My $150 Ford Tractor

So checked Craigslist the other day and saw this.  

So, oh course I had to email the guy. I was the first guy to get ahold of him and told him I'd get it this week when he was free. Went and got it this afternoon. 

He said he was mowing this field with the tractor two weeks ago. Something broke and he got fed up and just went out and bought a new Kubota. 

So here's where the money was spent.  

It was $120 something to tow it and gave the guy a $20 cash tip. 

Tossed a battery on it and checked the fluids. 

Radiator is rough but doesn't seem to leak. There is a freeze plug that's leaking some.  I do have the hood and grill also.  It wasn't on it but he told me I could have the pieces or he'd just scrap them.  

Starter solenoid is bad, tried tapping it and it was only pushing out 4v. So I'll pickup a new solenoid next week. 

No time to work on it this weekend. Going to C.O.T.A. and playing pit crew on some scca fe cars. 

Nice score!

I'm sure with a little TLC, you'll have it working again.

Can't beat that price! 

bigfranks84 said:

I do have the hood and grill also.  It wasn't on it but he told me I could have the pieces or he'd just scrap them.  

I'm glad you have them - the 800 is a cute little tractor, but without the hood and grille not so much.  

A free tractor in San Antonio with a shredder on it, after i've spent weeks annoyed at my riding mowers and still have over an acre of waist high grass left to mow? I wish i hadn't found this thread. 

Vigo said:

A free tractor in San Antonio with a shredder on it, after i've spent weeks annoyed at my riding mowers and still have over an acre of waist high grass left to mow? I wish i hadn't found this thread. 

Didn't realize you were in San Antonio. I apparently was the first one to contact him after he listed it. I saw and replied 2 hours after it was posted. 

I have 5 acres to keep up here, hopefully nothing major is broken. Playing pit crew on SCCA FE cars this weekend so no time to work on it.  

Got a new starter solenoid on it late afternoon.  And once I realized I had the lever for the pto on instead of off I was able to start it. 

Drove it around the yard a little. Freeze plugs leak, one of the radiator hoses is leaking and pretty much every fuel line connection leaks. But the carb does seem to leak and it ran pretty good until it ran out of fuel. 

Lots of little things to do but was cool to be able to drive it. Choke lever even works. Need to get a bunch of missing fasteners and start bolting things together. Like a typical old tractor its got a lot of bailing wire holding stuff together. 

Gotta get freeze plugs and fix the fuel leaks next. Then I'll work on the other little things.

This is the kind of tractor that an MS plus a catalyst would be awesome. 

Pulled the tank.  Scuff and shoot was done on it. 

Pulled the petcock off and put on the missing oring and used loctite 515 to be safe. 

They had some fibery black goop on it. 

Needs a good washing

Scuffed/painted with the paint I had on hand.  Hammer rustoleum  

Had a gas can nozzle and stick on the tank

Need to get a new sediment bowl gasket and banjo bolt and seals.  Needs some new freeze plugs. But I did drive it and make a couple passes with the brush hog and everything thing seems to work.  Once I figured out how to select the right gear. 

I could use a super cheap tractor and brush mower myself. Nice find!

Looks like you're missing a front right lug nut.