Tractor Reccomendation

I have a '51 and a '52 8n and love them both.

Outside of the N's I don't know a lot of other tractors.

I'd like to get another older Ford with some more HP (35 or so) and Live Hydraulics and power steering so it could handle a loader nicely.

Looking for something reliable, straight forward to work on, and has good parts availability.

I'd apreciate any advice you guys might have. Any thoughts on price range too?

Thanks a Lot!

Sal

I will go along with guys saying they like the 3 cylinder Fords. My favorite is my 4000 SU. It's a 4000 motor and drivetrain, with a 3000 front axle and 24" rear rubber. It sits a lot closer to the ground than the standard 4000. I push snow with front and rear blades. Also use landscape rake, 3 point backhoe and a 5 ft Howard rotovator. I was out doing a little fall tilling this morning before the rain; I love that machine. I live close to you (Cicero); you would be welcome to come over a check it out. I would look forward to meeting another YT board user.

I'd agree with Mike, the three cylinder 3000 (or 2000 - they are essentially the same tractor) is a good choice. They were made from '65 to '74 (sometimes see '75 as the last year), so that is a long run in the tractor world. That will make parts avaliablity as good as you could expect. Some people on the Ford Board will say to look at the 3600 as I understand it has a heavier front axle. Or you could look for a 3-cyl. 4000, much heavier front axle and bigger than the 3000. The thousand series can have power steering, differential lock, and 8-speed transmission or SOS. The 3000 was my first tractor, before I got a chance to get my Uncle's 8N. The farm I bought in 1986 was big enough that I didn't think an 8N would be up to the stuff I needed to do. I have mowed down a lot of trees thet an N could not push over. Pretty hard on the tractor, and my 3000 and mower have the battle scars to show it. :-)

Note: These tractors are still very usefull for every day farm utility work such as mowing or raking. So they will run as much as twice what an N would cost. I paid $5K in 1986 for my 3000 with a bushhog on it. Maybe a bit much, but that seems to be the price range I still see in the northern Virginia area - lots of small hobby farms that can use tractors that size.

Let us know what you get.

Regards,
Larry

I have only tlaked with a couple of folks and they mentioned the 3000 and 4000 also.

I have about 45 acres and find that the 8N's can be a little small at times, plus I really want a pretty good Loader that can be used for more than snow and light work without beating up the front suspension.

I am into Ford a lot...2 ford trucks, 1 ford van, 2 8N's, 1 '65 mustang, 1 Model A on jack stands, and some Ford Motor Co stock...so I want to stick with another ford tractor...I just can't buy anything that is green.

I am hoping that I can find what I want for $5-7K and that sounds about right for my area. Right now it looks like a spring time pruchase.

For a real basic question since I am just looking into this...the 3000 and 4000 are they gas or diesel?

Thanks.

Sal

My 3000 is gas and is the easiest starting engine I own, though I do have a '47 8N that is real easy to start also. Have only had one problem starting it. That was when the points needed changing REAL BAD!! It went for easy starting to NOTHING, no cough, wheez, just cranked over, and over. Easy to fix though.

My impression is that there are more diesels out there than gas. I almost bought a 2000 that had a front blade on it, but it was diesel and the guy wanted too much for me to take a chance on it. I have NO experence with diesels, but quite a bit on gas engines of all sizes.

While I am replying let me tell you what I know about the differences between the 2000 and the 3000. First is the HP rating, BUT the engine is EXACTLY the same. What they did was use a lower RPM for the 2000 (1900RPM vice 2100RPM) for the specifications so it comes in at a lower HP - therefore it is the "bottom" of the line. The other difference is in the hydraulics. The 3000 has draft control in both forward AND reverse, the 2000 is just like the 8N, forward only. Then the 3000 as an optional flow control valve to control the lifting speed of the hitch. Also the 2000 was first delivered only with a 4-speed transmission, but I suspect that in later years they also had the 8-speed tranny as an option. I also remember seeing a 6-speed tranny in the service manual, but don't know which model it was for.

SOundguy