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by Neil Shelton   

A good way to do this is to examine the metal foot pedals, which are likely to have originally had a tread, grid or some sort of design that will now be showing wear.  If these are inconclusive then a more important criteria would be the overall condition of the machine.  Oil leaks and lots of play in the steering and pedal travel are not good signs. 

Of course you also need to remember that quite possibly someone has gone to some trouble to make the tractor appear newer than it is with a paint job.  That in itself is no bad thing since it amounts to protecting your soon-to-be investment, but if the tractor you're looking at has shiny new paint, you should  try to imagine what it looked like before.  Also, while professionals will tell you that a re-paint can actually be harder and more durable than the original, don't count on it.  That shine may be chipping or peeling within a year, so while a new paint job has its benefits, once it's been applied, it's hard to tell how long it will last..

When you're buying a pretty low-priced tractor, don't forget that replacing a set of tires may cost you $400 to $800, so look at the tires carefully.  Just because they have a lot of tread doesn't mean that they'll last a long time if they are severely weather-cracked, or if they have deep cuts.  In fact, it's not a bad idea to assume that you'll be wanting a new set of tires early on and bear that in mind when setting your budget.

Next, you want to start up the engine.  I'm assuming that you wouldn't be reading this if you were an expert at engine diagnosis, and I'm not one either,  but I can tell you some basic things to watch for that don't take a lot of knowledge. 

First of all, does it start right up?  If not, it's only going to be worse once you get it home, especially after the weather turns colder.  An engine can be in pretty poor condition and still start easily in warm weather, likewise, just because it doesn't start easily doesn't mean that it's worn out, but if you have any reason to believe the seller is has more mechanical capabilities than yourself, hard starting should be viewed with suspicion.  There are always lots of tractors on the market.  For our purposes here, if getting the engine started in the first place requires any special skills or procedures, just move on to the next one.

Assuming it turns over quickly and fires right up, does it idle smoothly and is there any excessive smoking from the exhaust?  Again, either condition is not  a sure sign of trouble, but since we're not mechanics, maybe we'll want to pass on anything that looks questionable.

Also, don't forget to look for are oil leaks, which can come from simply not having a bolt tightened enough or something more sinister like main bearings about to fail.  If the tractor has been recently cleaned or repainted, this might be harder to determine, so leaving it to idle for a while might not be a bad idea. 

Generally speaking, you can't expect to pay a really low price and not have a few things wrong with the tractor, but like many things, if you'll investigate four or five in your price range, you'll probably see one that stands above the rest.

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