That was a long drive, over 300mi... I called the first guy to tell him i was backing out and had my heart set on a 4x4. He asked what I was looking for and said he had a cherry Ford 1510 with 750hrs that wasn't listed. Knowing it was on the smaller side of what I was looking for I stopped anyways and found this.
Nice little tractor with some rare options like an independent PTO and a 3 range shuttle shift on the column and 4 fwd gears. Tractordata shows it having a 1.1L, 3 cyl, 22HP. Unfortunately it didn't have any steering assist so there's a lot of feedback and it could get a little labor some moving material with the FEL. He wasn't sure what he wanted for and I told him I only know what I'm willing to spend and have seen a couple with similar hours and shape for around $6k... I told him I wanted to look at the other tractors before I gave him an offer.
Second tractor was Deutz-Allis 5230, 31HP, 3 cyl, live PTO, with 2050 hrs. Nice running tractor and felt like more than twice the tractor that the Ford is. No equipment included other than the FEL and not willing to negotiate, firm at $7500.
Third tractor was the Allis Chalmers 5020, 2cyl, 1.3L, 25HP with 6 or 700hrs for $6K. The clutch slips in high range but he has a new clutch, throughout bearing and pressure plate to go with it. Comes with a set of forks for the FEL. Just a sweet little machine, well kept and feels tight and has steering assist. Live PTO and Cat 1 3pt hitch (like the rest).
I liked the size and power of the 31 HP Deutz-Allis but I like that little Allis just as much. It will take longer to move material because the bucket is a lot smaller but I'll gain maneuverability. That 5020 is just a nice tight machine. The guy bought it from the original owner who used it at a marina to move boats. That probably explains why the clutch slips, using too high of a gear and puling large boats/trailers...