Newbie

[KevinB]

Hi there.

I became a new member last week with a view to owning a Power Major. I used to help out on a farm as a teenager in the '70's so reliving the moment I suppose.

I saw one for sale at the weekend, local to me. I was just after some help to ensure its the genuine article. There isn't a number plate on it but I was shown the V5. The V5 shows registration GSL 228 and a serial/engine no. 1529481. Can anyone tell me where to find the serial no. on the tractor? I can't see a rating plate anywhere.

Asking £2750 for it so price seems okay?

It all looks pretty straight, tin work is good, resprayed a couple of decades ago, can't see any oil in the water, tyres are cracked but useable. Temp guage not working but oil pressure light goes out. Starts and runs okay, not really smoking.

Clutch is like an on/off switch. I can't remember on the High/low ratio lever which position is which for each ratio as struggling to engage the lever in the upper position.

It has a pulley fitted, I'm told hydraulics work.

Livedrive badge on the grill and wheel weights.

I'd be grateful for any useful thoughts or comments.

Regards

Kevin

[John b]

Hi Kevin, according to dvla website it was made in 1958. £2750 is the higher end of its value i would say. The tyres want to be quite good for that sort of money (£800-1000 for a set) but the most important thing, apart from the engine, is thet the 2 stage live drive clutch works properly. If i doesnt you can be looking at a lot of time and money to sort it, the only way to properly test is is to hook it up to something on the PTO and try it, i would talk nicely to the seller and see if you can have a demo. As for the engine and other numbers Sandy will be able tell you all you need to know about them, i'm sure he'll be onn here soon
John

[KevinB]

Hi John, thanks for that. I'll talk to him tomorrow just to see if it is possible to connect the PTO up to something that he has. I'll see how accommodating he is.

Kevin

[John b]

Sorry if i'm stating the obvious to you but just make sure the pto engages before the tractor starts moving when you release the clutch, if they both start moving at the same time the clutch probably needs replacing (about £700). At the very least you will have to split the tractor to set the clutch up
John

[KevinB]

Thanks John, definately not stating the obvious.

All new to this, long time since I was helping carting bales. Been in the classic car world with my Jensen for a while, so completely different.

The clutch engages at the very top of the travel, no finesse, just like an on/off switch, if that's any help.

Kevin

[John b]

Definitely cheaper (and easier to work on) than a Jensen! Press the clutch down and you should feel a second stage to it near the bottom, thats the pto clutch
John

[Billy26F5]

The serial number is an October 1959 one, look for it below injector no. 1 on the block. You also need casting codes to see if the engine is right or not. First thing to check with the live badge is to confirm if it actually has a live clutch, look at the clutch linkage to see if the pedal is hefty and has an adjusting screw under the footplate, ensure you can have a run with the PTO engaged to check the live clutch and the hydraulics. You should see the PTO run and be able to change gear with the pedal half way down. Low is down on live clutch gearboxes and up on normal ones. You'll have to find a good second hand temp gauge as new ones are wrong and of doubtful quality. If you can post some pics (see this: viewtopic.php?p=53955#p53955) it will give us a better idea of what needs doing and what you have. You should have dual position lower link brackets.
Sandy

[KevinB]

Thanks for your help eveyone.

Although this one has a quite a few appealing features I don't know anywhere near enough to know what I am buying. As the seller doesn't know anything about this tractor either then I might just pass on this one.

Does the FFA offer a service to check out a tractor, for a fee, for someone like myself? ( Located in Fife )

At this time I'd rather buy one that was sorted rather than buying one that possibly needs stripping down as soon as I buy it.

Thanks again

Kevin

[John b]

Hi Kevin, i think you have made a wise decision if the owner doesn't know much about it, for the price he is asking you certainly wouldn't want to find any problems with it! Have you tried looking for any tractor clubs in your area? They are usually more than happy to help and will probably know of anything for sale
John

[John b]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... tYdVp19Zmw

[Billy26F5]

If you can post some pics of the Major and maybe a video of it running we can get an idea of what you have been offered. If you can find someone who can have a better idea of what to look for that would be great. If this weren't a covid time I could almost offer to see it myself, as we normally spend some time in our house at Lundin Links in the late summer, where we have been for a very long time (my dad comes from there).
For a Major anything other than an instant start means problems (ensure you can test this with the excess fuel button pushed in). Finding a decent runner shouldn't be too difficult, but they do tend to be pricey.
Sandy

[KevinB]

as we normally spend some time in our house at Lundin Links in the late summer,

Lundin Links, know it well. Got married at the Old Manor.

John suggested contacting a local vintage tractor club to see if anyone can cast an eye over it for me. I've done that so see what happens.

Thanks for all of your help on this, much appreciated.

Kevin

[smchris]

As someone who has researched the market quite a bit in the last 12 months, £2750 is about right for that machine, assuming no horror stories, that the back tyres are alright and that all the bits are there and the tinwork is good.

