IH loader for a Farmall 400 ???

Howdy,
I have an option to pick up an IH 2000 loader. Will this fit on my
Farmall 400? It appears to mount on the rear housing, but, I don"t
see any attachment brackets for the front frame. Does this come
with it"s own hydraulics such as a Farmhand has? Can that,
reasonably, be added, if not? Will this loader break my tractor if I
don"t reinforce with a sub frame? I hope someone can answer
these points for me. You"re all we got for answers to these oldies!
I"m trying to learn without too many major setbacks. Thanks, in
advance. Mike G.

The IH Loader Parts Catalog and Operators Manual for 2000 loader does not show the loader to have been manufactured with provisions for mounting on a Farmall 400. Info on the 2001 loader does show that it was available to be mounted on the H and M, 300 and 400, 350 and 450, 460 and 560 models. Having said this , I must point out that the subframe for a 2000 and a 2001 are identical for any particular tractor model that a loader was ordered for. For instance, the I-504 could have a 2001 or a 2000, the subframe and front mounts being identical.
Although the 2000 wasn't made with brackets for a F-400, a good welding fabricator could modify or make the necessary mountings for a 2000 to fit on it. .
Would it break your tractor? The subframe of the loader is designed to carry the weight of the loader and distribute the weight and loading forces to the rear axle and the front end of the tractor frame above the front bolster, thereby avoiding weight and torsion to the clutch housing and engine mating surfaces so there should not be concern for breaking a tractor.
Personally, I think a 2000 with a 5 or 6 foot bucket full of gravel would be overloading and dangerous on the front end of a any of those old tractors, especially a narrow front. A wide front would be some better. Either of those without power steering would be difficult to steer.
Operator Manual for 2001 shows hydraulics to be supplied by tractor system, or a PTO driven pump.

I put a loader on a 300 utility once. Looked good, but it was hard to steer with the bucket empty, darn near impossible with anything in it. And a power steering kit was over 1K. These old girls weren't designed for loaders.

Spook:

Seems like that narrow front would just burrow down in the dirt.
You have me looking at a wide front end option. I've come across a
new farmall power steering pump for about $100 bucks. Perhaps a
wide front (if I can find one economically), Power steering and
hunting for an f11 Farmhand will be the best way to go, what do
you think? Thanks for your help.

(quoted from post at 13:06:55 10/10/11) Howdy,
I have an option to pick up an IH 2000 loader. Will this fit on my
Farmall 400? It appears to mount on the rear housing, but, I don"t
see any attachment brackets for the front frame. Does this come
with it"s own hydraulics such as a Farmhand has? Can that,
reasonably, be added, if not? Will this loader break my tractor if I
don"t reinforce with a sub frame? I hope someone can answer
these points for me. You"re all we got for answers to these oldies!
I"m trying to learn without too many major setbacks. Thanks, in
advance. Mike G.

Click to expand...

OK time for a rant! Back in the day designers never thought that any "farmer " would want a loader so they did not design a tractor to use one other than for lite work. Little did they know that farmer Brown was going to try to level off a mountain with his ole H. After all it would pull a plow why wouldn't it dig? Thats why they came up with industrial models with stronger front ends and power steering! And they never dreamed of round bales bigger than the old AC balers. Look at the load loaders for farm tractors! They had very small manure buckets, a fair sized material bucket and large snow bucket. The engineers didn't want to add those things to an H or M or 400 but customer demand made it a fact. So they tried to design a system that would not destroy the tractor if operated in the envelope of the design......wrong again! Instead of trying to put a loader on a tractor designed to pull implements go buy a tractor that is made for it or be smart enough to operate the tractor within it's design parameters!

Rick

I put a Schwartz aftermarket loader on a 300 Farmall last fall. I used the Hydra-touch front valve (under the hood) to power the loader raise and lower. Manual trip bucket with manure fork, have actually blown o-rings in lines when trying to lift more than I should (bad boy) when pushing old tree piles. I feel that a loader wont hurt your tractor when used with a little common sense.

Mike yer right it will not hurt the tractor if used with common sense.......now go look at older tractors with loaders, don't look a the tractor, look at the loader. With all the busted up, bent up, welded back together loaders out there guess common sense ani't so common! Local school here bought a Ford 2000 in the late 70's with a loader for snow. Now that tractor has been a the school sense new and even the loader on that is busted up from ramming snow piles.

Rick