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Seneca Castle New York | I am shopping for a used CaseIH 7140. Not many low houred ones left. I have found a couple with just under 4000 hrs. My question is, how common is it that hour meters are unhooked or turned back or whatever in the used equipment industry? I bought a combine a few years that was advertised at 2200 hrs. and upon further research I found that it actually had 4200 hrs. It worked out OK because it turned out to be in very good condition and hasn't given me any trouble. I am going to look at a tractor that looks very clean at a used equipment dealer. Just looking for opinions. |
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Panhandle of Ne. | Is there anyway to visit with the previous owner? Is it a dealer or a jockey? Jockey's used to be notorious for taking high houred tractors, really cleaning/fixing them up, changing the hours and selling them. It is not as easy to do with today's digital/computer hour meters.
Is it possible that these tractors are low houred? Sure, some farmers just don't put many hours on per year or have dif. tractors for dif. jobs. We have never been lucky enough to do this, we put around 1k hours per year per tractor.
Also, can the dealer run a check on the s/n?
Edited by kagen 1/31/2011 09:49
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North West IA/western AZ | Start by doing SN search to find out where it was delivered. Then call the local dealer to try to track job and hours and whether the owner did his own work. If it moved around much the job can get nearly impossible. |
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| While there are laws about setting back car and truck odometers, they don't apply to farm machinery hour meters. Only fraud statutes apply there and aren't often applied.
Hour meters can be set back, can run past 10K, and do break, either cable or gauge. So you have to look at the "horse's teeth" to learn age. Wear on seat, steering wheel, pedals, control levers and buttons, floor mat, belts, pulleys, chains, sprockets, tires, and paint where its rubbed by hoses and operators. Sometimes a seller will neglect to replace a filter with an hour scratched on it. An engine oil analysis might hint at wear rates. Chains, bearings, belts, pulleys and sprockets are particularly hour sensitive in combines and hour meters most suspect. It would be difficult in some cases and a bother in all, but plastigauging the engine rod bearings would be a good indicator of operating hours.
Gerald J. |
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Columbia Basin, Ephrata, WA | Never trust an old Magnum hour meter without clear ownership history. If the digital dash failed and was replaced the hours went back to 0. Those tractors are old enough now that the dash could have been replaced two or more times.
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NW central IL | if a dealer changed the bottom/hour meter, ive seen where they write the old hours on the back on the new meter |
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corydon iowa | Looked at a case Ih tractor back last fall ( oct-nov). Even drove 2hrs to look and drive this tractor. Didn't buy it but it was going to be in an auction in Dec, didn't go to the auction but called later to see if it had sold and yes it had sold. now I see that very same tractor listed on the internet with 2500 less hrs!!!!!! |
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southern Illinois | I looked a John deere 8100 at a dealer up north once that had 4000 hours and ran the serial# and got the first owners name from the Mississippi Delta area . So I call the first owner who was very nice and told me he sold the tractor at his retirement sale 3 years earlier. I asked if he knew how many hours it had at the time he sold it , he had detailed records and it showed 6700 at the sale date. I laughed and said it only had 4000 on it now and he replied , I always heard they had less hours up north. lol Never trust the hour meter. Look at tractors with the hours close to what you are looking at and compare the seats arm rest wear, that is the best indicator I have found. It will get you close if you have a known houred tractor to compare to . |
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Seneca Castle New York | Thanks for all of the replies. There are some pretty detailed pictures of the tractor and it looks pretty nice but will have to see it in person. How do you go about running the serial number? |
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North West IA/western AZ | Some dealers will do it for you and I have seen posts of people on this site asking. Don't know how detailed they get. |
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Panhandle of Ne. | It's definitely a dealer thing as far as running the s/n. They don't want us uneducated layman to have access to this info. LOL |
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| Ben, I have a 38,000 hour 7120. You would swear that it is an 8,000 hour tractor. |
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Columbia Basin, Ephrata, WA | Is it a feed mixing tractor, or other stationary or semi-stationary PTO work?
Really, the original Magnums are old enough now that what the hour meter says means nothing, whether the dash has been changed or not. That tractor proves it, and if the seat, armrests, and practically everything else has been redone, the ONLY way for a potential buyer to value a tractor like that is to have a good talk with the previous owner.
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| I agree 150%, I have seen 4000 hour one owner Magnums sold at auction that were totally repulsive. History says it all when try to by one as a second or third owner. |
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Southeast Colorado | Don't be afraid to let all of us know the culprit. |
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Hours Correct?
