Thanks guys. It will be on the back burner for a bit as there is some projects around the house that need attention before I get to the old girl. The important thing is it now has a roof over it's head. No more outside storage.

 

I love it!

With the wheel weights and steering brakes that is a great package. Hope to see it all shined up in the future!

:fing32::fing32::fing32:

 

Great news you got her running. Looks like a solid tractor well worth saving.

 

Hey guys, went and picked up the tractor on Friday. Nice drive to a picturesque part of Pa.

The owner's wife was very nice and knew most of the workings of it. She said it shut down suddenly and figured it was time to get a new one. Took her months to talk her husband into selling it. Funny thing is, she's the one who took care of it. Oil changes, simple maintenance, etc.

She was surprised to see me only with an 8' pickup. She said it would be a problem because of the 50" deck. I told her not to worry and I would get it all in the bed with the gate closed. Almost ate my words but did manage to get it all into the bed with the gate closed.

It's going to be stored in my garage up the mountains until I make some room here and tell the bride. It could be a while.

I did manage to get to play with it today. Checked the engine and trans oil. Both were full. Checked for spark. Spark was good. Pulled the plugs and cranked it over to get the oil flowing. To my surprise, water shot out of the cylinders. I put a small amount of gas and a healthy helping of 40 weight oil down each spark plug hole. Cranked it over a bit to distribute the oil/gas. Checked for compression with my thumb over the plug hole. I couldn't even hold my thumb over the hole when it was cranking. Guess I got lucky. Don't know how long the water was in the cylinders for but the engine was not locked up. Spun over by hand as if nothing was wrong.

Installed the plugs and put some gas down the carb with an oil squirt can. She roared to life but then shut down. Checked for spark: None. Checked the points: they were somewhat corroded. Cleaned with a point file, sprayed some electomotive cleaner on them and gapped them. The spark returned. She started right up with more gas down the carb. After about 30 seconds, she was running on her own but on 3/4 choke. Definitely needs a carb cleaning but she did sound good. Also loud with one open pipe and one pipe missing altogether.

After the initial oil burned off, she seemed like a non oil burner. Hardly any discernable smoke.


Enough gab, here's the promised pics:


Picturesque and rural area north of Harrisburg, Pa.

Taken today with her up and running:

Right steering brake:

Left steering brake:

631 hours on a working hour meter:

50" deck looks good underneath. No rust-throughs.

 

Based on the runners that's an early vintage 50" deck so I would wager that it was purchased separately from the tractor.

 

I think you stole it.

 

...I could'nt have said it any better!

 

I do see one on the leading edge. When viewed from the front, just to the right of center. That's the only one I see.

It is odd that a tractor of this vintage would only have one ding. Unless it was changed with another deck shell when it was repaired a few years back or purchased by the PO with a newer deck.

 

I don't see one ding in that mower deck, anywhere. Now that's odd and strange.

 

The surprise may have to wait awhile. Trying to finish up the 8122 for sale. Should be done in a couple weeks if we can get any dry, warm weather. It has be misable around here lately, weatherwise.

 

The more I look at it myself, the more you guys talked me into trying to revive her. Can't wait to get it.

Now if I could only talk the wife into bringing it home...........................:hide:

 

Great News!... why not just SURPRISE her!:fest06:

 

In looking at the tractor, there just can't be that many hours on it. Sure it looks ugly, but that is fixable and relatively cheap. Take the front hood off and see what it looks like inside.

The most time consuming part is prepping the metal for paint. Not hard or expensive, just time consuming.

 

Looks savable to me !! looks like the neutral switch is missing could just be bad electrical connections !! good luck keep the pics coming.

 

Steering brakes...bah. All you have to do is to contact Knott Brake.

Take a look at page one of their catalog.

http://www.knottbrake.com/pdf/Mechanical Cam Brakes.pdf

The drums, backing plates, etc are likely off the shelf parts.

I would restore it if it were mine. The most expensive parts are the clutches. The rest is mostly cosmetic. Might take a month or two, but I would have a nice tractor that would likely last a long long time.

 

I would restore it if it were mine. The most expensive parts are the clutches. The rest is mostly cosmetic. Might take a month or two, but I would have a nice tractor that would likely last a long long time.

