@North Idaho Wolfman (because he is knowledgeable about the -50 series Ls), and all.
An L2850 was offered for sale in my area on Saturday. I've had convos with the owner, a principal driver, and the sales rep for the owner, and got a few marginally useful pictures. It's 4WD.
The pictures tell me that:
- The tractor has been stored indoors most of its life
- Owner was not a mechanic, was a cobbler (he volunteered as much when I spoke to him)
- Seat trashed
- There's a pretty good dent straight across the bottom of the grille
- Has 3-point hitch, including top link.
- At least 3 newish Ag tires
The owner estimated that it has 5000-5500 easy hours on it - was just used to pull a tobacco wagon and a fertilizer spreader.
Principal driver told me that:
- 3-point doesn't work (in pics, it's in the full-down position).
- will shut off after 30 minutes run time
- he has investigated fuel starvation, and thinks there's a problem in the tank, or injector pump
- it has some rust from scattered fertilizer on the back end that he's "tack-welded".
- he attempted to bypass some fault in the starting circuit by installing a "push-button". To start the tractor now, you touch two bare wires together.
Pros:
- I really like this model, as it has a V1702-DI engine (perfect for turbocharging)
- Newish (Ag) tires
- Front sheet metal straight, with well-preserved factory paint (dent is an easy fix)
- 3-point hitch
Cons:
- 3-point hitch doesn't work
- LOTSA hours on it
- Rust issues: seat back is completely rusted through. Square-tube crossmember that supports fenders and hydraulic couplers in the back is rusted off where it joins the fenders.
It sounds to me like the fuel delivery issue is attributable to filters (driver did not mention filters). That and a lot of dirt/contamination in the tank. [Suggesting lax maintenance.]
I didn't bother to ask about how the engine runs (power, smoke, etc, etc.), because I'm dealing with people who seem to have very little mechanical aptitude. But, I did get "runs good", of course...
I think my biggest question is about possible faults that would cause the 3-point to be inoperable. What's the worst-case scenario, and what does that entail? Splitting the tractor?
At this point, I am NOT inclined to accept the seller's offer of $4500, especially since the tractor is 40 gallons of diesel fuel away from me. I am thinking about offering $2000, and settling for $2500. I mean, $4500 is a very reasonable price...for a machine that is not too far away and not going to require another $1000 and 80 hours of labor to make it fully functional.
Opinions?
Thoughts?
Advice, even?
Thanks,
-Paul
An L2850 was offered for sale in my area on Saturday. I've had convos with the owner, a principal driver, and the sales rep for the owner, and got a few marginally useful pictures. It's 4WD.
The pictures tell me that:
- The tractor has been stored indoors most of its life
- Owner was not a mechanic, was a cobbler (he volunteered as much when I spoke to him)
- Seat trashed
- There's a pretty good dent straight across the bottom of the grille
- Has 3-point hitch, including top link.
- At least 3 newish Ag tires
The owner estimated that it has 5000-5500 easy hours on it - was just used to pull a tobacco wagon and a fertilizer spreader.
Principal driver told me that:
- 3-point doesn't work (in pics, it's in the full-down position).
- will shut off after 30 minutes run time
- he has investigated fuel starvation, and thinks there's a problem in the tank, or injector pump
- it has some rust from scattered fertilizer on the back end that he's "tack-welded".
- he attempted to bypass some fault in the starting circuit by installing a "push-button". To start the tractor now, you touch two bare wires together.
Pros:
- I really like this model, as it has a V1702-DI engine (perfect for turbocharging)
- Newish (Ag) tires
- Front sheet metal straight, with well-preserved factory paint (dent is an easy fix)
- 3-point hitch
Cons:
- 3-point hitch doesn't work
- LOTSA hours on it
- Rust issues: seat back is completely rusted through. Square-tube crossmember that supports fenders and hydraulic couplers in the back is rusted off where it joins the fenders.
It sounds to me like the fuel delivery issue is attributable to filters (driver did not mention filters). That and a lot of dirt/contamination in the tank. [Suggesting lax maintenance.]
I didn't bother to ask about how the engine runs (power, smoke, etc, etc.), because I'm dealing with people who seem to have very little mechanical aptitude. But, I did get "runs good", of course...
I think my biggest question is about possible faults that would cause the 3-point to be inoperable. What's the worst-case scenario, and what does that entail? Splitting the tractor?
At this point, I am NOT inclined to accept the seller's offer of $4500, especially since the tractor is 40 gallons of diesel fuel away from me. I am thinking about offering $2000, and settling for $2500. I mean, $4500 is a very reasonable price...for a machine that is not too far away and not going to require another $1000 and 80 hours of labor to make it fully functional.
Opinions?
Thoughts?
Advice, even?
Thanks,
-Paul