3400 Tractor buy? PIC

I realize this post should probably be over on the Ford board, but I guess I"m just used to getting good advise here.

I"ve had a few tractors over the last few years and I just sold a 1954 NAA with loader. (hard to steer)

I"m thinking of buying a Ford 3400 with loader and backhoe. I have some land to clear and it seems I could do the job myself and then sell the tractor.

The tractor has a fairly recent rebuild on the motor ( 3 cly gas) and some other new parts including hydraulic pump.

The downside is getting it home. I only have a "car hauler" type trailer and I estimate this to be 8000 lbs.

I can purchase for $6500 but this may be too much tractor for what I need.

I welcome your opinions. Don"t be shy, let me know what you think? You won"t damage my feelings .

I would assume this type of tractor is a good deal more expensive to fix etc.

Thanks in advance.

Doug
Wisconsin

I decided that even though this looks like a great deal, I cannot afford to spend the money right now.

Email at bigdawg@wctc.net and I"ll give you the guys name.

Doug
Wisconsin

If I didn"t have a Ford 3000 and back hoe already and I was near Wisconsin, I"d snarf up that unit like a starving dog would a hamburger! :-)

The 3cyl engine was designed as a diesel and "converted" to gas, so that is a rugged diesel engine running on gas. I have the same engine in my 3000 and have always said it was my easiest starting engine. Now I only get occasionally down into the teens, not below zero like you do. I was raised in Iowa, so know HOW cold it can get out there. :-)

The extra buckets have to be worth a Grand or so since I paid $354 for a new Woods 8" wide bucket, for a smaller hoe than that one. The tractor alone would fetch 6 Grand here in Virginia.

I would suggest that you talk to a roll back wrecker guy. That is what I got a Ford 2000 out of West Virginia on. It was about 60 miles one way. Cost me something like $100 - don"t remember exactly how much. He charged me by the mile, plus a fixed "hook up" fee. Still better way to get it home than any other I had available to me.

Regards,
Larry

Rick

Rick

Will that backhoe/loader clear the land like you want without working you and the tractor to death. I know a bulldozer would do the job right. Depending on how much land you're clearing you could probably either rent one or hire the job out for a lot less than the cost of the tractor. Next to a bulldozer a backhoe is not a very efficient tree remover or land grader in my opinion.

I'm saying all of this because I used to be the worst about trying to make something do a job it's not suited to. Including backhoes. Generally don't work out.