Hi,
I was told this was a 1968 Ford 4000 with a diesel engine. But looks to me like it could be a Ford 3500. Any thoughts on what is is?
Thanks
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http://www.springfieldbiz.com/oaktree/codes_short2.html

Will help you tell exactly what you have.

A pic of the rear end would help also...
 
Thanks Sotxbill. That weblink you posted has good info. I don't have the id numbers yet and no pic of the rear. For what it's worth, I haven't seen any pics of 4000 tractors that have that raised squared off area at the front center of the hood.
 
3500, 3550, 4500 all have the "hard" nose. 3500 will have outboard (at outer end of axle) dry brakes, the 3550 and 4500 had inboard wet brakes. If there is no tag under the RH hood panel, the model ID and build date are STAMPED (dented IN) on the transmission housing roughly straight UP from the nose cone of the starter. There will be a small flat area and should be three lines of information. Model will be numbers and letters mixed, tractor number will be single letter (most probably "C") then all numbers, unit number is number-letter-number-letter. Re-post those and I or somebody else can decode them for you.
 
That looks like either a 3500 or 3550. The front axle in those pictures is common to the 3500, 3550 and 4400, but the hard radiator shell is common to the 3500, 3550 and 4500, and since it has both it is not likely to be a 4400 or a 4500.

The main difference between the 3500 and the 3550 is the rear axle. The 3500 had the single reduction rear axle like the 200 & 3000 series and the dry drum brakes, while the 3550 had the double reduction rear axle with the inboard wet brakes.

Since it has the newer sheet metal with the smooth sided hood, and it appears to have the old style power steering pump with the reservoir up above the pump, that should place it in the 1968-1970 time frame, which should make it a 3500, as from my references the 3550 didn't replace the 3500 until 1972.
 
Is there anything in particular I should be wary of (assuming it's a model 3500) if I were to buy this tractor? I know the standard stuff.... oil, leaks, hoses, smoke, clutch, etc. from using 800-series tractors with loaders. Anything unique to a Ford 3500 I should look out for? Thanks
 
They are overall pretty darn good reliable tractors. I would just check all of the regular things:

Check fluids for proper levels and any contamination.
Check the operation of the transmission in all forward and reverse gears.
Check the operation of the PTO if it has one, but I don't think that it does given that it has the 4x4 power reverser transmission.

If the seller can't prove the maintenance history with receipts, after you get it I would recommend changing all fluids and filters anyway, even if they look good, just so you have a known good starting point.

I looked at your pictures some more, and it definitely is not a 4400 or 4500, as they both had their power steering cylinders down under the nose of the tractor, not along the left side like the one in the second picture.
 
Thanks again Sean.

You say it has a 4x4 power reverser transmission. I don't know what that is. Is that a shuttle shift or hydrostatic type of deal where you can reverse direction without using the clutch? I've never actually used either. I'll probably look stupid trying to test drive this thing. Also, I thought this was a 2-wheel drive, or when you say 4x4 you are referring to something else? Thanks.
 
I've got a 4400, and it is SLIGHTLY different. The biggest tell off, is the trans. My book says that the 4400 NEVER came with a reverser. Mine is high/low. With 2 forward and 2 reverse speeds in each range. The neighbor has a 3550, and it has the reverser in it. JUST like that one!! ;)

My vote is a 3550 Ford...

Bryce
 
The 4x4 auto reverser is a 4 speed manual gear box (no actual reverse gear in the gear box) with a torque converter and a hydraulically controlled reverser in front of the main transmission. The single stick shifter and the handle on the left side of the dash in your pictures shows that is what you have.

The other transmissions that were available on the 3500 at that time were:

1. 4 speed manual (4 forward and one reverse gear on a single shifter).

2. 6 speed manual (3 forward and 1 reverse on the main shifter and a second shorter shifter for high and low ranges for a total of 6 forward and 2 reverse speeds).

3. 8 speed manual (4 forward and 1 reverse speed on the main shifter, plus the shorter hi/low range shifter for a total of 8 forward and 2 reverse speeds).

4. 6x4 manual reverser (3 forward and 2 reverse speeds on the main shifter and a shorter hi/low shifter for a total of 6 forward and 4 reverse speeds)

5. The Select-O-Speed, which was a true hydraulically controlled shuttle shift transmission that had 10 forward and 2 reverse speeds.
 
So I looked at it today. The serial number was C5011F. Based on the info at the weblink provided by Sotxbill:
C = 3000
50 = Industrial
1 = diesel
1 = no pto
F = 4/4 T-C Power Reversing

Tractor had been sitting for 10-12 years. Started right up after owner put in new battery. Hydraulics were ok. But the transmission seemed sluggish. It would move but just laying the loader bucket down was enough to stop it, and a couple other times it would not engage. I took a look in the transmission filler hole and there wasn't any oil in it, or so low I couldn't see it. Not sure where it went. No external leaks so must have internal leak. There wasn't any rust and the gearing still looked wet with a film of oil. After we put some fresh oil in the transmission it worked much better and shifted in all gears, and reverser worked. Assuming 10 years ago it wasn't run much without oil in the tranny, there likely internal damage from running it without oil for a short time?
 
(quoted from post at 14:04:56 12/11/15) I've got a 4400, and it is SLIGHTLY different. The biggest tell off, is the trans. My book says that the 4400 NEVER came with a reverser. Mine is high/low. With 2 forward and 2 reverse speeds in each range. The neighbor has a 3550, and it has the reverser in it. JUST like that one!! ;)

My vote is a 3550 Ford...

Bryce

Bryce,

Yours is the 4x4 manual reverser, which was only offered early in the production run. After 4/1/68 they changed it to a 6x4 with 3 forward and 2 reverse gears plus the hi/low shifter.

And according to the part site, the auto reverser was available on the 3500, 3550, 4400 and 4500. The only one of the industrial or utility models that it wasn't offered on was the 3400.

The biggest tell in the pictures supplied that iit is not a 4400 is the hard shell nose cone (radiator cover) that is part of the loader mounting, the 4400 never had that, it had the same sheet metal nose cone and grill as the regular ag chassis 4000.
 
(reply to post at 23:18:38 12/11/15)
So I looked at it today. The serial number was C5011F

That is actually the model number, not the serial number. The serial number should be next to where you found the model number with only a single letter at the beginning (A, B or C) followed by a 6 digit number, and there should be a third number there as well which will tell you exactly when in was assembled.

Your deciphering of the model number is spot on, The "C" for the "3000 series and the "50" for industrial chassis means that it is a 3500. The model number for a 3550 would start with either C55 or K50. The rest of the model number says that is has the diesel engine, no PTO and the 4x4 auto reversing transmission.

For the transmission fluid, what oil did you use? It should be a UTF that says on the label that it meets the Ford/New Holland M2C134D specification. Also, how did you measure it for full? There should be a square headed pipe plug on the right side of the transmission near where your right toes are when you're sitting on the tractor. That is the level check hole. You remove that plug and the fill plug on tiop and fill it until the fluid just begins to drip out of the level check hole and then close it back up.
 
I'm not sure what oil he used as I only glanced at it while the owner was dumping oil into the tranny case. But at the time I thought it was utf. I didn't take a closer look to see if it had M2134D specs. It looked like it was a Travellers container. He had probably less than a gallon of it which he put in the tranny. I don't know if it was enough to fill it, but doubt it, and the owner pretty much thought the same. I didn't look in the case before he put the cap back on. The tractor definitely responded better with what oil he did add.
 

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