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help me buy a shitbox tractor

lagunaMS

lagunaMS

4 by drive
Joined
Nov 25, 2020
Member Number
3077
Messages
441
Loc
Dixie
Don't really know a lot about tractors except how to use one. Now that I have a little piece of land for myself, I'd like to do the clearing and dirtwork myself, use the tractor to lift and move heavy shit around with a gin pole, dragging trucks around, etc

Looking for something cheapish, like sub-7k, so i know that means old and high hours. Fine by me, it will just be used to run a bush hog, box plade, and plow a garden. Don't need 4wd

What do I look out for besides obvious pissing fluids, etc

What is a desired amount of hours?

Any models to absolutely not consider?

Saw one on marketplace, 79 JD 2440 with bush hog for 7k. Big tractor and seems pretty good, but 6k hours and the motor was "re-sleeved with new rings" last year. Is that a negative thing or a positive?

Another one I saw is an older international 454 model gasser for about $3k, these any good?

I won't be too hard on it and won't be running long hours with it. My dad has a newer ~32hp kubota L3301 or something, really nice little tractor but the lift struggles to pick up a fully dressed 14 bolt and wants to pick the front up

jd.jpg
 
Buy one with a loader, obviously.

Don't buy a gasser.

You should rethink the 2wd/4wd idea. When you get enough weight in the bucket or on your gin pole, the back end will no longer have traction and you won't be able to drive anywhere. 4wd helps with that.
 
Benny said:
Buy one with a loader, obviously.

Don't buy a gasser.

You should rethink the 2wd/4wd idea. When you get enough weight in the bucket or on your gin pole, the back end will no longer have traction and you won't be able to drive anywhere. 4wd helps with that.
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not sure i'll be able to find a diesel w/ loader for under 7k, and 7k is at like the extreme end of what i want to spend

4wd is nice but not necessary. we never get snow or ice and i won't be lifting heavy stuff in muddy conditions. i'll certainly consider 4wd if i come across one cheap enough

what's wrong with gas tractors? not as reliable or just not as strong?
 
my 5400 is 2wd and while 4wd would be nice it was $5k more when I was looking for same tractor just 4wd. I have beet juice in the rear tires (800# each) which helps a ton. I will also put the box blade on it when doing heavy loader work to keep the rear tires planted.

If you are doing a lot of land clearing I would look for a grapple bucket also. I bought mine used and it's the tits for piling up brush to burn and loading scrap in my dump trailer to take to the scrap yard. :smokin:
 
lagunaMS said:
what's wrong with gas tractors? not as reliable or just not as strong?
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I have only had experience with 2 different gas powered tractors. Both were a PITA to get running and we're real finicky with the load on the motor, and try to stall out.
 
My ford/new holland 3230 with a loader has been super reliable and has done pretty much everything i have wanted.
I paid 4200, needed hoses and some other small stuff.
its 2wd and i have had issues with traction with the bucket loaded.
It has hydraulic steering. ive never driven one with mechanical but its always super easy to turn. Thats probably something i would want to have.
 
Check out Ritchie bros/ Iron planet auctions in your area. I would up your price to $10k and look for a small wheel loader or backhoe. You could get a skid steer in your price range, but wont be the best choice for a lot of dirt work
 
That 2440 is a pretty good candidate for what you're thinking. Re-sleeved engine means that its been rebuilt. Most if not all of the tractors from that era are sleeved type engines. If they did a good job, then you'll be in good shape.

You can put a loader on the front, and the grapple mentioned above is the absolute tits for cleaning up brush and clutter. The gin pole on the back will be fine, because it looks like that tractor has some weights on the front already. But a loader on the front lifting really heavy items will reduce the traction in the back from being 2wd. Just lift heavy stuff with a gin pole and use a loader cleaning up.

That's a big and fairly heavy tractor for the HP that it specs, should be in the neighborhood of 50-60 hp. I think the actual specs say 60hp at the PTO. It is also a CAT II 3-point, so you can get pretty much every attachment that you want from Rural King, Orcelin, or Tractor supply and they will hook right up. As heavy as it its, a box blade, tiller attachment or 2 blade plow should do really well behind it.

Also, that year model should have parts fairly available in the states since its not a bevarian/overseas assembled machine. For $7k, thats not a bad deal with the bushhog on the back.