Takes me a little longer than a month or two. Between work, the kids, projects around the house......................you get the idea. Definitely a worthy candidate for a worthy venture though.

 

Honestly, it looks entirely redo-able to me. You know that as far as any mechanical issues are concerned, you're only limited by the amount of money you would want to invest, not your ability. So you may only need to address the "normal" mechanical issues that come with any tractor which may not have run for a while.

The rest is only cosmetic, which you could address at your leisure..., not that I'm trying to sway you one way or the other...

Oh, but wait a minute..., the steering brakes..., Yes!, Part it Out!:ROF

 

I just don't understand how people let them go to rot like that. Shameful. I hope you can save her!

Now about those steering brakes....lol

 

I'm on the fence on this one. That's an awesome tractor that is rough in some spots but the deck looks great. If it had no mechanical issues I'd keep it whole. Heck, the only really bad looking part is the heavy rust on the frame.

 

I knew I'd get some flak about parting it out. Like I said, when I see it in person, judge what is good and what is not, I will then make a decision. It may very well be kept together for a future project. If the 818Ts are that uncommon, and ones with steering brakes even more so, I may keep it together just because of it's rarity.

Hopefully, the engine is in runnable condition where I can get it going and try it out. If the only major thing it needs is a good blasting and paint job, I may very well do it just because of it's uncommon nature.

For those of you who are visually impaired like myself, here are the full size pics which is what I tried unsuccessfully to post first time around.

After viewing the fullsize pics, I may just have to reconsider my hasty decision to possibly part her out.

Thanks for the input guys!!

 

Personally, I think to part that tractor out is a shame. If it's more project than you want, pass it on to someone that will put it back in good order. That's just my $ .02..

 

That tractor is in great shape compared to my 8163 that is next in line to get sandblasted and painted. The only paint left on the hood is where the decals are on the right side.

 

Steering Brakes!!!??? Parting Out!!!???:eck21: Seriously, I believe that 818s are pretty rare to begin with. There had to have been even less 818s built with steering brakes.
I would factor that into the equasion when deciding wether to keep it whole, or part it. Hopefully, you will find it to be in good enough overall condition to keep it whole.

Should you still decide to part it, I would be interested in the steering brake parts, if you were'nt going to keep them yourself.

 

Had I known he would go down to $200 I would have drug it home :fing32: Nice find.

 

$200 for all of that??? Great deal! Congratulations!

 

Thanks Dave. I felt it was a fair offer considering it's condition depicted in the pics. The pics and the phone call were all I had to go on to make the offer.



On a different note: I just realized it had the steering brakes. I was looking at close ups of the pics and saw the heel pedals for them. Always wanted to see a set of them in person. Now I'll have that chance.

 

Yes, this was on Harrisburg CL. Owner works 2nd shift so I ended up playing email and phone tag with him 'til I called on Saturday and talked to his wife. I was quite impressed with her knowledge of the tractor and what was done to it in the last years of it's life with them. She knew it had new bearings and a spindle or two installed on the deck along with some parts that her husband was looking to put on but never got around to. She could have been a true soul mate despite the age differential. She very well could have been my mother considering her age. She was quite knowledgable about it's workings and used it for grass cutting duties until it died unexpectedly last summer.


As for parting it out, it depends on it's actual condition. Looking at the pics, it's pretty rough. As is sits right now, I will sort through what is good and make a decision about parting it out based on this. I mean, c'mon guys. Look at this thing. It definitely deserved better than what has been dished to it. If I can use the engine, deck and any other parts and sell other parts to fellow MTF members to keep their fleet going, I feel it has served it's purpose. I personally don't like parting out whole tractors, but that applies to decent whole working tractors. Not ones left for dead on the side of a barn for someone to make a decent offer on. Like I said, I may change my mind depending on how it looks in person. But, by judging from the pics the PO sent me, she looks like a parter. Stay tuned for my own pics of close ups and decision as to the fate of this old girl. She certainly deserves better than parting but she may too far gone for that.

 

Was this on Harrisburg CL? I thought it sounded like a decent deal glad someone on MTF got it :fing32:

 

No downside there. Front wheel weights too. Congrats John!