# Purchasing Tractor with Replaced Hour Meter



## SunHeart (Apr 18, 2021)

I'm looking at purchasing a tractor, a NH TS100A. It seems in pretty good cosmetic condition, and I'm considering driving a few hours to check it out, but the one hesitation I have is that the hour meter/perhaps the entire instrument panel has been replaced. The seller said they got it recently with 39 hours on it and have put 60 or so on it over a couple months. Said they thought it was a 09-10 (to my knowledge they stopped making the TS100A in 06...) and that it probably actually has 4-5k hours. Obviously hard to know what's what. Here's the link - https://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/202824375/new-holland-ts100a

Any advice about these kinds of situations in general? They aren't entirely uncommon as a current search turns up a few. If anyone has experience with this seller that would also be useful, either way.


----------



## Ox76 (Oct 22, 2018)

caveat emptor = latin for buyer beware. 

Let's face it - every time we buy something used it's a gamble. All you can do is try it out and check fluids to see how things are.


----------



## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

FEL bucket appears to have been in a fire or sprayed with paint remover.


----------



## sea2summit (Aug 4, 2021)

No data in the add and a single grainy picture? Wouldn't touch it as it screams scam to me. If you've received proof of life though, it's a gamble and good luck.


----------



## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

Tx Jim said:


> FEL bucket appears to have been in a fire or sprayed with paint remover.


this bucket has a mysterious substance to you southerners, known as iron oxide, known to us northerners as rust.


----------



## Wethay (Jul 17, 2015)

That is a lot of rust on the bucket. either it had really poor paint or something happened.


----------



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

If I remember right, the A series was made 2006-7. My TS135A is a 2007. Rust on the bucket is no big deal. Check the hydraulics, especially the pump for noise and flow. Check for odd noises, clinks, etc. .... and be very suspicious!

Ralph


----------



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I agree the overly rusty bucket is odd. But maybe it was used with a bale spear and the bucket sat in the weeds for 15 years... I am in PA and ever heard anything, good or bad about that dealer...I would go over the machine real well and really look at why the dash was replaced? Look for broken glass down in the cracks that might be there due to a fire. Look for wiring damage under the dash that might have been a dash fire...
Go over it, and go over it well...


----------



## Cactus50 (Nov 26, 2020)

Personally, I would move on down the road; plenty of good tractors out there and the data to go with them.


----------



## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Hayjosh said:


> this bucket has a mysterious substance to you southerners, known as iron oxide, known to us northerners as rust.


Well I hate to burst your Northern bubble but that bucket in the photo appears to this Texan as if it rusted due to lack of paint.


----------



## ttazzman (Sep 29, 2019)

I have bought similar type equipment before from dealers ....I usually after looking over offer a take as is significantly lower cash price....or tell them I will take it at their price if they will rent it to me for a month or two with all rent applied against the purchase price at the end of the term ...with the option to opt out at the end of the rental period with only rent paid....or ask for a written 30day wattanty ....etc


----------



## FCF (Apr 23, 2010)

Not only is the bucket overly rusty, both front rims show more rust than what I would consider normal. If interested proceed with caution.


----------



## JOR Farm (Aug 27, 2019)

My dad and I bought a John Deere 4455 with a similar problem dash showed ~600 hours salesman tried to say it was accurate. He shut up when I slide the air filter out and it had initials, 2 year old date, and 4600 hrs wrote on it.


----------



## mstuck21 (Oct 4, 2019)

Bucket looks like it was used to load salt.. rust on front rims might agree.

We got hosed on a used tractor purchase earlier this year so tread lightly.


----------



## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

mstuck21 said:


> Bucket looks like it was used to load salt.. rust on front rims might agree.
> 
> ——


Agreed. Salt or fertilizer was my first thought. I would just have to see it in person to get an idea if there was a rust problem beyond the bucket and front rims.

Re: the hour meter. We should always be cautious about hour readings. At least in this case you know it isn’t right instead of them trying to sell you something that supposedly has 900 original hours or some crazy but slightly possible amount.

Like Mike, I’m also in Pennsylvania and haven’t heard anything about Lenox, but at least I’ve heard of them. Those Northern tier guys are almost in a different world than us southern tier folks.


----------



## SunHeart (Apr 18, 2021)

Thanks everyone for your responses. I think I'll look elsewhere.


----------



## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Looks like every parking lot plowing tractor in our area. Salt makes a mess of them in no time. The folks that keep their equipment a long time get them rust checked/sprayed every year and the machine will stay good. Buckets still look like that.


----------



## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

For that kind of money I think you could buy a better looking machine.


----------



## 712alberta (Apr 14, 2020)

We have had to replace the instrument clusters that have the hour meters in them on a couple of pieces of equipment over the years. On most of this newer equipment the hour meter isn't separate and if you have problems and need replace a cluster you end up getting a zero hour unit again. On the two tractors that we have had to replace a gage cluster we have notes of the hours in our maintenance records and we will make a small note on the plastic surround of the hours when the hour meter was changed. And a copy of the maintenance records always go with the tractor, and its always noted that the tractor has had the hour meter replaced. What the dealer does with that information is up to them, but the dealers we deal with are good guys, and we have no problem talking to the a potential buyer. I'd ask to if you could talk to the previous owner if you were serious about buying it. Happens all the time around here especially on bigger ticket items. 

It could have been used in snow removal, fertilizer or salt handling, The buckets we have that have spent their entire life in manure and silage don't show rust like that. 

It could also be that the tractor was shipped in from somewhere else. If it was you may want to steer clear. A number of years ago, a neighbor traded off several TV 140 bi directional's. This guys crew was exceptionally hard on equipment, the dealer knew it, everyone in the area knew it and they were a really hard sell. The ended up going to Texas, roughly 2500 miles away. If its a problem child piece of equipment, thats an easy way for a dealership to wash its hands of something.


----------



## 560Dennis (Jun 1, 2015)

Only thing an hour meter says is what on the meter , the rest is a guess if you can’t measure it the rest is good judgement


----------



## tmoseley (Aug 24, 2010)

SunHeart said:


> I'm looking at purchasing a tractor, a NH TS100A. It seems in pretty good cosmetic condition, and I'm considering driving a few hours to check it out, but the one hesitation I have is that the hour meter/perhaps the entire instrument panel has been replaced. The seller said they got it recently with 39 hours on it and have put 60 or so on it over a couple months. Said they thought it was a 09-10 (to my knowledge they stopped making the TS100A in 06...) and that it probably actually has 4-5k hours. Obviously hard to know what's what. Here's the link - https://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/202824375/new-holland-ts100a
> 
> Any advice about these kinds of situations in general? They aren't entirely uncommon as a current search turns up a few. If anyone has experience with this seller that would also be useful, either way.





SunHeart said:


> I'm looking at purchasing a tractor, a NH TS100A. It seems in pretty good cosmetic condition, and I'm considering driving a few hours to check it out, but the one hesitation I have is that the hour meter/perhaps the entire instrument panel has been replaced. The seller said they got it recently with 39 hours on it and have put 60 or so on it over a couple months. Said they thought it was a 09-10 (to my knowledge they stopped making the TS100A in 06...) and that it probably actually has 4-5k hours. Obviously hard to know what's what. Here's the link - https://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/202824375/new-holland-ts100a
> 
> Any advice about these kinds of situations in general? They aren't entirely uncommon as a current search turns up a few. If anyone has experience with this seller that would also be useful, either way.
> 
> ...


----------



## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Looks like every tractor that age up here in terms of rust except the ones that are parked all winter.


----------

