[eBoyDog]

While some Case owners cringe at tractors that get parted out and sold on eBay, I stumbled across a good example of how much money can be made doing this.

The seller was kteach67 and they sold a 224 by parting it out, by adding up the successful ending auctions prices, he in effect sold a 224 with no engine block for a little over $750. Not too shabby! He only put on ebay the items that could be shipped easily, no rearend, front axel, wheels or frame was offered.

Before the negitive comments fly about killing another Case graden tractor, there was a need for the parts as reflected by amount of bidding and at the most, 30+ people found parts for their Case GT's.

One Case 224 was dismantled and who knows, perhaps at least 20 other GT's are going to be back under this summer's sun and the orginal owner has enough money to get another Case.

 

[CASE 220/4]

That is the unfortunate part of this hobby I guess. Ya, sometimes a perfectly usable tractor get parted out just so someone can make a few bucks. The down side is the tractor is now dead but let think of it as an organ donor for handful of other tractors. As the herd thins out, the supply goes down and maybe the value of the working ones goes up to those of us who who and love these machines.

The thing I wonder about sometimes is what are my kids going to do with my two tractors when it comes time for me to hand the keys over to them. Will they be able to browse the internet in 30 years and find parts for a 1977 446? If not then I'm afraid that these machines will just be left for dead or scrapped because they are un-fixable due to not having parts to fix them.

 

[Hydriv]

For the past two months, this forum has seen C/L ads for a lot of tractors. Some of those were running units, some were not. The asking prices ranged for $150.00 to $7000.00, depending on what was on offer.

But let's talk about the tractors that were in the UNDER $600.00 category because those are the ones that get bought up most often for the express purpose of being parted out. Now, I will agree that some tractors can be abused and worn to the point where parting it out is logical. But even that must be weighed against whether the tractor is unique or difficult to find. As an example, let's look at that recent field find of yours. There was a 180 Case sitting there with no hood or engine and who know what else was missing. Some people would be highly tempted to just part the remains out. But I am not some people and neither is Jack. Both of us would rescue that tractor and hang onto it. We would keep our eyes open for a complete Case 130 that was in rough shape that could be used as a donor tractor.

I'm sure that sounds like Tom is sucking and blowing on this issue but the 130's seem to be in much greater numbers than the 180's and therefore, in those instances you have to make a decision on which tractor will live and which one will die. We are forced to make such decisions because parts are not available from Eastman for this model and I place no blame on them for that fact. Now we need to look at tractors made after 1970 because those get parted out all the time. If we are reasonable, we can divide tractors into two lots. Ones that deserve to be parted out because they are still in large numbers but are not in great shape any longer. I wouldn't fault anyone for parting out a really rough tractor.

What I object vehemently to, is the parting out of tractors that have great tin on them, that still have a running engine and will still go out and mow the lawn. If there ever was a tractor that was easy to restore, it is a Case. Even if you get one with a cracked frame, that frame can be repaired back to show quality without much difficulty. The trans-axles are arguably the most bullet proof unit ever used on a GT. People rave about the Wheelhorse trans-axle but anyone restoring a Horse is going to spend a lot of time replacing seals, bearings, bushings and often gears as well as shafts. A Case trans-axle can be refurbished with two bronze bushings, 4 bolts/nuts, 4 seals, an O-ring and a gasket. The front axles can be bored, sleeved, straightened and re-used. Fenders and hoods can have body work done to them to repair problems. Metal gas and hydraulic tanks are also repairable.

The point is this. Most of the parts that one needs to restore a post-70 Case are easily available from either local suppliers or from Eastman. Look at what wears out on these tractors.

- rod ends for the tie rod and drag link
- pinion gear and quadrant gear
- front axle pivot pin
- bearings for the front wheels
- hydraulic pump
- high pressure line from pump to travel valve
- decals
- paint
- lovejoy
- EZ clutch
- plastic fan
-battery
-start/gen
- regulator
- ignition switch
- wiring harness
- starter solenoid
- ammeter
- headlamps
- nylon bushings for the control levers and steering shaft
-choke/throttle cables


Did I miss anything? Now... tell me this. Which one of those parts cannot be purchased new? I'll tell you one that can't . The wiring harness. Big deal. The harnesses in these tractors are simple and easily duplicated. Why would anyone want to buy a used harness that is on its way out? As wire ages, the insulation hardens and begins to crack open to allow moisture to enter.

I have no idea who is buying all the parts or why they are buying them. All too often, many of the parts that are large and heavy do not get sold because of shipping costs. If they are put on e-Bay, they either fail to attract a bid or they get sold for very low dollars. And if someone parts out a tractor and does not sell these parts; guess what happens to them? Joe Hemmi hauls a load of scrap to the recycling yard every week. Far too many of these Case tractors die because of the almighty buck. Like you just witnessed, parted-out tractors will often net more money than a complete one. Does that justify destroying a perfectly good tractor that just needs some wear parts replaced to make it usable again? Not in my mind.

This well-worn argument of "one tractor must die so that many others must live" is mostly a load of hogwash when it comes to these tractors because most of the tractors out there don't truly need these used parts to survive.

 

[eBoyDog]

Some people are in for the money, hard to argue with an owner of a 224 when it has a blown engine and they turn around and sell it for $750.

No one is likes an auction like this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/1986-Case-Ingersoll-222-Garden-Tractor-ID-Tag-14091980-/110677572666 Really, what's the purpose?

 

[Hydriv]

Many collector/restorers have mixed emotions about the sale of ID tags for tractors.

This is often the only item that identifies a stolen tractor. If ID tags are a legit item on e-Bay, (which they apparently are) then that's not much different then selling the VIN tag that is on the dash of many cars and trucks. I tried complaining to e-Bay about it but of course, it fell on deaf ears. But I suppose it does not matter because if I wanted to, I could set up a little business in my garage to manufacture replacement tags. On the legit side of the issue, collector/restorers often need a nice reproduction tag to finish off the tractor because the original one is either missing or has deteriorated to the point where it is ugly and useless.

But then there is the questionable side of that game when you have someone like Joe Hemmi offering a tag that came off a Deere Custom Color Series tractor and he wants around $200.00 for it. It's not the price that I'm annoyed about. Rather it's whether that tractor should have been parted out in the first place and secondly....is it right to sell that tag so that someone can create a fake?

 

[Caseman2]

I to part tractors on ebay, but have yet to part any Case tractors for profit.

But I agree its hogwash that this tractor was sacrificed so that others could live for the reasons Tom mentioned - certainly these tractors would have never died the owners would have bought their parts new.

I do take issue with some being parted like the "Monster 446" and the Ingersoll backhoe - if your going to part these then nothing is worth saving.