International 300U

[bpientka]

Been looking at a neighbor’s tractor. Looks like 1956 international 300 utility, power steering with loader and rear blade. Has conversion to 3 point. Hasn’t run a 3-5 years. Last week I pulled the plugs and sprayed oil into each cylinder. Today I was able to spend a little time today checking the machine out. I was able to roll the engine over with a wrench on the lower pulley. Hooked up the starter and the engine turns over ok but didn’t have time to check for spark or compression.

Issues so far:
1) One bad rear tire and other pretty poor.
2) no exhaust system
3) some oil in radiator
4) looks like oil pan has some sort of repair and may not be correct oil pan
5) hydraulic fluid leaking out top of power steering diverter

While this is a good neighbor it is getting to the point I need to just run away from this machine. Earlier we talked about $1,000 but that was when he assured me it would start right up with a little work. Also before I spent some time checking it out and found these issues.

Any thoughts?

 

[gary noblit]

Bernie, my biggest concern over engines that sat for a long time...does it have plenty of antifreeze in rad.? The biggest clue to a cracked block is in the oil,if any white shows up(emulsified oil) I'd be a sceptic.... Oil leaks most generally are repairable as well as ignition systems....loader ,if it has hyd. bucket (not trip) is probably worth a thousand if it's in good shape but it is likely model specific... you could sell the loader and scrap the tractor to break even ..Except for tires no major cost...You said no exhaust so finding a manifold might be a challenge....I would offer less if oil was clean....and try to find out why it was parked as there may be more issues... like clutch..brakes..gen..

 

[bpientka]

Thanks!

The loader is a manual trip loader which someone modified to add a hydraulic cylinder.

the engine oil looks great. No cloudiness and is actually pretty clean. The antifreeze is pretty full. Maybe an inch from the top of the radiator. All the internal fins were covered with antifreeze.

The tractor has the exhaust manifold and the 1st short section (6 inches) of pipe. What it needs is the primary exhaust pipe, muffler and tailpipe.

like a lot of these machines they are only ran once or twice a year. The gentleman ran it one year but the next year it wouldn’t start. He never really needed it so he never put money into it to get it running. While he has done things like changing fluids he generally relied on others to help get it running when it wouldn’t start.

He did mention an issue. When his pushed the tractor (bucket into dirt or back blade into snow bank) that he had trouble getting it out of gear. Sometimes he would have to shut tractor off to move shifter into another gear. I am wondering if clutch is out of adjustment or maybe bad.

The gentleman just turned 83 and has owned this tractor since 2001.

 

[gary noblit]

Bernie, it sounds like clutch is not disengageing properly...My old Massey will do that if there is pressure against the drive system ...To repair/replace a clutch is to break tractor in half. Look for a breakdown to see if it can be adjusted......It sounds like he has taken decent care of it tho.... Tally up the costs of new ignition parts, tires, exhaust ,rad. flush and see where you're at and make an offer after showing him the list....Running it has got to be worth at least $2500...It is old enough to consider a refurb as a collectible.....I believe after you show him the projected cost he will consider less...good luck

 

[Greg Riutzel]

I think $1,000 for a 300 is a good starting point. I paid $1,500 for a 56 Farmall 100 with bucket and it needed work down the road. Mostly it was maintenance as in plugs, fluids, and leaks. The one thing I grumbled on was the use of bathtub RTV on the axle end gear reduction pans. Lots of water but little rust; so I was glad I caught it.

Most tractor parts these days come from China and quality is sometimes hard to get. Brillman is pretty good for carb kits and electrical. One thing I learned is that the ignition points will oxidize when they set for about a year. I don't remember that with older OEM points but all the new ones seem to. After a winter's hibernation; with the battery charged, fresh fuel and choke set, if mine doesn't start in 2 seconds of cranking I stop and pop the distributor cap. I bump the engine until the points close. Then take a Post-It note folded in 1/2 or 3rds and draw it through the closed points. Usually there's a black/brown smudge left. Put it together and try it again and off she goes. Last year the clutch stuck as in the owner's description. I bumped it loose with the starter. Lubed all the pivot points including under the deck and it's been fine. When they set for a spell at this age, they get stiff and crotchety.

 

[PACub100]

Does this have the TA?

Our 560 does this same thing with the clutch under load until you pull the TA and then it releases and shifts just fine - drives me nuts when I'm helping dad doing work around the farm every now and then. But then again, I'm not the one splitting the tractor and putting the money into repair.
May be something to check out if you get it up and running and move it around. Might not be a "fix" but could get you some use and time until you decide to dig into it.

For a $1,000 I'd say not bad at all. Especially when you consider what we'll drop for cubs.

 

[JPrattico]

I'll also agree on the price. I paid $1000 for my H with loader. Pretty much condition unknown other than it turned over with a hand crank and had compression. The clutch could definitely be an issue though.

 

[bpientka]

Yes it does have a TA.

