To Trade or Not To Trade, That Is The Question

Ford 2000; 3 cyl. gas; 4/1 trans....I may have the opportunity to buy a 1973 2000 ford that is a 3 cylinder diesel and with an 8/2 transmission and am wondering if that tractor or the older gasser that I already own would be the best fit for me. I'm purely a tractor hoppyist and my tractor lives on my lot which is about 3/4 acre much of which is taken up with the front yard and house. Whichever tractor I wind up with will have a very easy retirement with very little hard work. I've read on this forum and others that a diesel tractor likes a good workout to keep it on the straight and narrow. I will probably never work it hard. But, I really like the high/low gear range and I expect improvements have been made on the 1973 model that my 1966 does not have. I assume that a gas tractor would be easier to maintain and work on than a diesel for a hobbyist like me but, having owned diesel vehicles, I'm not particularly shy of that type of engine. Mainly am concerned about the problems that might occur because the tractor may sit for a month or so without cranking and a workout. Our winters here in Marietta are relatively mild compared to up North. Which tractor do you think would work best for me?
 
If you are only going to use it a few hours a year, and not under heavy load the diesel would be of no real advantage fuel savings wise. Yes gas goes bad fast now, but even diesel is not as stable as it used to be. You will have to do tune ups to the gas motor, but you can buy lots of point sets for the price of a set of injectors, let alone a pump repair. When you had your diesel vehicles did you do your own filter changes, etc.? Your other half (if you have one) may not be as thrilled with diesel fuel smell in the garage and on you and your clothing as you. At least once a year we would get a customers diesel tractor in that had gas put in it by somebody who had been told "go put some gas in the tractor" instead of "go put some FUEL in the tractor". You didn't say if you would be upgrading to power steering on the '73, my '70 2000 has it and I would not hesitate to go with the '73 to go from manual to power as much as I like gas tractors for low hour light use machines.
 
Everything comes as a boon and a bane.
The 8 speed is superior to the 4 and more
than likely has Lpto.
But... You will often have to shift both
sticks to get the gear you want.
The diesel requires much less maintenance
than the gasser and will take much more
sitting. I can park my 3000d in the shed in
October and not even look at it till May.
Put a battery in it and it Will fire right
up and go to work.
But a gasser is much more pleasant to run.
Diesels Stink and they are noisy!
They get much better mileage tho.
I guess the deciding factor for me on your
deal is tha 8 speed.
If your gasser has power steering and the
diesel does not I would swap it over.
Same with any remotes.
Also, a 66 3000 may or may not have diff
lock. The 73 most likely does have diff
lock. Lastly, I know a lot of people like
the newer styling better on those.
Myself, I like the old style better and
pieced mine together over a few years to get
nice tin on it.
 
No power steering on either gas or diesel tractor. Diesel tractor does seem to have working lights, bumper, fair tires (l'd put my new tires from the gasser on the diesel) and it comes with a dirt scoop. I think I can get close to the same price for my gasser as the diesel will cost so purchase price would be about a wash.
I did filter changes and wrench turning on my diesel (VW Jetta, a great car) and don't mind the smell of diesel too much. My better half loved the Jetta although she does turn her nose up at the small of diesel fumes. Mileage or fuel use is not much of a factor. The real draw for the diesel tractor is the 8/2 transmission and the later year model with whatever improvements might have been made.
 
I have a 2000D like your current one and a 3000D which is of the new design 3 cyl with your amenities. Hands down the 3000 is better and more
convenient, especially the Live vs Tranny PTO. Yes I'd prefer the 2000 to be of that newer design also but at 5 tractors in my corral and being retired, I
have enough and nobody is beating my door down wanting my current 2000....which I have had for 25 years at least, about 3800 original hours, no
wrenches on the engine proper and smokes a bit but doesn't burn oil. Currently it sports my tedder during the hay season. Sometimes in the winter I
move some hay with it.
 
No ? Get the diesel .You will love it, if it has power steering. If not it still a lot better than gas.
 
Ha! Stevo I'm of your way of thinking but, for the sake of marital bliss, more than one tractor in the back yard may be the wrong approach, if you catch my drift.

Just talked to the owner of the diesel and am gonna go see it tomorrow. Will report back.
 
