out.

Tires, muffler, steering wheel, seat cushions, grill screens, front medallion, battery, battery cables and wiring harness, all the fluids, paint job; easily $3000 in repair there in just what can be seen as problems. Much better selling off the useable parts.

What part of the country is this that they can get so rusty?

(quoted from post at 20:46:08 01/26/12) Tires, muffler, steering wheel, seat cushions, grill screens, front medallion, battery, battery cables and wiring harness, all the fluids, paint job; easily $3000 in repair there in just what can be seen as problems. Much better selling off the useable parts.

What part of the country is this that they can get so rusty?

Click to expand...

Then if you want to add a 3-pt, look on spending another $1200-$1500 for a Deere 3-pt. I've have a friend with a John Deere 520 and he had to shell out $1200 for a Deere 3pt. The 2 cylinders look nice when your done, but you'll be shelling out some $$$.

It's got that neat roll-a-matic front end on it...

Just think, once it's all painted up shiny green and nice, it will be worth its weight on gold...

I"ve oft considered getting a JD, but as previously said, Deere parts are REAL expensive (that and I"m not snobby enough to own a Deere ). Found that is also true about Ford parts. Bought a 961 that needed a lot and I about had a heart attack when visiting the FNH dealer - I mean I"m talkin $5 each for O-rings and $65 for a power steering seal kit that consisted of an aluminum spacer (1 inch dia.), the rubber seal - just a plain cup seal, a steel spacing washer and a snap ring. Would definately check out parts cost first then decide. Also as previously said, buying a tractor that is already in good shape is many times cheaper than buying a project and restoring it. I know lots of folks like to "bring one back" from the fencerow, but it can be an expensive proposition.

These are good parade tractors, prime example for showing how far farm equip has come.

It's pretty rough. I think If I wanted a 620 I'd look for a better one. They are pretty common and you should be able to get into a running one for about the same price as a nice M. I have g I'm going to re-build

Better have deep pockets if you are going to fix it up. Always liked to hear them run so I bought a 48 B JD, give a $100 dollars and $50 to get it hauled home. I now have around $1200 in it and not half done with the mechanical end.

Used it to rake and bale hay a few times and that was enough of that.
I wouldn't trade a H farmall for three B JD"s if I had to use them to farm with.

When I worked at the Deere Dealer, guy bought a 620 for 2400 if I remember right. By the time he got done, he wanted everything tip top shape, he had over 16000 in it. I did a lot of the mechanical work but he painted, new tires etc himself. He had deep pockets though.

I would have already had it home. Then take your time in figuring out what to do with it. If I am not interested and cannot store, I throw it up here. I sold an H on here. Guy wanted $250 and I did not have a place to store it. A different fella had a Massey Harris Pacer? Wanted 100 and I wasn't at all interested. It was worth 100 to someone.

Aaron

I"m not going to poo-poo it as much.

First off, it looks complete so that"s a good start. Tires cost the same regardless of what color the tractor is so that"s a wash.

On the 20 series Deere went to a shorter stroke and higher RPM IIRC. It also finally got a quench type combustion chamber. (Which IH had 15 years before!)

The engine is basically exposed so when these sit they"re vulnerable to water getting in around leaky manifold gaskets. Being horizontal, the water doesn"t leak out of the cylinder so easy and things rust. Pull the plugs and look for corrosion. Bring a strong flashlight and shine in there to look for corroded cylinder walls. If they are then you are probably in for a long battle getting them unstuck.

The other problem is that the flywheel and/or clutch drive disc can get loose and then they beat the splines on the crankshaft to death, work hardening the spline area in the process. There are people who can weld it up and re-cut the splines but it costs $$$. Just needs to be checked out. I see the clutch cover is off. If they let you, try and remove the bolt from the end of the crank and you can see the spline end. Also the crank may move while you"re messing with it and that will tell you something.

All old treasures we find were parked for one reason or another. See if you can find out why.
You didn"t say what price range they"re at, but in our area I would say 800 to scrap. The roll-o-matic front end is worth something.

Look up parts for an engine overhaul so you can know a worst case scenario cost.

As for what it"ll be worth, like most old tractor projects, you would be lucky to get most of your parts money back and labor is worth zero. But you would have a cool old John Deere to play with. It will hold it"s value but it won"t go way up.

Tractor prices are all over the place. Go to ebay and look at completed listings at the things that actaully sold. That"ll tell you what things are trading at, although local markets can be nuanced.

For example in our area we have tons of propane Farmalls and they"re fairly cheap. I could buy them down here and sell them up in the Northeast where they are not as common and maybe even make minimum wage doing it. (If I could find a way to teleport them up there)

BTW, I don"t blame you for not posting it over at the other forum. You probably would have gotten griped out because it has the wrong exhaust on it or something. They"re real particular over there.

One idea not mentioned yet is to rescue it and flip it to a new owner W/O doing anything but putting some aired up used tires on it to make transport easier.
A different exhaust would also make it more "endeering" Jim

I have been playing with Farmalls for about 5 yrs now. I like all colors and just bought a 1956 John Deere 60. I chose to pay about double for the JD than what a comparable Farmall costs. Point is everything,tractor and parts, seem to cost twice as much as the Farmalls.

I tune my Farmalls so I do not have to turn gas off. If carb leaks it runs on the ground. With this 60 you have to shut the fuel off, apparently the carbs are hard to get to seal. When it does leak it runs the fuel in into the crankcase diluting the oil with gas. What a PIA to have to change oil if auto shut off fails or you forget to shut gas off.

I'm enjoying this tractor but seems to have some design flaws the Farmalls don't.

That thought occurred to me but I didn't include it in the post. Myself, I'm inclined to do things like that just to preserve a complete example of something from being "lost" forever. Then find a new home for a more enthusiastic owner.

I bought two machines last year from a retired guy who basically does that. He probably made a buck or two and I got a good deal on a 450lp and a low s.n. 400lp. Everyone went home happy.

Thanks Guys,
You gave me plenty of info to think about. I'm leaning away from getting it. I had a interest in one of these because there used to be one in the family. I realize it is a money pit, but I enjoy the time and work restoring such a thing.
I know I could purchase one already restored for much less, but I really don't care to own one that someone else brought back to life.

The thrill for me is all the hours laboring on it and then firing it off, hooking it up to a load and digging the tires into the dirt, hearing it purrrrr, knowing I brought it back.

I'm sure some of you know what I mean.

Thanks again,
Oh yea, someone ask where does a tractor rust that much.....Mississippi. Always Humid.