7120 question

[cowfarmer]

Found a rather low houred 7120 magnum. everythng on it is great but it doesnt have MFWD I have a 7130 that has MFWD and I love it. Question is could I buy this tractor and put a MFWD front axle on it fairly cheap. Note I want this thing because of very low hours I cant find one with MFWD in this kind of shape. I could probably afford to buy a newer MX but Im just to dang conservative to spend that kind of money. Any input will be appreciated. This tractor will mainly pull a 12/23 kinze planter and some feed wagon time when the old 856 is wounded.

[Nebrfarmr]

We had a guy down the road, who had a MFWD 7130, and bought the front end out of a 2wd one, that had been hit by a train, and would have the MFWD axle under it during tillage, and then put the 2WD axle under it for the summer, for haying, and hauling the hay home (fields were scattered around a bit).   I know that the axles themselves can swap out fairly easily, but I wonder about a couple things:  Does the main transmission housing have a place for the front driveshaft?  I have a 5088, and the 2WD version just has a 'blank' transmission housing.  There is no place for an output shaft to go, it would have to be cut, or replaced with a whole new housing that had the ouput shaft.  Also, I have no idea of the internal differences to the tranny, either.

However, if I had to venture a guess, if the front face of the tranny housing is just flat, like mine, you are talking big $$$ to do it.

[r3020]

Had a neighbor with a 5088 that converted it to MFWD. He talked about putting a gear in the tran but didn't say anything about a different tran. He did say there were two different gears and he had the wrong one in at first but was able to change it without spliting the tractor, was able to take it out through the hole. Thought he said he had 10-12k in it. Good luck.

[Nebrfarmr]

I went out and looked at my 5088.  There is no 'hole', even a capped off one, in the front of the tranny housing.  There is a flat spot, where it looks like the stub would come out of, and a large enough area around it, with bosses cast in, for bolts for a 'tail' carrying the output shaft & bearings would go.  At the very least, the wole front of the tranny housing would have to be either machined, or changed out (if it is a separate piece, I wonder if the tranny housing isn't one big casting).

$10-12K is a lot of $$$ to put into a perfectly good tractor worth $16,000 (what I paid for mine), although I am sure they went up a bunch since then.

[dairyfarmgal]

reguarding your question on 7120 you have plenty of power to pull planter and feed wagon without mfwd plus easier manuverability, i would buy and use as is.  good luck

[Bleeding RED]

I've got a 7110 2wd that I pull a 12 row planter with and have no problems.  If the 7120 you found is like you say it is, I wouldn't let the 2wd scare me.  You'll be fine.