Going to look at a 701

[rydogg 186]

Got a call Saturday about a recently restored 95 percent done 701 it sounds like it just needs decals. I was wondering if there is anything in particular I should make sure is there. From the pictures in the gallery they all had a double pulley system for the starter, should they all have this or did some come with a single? What does the 0 in 701 stand for? I am just learning about these older Horses so thanks for the help.

[stevasaurus 23,279]

Hey Ryan...good luck with the horse. Should have a 7HP Kohler, the zero means electric start, built in 1961....701 Should be a nice little, straight forward, roundhood. And you know :D

[Kelly 1,033]

0 on only a few tractors is electric start, most it means pull or recoil start, a 701 has many parts that are just 701 the hood has no grille slots, the only front engined tractor not to have them, it should have the RJ style steering wheel, the fenders and tool box are 701 only should have a brace going from fender to toolbox to fender, double gen. pulley with wide cover only used on the 701, square seat pan, plastic dash only 701 you can get repos right here from a vendor, they do not have a parking brake or left side cover, drive belt guard is flat no indent like newer models, you say restored that can mean to some a rattle can paint job, or every nut and bolt removed inspected replaced if needed, and nice paint, big difference, in cost.

[rickv1957 74]

Good luck on that 701!,Rick

[rydogg 186]

I went and took a look at the 701 on Monday, it has a completely rebuilt 7hp kohler, the entire tractor was taken down to bare metal, primed and sprayed in a paint booth with IH red he said he painted the motor black to offset some of the red. It is missing the double belt cover, the owner said if I can't find one he can make one out of a single belt cover. The price is $700 which seems a little high but he says that is mostly due to the money put into the motor. I did get a couple pictures so let me know if you guys notice anything I am missing. Thank you, Ryan

[Duff 206]

Ryan, I don't know enough about that model to say what may or may not be missing, but at least from the pictures it looks like he did some real quality work! The only thing that jumps out at me is I don't see any drive pulley on the PTO-side of the motor?

Price? Don't know, but the concensus here seems to be if it's within your means and you want it, go for it. I'm sure the seller does have a few dollars tied up in the engine if it was properly rebuilt. I was reading some old threads here this morning looking for some info for another member and came across a somewhat humorous post by our resident guru, TT, about rebuilding Kohler engines: Parts to rebuild a Kohler cost more than those to rebuild a small block Chevy!

All in all, a very nicle looking machine. Hope you get it!

Duff :omg:

[wheel horse 1045 2]

its a 701 and if it was done right on the motor rebuild and not somebody just throwing a set of rings and new gaskets in it and its something you want i would say go for it only because it is the 701 and most of the rebuild is done so it wont take much to finish it and TT is right about the cost to rebuild the motor for one of those altho i would rather rebuild a Ford than a chevy but at the end of the day and like so many have said in the past value is between the buyer and seller,good luck with your decision

[HankB 16]

As far as I can tell from the pictures, the seller has done a pretty nice paint job. Hopefully the engine was rebuilt as well. Does he have a receipt for parts for the rebuild?

I would go over it with a fine tooth comb. I'm guessing you probably already have. Look for possible wear areas that could cost additional $$$ to deal with. I'm thinking things like:

- Steering - is it tight or are there worn parts that may need replacing?

- Spindles and front axle - tight or worn and sloppy?

- Transmission axle bearings - if you jack the trans up, can you rock the wheels back and forth?

- Tires - decent or badly weather checked.

Others familiar with the tractor can probably list other items that you want to check.

Strategy is something else I'll comment on. I would have to go in with a written check list and then force myself to go through it. Once I'm there and see that gorgeous paint job, my jaw would drop and I'd start drooling and not think about all of the other stuff. Common sense would be left far behind.

I'd also try to figure the additional cost for stuff like the PTO pulley and clutch (unless he has it) and decals.

I'm not a real good judge of price, but $700 seems not bad on the surface. However if you need to put a couple hundred $$$ in on other stuff like tires and PTO clutch, it could cost you more than you want to invest.

Good luck with your purchase!

[rickv1957 74]

Tractor does look nice,But at 700.00 is on the high side taking in the things that need to be done yet and parts you would need,just IMO Rick

[Ken B 3,189]

I agree with Rick. Its also hard to tell just how nice the paint job is under all that dust.The last picture looks like there is quite a bit of orange peel or heavy pitting in the metal, its hard to tell. On another note, its awful easy for the monies to add up when rebuilding a motor amongst other things. Just my opinion.

[Kelly 1,033]

I know what good paint cost, and rebuilding a engine the right way, so if you want it buy it, I have more than that in to a few I've restored and did not rebuild the engines, but they where rebuilt right taken apart blasted repainted anything that was worn replaced with new or good used parts so the tractor is right when done, It's up to you.

I just bought a while ago a 701 all there running with new rear tires came with a deck, I paid $400 for it, it's pretty nice but I will still have hundreds more into to restore it right, I sold the deck for $75 so I have a little less in to it, this is the only pic I have right now.