Parting 1959 Power Major

[colobio]

Complete/Restored/Running Power Major I can't sell for half what I have into it in parts. When we were looking for a running diesel tractor anywhere near this size, they were $5,000 and up. So..., have to move it and hate to sell it to a recycler for the weight in cast iron..., so..., who wants what? The starter was bought NEW (used to start it maybe three times since) from England. Many other new or machined parts.

Also, advice on what's best to sell and what to wait to sell as units as I don't want a hunk of something I can't do anything with once we're done parting it out.

















Here's info from the ad we put up:

The good: Electrical completely re-wired (professionally, not a hack-job), NEW starter (not rebuilt, bought and shipped from England), restored steer box, various bearings, seals, etc., replaced, many new parts installed on low-level restoration. Three-point lift/hitch, PTO output, Hydraulics, all work. Linebaugh single-bottom plow in perfect condition. All the gears work, all fluids were flushed with flushing oil, then replaced with premium fluids (hyd oil, engine oil, etc.). Comes with spare filters, many small parts. Have over $5k now into the restoration alone.

The not so good: PTO clutch (dual clutch tractor) appears stuck, needs to be hooked to an implement that is driven off the PTO and clutch dumped to un-gum it (we have nothing that's PTO driven). Engine clutch is either at the end of its life or needs linkage adjustments (come check it out). Engine will not start without a short shot of starting fluid. People say the Simms pumps in these are just like that. Once it starts, it runs powerfully, doesn't smoke much, engine oil stays VERY clean, NO blow-by and it purrs once it's running.

*ALSO selling the plow shown in the photo (we paid $300 for it, then put paint and new hardware into it, plow blade is like-new)

Anyone interested in buying it outright, please contact me.

Tractor is located in Boulder, Colorado

[Dandy Dave]

Where in the great big world are you located? That will be a key selling factor. Dandy Dave!

[Gman]

I'm like DD, where are you, seems on previous posts you are Colorado, USA. Too nice of an old girl to part out but understand the $ amount you have invested. Around my area the tractor would bring maybe $2000. Anyway good luck on selling her to someone that wants to keep her together.

[colobio]

Sorry guys, edited to include that the tractor is in Boulder, Colorado

When we were looking, this rusted, worn-out, dirt encrusted POS cost us almost $2,000!!!

[Dandy Dave]

The only way to get your money out of these tractors back here in the USA is to keep them and use them. I have run, and repaired a lot of different tractors though the years. The Power Major is a really decent tractor when everything is working right, and it is equipped with the right options. In the UK, these tractors bring a lot more. They are a bit of an unknown underdog here. When the farmers of years ago had to deal with the Fordson F, A lot of them shyed away from the later built Fordsons. The old time collectors around here when I was a kid would laugh and shake there head whenever they saw a Fordson F and the storys would start... Back then you were hard pressed to get $100 for a good F that ran when a 9N or 8N Ford would easily bring $2,500 at an auction. Looks like yours has a DAR valve in the photos. That is a very useful option. I use mine to york rake roads, bush hog fields, and have made money with it doing so, so it does not owe me anything. It is very easy to get upsidedown if your only goal was to fix and re-sell. Unless you have somthing rare and desirable like a Dusenberg, most old tractors, cars, trucks, or old engines cost more to fix than they are worth restored. Dandy Dave!

[colobio]

Dave,

Yeah, we knew that when we started. The idea WAS to use it, but I've been overseas more than here and no longer have a partner (she's on her third guy from me and somewhere in the south Pacific). Point is, we knew this when we started, but it would have cost us what the tractor cost just to have someone plow the place, so it made sense then to fix and keep/use. Now that I'm not here anymore and thinning all of my life out, it's a boat-anchor to me.

I can strip and ship parts overseas, so still might make something back out of it, but since anything diesel was $5,000 or so around here, it seems someone would want a diesel tractor for $3k or so (with 5K of parts alone into it).