mf 240 given to me needs repairs where to start?

[hank52554]

new to this forum and new to tractors. i was given a mf 240 by my wifes boss, he took it to the dealer for repair they told him the crank was broken and it wasnt worth repairing and offered to take it in on trade for a new one. he has other tractors so he didnt need a new one and didnt want to spend money to repair this one. he offered it to me for free on the condition that i couldnt scrap it i had to fix and use it or sell it to someone for parts or that wanted to fix it. so i went to the dealer and picked it up the dealer said they inspected it and the crank is broken, he said he would put a new crank in it for me for 3200 bucks more if it needed other work done. i declined and just took the tractor home. i called a local machine shop that i take my motors to and the said they could rebuild the entire motor to better than new for 2000 or maybe a little less i just have to take it to them and split the tractor my self and remove all the accessories. what can i do to check the crank without splitting the tractor, the dealer supposedly checked it but i am wondering if they were just trying to sell a new tractor. the tractor is in pretty decent shape so even if i have to spend several thousand to fix it i will still be ahead vs. buying a running tractor of equal size since i have nothing in the tractor itself.

 

[Jerry/MT]

You can pull the pan and examine the crank yourself. To remove the crank you will ,in all likelyhood, have to split the tractor which is not a difficult job.

You have lots of options.If the head is good, have it rebuilt and see what a short block costs and compare that to the cost of a rebuild. If you are at all handy with mechainical work of this kind, and are not in a hurry, you could consider rebuilding it yourself.