Tractor saving decision?

Have to decide what all I will be able to get done with what time I have left. This getting old is harder than I thought it would be! I have sold some of my tractors and now I am down to the point that I know
how many I have. I have two and a half Oliver 60's that I plan to make one nice one out of. Maybe even get it all painted up. I also have an Oliver 880 that has been in the shed for ten years. It will take a
lot to get it ready to use. I just don't know if it is worth the effort or expense. How do you guys make the call? When I was younger I bought tractors and equipment that was in the scrap yard. Never thought I
might haul one in someday. All of the sheet metal is there, lights are missing off the fenders. I think the Power booster slips, needs a water pump, battery, alternator and gauge cluster. It also has the
powertraction hitch. But it is in rough shape. Would be a good parts tractor maybe for someone. But getting it there could be a problem. I still have five other Olivers that I use when I have a work for them.
Just trying to get the place cleaned up, so that if I do wake up dead, the wife does not have to deal with so many. Give me your two cents worth!!

Going through that but with my grandfathers treasures. Being a depression era farmer he saved every piece of junk equipment, which has saved us a few times with a little creativity! Lately as Ive been scrapping some Ive been left with a few old junk tractors. Ive slowly decided Im not going to restore them as it would cost so much. So Ive saved a piece from each, like a name plate or something to remember it by, hang it on the wall of my shop, and I post a ad in my tractor chats on Facebook saying the tractor is free as long as you remove it and it gets used for something, wether it be parts or to restore. I hate seeing useful things get scrapped but this way at least I keep my peace of mind knowing it at least went for something.

I am 64 and already looking at cleaning things up.
The wife (70 years young) has scolded me quite often as to what she was going to do with all this stuff if I suddenly go before she does.
She did not appreciate my response of Simple. Call the scrap man.
It's worth more that that she has said.
Not to me...

Clean up the big stuff that will bring a buck or two, pile up the rest and get rid of it all.
I would like to be down to a few large items that could go away within a week.
That includes all the knick-knacks, excess clothes, collectibles, etc.

Are you are living comfortably? If so, you still need something worth while to do. Do you get any enjoyment out of working on the tractors you have? I am putting the front of a Hyundai back together. It's something to do and it is the only way my girlfriend is going to get back any money from the loan her daughter borrowed to buy it.

Keep moving forward. Even if it isn't as fast as it was a few years ago.

I had to step back and look at all my STUFF with a critical eye. And I thought back to helping clean up my Dad's STUFF. Other than useable tools, nothing I have couldn't be scrapped, or sold as is. I had the talk with the two son's, and they agreed to take what they needed, and sell the rest, once I'm no longer able to use it. There's only sentimental value to those that remember the sentiment. I have one box end wrench, and a box of agates, from my dad's stuff. The other kids probably kept more, but that wrench and rocks were full of sentimental value to me (too long of a story). steve

Well, you have already gotten past the highest hurdle: deciding that it is time to cut back. I am nearly 74, and even though I haven't slowed down a lot I know that I am on the down slope. I don't want to leave a clean-out burden for my son and Daughter and I want to leave a legacy for the grandkids so I am doing a lot of fairly significant upgrades to the house and old barn and the newer barn. As I go along with this I am constantly re-evaluating small things that I kept "just in case" and a lot is getting tossed. I sold my Ford 9000 puller a year and a half ago, because I could see that I was losing interest and it needed a major repair that I doubted that I would get to. I advertised it on Craig's first and got no bites, but sold it quickly half way across the country at my asking price after advertising it on a national puller's site. My 10 year old snowmobile went down the road last night because it is hard to leave my wife anymore while I go on four day trips. I'm going back to skiing! I am planning a significant repair this winter on a Ford that I still use a lot, but that pushes off work on an Oliver that doesn't get used. My main suggestion is to classify your treasures into categories and work on them gradually but constantly.

Every so often I pick out the tractors I really like and sell some I've lost interest in and then take the cash to fix the ones up I like and buy more tractors,would never consider just quitting.That will get you dead in a hurry,got to have something to get up and do every day.

I had to downsize due to moving. I did the best I could not to scrap any treasures. Some were sold for less than scrap and some stuff that I couldn't sell I gave to other collectors in hopes they could use it or pass it on to someone that could.
I also donated to a couple museums and even The Western Minnesota Treshermans Association.

At age 78 , I also have been downsizing ! I am now left with the 4 tractors we had from my toddler stage to high school.
So I still have
1948 Allis B
1948 MM RTE
1948 Case D
1950 Cockshutt 40.

These tractors mean the most to me now . I have come close to buying ,but have so far resisted !!

All I can say is that around here you never see any of those Olivers, fact is none of any of the 3 didget olivers so they are very scarce. You MIGHT see one or 2 of the 3 digit models at bigger shows shows and almost bever a 4 didgit model so all those models here are considered to be rare. So in any condition somebody just might want tyo restore it even if you can't or don't feel like doing it. Anything other than the 60, 66, S66, 70, 77, S77, S55, 88 and S88 just were never in my area. Only anyting other than those were brought in by colectors and that is few. So considering rarity factor I would say try to get it a good new home. I think by the timer those models came out the only Oliver dealer around thjat I ever heard of had closed down. So lack of dealers could make for the rare efect. This is in northwest Ohio. Other areas may have been popular but not around here. And I am now 79 and living in a home for seniors.

