I am considering buying a neighbor's tractor, but know nothing of what they are worth. Assuming it is in good condition, $2500.oo for a Ford 641, 6 volt, with only a snow plow with it? I don't know any more at the moment.

I want to get a loader, mower, and do some log skidding with it. Will these be easy to find and not too expensive, typically?

Thanks.

-- Rod Perrino (redjouster@aol.com), January 10, 2002

Answers

if there's nothing wrong with it that's a good price. That tractor is nearly an antique, 30-40 years old. I don't know how much a loader would cost if you found one. Mower would be easy.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), January 10, 2002.

What transmision is in the beast? If it has a Selectospeed tranny leave it where it is. They could be excellent but there were enough with trouble to make it advisable to avoid. 6 volt starting systems are slow and not up to too much cold weather starting. You can convert to 12 volt but it's money. Loader would need a front pump to run quickly, it's "doable" but a bit pricey. It would have to be very good to be worth that price (gas or diesel?) tires should be nearly new, excellent at least.

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), January 10, 2002.

A 641 should have the 4-speed tranny, 31 hp, built from 57-61. The pto is not live, which is a negative. I forget if the hydraulics are, but for a loader you would want a front mount hyd pump anyhow. Shouldn't have power steering, but could have been an option or added. The 'blue book' says they are worth $1200 - 3500, with $2650 being average. (Interesting to see they sold for $2555 new!)

(The '6' tells us it's a 31 hp wide front, low clearance tractor. The '4' tells us the tranny, pto, power steer, hyd, & other options. The '1' tells us it is the newer series model.)

A good source for info on older tractors is www.ytmag.com. Check the archives for answers & more links to a _wealth_ of info on Ford tractors, as well as all colors...

Log skidding is not the strong point of any small farm tractor, but I assume you mean light-duty work? Be careful with that. Without power steering they are not the best for a loader, but will certainly work. I have a 960 Ford with 6-volt (bigger brother of a 600 series) and it runs fine in Minnesota - actually I have 4 gas tractors, all work well on 6-volt down to 10 below. With the lower volts they pull more amps, so you need to keep the connections clean, & the cables larger than the guy behind the NAPA counter wants to sell you. :)

Good luck, --->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), January 10, 2002.

Its probably a good buy in the sense it is in the the range for that model tractor.A word of advise from someone who has homesteaded/farmed with alot of different tractors,most folks buy a tractor too small for their needs.A loader and log skidding are two things that a larger tractor would probably serve your needs better.With a small tractor you end up over loading it and it breaking down.Rarely does a larger tractor be a hindrance.I have several smaller tractors but usually end up useing my Allis Chalmers 190XT [90HP] for log skidding and bush hogging.It has live power,a heavy duty 3 pt. hitch and power steering and it cost very little more to operate than a smaller tractor.Also I bought this tractor awhile back for $2100,has only 2600 hours and sheet metal is perfect.Bigger tractor these days sell for less than smaller ones.

-- Gary (burnett_gary@msn.com), January 10, 2002.

A used loader that will match up with and fit your particular tractor will be real tough to find. They aren't universal mounts. You'll spend as much on the loader as you do on this tractor. Used mowers are pretty easy to come by.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), January 10, 2002.

I have a 1953 Ford Jubilee and it starts every time and still runs very well. Don't judge a tractor by it's age or looks. You could probably change it to 12 volt very easily as we did ours with an older GM alternator. As for the loader there aren't many around for that tractor so yeah it would be expensive, but do you really need it? There are alot of mowers out there and some are reasonable. Try searching on the internet by Ford 641 Tractor and it should give you results showing used parts dealers and that will give you even more insight. Log skidding is more in the operator and what you are trying to do than the tractor but surely it would work for that. Mine really earns its keep around here.

-- Joel Combs (jwcinpk@yahoo.com), January 10, 2002.

You guys a great, I can't thank you enough for the info. I'm really curious now, though, he says it's 42 HP, I wonder if he's confused or what.

I'll ask about the tranny and fuel, don't know why I didn't think of asking before.

Thanks again,

-- Rod Perrino (redjouster@aol.com), January 10, 2002.

http://www.tractordata .com/td/ford.html

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), January 10, 2002.

Rod horsepower is probably the most inflated thing you'll ever find when buying a used tractor,most folks just don't know so they will repeat something that they have heard.Also horsepower is confusing because there are several different horsepower ratings for the same tractor engine HP,PTO HP,belt HP and drawbar horsepower and to complicate matters alot depends on who is running the dyno.If you really want to find out about a tractor get a copy of the Nebraska Tractor test on that model.

-- Gary (burnett_gary@msn.com), January 11, 2002.