Dumb questions about a Ford 3000

Jeretp

New User
I have had my Ford 3000 (may be a 2000) for over a year. Bought it from an old farmer, who said he didnt know much about it, but he felt it was worth the money since someone had replaced the radiator, and it ran smooth to me. Said it was a 3000, but after reading some of the posts on here and others I feel like it may be a 2000. On the side of the engine behind the starter there is a impressed number starting with a "B", then follows with a 99....
I havent been a great owner til now. I abused the tractor while bush hogging, and didnt pay much attention to it afterwards. I let the oil go almost dry, and eventually had to replace the clutch after a bad leak at the bottom of the housing. I didnt give it the attention it deserved, and failed to be a good owner of a beautiful piece of machinery. Mainly because I didnt know enough about it to know how to properly care and maintain my tractor.

It continues to do what is asked of it everyday, and now I have begun to really pay close attention to every part of the tractor. I just painted the grill today, and have cleaned most of the tractor to where its not an eyesore anymore. I have alot to do to it to bring it back to what it was when it was new. I bush hog a 10 acre plot, that is overgrown with brush and many, many stumps. I had the lumber cut out of the back of the property to farm it, but having a hard time trying to figure out how to remove all of the stumps. its been hard on the old bush hog too!

Today, I was looking behind the grill after I removed it, and found what looked like an air filter. So, I took the bottom of the housing off to see what type of filter it had and to see if the thing was dirty. To my surprise I find a bowl at the bottom holding about a quart of oil (motor oil?). I tried to see where it was coming from and found that there was a "half moon" shaped end at the bottom. Whew! Can someone tell me what this is? Is it an air filter that is self lubricating as I read in the manual somewhere. I do have a manual.
Secondly, when I engage the PTO I find that the gears grind until it "pops" into gear. And although I lower the engine to idle speed it still grinds into gear. I know that the clutch must play a part in that right?
Please dont answer back with some sarcasm. I know enough now to split the tractor, and I have also removed and replaced the fuel lines. (Diesel by the way). I plan to continue to improve my tractor on an day to day basis, and have decided to keep it in the shop now until I build a lean-too that can cover it from the sun and rain.

Thanks for your help in advance.
 
(quoted from post at 04:16:11 08/01/14) I have had my Ford 3000 (may be a 2000) for over a year. Bought it from an old farmer, who said he didnt know much about it, but he felt it was worth the money since someone had replaced the radiator, and it ran smooth to me. Said it was a 3000, but after reading some of the posts on here and others I feel like it may be a 2000. On the side of the engine behind the starter there is a impressed number starting with a "B", then follows with a 99....
I havent been a great owner til now. I abused the tractor while bush hogging, and didnt pay much attention to it afterwards. I let the oil go almost dry, and eventually had to replace the clutch after a bad leak at the bottom of the housing. I didnt give it the attention it deserved, and failed to be a good owner of a beautiful piece of machinery. Mainly because I didnt know enough about it to know how to properly care and maintain my tractor.

It continues to do what is asked of it everyday, and now I have begun to really pay close attention to every part of the tractor. I just painted the grill today, and have cleaned most of the tractor to where its not an eyesore anymore. I have alot to do to it to bring it back to what it was when it was new. I bush hog a 10 acre plot, that is overgrown with brush and many, many stumps. I had the lumber cut out of the back of the property to farm it, but having a hard time trying to figure out how to remove all of the stumps. its been hard on the old bush hog too!

Today, I was looking behind the grill after I removed it, and found what looked like an air filter. So, I took the bottom of the housing off to see what type of filter it had and to see if the thing was dirty. To my surprise I find a bowl at the bottom holding about a quart of oil (motor oil?). I tried to see where it was coming from and found that there was a "half moon" shaped end at the bottom. Whew! Can someone tell me what this is? Is it an air filter that is self lubricating as I read in the manual somewhere. I do have a manual.
Secondly, when I engage the PTO I find that the gears grind until it "pops" into gear. And although I lower the engine to idle speed it still grinds into gear. I know that the clutch must play a part in that right?
Please dont answer back with some sarcasm. I know enough now to split the tractor, and I have also removed and replaced the fuel lines. (Diesel by the way). I plan to continue to improve my tractor on an day to day basis, and have decided to keep it in the shop now until I build a lean-too that can cover it from the sun and rain.

Thanks for your help in advance.

