Shibura 2803T

[james4912]

Like many of you, I've found this site to be a wealth of information. Although this is my first post, I've enjoyed reading your posts for the past few months. I have about five acres I'd like to keep bush hogged and a 3/4 acre fishing pond I'd like to keep clear and cut. The land is primarily flat with high weeds. I just looked at a Shibura 2803T (T stands for turbo) and the guy wants $3,500 for it. Looks good and runs like a diesal. One rear tire is cracked but overall looks good for a tractor with 1495 hours. The guy is willing to throw in a 4 foot tiller for the same price. Since the sum total of my tractor knowledge came from this site, I am wondering if any of you think this might be a good deal? Any thoughts?--jesse

 

[Surge]

Jesse,

Sounds like a pretty good price, dependent upon condition, year of make of the tractor and would handle your acreage just fine. You might want to do a bit of checking on the "Turbo". I would presume this Turbo is similar to most on gas engines. It is a device that spins at very high RPM's and creates a high pressure stream of air that is used to enhance combustion. Basically Super forced air induction. I would call several Grey Market Suppliers of parts (Such as Sutton Tractor in Edmond, OK) to see what the "experience" has been with those turbo models. They are somewhat rare. See if the part can be acquired and how much it would cost to replace it if it fails. Ask how long it would take to get the part. I remember turbos on some older cars back in the 80's consistently failed in the 40,000 - 50,000 mile range due to the extreme operating conditions they work in and were several thousand dollars to replace.

Of course, you should always ask the seller why he is getting rid of it.

 

[gbirky]

Jesse,
I cannot comment on this particular tractor - but do have some experience with turbos. If you get this tractor, the best thing you can do to prolong the life of the turbo is to make sure you allow the tractor to cool down at a fast idle (no load) for about 5 minutes after hard running before you shut down the engine. This allows the turbo to cool and keeps oil running through the bearings during cooldown.

Greg