The thing to bear in mind is that a PM won't be worth as much fully restored as other models. If adding value is your goal, you're better off finding a Super Major, which has a higher fully restored ticket price, for various reasons.

But if having fun is the main aim, that's not a bad price for a decent machine that's been looked after and has no major mechanical issues or bits missing.

Just my opinion.

[Billy26F5]

There are less Power Major's than Super Major's, and if Kevin's one has the dual position lower link mountings (used 1524079-1578885) it's definitely going to sell for more; having said that, there are many reasons I would prefer a Power Major to a Super Major, the main ones probably being the simple hydraulics that can hold in the fully up position for over a month and less worries of damaging the live clutch with the extra power Super Major's use at the PTO (because the hydraulics pump under pressure repeatedly, rather than doing so only when the lever is operated, also the relief valve will open at 2500psi instead of 2200 psi). It is possible to maintain constant depth without a depth wheel on a Power Major (without the preset linkage control), but it's not something a novice will find easy.
That is only my opinion, hope not to disappoint anyone. I find the spongyness in Super brakes off-putting, I much prefer the solid feeling with the drum brakes.
Sandy

[John b]

I don't think it's over priced if there are no problems with it, but a bad paint job, knackered clutch and dodgy tyres and the price to sort it will almost take it into NP territory! Hopefully Kevin can get someone to give him a second opinion on it, after all it could well be fine. I agree with Sandy that the hydraulics are far less complicated on a Power Major, and the brakes seem more solid off road, although they tend to be a bit grabby on a concrete yard. The biggest advantage of the Super over the Power that i've found is the diff lock, you can only do so much using the independent brakes to stop a wheel spinning. Just thought i'd add my opinion to the mix!
John

[Billy26F5]

I remember bringing some wood with Billy on quite a steep hill and meeting some slippery plants and getting out using my hand on the RH brake (my foot was on Billy's superb foot throttle), I didn't need to press that hard at all.
The diff lock is particularly good with Davie, as the intercep (thread coming soon) causes the RH wheel to slip, probably not helped by worn rear tyres.
I wish Mr. MacGregor had one, as it would have been great on some hard runs with the front bucket carrying a fair load, his hand throttle is much more complicated to operate than the Major one.
Sandy

[fenhayman]

I'd be more concerned about the engine than the clutch or hydraulics. Majors of that age have problems with corrosion of the engine block leading to mixing of oil at the bottom of the cylinder liners. A badly corroded block is difficult to repair and sourcing a good used one is un-likely. Firstly check the engine oil on the dipstick. If it's milky walk away, it's got water in it. When it's running check that there are no bubbles at the top of the radiator when the cap is removed (slowly and carefully when hot).
Check that there's no back pressure when running when you remove the dipstick, worn bores or rings.
Best advice is as above. Get someone who knows to have a look at it.

[Billy26F5]

Coolant in oil wil also look green (from the ethylene glycol), as Super Billy had when we got him.
Sandy

[KevinB]

Thanks, all really useful information for a novice.

I am going to pass on the one I looked at. It may be fine but I'm not sure about the clutch. Oil looked okay and coolant seemed clean enough.

Its on Gumtree and located in Cupar if anyone is interested.

Thanks for your help,I'll keep searching.

Kevin

[Billy26F5]

I think you should go and see it, it looks pretty good to me; the clutch needs testing when running, put the stop pin in the lower hole, ensure when pressed fully down the PTO and gearbox are stopped, with the stop pin in the upper hole the gearbox should be stopped but the PTO should have full power (try to lift the arms fully up, it should work fine). Once there you should get a good idea of how it's working, if it doesn't work exactly as specified it depends on what you need, if you think you can live with it get it and when you can look at the clutch to fix it you should see how cheap or expensive it might be; you should be able to repair it yourself with the Ford manual (elsewhere in the forum). With a bit of luck it should be ok.
Sandy

[John b]

It does look ok, and no tell tale signs of oil or excessive soot around the exhaust elbow or top of the pipe. Looks complete and original from the pics (apart from the paint) and the rear tyres look ok, definitely worth another look i would say if you can find someone to see it with you, and maybe a cheeky bid of £2500!
John

[KevinB]

Thanks guys.

I did go and see it and and had a run around the yard on it.

Being a novice I didn't really know what I was looking at. I did say I would contact the seller again next week after I'd done a bit of digging.

Still in two minds, thanks for all the helpful advice though.

Kevin

[mathias1]

Thanks guys.

I did go and see it and and had a run around the yard on it.

Being a novice I didn't really know what I was looking at. I did say I would contact the seller again next week after I'd done a bit of digging.

Still in two minds, thanks for all the helpful advice though.

Kevin

If you can engage/disgage the pto when the tractor is running, all might be fine with the clutch.

[KevinB]

Thanks for your advice, I did pass on this one though.

However, I have bought a Major.

Reg no. 492 XUH; ser no. 1316624

Seems all in good order, starts instantly.

I'll have to work out the way to post images. I believe that I need to register on another site first.

Kevin

[KevinB]

Kevin