Yes, that bowl is part of the air filter. There should be a line indicating the proper level. Change the oil in the air filter when you do the engine oil. The same oil you put in your engine will be just fine. As far as the pto, you are clutching before you try to engage it right? With the tractor sitting still? You might wanna try waiting a few seconds from the time you mash the clutch till you try to engage the pto. There should be no grinding, it should go smoothly in. Hope this helps
 
Thanks Tim!

I had read a post after I posted concerning the PTO grinding. The tractor is sitting still, and the RPM"s are turned all the way down. Still grinds, but I havent been patient enough to wait a few mins before I try to engage. I will try that.

As far as the model being a 2000 or a 3000 is still having me wonder if I was ripped off by believing it was a 3000, when actually was a 2000. Like I said before, the model number begins with a "B" then follows with a 99... I will have to look again for any other numbers.
 
The B may be the beginning of the serial number, if it came off the Basildon assembly line. I think that may be what it is, as I can't think of any variants that use a 99 after the B in the model number.
 
If it was a serial number that started with B99, it would have to be a much newer tractor than a 2000 or 3000, probably something from in the '80's.

If B99 is all that's there, then my guess is that it is the production code and the tractor is from a European factory, as they changed the order of the characters in the production code sometimes over there, like we use mm/dd/yy for dates here in the US and they use dd/mm/yy over there, so B99 might February 9, 1969, plus they sometimes didn't use the trailing letter for the shift on the date codes on some of the earlier ones over there.

Definitely get all 3 numbers, as complete as you can, and post them back here.
 

When you replaced the clutch what did you do to stop the bad leak? Whenever someone asks here about a clutch problem that leads to the need to replace their clutch, they are advised to replace the clutch release bearing. A worn release bearing can be the cause of the difficulty in engaging the PTO.
 
The "B" followed by the 99, and following that is a series of numbers. Total of 10 or more numbers. I dont see any marks or impressions that are above or below these numbers. I will check again today. I read on another website that the begining alpha indicates the size of the tractor. Such as a "C" indicated a 3000, and a "B" indicates a 2000. I may be looking at something totally different than I am supposed to, but its directly behind the starter, on the flywheel housing where there are two screw holes that are there for an attachment. I mean that they are right above the screw holes facing out.

I was really tripped up by the air filter having fluid in it. I understand that there is supposed to be oil in there now, but is there an actual filter that needs replaced?

There are several "knobs" below the seat. I know what controls the lift, and on my left side there is the lever that engages the PTO. There are two other knobs on the center and right side of the tractor that I have no idea what they are. The center knob screws in and out. It has no impact on performance that I can tell. Looks as if the this knob is there for looks. The other lever on the right side does what? Its a part of the housing, and I feel like it controls the lift in some way such as lifts one side to tilt the bush hog. I am unsure???? Thanks for all of the input. I really appreciate all of you answering these dumb questions. I grew up in TN as a suburbanite, and went on the the Army where I retired last year after 20 years. I came out of the military with a new attitude about TN, and love the countryside, and want to farm. So, I am trying to catch up as fast as I can! On my way to the tractor now, and will be engaged there for the rest of the day.
 
The "B" followed by the 99, and following that is a series of numbers. Total of 10 or more numbers. I dont see any marks or impressions that are above or below these numbers. I will check again today. I read on another website that the begining alpha indicates the size of the tractor. Such as a "C" indicated a 3000, and a "B" indicates a 2000. I may be looking at something totally different than I am supposed to, but its directly behind the starter, on the flywheel housing where there are two screw holes that are there for an attachment. I mean that they are right above the screw holes facing out.

That sounds like you are looking in the correct place. The letter at the beginning only designates the series if it is part the model number. There should be 3 different numbers on that flat spot, the model number, the serial number and the unit number.

The model number would be 6 characters long. It could start with a number if it was made before 4/1/68, or a letter if it was made after that. 2 or B would be 2000 series, 3 or C would be 3000 series and 4 or D would be 4000 series. But again, that would only apply if it was in fact the model number, and if it is 10 or more numbers after a single letter then it is not the model number.

The serial number would be a letter (A, B or C) followed by a 6 digit number.

The Unit Number (or date code or production code as it is also called) would usually be 4 or 5 characters long, a single digit number (last digit of year) followed by a single letter (A through M except for J, for the month) followed by a single or double digit number for the day of the month, followed by a single letter (A, B or C for the shift).