Turning 73 in 1 1/2 months, not worried about the tractors or shop, the sale bills will be out before they get the obituary wrote!!!

At the end of 2019 I had a pole barn built and I also bought my first new tractor, L3560 Kubota with a cab.
I spend all of 2020, during the lockdown, emptying 3 garages, getting rid of my junk. Then sending stuff to the recyclers and giving my friend some scrap iron.
All the good stuff went into my new pole barn.
Like you I may wake up dead someday. My kids will have all the good stuff in one location and not dealing with junk.
All my tractors are in running conditions and parked in 2 different pole barns.
My new pole barn is 14 ft tall and I

added a loft to store things I don't want to use good floor space.
The forks on the Kubota is my elevator

This is my first pole barn,
I parked all my toys outside so I could clean the floor




I feel better having all my stuff in 2 locations and getting rid of my junk.

Think about it, someday you will not wake up. Do you want to leave your mess for someone to think ill of you when they have to clean up your mess?

Having already gone through the waking up dead thing may have been a little incentive for me to redouble sorting efforts.

I got feeling like a needed to start thinning out a few years ago and sold a 70. I should have left it in the corner of the tool shed where it was, but hindsight's 20/20. If you do decide to unload them and they're not worth restoring, at least sell them to a parts salvage yard and not to a scrapper.

That 880 might be a good puller for somebody. They seem to do pretty good with them..

This is such an individual thing. Some guys will say other than some paint and tires it is not worth bothering with and other guys hate to see anything go for scrap. I think youth inspires an attitude to take on a daunting project and see it through to completion. Age-wise I am kind of in between the two groups. With the Oliver's it is a case by case thing for me. The 60 does not interest me but the 66 on up does. The 880 unless it needs many hundreds of dollars worth of parts not counting tires would definitely capture my imagination. I would imagine that you are too far away from the Rochester, NY area to arrange to buy the 880 should you not want to work on it?

Bruce, Fortunately my wife has more STUFF(fabric, seasonal decorations, odds and ends) than I do. She has a couple times acted like she would come ORGANIZE my garage and shop. She did not like my response to that. So we both need to down size. Maybe in the spring, I'll let a couple tractors go, too cold to mess with much now. I do know and understand your situation. gobble

The projects that you have mentioned you maybe will be doing, sound like pretty extensive projects to me. I think alot of it comes down to, if you feel up to doing them and will actually tear into it. Do you really want to be working on extensive projects in your golden years, or would you just as soon be doing something else?? Perhaps even something less extensive. If you can answer that, then you may be answering your own question here.

Procrastination is also a factor here. The older one gets, the less a guy can play the procrastination card. That, (I'll get to that someday) seems to be something that we all have, but with every day that ticks by, is time fading away that we no longer have for those someday projects. If you can be out there working on it tomarow (after we all take a day off to eat turkey today) then go for it. But if your telling yourself that you'll get to it next month, or after the first of the year simply just because it's Thanksgiving today, then that is procrastination and these are projects you won't get around to because of it.

I knew an old guy that old machines was his whole world. Always had projects going on, even in retirement, and at the time of his death. He was always buying and selling and fixing up. But, ... a project didn't sit around un-done at his place very long. He maybe had a couple in progress, and one or two in waiting all the time. It's what he did. And more importantly, what he wanted to do. He didn't procrastinate, and accumulate projects that he'd never get to. If he did, he would of had a half section of un-done projects. But is what he had in retirement, was a couple of lots in town. Sometimes you couldn't park another thing on those two lots of his, but everything sitting there mostly ran, and was something that he had worked on and got running. He sold alot of running stuff over the years so that his hobby could continue on.
But what he did, and wanted to do, isn't for everybody. That might not be somebody else's cup of tea. Somebody else might rather go golfing, or spend more time with the wife and grandkids.

I too have started on the waking up dead thing too. I've started on my garage this week and it probably didn't make my garbage man too happy yesterday. My line of thinking is if I probably will never use it and my kids will probably throw it away I might as well save them the trouble. I will save anything that will have some value when the auctioneer comes in to liquidate my estate.

(quoted from post at 09:10:26 11/24/22) I too have started on the waking up dead thing too. I've started on my garage this week and it probably didn't make my garbage man too happy yesterday. My line of thinking is if I probably will never use it and my kids will probably throw it away I might as well save them the trouble. I will save anything that will have some value when the auctioneer comes in to liquidate my estate.

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Good for you! Once you get started it is surprising how much crap you find that you don't know why you ever saved it.

Find a buyer for the 880. If you like the fixing (as much as operating) then keep the one you are working on. Ask your self how many can I operate at once? And who do I know to operate any of the others long side me? the answer drives your decision. Jim

How long before everyone stops looking down their noses at you with disdain for selling your parents farm and equipment? "Couldn't wait for the bodies to get cold before they called the auctioneer." "No good money-grubbing kids." "SCUM!" That's what I hear from you guys.

So how long before you're no longer lower than beetle dung for daring to sell the family farm and equipment?

(quoted from post at 05:17:37 11/24/22) I had to downsize due to moving. I did the best I could not to scrap any treasures. Some were sold for less than scrap and some stuff that I couldn't sell I gave to other collectors in hopes they could use it or pass it on to someone that could.
I also donated to a couple museums and even The Western Minnesota Treshermans Association.

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Were is that? It wouldn't be the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion in Rollag, MN, would it?