I found a styled WC in a fencerow about 2 miles from my house. It's close to the road so I took a peek at it one day, and it's got a WD block that has been repaired. It looks good though and was done properly. It does have a rain cap on it but I don't expect the engine to be free. Serial number on the rear end dates it to 1941. Everything was there except the battery and the sheet metal seemed alright for sitting outside. I think the front end is from a truck and is obviously homemade. Tires are all shot and the rear rims probably aren't much good but I might be able to pull it home.

I don't personally know the owner of the property, but I'm friends with the guy who farms that land so I could get in touch that way. I was thinking about offering $250 for it... does that seem out of line? The owner may not want to sell it (heck, he may not even know it's on his property), but I thought it was worth a shot. It's obviously not original but would at least have some decent parts, and if I'm lucky it might be usable with rims and tires.

I figure the tractor weighs about 3000 lbs... at $200/ton, that would be $300. The nearest scrap yard is 40 miles, plus anyone trying to get to it to put it on a trailer would have one heck of a time dealing with the steep hill, washed out road, and having to ford a creek. It's a lot of trouble if you're trying to make money by scrapping it. So I was figuring $250 is pretty fair.

 

I'm in Taylorville, just over an hour west of you, and there doesn't seem to be a shortage of orange in the fields and at local auctions.  You'll have to come over this way and haul a few back home to restore the color balance in your area!