I'm jealous !! Sounds like a great set-up.

Congrats! We got a '57 International 350 Utility last summer. Although it's limited because the bucket is too small, and the hydraulics aren't set up to tilt a bucket, we do at least get some use out of it. The grading blade has been infinitely useful in cleaning out corrals.

My husband is now upgrading the hydraulics in order to attach a bigger bucket and get more lift and tilt from the loader.

You are soooo lucky to have a restorer close by - we can't find anyone to hire to help us with ours!

Congratulations!!!!

A tractor will make a huge difference to you! We have an old Farmall Cub that is a mowing fool and another Farmall (Super H? Maybe it's an M. Don't remember!) that is pretty much a lawn ornament so far! It was a GARAGE ornament until I finally got a new car(after ten LONG years driving one that was t-boned shortly after it was new and for about nine years...the windows wouldn't roll up all the way on that side!!) and banished it to the yard.

The boys nearly have it up and running now though so all those months in the garage were well spent! It's big enough to be a real workhorse when it gets going again.

Some really nice folks came by last weekend selling those over-priced aerial photos of your place that I would never have bought but enjoyed looking at. Luckily for THEM, however, they came on the weekend though while DH was here! (He stated after they left that he would not have bought it had it not been the first year. Uh Huh. Right. Sucker!) But I have to admit I really am glad to have it. It will be fun to compare it to future progress in later years. I AM sorry though, that BOTH the tractors were inside at the time. Sure would have been pretty with their IH Red against all that green Spring grass!!

Congratulations again!!!! I think they can be a rather nagging pain in the neck at times but LOVE our old tractors! Don't think I'd trade 'em for a new one even if we could possibly afford to!!!!

Have FUN!!!

Ooooohhh. A TO30. You will be very happy with it.
These are great old tractors.
Now get over on the tractor forums and read, read read.
A tractor in good shape will run forever if taken care of.

Pooh Bear

Twinsmom if that's a 12volt system get the 55 amp. internal regualator, that chevy's used for years 70-80 great little alternators. easy to overhaul or cheep to replace. good luk with it, sure beats a mule :)

Generally, it is a very poor idea to buy a tractor that you haven't seen running, no matter what someone else tells you about the condition. Don't let money leave your hands until the alternator has been installed and you are satisfied with its working condition. I assume you aren't buying a lovely lawn ornament, the weeds grow really fast around them.

Sharon, that's good advice. :) Actually, the tractor runs just fine! He got a quick lesson on how to start and operate it from the guy who fixed it up. Apparently the only problem with it right now is that, because of the alternator, you have to use a battery charger to keep the battery up to power. With a new alternator, it would recharge itself. (That's my understanding, at least.)

I would actually prefer that a new alternator be installed before we buy it, just because we know we're going to want to do it - we don't have a battery charger and it doesn't make sense to us to get one. But the guy (whom DH trusts, and hopefully rightly so) said it's a cheap part and he'd be happy to help us find and install one; and DH wants a tractor yesterday! LOL I don't think it'll do any harm in this case.