What worked for me was telling the wife I was getting older and it was getting difficult to keep switching implements. A second tractor that I could leave the mower on would save me allot of work.
 
BobReeves....your reasoning sounds strong to me but, in spite of my advanced age, She Who Must Be Obeyed would surely embarrass me with the question of why I need two tractors to maintain a back yard of less than 1/4 acre. On the other hand, having two tractors on which I can leave implements might free up more space for her flower gardens, a legitimate argument that might fly.
 
You can never have too many tractors. I own 4 acres where I live. I have 12 tractors, a bulldozer, a fork lift and a skid steer. My wife never complains. She can operate all of them.
 
My sweetie is behind me 150%. Same thing. If it helps me get things done she's for it. Her motto: "You don't get to die first". I tell her that's a mighty
selfish attitude. She says read between the lines. I was alone when I met you. I don't want that life again. I replied, so was I and I don't either.......heads
I win tails you loose. Meanwhile termination is way off in the distance the way things are going. Maybe in 20 years we'll worry about it.
 

Everyone has an opinion... in my opinion, the 4/1 only has 2 usable gears for "working", and its lowest gear may be too fast.

The 8/2 will have 3 to 4 gears forward, for usable "work". Any gears that are so fast the front end bounces off the rough ground are of no use in most cases other than roading.

I am sure that others will have different opinions and their experience will be somehow different, as their use is different from mine.


So.. all things equal, price and condition, I try to stay away from 4 speeds. They take much longer to sell and are never my first pick for working. Although not popular, the sos is by far the perfect tractor for most any work your doing as it seems to have the correct gear for very very very slow pto tillers, to normal plowing, to haying, to you name it. It seems to have 8 gears for useable work and 2 for "roading" give or take. Its been a while since I have had one, so.....
 
Well, the deed is done and the new diesel 2000 is sitting in the driveway for all to admire. $3200 which includes the tractor and a good dirt scoop. Test drove it today and the low range gears are fantastic creepers compared to my 4/1 transmission. Have not had a chance to go over it with a fine tooth comb but am looking forward to doing so. It cranked right up after having sat for several days, an impressive start. The owner pulled the choke out all the way and turned the key and it fired immediately. His method of turning it off was to pull the choke out again, then turn the key off. Is this the proper cranking/shutting off method?

One thing that I'll want to fix is that the safety switch seems a bit touchy when cranking. You have to jiggle the high/low lever a bit to get a good connection. It feels like the connection under the shift leaver cover is faulty. Is it serious surgery to remove the plate and check that switch connection? I've not had one off before so am curious about what to look out for.

Many thanks for everyone's comments on the diesel vs. gas. I'm looking forward to figuring out more about the tractor and will be back with more questions, no doubt.
 

What your calling the chock is the engine stop control, you push it in then crank the engine to start, to shut it off you have to pull out on the knob, on the models with diesels turning the key off only effects the gauges and charging system, it won't kill the engine.
That knob is connected to the fuel shut off lever on the injection pump that kills the engine. If you forget to push the knob in the engine will crank with the key but it won't start.
 
Good for you, you will like that 8 speed diesel. Not unusual for the safety switch to be a bit touchy, the one on my 3000 has been bypassed and I have to jiggle the Hi-Low lever a bit to find the right spot on my 3600. Isn't a really difficult repair just haven't bothered.

Make it a rule to never start any tractor without being in the seat.
 

Another pet peeve... always push the "kill" knob back in when you have stopped the tractor. BECAUSE.. the fuel control can rust in the stop position when stored for a long time. So I always put it back in the in (run) position before I get off the tractor.

Maybe the pump rebuilders will chime it, but its a quirk I have right or wrong.
 
(quoted from post at 09:46:28 06/29/18)
Another pet peeve... always push the "kill" knob back in when you have stopped the tractor. BECAUSE.. the fuel control can rust in the stop position when stored for a long time. So I always put it back in the in (run) position before I get off the tractor.

Maybe the pump rebuilders will chime it, but its a quirk I have right or wrong.

Probably a personal preference, I leave my out so it can't be accidentally started. For those times one is parked on a grade in to high of a gear and compression rolls, or a child is playing on it and bumps the key, over the years I've gotten into a habit of locking the parking brake as a added safety feature.
 
