Is a tractor worth it???

[Roy14]

Sure looks like that bucket would have pushed it out backwards. Not to take any thing from you.

That’s what I thought at first too. The bald rears, painfully slow loader, and lack of a diff lock sealed its fate.

 

[Roy14]

that is a nice looking 1086. i put many an hour on a 1486 and a 2+2.

They’re good field machines but those straight cut gears make it hell to use a loader for much. I do think that in their era they likely were more machine than the mean green and for a lot less dollars.

 

[cowadle]

a chain attached to the bucket and back to the tree might have done it? but why? when the other tractor was available

 

[cowadle]

They’re good field machines but those straight cut gears make it hell to use a loader for much. I do think that in their era they likely were more machine than the mean green and for a lot less dollars.

yes i agree. not the best for loader tractor but doable. the 86 series was still pretty old school as far as that was concerned. always had to stop between gears and use the TA for splits. i don't remember if the 1234 gears were synchro or not? but i still stopped and put it in whatever gear i needed for the road and just left it. the old ford would shift like a truck. i liked that about them.

 

[Roy14]

yes i agree. not the best for loader tractor but doable. the 86 series was still pretty old school as far as that was concerned. always had to stop between gears and use the TA for splits. i don't remember if the 1234 gears were synchro or not? but i still stopped and put it in whatever gear i needed for the road and just left it. the old ford would shift like a truck. i liked that about them.

i did the same, trying to get quick would always lead to binding up. The old Fords were a dream comparatively.
I’ve never found a tractor I liked to use a loader with more than a 7610 though, Deere really hit the sweet spot in a lot of ways with that series, just a little too electronically dependent IMO.

 

[Roy14]

a chain attached to the bucket and back to the tree might have done it? but why? when the other tractor was available

That creek crossing is really inconvenient in a lot of ways. I’ve stuck all kinds of vehicles in it, and have never gotten out without a tug. I have considered putting a hoe down there to just try and work my way out; I’ve never had or seen one actually get stuck anywhere other than a swamp, you can always walk yourself out. But I can’t bring myself to purposefully bury a piece of equipment.

 

[264killer]

I have been dipping mud out of water hole in creek get so much mud i could not back out. Dumped bucket still could not back out . Jobbed bucket in mud I had just dumped & backed out ., It seams to be a matter of timing.. When the bucket rolls over & you are moving drop the front wheels in the muck rise bucket & back up.

 

[OkieJoe72]

Based on your guys opinions I’m leaning pretty heavily towards the Ford 3000-4000 series. I like older everything more than new stuff. I hate emissions and don’t enjoy electronics.

I’m digging all the good experience I get from you guys. Saves me those stupid first decisions and the wasted money that goes with it. Lol

Those are solid tractors. Take your time and give it a good looking over before you pull the trigger. If it doesn’t have a bucket, you might have a hard time finding one for it. It can be done, but you might spend almost as much for the bucket setup as you did the tractor. I’m not trying to discourage you, but just check around and compare your options. We still have an old Ford 1710 that gets used for mostly blading drives. It’s been around for over 40 years, and it still starts right up. In fact, I’ll be doing maintenance on it tomorrow.

 

[jackinok09]

Make damn sure it's got power steering if you go that way. I've had both. without PS your screwed with a loader on 3000 or 4000 plan on weights or weighted tires also at least. Mine would lift the back off the ground if a fat gal stood in bucket lol

 

[SoonerP226]

The nice thing about the Ford power steering on my dad's 4000 and 960 is that it's more like a car setup--it has its own pump and fluid, separate from the tractor's main hydraulics. It can be kind of a PITA to have the lift and power steering competing for the same hydraulic flow. (The 1910 uses the tractor's hydraulics for everything, so I occasionally had the bucket and box blade competing for pressure, which isn't ideal.)

There are aftermarket loaders for Ford 4000s. At one point, my dad had three 4000s: one without a loader, one with a Ford loader, and one with an aftermarket loader. The aftermarket loader was nice, and it had a joystick control, but I liked the system on the Ford loader better. It has separate levers to control lift and bucket tilt, and it also has its own high-flow hydraulic pump, with the fluid reservoir in the lift itself, so it's independent of the tractor's onboard hydraulics.