# Ford 3000 select’o’speed cable



## Mac22 (11 mo ago)

Hi again folks 
I’ve just discovered that the bottom cable of the select’o’speed in my 66 tractor is broken!
Can anyone please point me in the right direction for a replacement.
TIA


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## Hacke (Feb 22, 2011)

Look at the attached diagram/parts list. Find your part and do a search for the part number.

A complete parts list can be found here:


https://www.tractorforum.com/attachments/ford_3000_parts-pdf.70861/


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## Mac22 (11 mo ago)

Thank you Hacke.
Don’t seem to be having a lot of luck finding a replacement though


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

Mac22 said:


> Thank you Hacke.
> Don’t seem to be having a lot of luck finding a replacement though


No one that I have ever heard of is making new replacements for those. You will need to search boneyards, ebay, craigslist and or Fecebook for a used replacement.


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## Mac22 (11 mo ago)

Thank you Ultradog.
Unfortunately I’m in Australia so no boneyards or Craigslist but I’ll get my wife on the Facebook hunt and keep on googling


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## Hacke (Feb 22, 2011)

I suppose it is the part like the one in attached picture. Perhaps it is possible to fabricate something from a heavy duty bowden cable?


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## Mac22 (11 mo ago)

Yes that’s the one Hacke.
I’ll look into fabricating something or maybe even find someone that makes cables


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## Hacke (Feb 22, 2011)

Aftermarket car parking/emergency brake cables are sturdy and do not cost much. Perhaps one of those can be something to go from?


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

Those SOS cables are pretty special - unlike anything I've ever seen. Sort of like a cable but more like a spring that works like a worm on a worm wheel in a precision tube that can both pull and push. If the special ends break off they are fubar.
Mac22 mentioned his lower one is broken. Not sure which one he means - the one for the gear selector or the one for the pto. I really doubt you could contrive one for the gear selector. The pto cable you might.


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## Mac22 (11 mo ago)

Unfortunately it’s the gear selector cable that’s broken and it certainly is a unique piece of kit.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

This is bent, but seems to be in one piece. It might be junk and may not fit your application.








FORD 501,601,701,801,901,2000,4000 TRACTOR SELECT-O-SPEED REEL AND CABLE, BENT | eBay


THIS IS A SOS SHIFTER REEL AND CABLE FOR 501-901 FORD, 2000,4000 FORD 4 CYLINDER TRACTOR.



www.ebay.com


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## Mac22 (11 mo ago)

pogobill said:


> This is bent, but seems to be in one piece. It might be junk and may not fit your application.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you again pogobill.I’ve put it in my watch list and may well take the plunge . I am trying to make contact with a guy on another forum who may be able to help me but the eBay item is a real possibility


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## wazez (9 mo ago)

Mac22 said:


> Hi again folks
> I’ve just discovered that the bottom cable of the select’o’speed in my 66 tractor is broken!
> Can anyone please point me in the right direction for a replacement.
> TIA


Last year i had the same issue finding a pto cable for my sos. I did find that Alexander Tractor Parts in Texas will manufacture them for you. Be sure to specify what model its for because the 5000 row crop models are way to long.


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## Mac22 (11 mo ago)

Well I’ve finally got my internet sorted but not the tractor. I’m having no joy at all sourcing a shifter cable even after contacting a few places in the USA. I’m now wondering about the possibility of converting to a manual transmission


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

If you were to pull the cover off that transmission you would see the part the shift cable moves inside.
I'm not sure how to describe it but the cable rotates a drum inside.
Anyway, my friend had an SOS and with the cover off I was easily able to shift it through all the gears with a big screwdriver.
At the time I thought I thought it would not be hard to make a bushing and shaft that goes through the cover and shift it with a small external handle .
The attached photo shows another man's contrivance for doing that. His is terribly crude but would be effective.
I think a machine shop could pretty easily make something that was better engineered than that.
As to switching the transmission to a gear type, I have been involved in a couple of those swaps and they were pretty straightforward. First one was in a 1959 871. It was not complicated.
I had an SOS in a later 3 cylinder 4000 and though it functioned perfectly I disliked it - a lot!
So I swapped the entire transmission (and rear end)
to an 8 speed from another tractor.
You being from AU might not have access to used parts like we do here. So maybe consider the external shifter idea. That would allow you to use the tractor while you search for the right parts. If/when you found them buy another cover to replace the one you modified.
Sorry this got so long.


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## Mac22 (11 mo ago)

That’s a great idea Ultradog!
I actually ended up taking the cover off a while back and used a 5/8th scanner to get thr box into neutral so I could start the old girl. I joked to my wife about cutting a hole in the cover and leaving the spammer in place in a moment of frustration but perhaps it wasn’t such a stupid idea after all.
You’re correct about the lack of used parts here in Australia. It’s poor to non-existent at best.


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

Glad you can see how it could work.
One of my favorite movie lines is from an old Clint Eastwood movie - Heartbreak Ridge.
In it he is trying to teach the young Marines in his squad the imperative of solving problems on the fly.
He says "Adapt. Improvise. Overcome!"
Please let us know what you come up with.


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## Mac22 (11 mo ago)

I certainly will.
Meanwhile I’m going to search the forum to try and get a list of parts I can gather over time to do the conversion


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## Mac22 (11 mo ago)

I’ve got no further with the mod to the select-o-speed top cover due to unseasonable weather but I have gone and bought another Ford 3000!
This time a gasoline model


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

Finding a cable or modifying the shifter on your other tractor would have been cheaper. Ha ha.
The one I have is built out of parts from at least a dozen 2/3000s.
It is my favorite tractor.


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## Mac22 (11 mo ago)

That’s a beauty


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## Mac22 (11 mo ago)

So I stupidly sent the seller of the tractor a deposit so he would hold the tractor for me until I could arrange transport and that’s the last I’ve heard from him! I might add I also never viewed the tractor like an idiot.
On investigation I’ve found the pictures sent to me are of a tractor in the USA and not Australia and are on Google.
I’ve also discovered the bank account I sent the deposit to is registered some 2000 kms from me.
I’m gutted to say the very least and ashamed of my stupidity


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Now that sucks! Seems to be so much of that going on these days! You can't seem to trust anyone, anymore!
Scams are getting so much more sophisticated these days that one needs to pretty much have the product in hand before any money changes hands. Glad you only put a deposit on the tractor to hold it.


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