Also, a comparable new tractor in that size is gonna run you $25k - $35k depending on what color you get.
 
gunracer1 said:
how many acres you working on?
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7.5
ANGELO said:
My ford/new holland 3230 with a loader has been super reliable and has done pretty much everything i have wanted.
I paid 4200, needed hoses and some other small stuff.
its 2wd and i have had issues with traction with the bucket loaded.
It has hydraulic steering. ive never driven one with mechanical but its always super easy to turn. Thats probably something i would want to have.
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hydro steering is amazing how easy they are to turn, my grandparents have a jd 2355 with hydro steering. other grandfather had an old farmall gasser that would yank your arm out of its socket when the wheel jerked on you
 
I’ve had good luck with all the small ford tractors I’ve used.
Remember tractor paint is cheap and easy to apply.
 
Fishnbeer said:
Check out Ritchie bros/ Iron planet auctions in your area. I would up your price to $10k and look for a small wheel loader or backhoe. You could get a skid steer in your price range, but wont be the best choice for a lot of dirt work
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10k is more than i want to spend because I also have to buy a camper or RV soon, and trying to pay cash for everything to minimize debt
The Beens said:
That 2440 is a pretty good candidate for what you're thinking. Re-sleeved engine means that its been rebuilt. Most if not all of the tractors from that era are sleeved type engines. If they did a good job, then you'll be in good shape.

You can put a loader on the front, and the grapple mentioned above is the absolute tits for cleaning up brush and clutter. The gin pole on the back will be fine, because it looks like that tractor has some weights on the front already. But a loader on the front lifting really heavy items will reduce the traction in the back from being 2wd. Just lift heavy stuff with a gin pole and use a loader cleaning up.

That's a big and fairly heavy tractor for the HP that it specs, should be in the neighborhood of 50-60 hp. I think the actual specs say 60hp at the PTO. It is also a CAT II 3-point, so you can get pretty much every attachment that you want from Rural King, Orcelin, or Tractor supply and they will hook right up. As heavy as it its, a box blade, tiller attachment or 2 blade plow should do really well behind it.

Also, that year model should have parts fairly available in the states since its not a bevarian/overseas assembled machine. For $7k, thats not a bad deal with the bushhog on the back.
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sweet thank you for the info, it's way bigger than i need but that's rarely a bad thing
 
what the beens said.

the only issue with resleeved is if they didn't do it right. Make sure you get it warm and check that it's not leaking coolant into the crankcase.
gas tractors aren't the debil, but they suffer from all the same problems as every small engine with todays shitty gas.
 
I agree with your assessment that you're not getting a loader and 4WD in your budget. I do think you can get a loader though. I would also lean heavily towards a diesel. Gassers of that generation are a pain in the ass if they sit for months at a time. Electronic ignition helps but only goes so far.

Anything you buy at that price point is going to be high hours and rough. I personally would look towards a Deere as you appear to be doing. You can still get parts and books/info relatively easily for the old stuff. Maybe you can for the Fords but I don't have much experience with them. I can walk into my local deere dealer and buy every filter and fluid I need to service my 1969 1020, and could do the same for the 1963 3020 I had before it. I also purchase a complete set of reproduction books for each on eBay. For reference, I paid $4k for my 1020 diesel w/ a deere loader a year and a half ago. It's pretty rough and smokes a little when cold but overall a good, dependable tractor.

Buy the biggest one you can afford and haul.

The re-sleeved engine would not scare me as long as its running right. Most of the deers from that era have probably been re-sleeved at some point due to cavitation pitting out the sleeves/block from running the wrong coolant as farmers are likely to do.

Minor leeks are going to be par for the course and again wouldn't bother me at your price point, in fact I'd be shocked if one of the tractors you look at wasn't leaking from 2-3 (or more) spots.

The main thing I'd look at is the engine, trans and hydraulic systems. Does it run, drive and operate smoothly? How much and what kind of smoke does it put off starting and running? Clutch feel good? keep in mind that a new clutch almost always means splitting a tractor that size which is a bigger job than most are equipped to do. Also look for excessive wear on the front end and rock shaft. These things aren't all that hard to rebuild, but the parts can be expensive and aren't always available depending on make/model/year and should be figured into the price.
 
Watch your brands. Some of these old tractors can be impossible to find parts for. Ford, International, Deere is a good place to start. Now, saying that, anything older than 1965 or so are all pretty much the same and you can cross in an equivalent part just fine for general maintenance stuff. Keep in mind many of the the same older gassers are low compression engines. Even swapping from 6v to 12v they will still be difficult to start when very cold. Anything diesel will either run or it wont, so it seems less finicky, but keep in mind the fuel pumps have a lot of hours and finding replacements is nearly impossible. Some can be rebuilt, some not. There is a reason many of these old tractors arent around anymore... parts. Like I said, the bigger brands are more likely to have a junkyard option, but there is no car-part.com for tractors, so you have to call around and deal with grumpy old junker guys. If you want to avoid electrical hassles, keep it to 70s and earlier. The wire harnesses on tractors started looking like automotive complex early/mid 80s.

