Buying a Ford 3000

Ok, so I wrote earlier about a ford 2000 and decided to pass. not much difference than my other tractor in hp, no diff lock , limited gearing.Now I see a ford 3000 with diff lock, 8 spd, one remote, tires seem ok, no major issues listed by the dealer. A little far to go , but I think I can take care of that too. Questions I would have from more experienced buyers is, what else should I ask about? Would you make a compression test, dry, wet , or both a condition of sale, and is this usually done?What if the dealer refuses for whatever reason to do or allow the test, would you bother to go look at it? I want to use it for hobby farming, a back up to the kubota for field mowing, and also because I always liked the look of Ford tractors. I have a two bottom plow, and 5 ft cutter, all cat 1. Probably would have less than 50-100 hrs of use a year.
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It"s a gasser, so check to see if it has to have the choke pulled all the time to get it to run (if it still has a Holley carb on it). Looks like someone has been into the top of the tranny, a new shifter cover? Check the serial #s - should show that it is a "65-"68, based on the hood tin.

Mike,
Some general obvervations;
Not real often do you see an original tach go that high of hours. Most I have seen failed before that.
You do know not to Ever trust the hours on those models, yes?
Unless you actually sit and watch it turn over?
Hours usually failed and quit counting. Some at half that number.
Don't expect any of the other gauges to work either.
4600 hours on a gasser is probably 75% of it's normal service life. Diesels would likely go double that. Providing they both had regular maintenance.
Yeah, it would be nice to do a compression test - if you can...
These are not like the Hundred Series where you can drop in new sleeves and pistons for a few Hundred $.
I think in picture #4 I can kinda, sorta, maaaybee see just the tip of the diff lock linkage on the right trumpet. Not sure.
All 3000s had square rear axles but not all had Diff lock.
I would ask. It should have the pedal you clomp down on with your right heel if it does like in the pic below - near the Left red circle.
Those red circled plugs are the check plugs for the tranny and rear end oil btw.
I see the right 3 pt ball is missing. Not a big deal.
Rear tires are good but not a matched set. Right one is older.
Nice to see PS!
Tractor has both front and rear wheel weights.
Nice. About $500 value.
I don't know if rear spin out rims are original. Maybe some else knows.
Doesn't matter anyway.
Some rust on right rim by valve stem. Cant see left side.
Ask?
Front bumper with hard to find brackets about $200.
Still has original steering box tins under the dash.
Sweet!
Twin stick so either 6 or 8 sp. Good.
No way to tell if live or tranny pto from here.
Still has Holley carb.
Ask Hobo NC here on this board to help you rebuild it if it needs it.
All original lights. Drawbar there. Oil filter changed to new style.
No major leaks.
Tin very good. Paint fair. General aspect good.
Cheap, noisy muffler.
I wonder why the rust on the right side below the gas tank.
Maximum estimated value (the hard part here)
$4500
That is <font size="5.5" color="black">IF</font> the engine checks out and tractor doesn't smoke, knock, rattle, gears are quiet, clutch smooth, pto spins, etc.

Ultradog thanks for the very comprehensive review and picture! If the weather here is not bad, my friend and I plan to drive and take a look at it on Saturday. This board has been a great help.

3000 OH, good observation on the shifter cover, thanks too!

Ultradog, my compliments on your sharp and wise eyes. I only had time to look for about a minute before I wrote but even if I took more time, I sure wouldn"t have caught everything that you did.

Besides the under-dash tin, I"m also now noticing that the nose tin is primo, unusual for these tractors, especially so for the 65-68 years. Also, the front tin hasn"t been cut for a front-mount loader pump, so the front end pivots and linkage may not have been beaten up as much as other 3000s with loaders.

Ultradog I assume by showing the rear end and tranny plugs you recommend they be pulled and the fluid levels checked.
Also is there a cover over the spark plugs that would have to be removed prior to a compression test? Thanks in Advance !

Thanks,
Maybe it's a form of madness. A guy could be looking at pretty girls on the internet but instead spends his time looking at old tractors
Yes the nose and grill are particularly nice aren't they. Especially the valence. Wish mine was as nice.
We both forgot to add one obvious item. It has a single remote valve = $200. If a guy wanted to get the tractor as cheaply as possible he could sell off the wheel weights, bumper, remote valve and steering tins for a Grand and be into the tractor pretty reasonable.

That was just a photo I had that showed those plugs but also showed the pedal. Checking those plugs wont tell you much except that the reservoirs are full.
But I would check the oil closely, radiator, etc.
Also while it's running watch for smoke/blowby coming from the tube by the left side of the radiator. Blowby indicates worn engine.
To get at the spark plugs you will swing the battery tray out like in the picture below.
This is a diesel but your gasser is the same
except smaller battery.

Jerry----are those rear weights one piecers? I noticed the wheels are same style as the spin outs on my 860.....looking for some weights that will fit without a major project.

