Just bought a 59 Ford 881

[sleuth]

So far seems to be a stout little tractor. Came with a blade. Just arrived this evening.
62hp, power steering, live pto, new rear tires.

More specs.
Gas tractor.
3 point hitch is in good shape.
10 fwd, 2 rev. Select-o-speed transmission.
6V electric.
4 cyl, 62 hp
No leaks.
Dual Live PTO
Hydraulics, Clutch, Brakes in good shape.
Rear tires are new.
Front tires are fair.
New Battery.
Ran thru all the gears on the SOS and they all seem to work good.

So, I'm a first time tractor buyer. I've got pretty good handyman skills but fairly beginner mechanical skills. What kind of maintenance needs to be done first?

Also, why are there so few customization mods or upgrades that I can find on these old Ford tractors when compared to the Kubotas and JDs. Seems to me that a tractor over 60 years old ought to have way more! But I'm coming up short. Would like to see a LED lighting upgrade, toolbox upgrade, and maybe a cupholder and radio upgrade for this rig for starters. I will be getting into implements soon enough.

 

[Bob77064]

Congrats, that's a tough tractor.

 

[deerseeker001]

enjoy your tractor

 

[Soundguy]

congrats on the tractor.. but you have a few errors in your description.

1, it does not have a dual clutch, and the pto is more correctly described as independent.

that is a full powershift transmission with a pull cable independent pto. ( other fords.. like the *6* had dual clutch and live pto... yours has an 'inching pedal' not a clutch as the other straight gear machines do.

Also as it being a *81 it has the multi speed pto, not the single speed.

lastly. the 6s hp number is misleading. that is the max flywheel hp with no accy.. in reality.. people refer to the 8** machiens as having about 45-48 useable hp .

I sugest you get a shop manual as well as the insert for the SOS, but determine what SOS you have.. the older, original ORC style, or the updated DDC style.

 

[sleuth]

congrats on the tractor.. but you have a few errors in your description.

1, it does not have a dual clutch, and the pto is more correctly described as independent.

that is a full powershift transmission with a pull cable independent pto. ( other fords.. like the *6* had dual clutch and live pto... yours has an 'inching pedal' not a clutch as the other straight gear machines do.

Also as it being a *81 it has the multi speed pto, not the single speed.

lastly. the 6s hp number is misleading. that is the max flywheel hp with no accy.. in reality.. people refer to the 8** machiens as having about 45-48 useable hp .

I sugest you get a shop manual as well as the insert for the SOS, but determine what SOS you have.. the older, original ORC style, or the updated DDC style.

Thanks for the clarification. In my research, this seemed to be the most powerful compact tractor I could find in the area. Perfect, I think, for my needs. I will be purchasing a shop manual online somewhere next week. Any idea where the best prices are?

How can you identify the SOS type?

 

[Soundguy]

Yep.. the 8xx/9xx/4000 4 cyl fords ( as well as the 4 cyl 192ci inductrails ) pack alota hp into a frame not much bigger than an 8n.

Check the casting numbers on the trans.

312259 Transmissions are OVER RUNNING CLUTCH in the 1959-1962 Red and Gray Ag tractors and Red and Buff Industrial tractors

C0NN7006B Transmissions are DIRECT DRIVE CLUTCH which Ford started installing in the NEW 1962 FORD BLUE and GRAY tractors in AUGUST of 1962

The LATER REVISION C3NN7006B DIRECT DRIVE CLUTCH Transmission which was installed in the 1963-1965 tractors

 

[GPintheMitten]

What is SOS?

 

[8N Ren]

What is SOS?

Select-O-Speed

 

[Soundguy]

What is SOS?

As 8n ren says.. select o speed

a full powershift tranny

 

[ovrszd]

Nice find. As to your list of modernization needs. Be creative, build your own.