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Price? This is a tough question to answer. A wide variety of factors affect the value of the Fordson Model F. Examples:
Is it complete? Many tractors were used to keep other Fordsons running. Carburetors/vaporizers are often missing, and it is costly and time-consuming to find replacements. How badly is it rusted? Often the wheels rot through (where they contact the ground) after sitting in one spot for decades. The fuel tanks also are susceptible to rusting through, and they are not easy to find, either. Any freeze damage? Check the air washer; if it wasn't drained (or if water leaked in) before winter set in, it may have frozen and broken. Same goes for the radiator and, God forbid, the engine block. Does the engine turn freely? Grasp the starting crank and turn. If the engine's stuck, you can often free it up, although it's not a certainty. Does it run? If it is, this makes it a lot easier to transport. If not, no big deal, but it makes it a lot harder to load onto a trailer or truck... Are the parts original to that tractor? If you're a nuts-and-bolts restoration enthusiast, you're going to want the machine to be as historically accurate as possible. Many farmers bought parts from junkyards or cannibalized other tractors to keep theirs going, and they didn't care whether a 1920 part went on a 1927 tractor (practically all Fordson Model F parts are interchangeable, regardless of the year. Kind of like Model T automobiles.) You can find most parts on-line, either by auction (like eBay) or specialty suppliers. This is by no means an all-encompassing list, but just a few things I've thrown out as "food for thought." I've seen Fordson F's pulled out of the woods or the back corner of someone's pasture and sold for $150 or so. (Rarer are tractors stored under cover, in a shed or barn, and they cost more accordingly.) A running tractor often goes for 6-800 or more, and a fully restored Fordson often sells for $2-3000 or so. As my grandfather used to say, "It's not what it's worth, it's what it'll fetch." You'll have to come to some sort of agreement with the current owner. (Unfortunately many farm folks have these tractors that have been in their family for many years, and the sentimental value to them often causes them to establish a price that exceeds market norms.) Another thing to keep in mind: if restoring a tractor, you're going to spend more money fixing it up than it will ever be worth (most likely). (Remember I said that fully restored Fordson F's often sell for $2000-3000.) Old tractor nuts do it because they love these old machines and enjoy the challenge. Regarding the year of this particular tractor, there are a number of web sites out there which will help you make a fairly accurate ID. (If you like, send me the serial number (located above the fourth bolt which holds the manifolds on - closest to the radiator) and I'll help you look it up. Let me know what other questions you may have -- I'll do my best to answer them. Kind regards,
Another Fordson operator in Maine
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