You Know You Have A Problem When.....

Umm, how do I begin. After previously lamenting how many tractors I have, I go and get two more. Two, you say? Yes, two. Really though, it's not my fault. I said no. I did. But then the seller did the dastardly deed and said those magic words, "Package Deal". I won't waste anymore time in words. Here's a photo. Ain't it a sight to behold?

So I guess I really am the one to blame. Even after thinking I wouldn't buy any more tractors, what do I do but look on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. That's my first mistake. I tell myself it's just to see what's out there, something interesting to wile away my time in the evenings. I'm not looking for anything. But then an ad for a Farmall C for $450 caught my eye. Actually they advertised it as a Super C but I could tell from a couple photos and some research that it was a C. A fellow in my tractor club has been looking for a C so I told him about it. The main issue was that the tractor was in pieces. Lots and lots of pieces. Some people call it a "basket case". I call it a tractor kit. Kinda like something you'd buy from Ikea but with no instructions.

The club member didn't seem interested, but then it started piquing my interest, so I made my second mistake and wrote the seller an email asking some questions. After their response and them sending more photos, I said no. I would like some credit here, I SAID NO! But then the person said they were also just then listing a Ford 9N in running condition for $750 and that maybe I'd want a "package deal". There are those pesky words.

I contemplated the situation for a while and wrote back. They were asking $1200 for the two tractors, so I made what I thought was a ridiculously low number of $800 and said I knew it was low, but that is what it would take for me to buy both tractors. They replied, "SOLD!" Really? Seriously? Argh. There is some good news though. After I pointed out their Farmall was a C and not a Super C, and that they initially said the 9N ran when I made my first offer, when in fact it does not run, I got both tractors for $600. You'll have to agree, I couldn't pass up this deal. Ok, some people might not agree with me.

So I then had to plan on getting both tractors home in one trip, as I didn't want to make two 350-mile, 7-hour round-trips. My dinky 12-foot dump trailer would definitely not cut it, so I asked a club member to borrow his 20-foot flatbed equipment trailer. He said it needed lighting wiring work done, to which I gladly said I'd do. I also fixed a few other issues with the trailer.

The day came and we were off to anyone's guess as to what we'd find. Things went well loading though. The trailer had a winch (what a novel concept), so loading the 9N didn't require me to break out a come-along like I usually had to do. And the seller also had a tractor with front loader that got the Farmall loaded. The main problem with the Farmall is that the front end was not on the tractor so there was no way to roll the thing around without picking the front end off the ground.

All in all, it took a few hours to load up all the Farmall parts. It took 10 bins for the small stuff and other parts were too large to fit bins. This next photo below is another view of the plunder once we got home (some may see it as a metal recycling run).

I really have no idea what the person who dismantled this Farmall was thinking. They didn't bag up or label anything. I spent the morning today unloading all the bins. I really think it will be a miracle if this tractor ends up back in one piece. Beyond the main engine/transmission/differential assembly, there is nothing assembled other than the hydraulic unit. And there are parts missing. I found the main carburetor body in two pieces, but I didn't run across the float, needle/seat, jets, screws, etc, to put the thing back together. I'll need to buy a core carburetor just to get those parts. I also know a piece of steering shaft is not here.

At least the transmission and differential are still in one piece. The PTO out the back (left side of the photo) is off and in a million pieces on the garage floor though.

This next photo below shows the front wheels/tires, drawbar, and transmission cover.

I'm glad I covered the transmission. It rained slightly last night.

I just couldn't leave well enough alone, so I put on the rear wheels/tires. I only found 11 of the required 12 rear wheel bolts, and only three nuts. Ideally I'd like to install the front pedestal and steering gear also so the tractor can be rolled around on its own but all the bearings are missing from the front wheel centers, so I'll need to figure out what size they are and order some before they can be mounted.

I think I'll end this blog posting here. It is a little depressing to see that pile of parts on the floor in the garage, knowing I'll need to find a home for pretty much every one of them. And get this, I ran across a couple tags that said Jaguar on them, so some of the stuff in the bins are not even for this tractor. Great. There is one upside though, this project will keep me out of trouble. Or..... it'll drive me to drinkin'.

Farmall addendum: I remembered that I had run across a set of bearings in a zip lock bag and wondered if they were front wheel bearings, so I dug the bag out and took a look. Lo and behold, they were the right ones.

I then remembered coming across two loose bearings when emptying the bins that had been individually zip tied together. They're circled in yellow in the photo below... Do you see 'em?

They are somewhat worse for wear but I put penetrating oil on them and got them loosened up. They'll be fine. And see those nuts? Cool.

Ford 9N addendum: I guess I should show a photo or three of the Ford 9N. My main goal was to get the Farmall but this Ford is a cheap addition that is in pretty good shape, considering it's a 1941. The biggest issues are that it doesn't run and one rear wheel has a major blow-out from having calcium chloride in the tires. The first thing I did when getting home was to drain out the stuff in all four rear tires.