New tractor lookover

I just bought a 560D and I know it has a few issues. How do you go about looking over a new tractor or piece of machinery that you bought used from a sale lot?

A related stoy follows. I bought the tractor. It wasn't running when it was sold, but I was told that it would run. After bleeding much air from the injection lines, I had it pulled and eventually it came to life. After a brief warmup until the smoke went away, I set off driving it home. The front end started to shake violently, but I swerved it a couple times to the left and right and that straightened up. Periodically it would wobble like that. About 8 miles from the start of my journey, the wobble became a hard turn to the right. The steering wheel became useless as a control, serving only as a handle for me to hold on as the tractor went off the road, down through a deep ditch, and out into somebody's field. The tractor then drove itself in a circle a few times before arriving on a nearby crushed-rock lane, where I finally had the presence of mind to push in the clutch and bring it to a stop. I sustained only 3 injuries: My fingernails peeled the skin off each thumb during my wild ride, and I bumped my chin once against the top of the steering wheel when the tractor arrived at the bottom of the ditch.

Dad seen it all happen. He says it's a wonder it didn't roll. I say the Hand of God was on the tractor, holding it from rolling. The neighbor that towed the tractor home agrees, having seen where it went off.

So far I know the knuckle on the lower end of the steering shaft has had a set-screw drilled in it and that screw wiggled loose, causing the loss of control. Retightening the set screws can restore steering--at least temporarily. I don't feel that is a proper repair.

I'm also in the market for an I&T manual for the 560. Thanks for the help!

Hi Dan
Go up to the left side of the page under market place' and click on tractor manuals. They have about any manual you want.
Tom

I guess you have to be careful how you buy your tractor from and how fair they deal.
I bought my Ford 800 from a well established dealership that I thought I could trust. My tractor would not start when I looked at it at first, then they got it started, they said that it had just been sitting a while. They said that they would throw a tune up kit on it for free (which they never did) and it should be like new. Well when they delivered it, it wouldnt start to get off the trailer. After an hour or so we got it running with gas pouring out of the carb and backfiring. Well anyway I wont go on, it has been a money pit since I bought it but I have sure learned alot about Tractors and just rolled with the punches of being a'newbe'.

Neighbor bought a belly-mount hay mower for his Farmall Super A years ago- Never could get it adjusted so it would work right- seemed like about every part on it was either sprung or bent. He said, "Dealer said it had been through the shop. I suspect they ran it into a post on the way through."