I was really tripped up by the air filter having fluid in it. I understand that there is supposed to be oil in there now, but is there an actual filter that needs replaced?

If you look up into the metal canister above where the oil cup is that you removed, you will see a mass of metal mesh that looks sort of like steel wool. The air comes down the center tube from the input above the nose of the tractor and bubbles through the oil and the oil catches most of the smaller dirt particles. Then the air goes up through the mesh, and some of the oil splashes up into the mesh as well, and the mesh traps anything that made its way through the oil. You should occasionally remove the mesh and clean it by soaking it in gasoline or kerosene, or you can remove the whole canister and reverse flush gas or kero through it.

There are several "knobs" below the seat. I know what controls the lift, and on my left side there is the lever that engages the PTO. There are two other knobs on the center and right side of the tractor that I have no idea what they are. The center knob screws in and out. It has no impact on performance that I can tell. Looks as if the this knob is there for looks. The other lever on the right side does what? Its a part of the housing, and I feel like it controls the lift in some way such as lifts one side to tilt the bush hog. I am unsure???? Thanks for all of the input. I really appreciate all of you answering these dumb questions. I grew up in TN as a suburbanite, and went on the the Army where I retired last year after 20 years. I came out of the military with a new attitude about TN, and love the countryside, and want to farm. So, I am trying to catch up as fast as I can! On my way to the tractor now, and will be engaged there for the rest of the day.

The lever on the right, is it a small lever near the base of the main lift control handle? If that is the one that you are talking about, then that is the draft control lever. It switches the lift between position and draft control modes, and it should be covered in your owner's manual. You say you have a manual... which manual would that be? An owner's manual or a service manual?

I'm not sure what the knob in the center would be. It almost sounds like a flow control valve, but that would be on the right side, not the center. Post some pictures of what you are asking about and it will be easier for us to understand what you are asking about so we can give you the right answers.
 
Just to add to what Sean in PA said, the small lever on the right under the seat is the draft/position control. Down is draft and up is position. U want it up unless u are plowing.
 
After a hard day yesterday, I looked again for that number. I found a "3L" on top of the area where I first described. I couldn't make out the last alpha, so I am stuck with that to try to describe. The description you provided tells me that it may be a 3000 made in NOV? The other code below it was "B977292". That is the code that had me believing it was a 2000. Now that I realize its a serial number then I feel better knowing it may be a 3000.

The right hand lever on the the under seat of the tractor is probably a draft control as stated. How does that work for a bush hog? I do have a manual that I bought at Tractor Supply. Its a repair manual. Thought it was the only one available. I assume that there must be more? Its an I&T manual. FO-31.
The other screw in and out "valve" is on the right, but more centered than the other levers. If its the flow control then what flow does it control?

Thanks for the info on the filter. I plan to go out there today and clean it.

Yesterday I was out bush hogging, and hit a low lying stump. It boggged down the engine and the whole engine and bush hog stopped running. When I tried to restart, I got two rapid and deeply loud "clanks" from the engine, and then nothing. Now it will not turn over at all. I had to tow it back to the house. Very worried I may have busted something internal in the engine. Initially I am thinking that the starter was jammed. I hit it with a hammer, and nothing again. So, I am thinking that something around the starter is preventing it from turning over. I tried to jump it, and nothing happened again. I turned the motor flywheel and it turns over fine. I know that you all cannot fix it from where you are, but is there some sort of safety relay that stops the starter from turning over if its binded up?
 
Thanks! I have dusty conditions here since it hasnt rained here in a month! I plan to clean it today!

 

I need to look to see if its up or down...

I havent checked it to see, but I did move it up and down several times before just to see what it would do. I may have left it in the wrong position.
 

I think your right... Its a B977292. I was thinking the B was the 2000 identification, but found a "3L" and what appears to be two different other numbers or letters. I cant make those out at all.
 
Black knob on right is the flow control. It controls the speed of the 3 point lift. Screwing it in clockwise all the way will make it move the quickest and unscrewing it counterclockwise will slow it down more the farther you back it out. It is likely a 3000 and not a 2000 as the 2000 did not have a flow control valve.

The 3L followed by some other character is probably the Unit Number, which would mean that it was made in November of some year that ended in a 3. Unfortunately the "B" serial numbers (and the "A" numbers as well) are not well documented as to which numbers were made in which years, but if it is a 3000 it would be a 1973 because the 3000 series was only made from 1965-1975 and 1973 is the only year within that range that ends in a 3. I still think that B977292 is too high of a serial number for a 1973 tractor, but I could be mistaken.

