Opinion on burned tractor?

unioncreek · May 28, 2022

The neighbor has a fire and burned most everything he had. He has a little Ford tractor with loader, its about the same size as a 16 hp Kubota. It burned the rear tires off and burned the paint off up to about the transmission. I haven't asked him about it yet. What kind of damage could the fire have done to the tractor and is it worth rebuilding. And if so any suggestion on what I should offer?

Bob

old · May 28, 2022

Hard to say for sure with out seeing it. I have an IH584 that burned due to being hit by lightning and I had it running and drive able the same day it came home but it did need a number of new parts to be able to work it

Janicholson · May 28, 2022

Burnt rear tires are pretty hot fires. Is it a N series tractor, or newer. A model number would help. An n series is probably not worth the effort. a 3 or 4 digit number series is more worth while. Jim

NY 986 · May 28, 2022

Another vote for passing on it based on your description of how far it burned.

used red MN · May 28, 2022

Look it over if there are any aluminum parts back there if they melted I would pass. So is this a a somewhat modern sub compact tractor? Any idea on the model number?

tomNE · May 28, 2022

fire burns up. valve springs will be shot and any seals. I used to by burners. they part out well, rebuilding, not so much!

Geo-TH,In · May 28, 2022

What do you have to lose if you try to get it running before putting money into tires?

If the paint came off the loader's hyd cylinders, they may be toast..

Nothing ventured, nothing gained..

Give it a go and report back..

A picture is worth a 1000 words..

grandpa Love · May 28, 2022

Saved this one......all I did when I got it home was new wires and distributor cap, temporary gas tank and good battery,it fired right up. Then I changed fluids and gave it a tune up. leaks here and there.... But use it at least once a week

Front tires burnt off, backs half gone. All oils were still fluid. Wires had the coating melted off but wires were not burnt off..... Aluminum parts ( carb, radiator, magneto, hydraulic pump) were not melted.

This one had very few good parts on it... Most parts I didn't even try to use. It got way too hot. Melted all the aluminum parts.

centash · May 28, 2022

Run, don't walk away.....trans is likely damaged, rims will be warped, axles may be bent, etc....scrap value at best.

Ben

Steve@Advance · May 28, 2022

If the rear housings are iron, good chance it can be saved. Aluminum not so much, it tends to warp.

It would need to be disassembled, cleaned and inspected, new seals and orings, etc.

There could be other damage further forward even though the paint is intact. Look for plastic parts, gauges, wiring, they will be done for.

Kow Farmer · May 28, 2022

I lost my Case 611b in a fire a number of years ago. The building that is was in got so hot, all I could do was walk away. Made me sick. I knew the tractor was too far gone for salvage. Unfortunately it was scrapped. Kow Farmer

MSFARMALL · May 28, 2022

I had a similar situation with a Farmall 100 I bought. The back tires were burned almost completely off with only a small part of one front tire remaining. Paint was burnt and 10 gallons of gas boiled out of tank. I bought tractor home and hooked up battery using a jumper wire to distributor and turned hand crank twice and it started and ran.
I changed the fluids , completely wire brushed the entire tractor and painted it.
I have put many hours on that tractor since then with only a water pump replacement over a period of 20 years.
So, in my opinion, being burned doesnt necessarily mean its only good for scrap.

PJH · May 28, 2022

I bought this poor old JD 630 from a friend who had turned it over and burned it to a crisp in the summer of 1967. Every bit of the rubber was burned off. The radiator was in pieces, and even the solder for the filler spout/fuel tank was melted. I offered him $100 while it was still upside down, then managed to get it after it had sat in a fence row for 7 years. I put a LOT of time and many parts into it. The hood is all bent up, and I never looked too hard for a replacement. It had low hours when it burned, as if that mattered. It's my favorite tractor, and I put about three hours on it today tedding hay.

paul · May 29, 2022

Is this more of a compact, more modern diesel tractor, like a 1500 or 1720 type model?

Since you compare it to a Kubota........

They used more complex parts that are harder to find and might be more plastic/ soft meltable metals...... would scare me more.....

Paul

wilson ind · May 29, 2022

i ALSO GOT HIT BY LIGHYING. dID STOP jd G for a bit. Only new parts required was some time later new pacemaker for me..Doctor said my naturak pacmaker was severly damaged. John Deere G was fine.

showcrop · May 29, 2022

2X what Paul said. Any of those early Shibauras like 1200, 1500 etc. can be a challenge to find some parts for.

Ken Macfarlane · May 29, 2022

X3 - front axle parts for those early ford compacts impossible to
find. Even without being in a fire they are a pain.

ss55 · May 29, 2022

What kind of damage could the fire have done to the tractor and is it worth rebuilding.

Rubber seals, o-rings, wire insulation, seat cushions, and plastic are usually the first things damaged. Tires and paint can burn off, solder and aluminum, can melt. A really hot fire can warp sheet metal and anneal heat treated parts.

If you don't mind working for free to fix it you will probably recover the cost of replacement parts, but like most hobby projects don't plan on getting much if anything for your time to fix it. You might be time and money ahead to spend the same few hundred hours required to fix it by working a part time off-farm job and use that extra money to buy a similar tractor in working condition.

sotxbill · May 29, 2022

Compact ford parts are very hard to find. Great tractors, but not nearly enough parts made... Japanese only support parts for 5 years. Injector pumps and especially hydraulic pumps are not available. The only reason to buy it, would be to try to salvage the very hard to get parts off of the other end. People have installed pto pump on them around here to keep them going. SO... NO..

Leroy · May 29, 2022

You had something to start with, he doesn't. Yours was designed to last for years. His was designed as a throwaway tractor not to last. Big difference in what you start with,

unioncreek · May 29, 2022

I was leaving work and it was raining hard so I didn't stop and get out. If I get a chance I'll get anpictnand model number tomorrow. It's sitting in the tall grass so I could only see the top of it.

Bob

connor9988 · May 29, 2022

I am including a couple pictures of my Case 300 that was in a fire and I restored... Best little tractor to use now! Handier than a pocket on a t-shirt!

Texasmark · May 30, 2022

I'd say those are tightly baled 5x6s @ 1600# a piece....I'd say she has quite a load to tow.

PJH · May 31, 2022

Mark, those bales are supposed to weigh 800 lbs apiece, but when you run them across a scale they come in at 600lbs. I match my equipment - small baler makes small bales for a small tractor.

Opinion on burned tractor?

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