I totaled up my parts list today. Looking like $1,600 to $1,900 in parts (that does include 2 new rear tires).

list of items.
1) all hydraulic hoses bad
2) looks like rear main seal is leaking (have to split for clutch anyway)
3) 2 tie rod ends very very bad. Other two loose.
4) wiring harness in bad shape. Wire insulation cracking
5) need tune up kit - spark plug, wires, cap, rotor, points, condenser
6) left brakes not functioning - suspect needs all brake pads replaced.
7) ignition switch junk

 

[gary noblit]

Bernie,ask yourself if all those items were in great cond...would you give $3000 for the tractor???I ,personally, would want to run a comp. test before I made a decision....We all have been burned a time or two.....

 

[bpientka]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I am still thinking things over.

I am not sure i would pay $3,000 for this tractor even with everything fixed. In my mind i am more around $2,500 range for this in good shape. So we are close but not there. Also all the online posts about TA problems have me a little concerned as the TA condition is a big unknown and potential $$.

As already mentioned we spent a pretty good $ on our garden tractors. So having a functioning 4,000+ lbs, 38hp tractor for $3,000 is not a crazy
Idea.

 

[gary noblit]

Bernie, enlighten me...what are you referring to as a "ta" problem???

 

[jkoenig]

Gary,

I think he means this could be TA-related:

He did mention an issue. When his pushed the tractor (bucket into dirt or back blade into snow bank) that he had trouble getting it out of gear. Sometimes he would have to shut tractor off to move shifter into another gear. I am wondering if clutch is out of adjustment or maybe bad.

 

[gary noblit]

Jim, that abbreviation means nothing to me ...that's my point

 

[PACub100]

Torque amplifier.

 

[jkoenig]

I’ve been considering a page of abbreviations, but I never woulda thought to include that one on it. Guess that means I can scrap the whole idea, and just relax in the airport for a while longer.

...and just knowing what the letters stand for doesn’t mean I have any idea how it works.

 

[bpientka]

 

[gary noblit]

Bernie, thank you..I've been on here about a yr and there quite a few abb. I've figured out and several I don't have a clue about... I would consider an issue with a torq.amp a serious situation ,cost wise

 

[Greg Riutzel]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I am still thinking things over.

It's the experience, not the money. That's why old stuff attracts us. My hoses look shot too but 12 years later they're still working. Mine all have lists, and each year I just do what it takes to keep working and the little extra to get it better.

 

[dfrisk]

BERNIE - I agree with Greg, hard to tell if hyd hoses are bad until the engine is running and pumping oil. There is steel wire braid inside those hoses, that's where their strength comes from, the rubber covering means very little.
The rear main seal on my Super H has dripped oil for 50 years, and it's only 67 yrs old. When I overhaul the engine it will get fixed. The clutch could be O-K, once again, hard to say without engine running. Dad had a FARMALL Super M-TA and a FARMALL 450, both had TA, you push clutch in, still can't pull trans out of gear, pull TA lever back into the low side, transmission slips right out of gear. HAVE THE OWNER'S MANUAL IN HAND when you adjust both clutch and TA. In my opinion, pretty good chance the clutch is fine, the '51 FARMALL M out in my shop still has the factory installed clutch in it and it was Dad's loader tractor since it was brand new. IH used ROCKFORD clutches, they're TOUGH.
The 350 utility has disc brakes, but WAY different than car or truck disc brakes, it has two discs with an expander between them inside a cast iron housing, friction material on both sides of the discs, and a machined & polished iron friction surface on the inside of the cast iron cover, the a friction disc, then two expander plates held together with springs, another friction plate, and the last machined and polished cast iron friction surface. The cover is only held on with 5 capscrews, loosen the adjusting bolt completely and remove it, then the entire cover. Inspect everything. There's three 1 inch diameter ball bearings between the expander plates, make sure the balls are smooth and round, make sure the grooves they roll in are smooth, and upon assembly coat the grooves with a kinda thick coat of anti-sieze, about 1/8 inch is fine. New balls are rather cheap. The 3 coil springs around the expander need to be strong, they were $12 each last time I bought them. Set of four friction disks were $64, $16 per disc.
There's three good sources for wire harnesses, Brillman, Porch, and Ag Services, they probably have your replacement switch too. The ignition points and condensors sold today are all imported, and are crap. I have read on-line that Standard Automotive still makes conventional ignition parts that are probably as good as you will find. The points, condensor, and spark plugs in my 1954 FARMALL SUPER H, the next model older than this 300, I bought and installed sometime in the 1980's. I hadn't run it since last June or July, but if I had remembered to turn the gas on, it would have started and ran on the second revolution last Saturday. Back then I could still get genuine International Havester parts. You can probably still buy parts from a Case/IH/New Holland dealer, but hard telling where they were made. But I'd trust them more than a lot of the junk offered for sale other places.

 

[bpientka]

Thanks! At this point I don’t think it is going to happen. I tried to get him down some but just wasn’t happening. His son-in-law will talk more with him over the holiday. As their first discussion suggested he just wanted it gone and he was going to offer an awesome deal. Either way my search continues for a project tractor. Have to have a follow up phone call next week with a gentleman on a Farmall Cub.