Re: Complete newbie considering restoring 560 farmall

Posted by JRSutton on July 12, 2012 at 08:36:11 from (75.130.109.233):

In Reply to: Complete newbie considering restoring 560 farmall posted by Chris in Indiana on July 12, 2012 at 07:13:51:

I guess it depends on what you mean by "restore".
It also depends on your mechanical abilities.

To be honest, it raises an eyebrow when you say you haven't even changed oil in a car.

If you're born with the ability, it usually leads to you doing mechanical work your whole life. Not necessarily as a profession, but you tend to be the one people turn to for advice when something breaks.

Some people simply don't have it. There's more there than can simply be learned. You have to have it in you.

I'm in software development, and I know some ridiculously smart people who I wouldn't trust changing spark plugs.

It may be that you do have it in you, and your appreciation of old tractors would be a strong motivator to learn quickly as you go...

But, even with natural ability, there's a lot of learning that can only be done through ripping your knuckles apart over the course of many years. You have to build up a mental database of tips and tricks to make things work.

A tractor's going to have a lot of parts that don't come apart easily, or aren't obvious how they come apart. What makes that particularly problematic is that it also involves heavy parts that can cause some serious injury if you don't know what you're doing.

Not to mention obsolete parts that are hard to find when you destroy one.

AND it's one of those things that can be a real let down if you sink all the time and money into it, get it all together all shiny and nice, fire it up and throw a rod through the block because you did something foolish.

I'd HIGHLY recommend you go to a few local tractor shows first. Get to know a few local "tractor guys" and get friendly with some.

Let them know you're thinking of restoring one, have the cash to sink into it, and could use a little assistance and guidance.

For a lot of guys, the biggest hurdle to restoring tractors is the money. Getting to work on one with a guy who doesn't mind throwing a little more at it than normal can be a refreshing treat - (provided you're working too!)

The bottom line is that this is far from rocket science, but there's still no substitute for experience.

If your idea of a restoration goes any further than power washing and painting - you'll save alot of time, money, and headaches if you bring some experience into the project with you.

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