Just for grins, can you open the right side hood panel and look on the underside of the hood, above the battery, to see if there's a foil sticker there? If so, post all of the numbers you find there.
 

Didnt run at all after it hit the stump. Its happened to me before where the engine will bind along with the bush hog and both of them stop together. Its not often, but avoiding stumps is something I have had to deal with. Anyway, I didnt run it at all after it hit. Didnt see anything out of the ordinary on the pan. I looked to see if there was damage on the outside. None. I did look at the I&T manual, and it indicated that there was a safety switch on the starter, looks like between the solenoid and the ignition switch. Any ideas where to find that?
 
I replaced the bearings and the clutch to repair the bad leak in the transmission. Took me forever to complete it, but I did!
 
(quoted from post at 19:39:57 08/02/14) I replaced the bearings and the clutch to repair the bad leak in the transmission. Took me forever to complete it, but I did!

Did you replace the engine rear main crankshaft seal or the transmission input seal?
 

Replaced the transmission seal.

I looked under the hood of course. There is nothing there. I also found a short series of numbers above the "3L" which appears to be a 2. So, 3L2 as it appears, and could be another stamped letter or number there, but just cant make it out. It does not appear to be stamped in there too deep. I thought that maybe I was on to what it was with the 3L, but apparently not.
 
Look up past the smooth part of the flat spot, into the rougher part of the casting. Sometimes the third number is in that part.
 
(quoted from post at 13:58:41 08/02/14) I do have a manual that I bought at Tractor Supply. Its a repair manual. Thought it was the only one available. I assume that there must be more? Its an I&T manual. FO-31.

Yesterday I was out bush hogging, and hit a low lying stump. It boggged down the engine and the whole engine and bush hog stopped running. When I tried to restart, I got two rapid and deeply loud "clanks" from the engine, and then nothing. Now it will not turn over at all. I had to tow it back to the house. Very worried I may have busted something internal in the engine.

There was also an owner's/operator's manual for just about every tractor ever made. If you can find one, original or a repro, it would be worth having.

You might want to find and somehow mark those stumps before you mow again. I hope you didn't but you might have broken something in your tractor. Your 'hog should have bolts that break or a clutch that slips when you hit something. If bolts, someone might have put higher grade bolts in it because they were breaking... they are supposed to! I believe grade 2 bolts are soft enough to work right.
 
(quoted from post at 11:16:47 08/06/14)
(quoted from post at 13:58:41 08/02/14) I do have a manual that I bought at Tractor Supply. Its a repair manual. Thought it was the only one available. I assume that there must be more? Its an I&T manual. FO-31.

Yesterday I was out bush hogging, and hit a low lying stump. It boggged down the engine and the whole engine and bush hog stopped running. When I tried to restart, I got two rapid and deeply loud "clanks" from the engine, and then nothing. Now it will not turn over at all. I had to tow it back to the house. Very worried I may have busted something internal in the engine.

There was also an owner's/operator's manual for just about every tractor ever made. If you can find one, original or a repro, it would be worth having.

You might want to find and somehow mark those stumps before you mow again. I hope you didn't but you might have broken something in your tractor. Your 'hog should have bolts that break or a clutch that slips when you hit something. If bolts, someone might have put higher grade bolts in it because they were breaking... they are supposed to! I believe grade 2 bolts are soft enough to work right.

I have not usually gotten around to it but some fields that I used to hay had some rocks in them. Sometimes I went out before the grass had gotten too tall and sprayed Round-up on a little area in front of the rock in the direction that I would be looking from as I approached while mowing so that I could see them.
 

I have got to find a way to mark those stumps! Spraying around them is a good idea! What I need is a stump grinder, or one of those stump cutters for a 3 pt hitch. Weeds are high! Cant get to them until this winter.

The Bush hog is a beast, and I have found that running through the weeds with the hog raised up high gives me a way to find all of the stumps. I just got careless at the end of the day, and should have quit when I was ahead.

The motor is fine now. Fortunately, I messed up the starter switch somehow, and until I fix that in the next few days I have had to use a screw driver on the solenoid. Fires right up, but I have been to afraid to go back to cutting. Believe I will wait til the winter and gain back my courage to cut in high dry weeds. Stumps are much easier to locate. Then I will paint them bright orange!
 

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