[AT] tractor restoration lessons wanted

[Dean Vinson]

> I'd be very happy to hear how best to learn the art
> of giving new life to old, rusty metal.

Hello, Harold.  Welcome to the old-tractor world.  As witnessed by all the posts on this subject, there are a great many good folks out there willing to lend a hand or share advice.  I'll try to add a couple of cents' worth to the discussion:

1.  Go to tractor shows and look at stuff and talk to people.  You're in a good location for them, with many to choose from within a morning's drive.  There's a good on-line listing of shows at http://www.farmcollectorshowdirectory.com/.

2.  Get some reference books, as others have mentioned.  There are lots of good ones, as well as lots of nice picture books without much actual technical details, and I unfortunately tend to be a sucker for all of them.  Take a look at http://www.vinsonfarm.net/books.html for some notes on my favorites.

3.  Think about whether you primarily want to have a nice old tractor to tinker with, or whether you want to work through a detailed restoration of an old tractor in need of much TLC.  Both great options.  If you want the first option, it's usually a lot cheaper in the long run to pay the price for a good tractor that somebody is selling.

4.  Once you've bought a tractor or decided on a particular model, get the operators, parts, and service manuals.  Used ones often come up for sale on eBay, and there are vendors that sell new, used, or reproduction manuals for a great deal of old equipment.  I&T Shop Manuals for your particular tractor type are also a good reference.

5.  Get a bunch of shop towels and start with the dirtiest, greasiest, oiliest part of the tractor and clean it by hand.  Old machines like to be clean and you learn a lot about each part and how it works by touching it.

6.  Take things apart slowly, and take pictures while you go (thank goodness for digital cameras).

7.  Go to eBay's basic search function and type in just the model and make of your tractor, and search all categories.  I like to sort the results by price, which tends to put the complete tractors up front, big parts in the middle, small parts and manuals toward the end, etc.  Good way to learn about parts sources, relative prices, optional equipment that'll fit your tractor, etc.

8.  Remember that the way your tractor is currently configured is not necessarily the way it came from the factory.  It might be fine or better than new the way it currently is, or it might be goobered up.  Don't be afraid to think "Hmmm, that just can't be right."

9.  If anything having anything to do with electricity doesn't work, contact Farmer Robinson for advice.  If you can't reach him right away, check the grounds, check the grounds, check the grounds.  :-)

10.  Let us know how things go!

Dean Vinson
Dayton, Ohio
www.vinsonfarm.net