(quoted from post at 10:46:28 06/29/18)
Another pet peeve... always push the "kill" knob back in when you have stopped the tractor. BECAUSE.. the fuel control can rust in the stop position when stored for a long time. So I always put it back in the in (run) position before I get off the tractor.

Maybe the pump rebuilders will chime it, but its a quirk I have right or wrong.

I'm asking my question because I do not know.... Is there just as much of a chance for it getting rusted stuck in the "run" position also? If so, I think I would prefer leaving it in the "stop" position because I would know it was stuck before the tractor was running and not go blindly driving off not knowing that I won't be able to shut it off in the event of an emergency, or even a normal circumstance that might turn into an emergency due to the fact that I couldn't shut it off.
 
JoeM...are you in the Marietta area? Would like to get together and compare notes sometime if you're up for it. I'm in the East Cobb area of Marietta. Now that Jim, down the road, sold his MF 245, I think I'm the only tractor owner in our subdivision and would like to know there is someone local I can commiserate with. Thanks.
 
It's not 'rust' per se but some sort of
sticky. When you pull the kill cable out-
under the top cover of a cav pump there is a
little slide bar that moves a bell crank on
the metering valve.
Metering valve has a little, weak spring
that should pull it back forward when you
push the kill cable in. If left in the off
position the metering valve can stick and
the spring isn't strong enough to move it to
on so it will run.
Fairly common problem.
I just went through that when I first
started the 4450 a couple of weeks ago.
You have to unscrew two nuts and lift the
top cover on the pump and free up the
metering valve with a small screwdriver or
popsicle stick.
Pretty simple once you've seen or done it
once - if you don't have a loader.
I always push the kill cable in too when I'm
done with the tractor now.
Old post I made about it
 
Give me a yell sometime, I'm always up for tractors! I'm not far maybe 20 miles from ya.
You're Post Oak/ Johnson Ferry area I think you told me before. I'm between Alpharetta and Cumming
I'm more than happy to go over it with you if needed
 
JoeM: checked your profile but didn't see a phone number. Would be great to buy you a cuppa coffee and find out about your Fords one day. My phone is 404 579.3554. Give me a call at your convenience and maybe we can meet up somewhere. Thanks.
 
Filters....I forgot yesterday to ask the previous owner if he'd changed filters and fluids while he had the tractor so called him. He said not so I'm gonna do so. The current oil filter is a Fram P8A, same as I use in my F150. Is this an adequate oil filter for a diesel engine?

Note: Previous owner had run the tractor only about 50 hours in the two years he had it. The oil was not ink black like I used to see in my diesel Jetta even right after changing oil and filters. Question is, are these Ford diesels 'sooty' and would the relatively clean oil be about normal?

Many thanks to everyone for your comments and advice. I'm gonna enjoy getting acquainted with this new-to-me diesel animal and will likely be back with many questions about it.

Anyone know anyone interested in buying a gas 2000?
 
I have pictures of a Fram PH8A that I had in my '63 4 cyl. 2000 Ford diesel for 2 years, that I decided to dissect one day and solve the "gossip"
concerning Fram filters and paper end caps, diesel engines, and changing filters less than often. While I was at it I had several popular brands I disected
also. The "paper" was still dimensionally correct. I couldn't tear it apart with my hands and 2 pairs of pliers barely got the job done. The end caps are
glued to the metal screen and filter media which wouldn't allow itself to be dissected. Best I could do was to rip the paper, as mentioned adjacent to it.
The pressure relief valve was still intact with what seemed to be reasonable resistance, considering it is a low pressure valve.

All of the popular filters with metal end caps were just pressed together and were easily pulled off with my bare hands..............
 
I follow several tractor and automotive forums and there is almost no topic more subjective than filter brands. Some for, some against for all kinds of reasons. Personally, I've never had any problems with any filters I've ever used but will admit that I usually use Fram or Motorcraft for most applications. No particular reason other than they are easily available. Place where I get my car oil changed (tired of crawling under a car and cleaning up afterwards) uses Wix. I suspect the best filter is one that is changed frequently.
 

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