adding a PTO, IH340?

I'm a newb, looking at purchasing my first tractor. I'm looking at an IH340 that comes with a Massey-Ferguson Loader and Backhoe for $5500. It would be a no brainer but there's no 3-pt or PTO on the tractor now and I'm sure I would want to have them in the future. I'm guessing they can be added but what's the expense and how much work is it? Also, the tractor runs good, and only has a couple small leaks which I'm told aren't a major concern for an older tractor - they all leak a little. Does it seem like a good deal?

Seems high to me when there are regular old case hoes around for similar money if you watch. 3 Pt is so over rated. Wrestle with things to get them on and again to get them off. When one can just drop the pin in the drawbar and tongue and go.

Well if that tractor did not come from the factory with a three point or a fast hitch and NO PTO then more then likely it's Innereds are not there to start installing all the shafts, bearings, and gears let lone the unit as you also need all that , then ya need a live pump and rock shaft housing with all the valving and all the linkage for the three point .

(quoted from post at 08:08:35 10/24/20) Well if that tractor did not come from the factory with a three point or a fast hitch and NO PTO then more then likely it's Innereds are not there to start installing all the shafts, bearings, and gears let lone the unit as you also need all that , then ya need a live pump and rock shaft housing with all the valving and all the linkage for the three point .

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Starting to sound expensive. I've thought about using the backhoe for a couple projects and unloading that to cover the cost of a pto and hitch. Labor I can take care of myself...

Your spitting in the wind as you have no idea of what all is involved here or the cost of getting all the parts USED . Ya want a back hoe then BUY a back hoe that is a industrial back hoe , ya want a FARM TRACTOR then BUY a farm tractor . And since you have no clue on equipment then when you go to buy take someone that knows equipment with you and pay the man for his advice as it can save you thousands.

Hello T, let me welcome you to YT! I hope you understand that some folks post on here with fairly direct
opinions. So the answers you got reflected that style. I agree that most likely adding the PTO and 3 point would
be a fairly expensive and time consuming task on that tractor. To me it seems you may be better off purchasing
the tractor and completing your backhoe projects and then resell it. Then purchase a machine with the 3 point
and live PTO. I will also say that the price seems pretty high, to me for that money it better be in pretty good
shape and have minimal wear. The price also depends on your location. I have heard that tractors like that go
for a higher prices in the New England area as opposed to the Midwest.

Opinionated people on the internet??? :shock: Never!!! (it would have been more informative if they had answers rather than opinions)

IMHO - this IS a farm tractor, it just has non-farming attachments. And the reason I'm at this forum is because I'm trying to learn more. Even if I find someone who knows tractors to take with me I'd still want to know more than I know now.

So, my main uses for the tractor would be moving snow and hauling logs out of the woods - I picked up a small sawmill and need something convenient to haul and load/stack logs. Plus incidental projects around an old farmhouse that tractors are handy for. A PTO/Hitch is not essential for that. I do have access to some PTO attachments that would come in handy if I had a tractor with a PTO, that's why I was thinking it would be nice to add the option.

One of the main things I was looking for was someone saying it seemed on the steep side price-wise. There's not a lot of options around me (I'm in Upper Michigan) for used tractors and only 2 IH in this range. I did find some other IH340's online that were cheaper but they weren't in this region, plus looking at the cost of adding a loader and backhoe it didn't seem too far out off.

How about this?

https://up.craigslist.org/grd/d/rock-424-ih-tractor/7213141806.html

https://up.craigslist.org/grd/d/kingsford-tractor/7211286520.html

This must be the one your looking at
https://up.craigslist.org/hvo/d/chassell-ih-340-utility-tractor-with/7212629469.html

Looks to be in good shape for 60 year old tractor. It's tough to find a backhoe in that price range. Also consider other makes such as Ford, Massey etc.
As it has been pointed out, it is impractical to add PTO and 3 pt. Sounds like you need a tractor with a loader, PTO and 3point.

Wow, doing your research!

There's a chance I'm going to look at the 424 tomorrow.

I looked at a 9N earlier today - bad head gasket but only asking $2800 and I've got the chops to replace the gasket. Worries me I may run into more than a head gasket issue though.

The tractor in Florence is a bit too far to ask my buddy to go to pick it up for me and a little more than I want to spend.

And yes, the 340 you posted is the one I'm looking at. It is in good shape for its age. $500 more than the 424 and I get a full width bucket and a backhoe but lose the PTO and hitch. Pros and cons both ways.

I'm considering all makes. My preference would actually be for a Farmall or Ford; I've read more good things about them and there seems to be more of them out there than the IH branded tractors. Still trying to fit all the tractor puzzle pieces together and hopefully end up with something that does what I need it to and maybe more.

I would not get a Ford 2n, 8n or 9n as they do not have live hydraulics or independent PTO. You push the clutch in and the hydraulics and PTO stop. You want a tractor that has those features. Also they have flat head engines, valves in the block, and it seems like very few people work on those engines anymore.

I understand the pto limitations, but as I said - pto work is not a primary consideration.

I just found a Ford 601 for sale near me, checking it out tomorrow.

Welcome to YT, you have come to a place where there is a wealth of knowledge, and a few opinions. I'll share some of both. I have a 340 Utility with a front loader and admit that it has been very useful. I welded up the subframe to attach a backhoe to the tractor. But this tractor model is a bit light weight for using a backhoe. The front axle and power steering is also light weight for the logging business. Replacement parts are very hard to find. My 340 came without a PTO and without a 3 pt hitch. That is quite a disadvantage. In our small farming operation, we found the 340 with Superior brand loader to be very useful for cleaning and loading horse manure into the spreader, but occasionally it would get stuck in the slippery goo. When the bucket was full of poo, it had very little traction. So we often loaded less than a full bucket. We used another tractor with PTO for pulling the spreader, and a different one to move snow with the 3 pt hitch and a 7 ft rear blade. A bucket tractor is not fast in moving snow, but a front or rear blade is much quicker unless you have deep wet snow. With you being in the U.P. and the high amount of snowfall you get, I'd recommend a tractor with a front blade and a rear 3 pt snowblower. Can you find a tractor that is good for snow AND handling the "industrial" tasks of logging? My brother has a Massey 202 that has both capabilities, but not with a backhoe. It has PTO, 3 pt, and a heavy front end with an industrial loader having previously been owned by an asphalt driveway contractor. It is one tough little tractor. But parts are even harder to find than for the 340. If you want a good rig for small logging, then a Farmi brand (or equivalent) 3 pt logging winch driven by the live PTO and a front loader on a 40 Hp tractor would be a great combination. If you are good with metal fabrication, you could take the bucket off for winter snow and build an adaptor to push a 7 ft front blade, and run a 6 ft snowblower on the back.

IMHO the 340 with bucket and backhoe is priced 1 to 2 thou too high. And you sure don't want to work in the woods with the backhoe still on the tractor.

P.S. My grandfather lived in Iron Mountain and I have a few relatives in that area.


Paul in MN

You're on the right track now with something like a 601 or even newer tractor. Get a loader tractor with PTO and 3pt for future use, and rent a backhoe if you absolutely need one.

A 340 with a Massey backhoe means things were hacked up to make it fit together, as these were never meant to go together to begin with. Take that backhoe off and it becomes worth 6 cents a pound, scrap iron. It only has value mounted to that tractor. The person that would go to the effort of re-hacking it to fit another tractor is not the person that would pay backhoe price for it.