# My tractor upgrade.



## jeffmetzjr (Feb 4, 2021)

So I’m pretty new to farming equipment/tractors etc. Bought my first home a year ago on 3 acres of clean/flat farm land. I have gained a lot of knowledge over the past year owning a cub lo boy 154 with hi/low , 60” woods belly mower, but no 3 point . 
sold that to buy a lo boy 185 with a 3 point, 60” woods belly mower, but no high/low. I got frustrated with how proprietary the implements for these tractors seem to be. Not to mention they are both been 14-18 hp. Not much power for pto and 3 point use. Well just yesterday I found a great deal on a Ford 3500 industrial tractor with 3 point,rear pto, front end loader , power steering etc.
What do you guys think of these units? It’s in excellent shape, runs good, could maybe use a little carb work. No hydraulic leaks. 4 forward a 4 reverse transmission. 
plan on using it to brush hog , till/cultivate, plow snow and load. 
All use will be very light duty. Had to put on a new seat. This one was hurting!
Any thing I should know about these tractors? Should this serve my purposes? Thank you! Jeff


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## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

Be sure to only run ethanol free fuel, assuming it is a gasser. Looks like a good fit.


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## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

Looks like a good find and yea, that will take care of business for you. It’s heavy duty being commercial.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

One thing for certain, it's tire time.


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

Some random thoughts;
Those are Very reliable, bullet proof old tractors.
If it has the Holley carburator, bite the bullet and buy the Zenith. The expensive one - $500.
Trying to fix that blankety blank Holley is an exercise in futility.
The 4x4 transmission is the least desirable for field work. Ford discontinued it fairly early in the series. Far better was the 6x4 which replaced it.
Since that tractor is built on the 3000 chassis you could swap the transmission pretty easily.
But remember: the clutch and flywheel always stay with the transmission. Always!
I disagree with Groo about the fuel.
That engine will run fine on any gas including ethanol mixed gas. If it must sit for some months add some Stabil to the fuel.
The power steering on that tractor is the exact same side arm style as was used on the early THREE cylinder 4000s. See photo. Very reliable but Seal kits, etc are still available from New Holland should you need them.
I am running the same front axle and steering as yours on a tractor I built out of parts and pieces - (not the blue one shown)


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

Wow, a clean tractor. I'm impressed. Most of the ones pictured on this forum are filthy. I'd like to add, use the MARINE STABIL, not the red stinky stuff. The Marine Stabil is light years better, all I use.


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## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

You may want to take a look at the edge blade on the bucket…it’s missing a bolt and looks like they recently did some repairs to it by welding the center…you want to make sure it’s secured to bucket with the bolts or it will pull thru the remaining bolt holes.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

Very observant. The wear bar is also very worn on the edge of the bucket.


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## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

I also prefer the Marine Stabil (blue-grayish colored) for my gas equipment. It has better ethanol protection than the standard stabil pink . I get mine from Academy but they may carry it at auto part stores as well.

I don’t use it for my boat though as it sits longer than my other equipment in between use. I use a product named Valvtect that really stinks and is much more expensive, but test show it protects up to 80% longer than Marine Stabil if the testers reviews are to be trusted???

I also use Stabil Diesel in my tractor and buggy, which has a yanmar engine.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

The smell of the pink-red Stabil makes my stomach roll over...lol The Marine Stabil has no smell at all. Get mine at TSC when it's on sale. Don't have a boat. Have a motor but nothing to put it on....


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

I use the Stabil 360 in the car as I don't take it out often in the winter.


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## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> The smell of the pink-red Stabil makes my stomach roll over...lol The Marine Stabil has no smell at all. Get mine at TSC when it's on sale. Don't have a boat. Have a motor but nothing to put it on....


The pink smells like roses compared to Valvtect….I spilled a little first time putting in boat and grabbed some paper towels soaked with water to get it wiped off gel coat. I wanted to puke and my hands smelled so bad it ruined taste of the beer that day.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

My diesel pickup sits in the garage all winter. I use Powerservice winter blend in it and Powerservice Bio-Kleen biocide. Been down the algae highway before and don't want to travel that highway ever again. Tractors get Powerservice too. Never had a gelling issue with either one and they sleep in a barn without electricity to plug them in.


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## Gérald France (12 mo ago)

TX MX5200 said:


> You may want to take a look at the edge blade on the bucket…it’s missing a bolt and looks like they recently did some repairs to it by welding the center…you want to make sure it’s secured to bucket with the bolts or it will pull thru the remaining bolt holes.


Hello everyone.

I haven't been with you for very long, so I kinda read all the threads. I also need time to read and write, because I go through the translation of a well-known search engine.

Like many, I noticed that a bolt was missing on the bucket blade. There are even two missing. The second is at the start of where it's shaded.

Have a lovely day everybody.
See you soon.
Gerald.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

I would replace them as soon as possible. They may be dome head plow bolts if there is a square recess in the blade itself and any ag dealer in France should have them. You can post in your native language. we have translators here as well. My French is pretty rusty.


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## Gérald France (12 mo ago)

Thanks a lot @SidecarFlip. Out of politeness, I respect the fact of being on an English-speaking forum. It also makes me practice the language of Shakespeare a little. 😀 I had to do several "updates" of English in my head, which I hadn't practiced for several decades in college😅. And I'm happy to exchange some comments, with North America or Australia. All over the world, in short.

Here in France we call these bolts "stove bolts" ou "boulons poêliers". I have a whole stash of them on my farm. But that's not the point here.
@jeffmetzjr must be starting to curse me, talking on his thread.

Best regards to all.
Gérald


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## jeffmetzjr (Feb 4, 2021)

No way Gerald! Keep the comments coming. Thanks for the tips guys!
Any speculation as to why the previous owner welded that extra point off the right side of the bucket? Only thing I could think is to prevent bucket wear? That or to clean up close to a building or something similar?


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## Gérald France (12 mo ago)

Hi all.

Thanks for your reply @jeffmetzjr.

You mean the angled part, which protrudes from the right side of the blade?
If it's to prevent bucket wear, I think it could be dangerous. If one hits a wall, or an edge with the end, the blade must bend, or even break, hence perhaps the reasons for the welding in the center.
Or in reverse.


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## Gérald France (12 mo ago)

Sorry!
I hadn't looked at the right photo.
Indeed.
This is very likely, whether to clean around a building or a wall. Which was the reason for the blade.
There must have been a particular shape, since the bucket is wider than the tractor. Or being able to go around corners, of a manure pit, for example.


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## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

I know I am more likely to remember to buy "the good stuff" than I am to buy and properly mix Stabil into the various tanks. My boat and snowmobile are both EFI 4-stroke. I run the garbage throughout the season, and the good stuff for the last 2 tanks of the sled or tank of the boat. My crawler, chainsaw, power washer, lawnmower (the mower is EFI as well) get only ethanol free. I have replaced too many carburetors in the couple of years before implementing this policy to ever want to go back.


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