Deere Crawler Expert Sells Hard-To-Find Parts

Deere Crawler Expert Sells Hard-To-Find Parts SPECIALTY/SERVICES Lavoy Wilcox has talked to a lot of guys who’ve bought an antique Deere crawler tractor that looked good but then found out later that it needed a bunch of expensive parts The parts dealer calls them “drive by shootings” “I’ve seen guys spend $5 000 for a crawler with a new paint job without looking at the undercarriage ” he says “You can fix a bad engine for less than you can replace an undercarriage Many undercarriage parts are not available from Deere ” When Wilcox and his brother first restored a Deere crawler he quickly discovered how hard it was to find parts When he did find a supplier he often had to buy 10 parts to get one To get rid of the extra parts he started advertising and before he knew it he had a part-time business going Today it has grown into a full-time business that leaves little time for restoration He carries a long list of new parts as well as parts from around 100 salvaged crawlers “A clutch kit can require 15 to 20 parts alone ” explains Wilcox “I also carry drivetrains engine parts gauges wiring harnesses and radiators ” Wilcox also buys crawlers for resale He replaces all fluids and does basic maintenance to get them running well Reselling them he says is no problem as he often has a waiting list Wilcox has shipped tracked tractors as far as Australia He says those most in demand are B O Lindeman crawlers Starting in 1931 the company modified Deere tractors mostly orchard series into crawlers Deere bought the company in 1947 “Some of the early crawlers were one of a kind and are very rare ” says Wilcox “Some exceedingly rare ones have sold for more than $100 000 Common models sell for $3 500 to $10 000 ” Wilcox says Deere made between 50 000 and 55 000 of the yellow and green agricultural crawlers before stopping production in 1965 However a newer model continued to be sold in construction yellow Wilcox however doesn’t stock parts for models past the early 1970’s “I stick with the small stuff 60 hp and under ” he explains While many of his customers are collectors they’re often still working machines For example Wilcox recently updated a Deere crawler for a pineapple plantation in Hawaii “They wanted it converted to electronic ignition and 12-volt electric with a 3-pt hitch installed ” he recalls “They needed it to start and run 12 hours a day They said there was no modern equivalent to it ” In fact Wilcox says most of his customers do use their crawlers restored or not for at least limited work One reason may be that there are still plenty of Deere crawlers available at a reasonable price In fact he says parts are worth more than an assembled crawler “You couldn’t build one from scratch ” he says “Even the parts from Deere that aren’t obsolete are often too expensive to justify What I can do for $500 would cost $2 000 or more from Deere ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup JD Crawlers 7716 70th St S Horace N Dak 58047 ph 701 361-1006; postmaster@earthlink net; www jdcrawlers com;

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