My fleet grows...what about yours?

It started with a '63 MF202 w/ loader & box scraper (minus the ripper tines). Paid $1200 (and another 1k later on or tires) for it and spent that much again rebuilding the loader hydraulics + lines. So far the bucket hyds are untouched albeit tired. Loader capacity was rather anemic...replaced pump (not necessary turned out) but it helped noticeably. Then it was the controls since the others leaked around the shafts...finally it was the cylinders themselves. Last thing replaced and were the actual cause of the anemic problem AND that the loader would creep down pretty fast if serious load were put on it. Well that is fixed. Have another bucket that will be going on it...at which time the hyds for it will be redone so I need not have the thing way up in the air to keep stuff from falling out.

Next came a '77 IH Loadstar 1600 bought for $1250. Only took 2 trips to the landfill unloading a trailer by hand...loaded with the 202...to realize how much that sucked. Can now do in a couple min what took 45min-1hr. Spent another its price-worth again on a set of tires for the front and a pair for the back (put inside while the good olds are outside). Only fixes to it were replacing the crappy old hyd tank setup it had for a bigger on the side that won't spit fluid everywhere out the breather hole when the bed is lowered. Right now however it is down with carburetor problems.

Those 2 were a couple years ago. BOTH for the purpose of the ongoing property cleanup.

Now the latest (today...as of this post) is a 1940 D2 CAT for $2500. Is in good shape despite its age...looks good too. Really low serial # but runs good. Has the lil pull start pony. Only issue it seems to have so far is it sucks air somewhere so it takes its time getting started. Will be looking into that issue. Will take getting used to though...property is plenty big enough to ride it around to get the hang of the steering until I can do it smoothly. Nimble thing though that's for sure.
Was already familiar with the basics of how crawlers steer anyhow and have operated skidsteers before so I'm not going into it blind.
Intent for this is to help with the property but also be available for the inevitable side jobs the dump truck and tractor have already seen.

Now just need build up a trailer heavy enough to haul the CAT...if it can haul that fine it will do the tracor no problem. I have a couple solid-square-bar trailer axles that I believe are 10k lbs each so they should be quite ample.

Ofc now all I'm missing is a backhoe. I know of an ATTACHMENT! But the guy won't give it up.

ALSO...each and every one of these has been bought purely local...within 8-10miles away in the nearest lil town. That's nearly always the best if possible...

When I was 21 I bought a IH 484 bound for the scrap yard. I restored it over a few years. Then came a Case David Brown 995 with a broken crank. Restores it, what a beautiful machine. Sold it and bought a John Deere 2010 diesel with loader that was left for dead. Restored it and the loader and sold it. Bought a kubota B6000E, little diesel tractor with belly mower. Then a Massey Ferguson 65 diesel that works fine but paint was bad and mission a few parts. Just about done with that restoration. Then came a white 2-105 thats in bad shape. Was working on that when I came across a case 1070 black knight that runs and drives but looks rough.

I will probably thin the herd a little.

One is never enough eh? I'm aware of a few in the IH Scout circles that have it like a disease. For THAT particular instance I merely have "the bug" since I only just got a 2nd parts rig...

Careful. Attempts to cull the herd might work in the near term until//unless you have a relapse...

I have too many(25?), can't keep them all up and maintained, started to thin them out a little. If I
haven't done anything with them in years sell them to someone that will.

I'm trying to thin down a little. The Ford 8240 went down the road a little over a year ago. I had it for nine years. The first seven were good, the last two I had to put way too much money into it. When I sold it, it still had a problem so it didn't go for very good money.

i hoping i dont, i got too many already lol all are working tractors, but the constant care drives me nuts, and broke , but i would do it all over again too

Like most of the other responders, I'm to the stage of downsizing. One antique tractor is gone, just took a piece of machinery to an auction, and one or two more antique tractors can go.

Once you get something with an arm (backhoe/trackhoe), you'll wonder how you got along without it. I went through two or three before I got a dozer. The dozer is a real treat for pushing and grading, but the hoe is much more versatile.

Forgot to add an industrial welder to my list. An '81 Miller Wildcat 350D with the Waukesha diesel that qualifies since someone mounted it on its own trailer. It's previous life saw lots of use in the oil fields somewhere in New Mexico. Just as well I suppose. It came in REAL handy when I got the 202 and had to rebuild the mounts on the loader for the replacement rams. The old Lincoln crackerbox could've done it but it hasn't been used in a long while since our service (until 3 weeks ago) had become badly overdrawn and could no longer support it too. And the leads were too short to reach outside.

I'd gotten it when trying to find the local 60s CASE w/ loader & box I found on Craigslist. Was a bit further away and all it had wrong was a bent front wheel. They wanted 2200 but prob woulda took 1800-2000 cash. I decided 1 day too late on that one...someone else got it.

But I agree with the others here. Once I get that holy grail of a backhoe though...I'm done in the equipment dept...

I'm not a collector, if they don't pull their weight then it gets sold. No loafers on this farm.

I inherited my Dad's AC model M tractors. Three runners, 7 or so parts tractors. I picked up a couple more M's also. I continued his disking business. The came my TO 20, and a 5 ft mower and start mowing, along with discing. Then my MF 203 with a three cylinder perkins, then my MF 231, and a 6 ft Woods mower. Then my final tractor is my JD 401 four cylinder diesel industrial. I use it with my 7 1/2 ft. flail mower, My best mowing tractor. I doubt I will be getting any more tractors this time in my life. Stan