If you’ve been around this hobby a while, you’ve probably faced this dilemma a time or two. You drive by a tractor that has a “For Sale” sign on the grill, or you spot an ad in the paper or online or at a dealer’s location. It’s the John Deere tractor you just got to have! It’s the diamond you’ve been waiting for. Now everything is right. You have the time, some extra change in the cookie jar and the long lonely winter months are just ahead. Now, you have found the perfect project.

But as you take a closer look, you start to take control of your emotions. Your past experience on such projects starts to kick in and slowly those initial feelings are starting to wane for all sorts of reasons. This is the way it goes for most of us. We know what’s out there and we know when we have found a tractor model that’s really hard to come by. But as we look it over, we must decide if there is enough there to restore. Will I be able to find the parts I need? Can I get the technical and repair information I will need? How much will I have to invest to bring life back into this tractor? These are all the questions and more that we are silently asking ourselves as we stare at the machine. While all of this is going on in our head, we are trying to hear what the owner is telling us about this machine.

The owner is saying that under all that rust, missing sheet metal, and miles of electrical tape holding it all together is a fine mowing machine. This is all going on while the owner delays trying to start it up, or tells you it runs great but he doesn’t have a battery or the key to start it.

As potential buyers, we try to justify in our own minds why we should consider paying the asking price, which is something none of us ever want to do. It now becomes a game of the minds. You do not want the owner to know you can’t live without it or he will hold you to the price. So you act as if it gives you the plague if you touch it or dare sit on the broken torn seat. Where the normal rational human being would see a broken down pile of rusty junk, you see an antique tractor restored to showroom new or beyond to blue ribbon award winning expo quality.

There are some tractors and attachments that may have collector value, but make a very poor candidate for restoration. Sometimes, just for the sake of preservation, a collector will acquire a piece of equipment and just try to stop the decay and preserve the level of condition it is currently in. This certainly is another aspect to this hobby. There is no rule that every tractor and every attachment must be brought back to showroom new. However, I believe that is the goal of most.

I have my own personal standards when it comes to finding a project tractor. I will pass along to you what I look for, but by no means am I suggesting that this is the criteria you should use. It really is a personal choice and preference. Generally, we tend to make selections on our ability, budget, and availability of the restoration parts we will need.

If I acquire a tractor for restoration, my first observation is of the condition of the engine and transaxle. If they are good, and have service life in them, and are not in need of major repairs or overhaul, it will rate high with me as a candidate for restoration. After that, sheet metal is a big factor. If the pedestal, seat pan or fenders look like Swiss cheese, or other major body parts are missing or barely holding together, I will generally pass it by.

These parts on many machines are just not available or are so expensive that they are out of my budget range. If things are just dented and dinged I can handle that. With a modest assortment of power and hand tools, easy to use body repair fillers, rust converters and everything else you could need readily available from body shop supply houses, even the newbie can make some really great cosmetic repairs. And, if you can paint your project, you have the skill to do the bodywork.

I don’t concern myself too much with other service parts like pulleys, sheaves, springs, or the dozens of different fasteners and specialized small hardware that needs replacing or repair. Most of these items are dealer available or can be found at a dedicated website or at auction.

Going back to engines & transaxles. Generally, I will not do engine work beyond major tune up level. That is, I will not tear down an engine that needs a re bore or rings and valve and crank work. This work requires more than I am willing to invest. It could easily eat up several hundred dollars or more just on the engine. I do not own a cylinder-boring machine, or a crankshaft lathe, or the necessary assortment of precision measuring instruments it requires. Many restorers will argue that they can do it all including the engine work. Who needs a machine shop cylinder-boring machine when you can do it with a twenty-dollar cylinder hone from the local auto parts store? And why do you need a crankshaft lathe? A propane torch and sledge hammer can fix that bent twisted crankshaft.

Maybe I won’t do it myself because of my own personal experiences. I was an engineman when I was in the navy. I was a qualified submarine sailor and served on a sub that was powered by four Fairbanks Morse diesel generators. Let’s just say I don’t think everything can be fixed with a sledge hammer. I don’t have an identity crisis, so those jobs that would be best left to those with the proper tools and knowledge should be given those parts of your project. But this is just my opinion. Having said all this, a blown engine or bad tranny may not be a turn off to you. And in my own situation, if the rest of the machine were in tight and right shape, I would consider the purchase because I could put the bulk of the repair dollars I had to spend into the engine.

So what does it all come down to? Personal circumstances, personal preferences. But clearly, you should understand what you are getting into. The last thing we want to see happen is have a tractor or attachment abandoned in a pile of parts because the restorer took on more than he was willing to do or pay for. I’ve see plenty of tractors and have talked to plenty of owners who would never dream of restoring their tractor to showroom new. They just restore them to the level that allows them to use and play with them. That’s just another aspect of the hobby.

To sum it up: Don’t take on a project that you know you will not be able to complete because of budgets, time or other personal considerations. Not everything you buy needs to be restored to showroom new quality. Today’s rusty tractor may very well be tomorrow’s work of art sitting on your front lawn. You decide how far you want to take it. But please whatever you do, do not take your project into the nether world. Just make sure you bring it to some level that can be admired, enjoyed and preserved for years to come. These are not just machines. They are a part of real American history and one of the last American companies around, John Deere. Help keep it around for our grandchildren and their children.