The more modern compact tractors list good numbers for capability, but most are too light to do much of anything. If your intent is to pick and move stuff, you probably want an older, lower hp but higher overall weight, tractor. It will be much more stable moving stuff around and not tipping. My 50s era 30 horse tractor gets more use than anything and will outwork my neighbors modern compact that lists 50hp but is too small to really do much.

Some of that gas/diesel preference comes from row cropping where it will be running under load all day. Fuel efficiency and power is better with a diesel than a gasser. But if you are small property owner and just using it for some mowing and occasional work, dont get hung up on fuel type. Just like cars, gassers will be cheaper to maintain than oil burners. If old tractor, convert to 12v, replace the points with electric ignition, clean out the carb of varnish or replace with a new one, learn to tune to temperature and go use it.
 
You want a 4x4 diesel with a loader, power steering and NO CVT transmission, that is a 199% requirement in my book, and I prefer a popular brand, no odd balls.
 
Buy the biggest one you can afford with a loader. You will find more uses than you can think of now.
 
Gdogg said:
You want a 4x4 diesel with a loader, power steering and NO CVT transmission, that is a 199% requirement in my book, and I prefer a popular brand, no odd balls.
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Thats not gonna happen for $7k. Unless he finds a deal that is rarer than rocking horse shit.
 
I'd buy a wheel loader or back hoe and a ride on lawn mower.

All states ag parts has a big parts salvage operation for older tractors.
 
OP....Clodhopper and gbiddlec have some really good points in their posts as well. I don't remember what years each brand got away from being american assembled, I think some models still are but JD was in the 90's I think for most of their models. If you keep your search in the 70's to about 85, you should be good at being able to keep your maintenance type items fairly readily available. Parts may be a different story depending on how close you get to the year 1970.

Look for Ford, John deere and Case. Those were the fairly best and most reliable in that era for the size you are looking for. I would lean more towards those 3 if it were me looking. You are going to spend more for the color of the tractor too. Even on those older models. JD is going to be the more expensive brand. For comparison, I picked up a 1971 Case 1070 black knight about a year ago for $10K. At the same time a 1978 JD 2640 was going for $17K.

A Ford 4000 wouldn't be a bad option for what you're looking to do. It won't be clearing any standing timber of any size, but it'll do everything else you mentioned. And you should be able to pick one up for about half or 2/3 of your $7k budget.

​

 
4wd isnt all that on a big tractor. On the oversized lawn mowers, sure, they need it. Unless your property is huge slope, then maybe. You have 7 acres, it isnt your source of income but rather a hobby. Is a few extra minutes here and there worth the extra cost? That is one you really need to figure out. 4wd will reduce the number of points on a turn or the few times you have to attack from a different angle. Nice maybe, mandatory no. More shit to break and most will need regular attention and adds $$ to purchase as everyone thinks they "gotta have it". Just getting used to what a tractor will and wont do will adjust how you approach a task and accomplish it.
 
lagunaMS said:
this one is a little rough but has a loader and box blade

mobile.craigslist.org

Ford 3000 tractor with front loader - farm & garden - by owner - sale

Ford 3000 Diesel tractor runs great hydraulics work as they should tires are good comes with front bucket a set of forks and a 5 ft weighted box blade 6000 for all
mobile.craigslist.org
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this looks like a great first tractor if it’s not fogging for mosquitoes out the exhaust or leaking too much hydraulic fluid. A running diesel tractor with a loader will always bring $5k

your first tractor isn’t going to be your forever tractor so buy the one that will be easiest to get your money back out of when you upgrade to the next one. 2wd works for many people, but you gotta try it out and figure out what you like and what you don’t.

keep in mind you still have to buy implements if you pickup a bare tractor. A decent bush hog and a box blade will cost you another grand or so. Adding a loader will cost damn near what the machine costs for any other the other machines you’ve linked. If you can find a $10k tractor with a bunch of implements it’s probably worth stretching your budget.
 
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WTF? said:
Adding a loader will cost damn near what the machine costs for any other the other machines you’ve linked. If you can find a $10k tractor with a bunch of implements it’s probably worth stretching your budget.
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100% true.
i'd love a loader for this small ford, but I'd be money ahead to buy a whole new tractor with a loader and selling this one. plus a loader with the brackets for your specific tractor is a needle in a haystack.
 
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