[AJD] Serial Number Plate

[Louis R Godena]

Is this a good practice?  I mean, appropriating serial number tags from 
deceased tractors?  I mean, what is the purpose if not to artificially 
create something, whether it is with the intent to deceive?   How important 
is the serial number, anyway, other than as an item of vanity?  Is there 
some other way of identification for the purpose of procuring parts, etc. 
(which to me would be the only possible legitimate reason to engage in such 
an undertaking)?

Louis Godena
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "whodunnit" <elacruze at comcast.net>
To: "Antique John Deere mailing list" 
<antique-johndeere at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 11:03 AM
Subject: Re: [AJD] Serial Number Plate


> David Smith wrote:
>
>> Thanks for the info.  Back to the 1938.  It is an A.  He has discussed 
>> taking a serial tag off of a doaner tractor.  Just a matter of finding 
>> one.  I might have to check on ebay for him and see what we can find.  It 
>> sounds like from what you guys have written that it would be next to 
>> impossible to find the accurate serail number.
>>  Thanks,
>> David
>
> I researched the SN on my Styled AO, and even with a tag on it which still 
> had the last two digits clear and undamaged, it was a real project. If not 
> for the Two-Cylinder mag publishing the serial number list, I'd never have 
> been sure. The maincase, cylinder, and head all had the correct casting 
> numbers to be one of the latest made, and it has a water pump as well. The 
> entire fanshaft assembly and clutch assembly had been swapped out from an 
> earlier tractor. I had the tractor entirely apart, and the part numbers 
> and serial number splits compared against the list of SN's to only three 
> tractors (the list eliminated AI, AR, and gasoline only tractors which 
> shared SNs) then I had to do a microscopic examination of the damaged 
> parts of the tag to eliminate further. I even had to remove one rivet and 
> look at the depressions underneath.
> Ultimately without the published list, partial number and being a rare 
> tractor with very few possible numbers I'd never have been certain.
> Because of the increasing fraud in rare tractors, the factory was 
> sympathetic but would not help at all. Even the SN search for build specs 
> came up empty-the late ones didn't have many records at the factory 
> anyway.
>
> Eric
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