I don't think the wheels are a Ford product?

Hope you had a Merry......OOPS! Almost did it again!.....Christmas and will Have a Great New Year!!

Tim

Responding to Ultradog's comments:

I think I can see that it does have diff lock. In the pic taken from the rear, just to the right of the mid section, on top of the axle housing you can see something. That should be the diff lock linkage which goes down through a hole in the axle housing to do it's job.

On the tranny I'll say it's an 8 speed. I have a 6 and my levers are reversed; tall and short levers are on opposite sides. Short lever is hi-lo range and long one is gear selector.

On live vs tranny PTO I'm going to say it's live. Reason is the height of the clutch pedal. Mine is live and to get the functions lined up the pedal has to be uncomfortably (somewhat but I am used to it now) high.

FYI, on this tractor you only have two fluid compartments with the full measurements made when fluid comes out the ports UD circled in red. The fill ports are easily visible up on top of the tranny and top right rear of the mid section at the rear axle.

With it having a dry air cleaner it is a later model. Mine is a '65 and is oil bath.

To check if the "proofmeter" (tach) is working, to the right of the numbers is either a black or white bar. While the engine is running, this bar will rotate and change colors which is your clue that it is functioning.

It's cold now and a starting aid may be required but hard starting under mild temperature conditions is an indication of worn rings. Mine and surely yours has a starting aid which is a hot wire and fuel release valve located just behind and inboard of where the air inlet hose attaches to the intake manifold. When activated, key position or pushbutton (depends on tractor year model) it heats a wire coil cherry red which causes a valve to open and dribble some diesel on that hot wire which catches on fire. The cranking engine sucks these fireball drops into the combustion chamber and lights off the engine.....literally.

The 3000 is a fine utility tractor and I wouldn't swap mine for anything.....for the intended purpose.

On the "Live" PTO. Depressing the clutch all the way stops everything. If the PTO lever is pulled forward when the clutch is let out about half way the PTO will start spinning but no ground speed. Letting the clutch on out the tractor will move across the ground. For doing post holes, you can't beat Live PTO.

HTH,
Mark

Good point about the 6-versus-8 spd. We looked at a 3000 a couple of yrs ago, advertised as 8-spd but I could never find 7 & 8 (shift decal was long gone). Finally realized it was a six-spd. Told the owner the ad was wrong, he calmly said it wasn't, he'd counted the speeds...6 fwd + 2 reverse = 8 spds.

As for the dry air cleaner, our 65 gas has a dry unit like this one does. CNH parts site says early diesels did have an oil bath.

Re the thermostart...yes for diesels but this tractor is a gas, carb & distrib are in the RH pix, so no thermostart.

Gas my foot. I clearly see a diesel fuel filter and an injector pump. As I recall the Simms is an inline pump and only needs one filter as it it not as sensitive to water as the Roosa Master distributor pump. My After market SM says that 3000s were equipped with Simms pumps.

Well maybe so for the later models which this one is (later than my '65) as witnessed by the dry air filter, but mine has two filters, a water separator and then fuel filter and the Roosa Master pump.

If that picture with the hood up and battery swung out is of the aforementioned tractor that sucker is a diesel!!!

Mark

Mark, The pic you are referring to is my own tractor and yes it is a diesel so you are right about that.
But the original tractor that MikeAC asked about is a gasser.
You can see the photos of it by clicking on the link below.
As for the air cleaners, as far as I know all the 65-75 3 cyl gassers had a paper filter with the cover in the left center hood and all the 65-75 3 cyl diesels had an oil bath - serviced through the grill. Exceptions were some of the pre 75 Utility models like 3400, 4410 and maybe 4400. On those the diesels had a paper filter accessed through the Left side of the nose.
click here

Thanks for figuring out that confusion, Ultradog - I'd been wondering about it. I almost didn't write (the dry-or-oil-bath question is neither here nor there) but didn't want MikeAC to buy it and wonder where his thermostart was.

One thing I think we three can all agree - and that I think you (Ultradog) have said before - 3000s were some of the best tractors that Ford made.

In doing the compression test , does the 3000 have a separate ignition button in addition to the key or does the key start the engine? I thought I could leave the key turned off and press the ignition to test each cylinder, or will I have to ground out the secondary wire from the coil to the distributor? It has been a while since I did a test, and that was on an 8n.

Drove out to take a look at the tractor today with a mechanic friend. Soon found out I did not ask enough questions before I went. Tractor battery is dead, and is in a now snow drifted field so I could not drive to it to jump it, or check anything else out. Dealer did not offer any help , just said where it was and that the key was in the ignition. Wish he had told me it wasn't running when I called.
It's too far to go back now that I know what I need. Learning experience. Thanks for the help everyone. I will keep looking.

No but the throttle should be wide open. Compression is caused by the piston climbing the cylinder to the top; nothing else.

Mark