McCutcheon FFA, Entrant, 2009 Delo Tractor Restoration Competition

As you start trying to find a vintage or any pre-owned tractor for the place, there are a few points you should remember. To begin with, do not get caught up by nostalgia. Acquiring and restoring an antique tractor may be a great satisfying pastime. But it also can turn out to be a really expensive one.

Since 1995, the Delo Tractor Restoration Competition (www.chevrondelotrc.com) has rewarded the determination, mechanical skills and business savvy of high school aged FFA members from around the country. Through the restoration of an antique tractor, participants develop skills applicable to the modern business world. The skills needed for success in the program - equipment maintenance, teamwork, project management, budgeting, planning and marketing - help develop the participants into future leaders in the agriculture community. For more on Delo lubricants go to www.deloperformance.com

Before beginning to hunt for your tractor, be sure you understand what you genuinely would like. This may possibly appear overly basic, but it is easy to get side tracked and buy something that you didn't start out to buy. Only once you are able to put together a complete listing of your requirements should you start the hunt. Don't forget to add your technical and performance requirements in your list. If you do not understand precisely what you happen to be searching for, how are you going to determine how and where to look?

If you are sincerely searching for a vintage tractor, be careful and not permit enthusiasm run away with you. If you do, you could well be in difficulty before beginning the project. Restoring an antique tractor or other old farm implement is rewarding. But it isn't an overnight project plus it might get pricey very fast. Components for many older tractors are obtainable but some are difficult to locate and may be on the spendy side. Original tires may be impossible to find and reproduction tires can cost more than the tractor. You may find that instead of purchasing a project tractor, it would be just as fulfilling to procure one which somebody else has already put all of the time, effort and expense into. Odds are favorable that you could purchase it for a lesser amount of money than the owner put into it, to say nothing of all of his labor.

Examine the tractor before you decide to buy it. Is it easy to start and seem, sound and feel right? Are the tires in good shape? Is there any kind of hydraulic leakage visible? Do you detect any missing parts or accessories? Make certain and give equally close an evaluation to any attachments. Finally, make sure that a vintage tractor truly meets the requirements of the task you desire it for. It is hard to go wrong with an antique tractor such as a John Deere if you shop cautiously.