Hi there
This is my first post in this forum as I am planning to purchase my first tractor. I have a couple pieces of property in northwestern Washington State just south of our (Canadian) border that I need a machine to do some work on. They are not large pieces of property 5 & 20 acres in size, quite flat, and not too rocky. However the larger section of land I am doing the most work on first is very sandy and quite desert like. I had quite a bit of trouble getting stuck on a rented skid steer recently but it did have very poor tread and they do not have much clearance at all.
I was sent a photo(hopefully attached) of this Ford 3400 with a 730 loader for sale the other day. Asking price is $3500 CAN$ which is about $2600 US$ these days which seems to be pretty good. The machine looks to be in quite good shape.
The current owner does not have much experience with the tractor as it came with the piece of property he recently purchased. Seems like a very nice and honest guy that found the tractor a little too large for what he wants it for and not well suited to his steeper property. I assume that is a result of the reduced rear wheel traction from the loader despite having some weight on the back. The tractor was stored under cover and looks to be in very good condition. It is also a diesel, runs fine without any major issues or damage, and has the eight speed transmission as well. The loader has enough down pressure to lift the tires which I have read in this forum to be of value rather than being valved to lift under pressure and drop by weight/gravity. I am not sure of the year but will be able to figure it out based upon the previous post on this site. I do assume it is somewhere between a 1968 and 1975 model year? From what I have read both the tractor and loader are well liked by their owners.
The main disadvantages I can see are that it does not have a three point hitch or PTO. I was planning to get a box blade for the back and post auger but unless I was willing to go to all the work and expense of trying to upgraded as been mentioned on this site I will be limited to the front bucket and perhaps some forks.
I do have about a mile of fairly rough but relatively flat gravel/sand access road to maintain and a blade at the back seems like it would be very useful. Other than the grading I would be primarily using the machine for levelling off sections of the property for buildings, small road, etc and general clean up. Digging is very easy on this ground. I have attached a couple pictures of our property and the ground I will be digging around in too.
Finally..... The question(s) I have are:
Does the tractor sound like a reasonable deal?
Is it somewhat well suited for what I want it for?
And if I purchase the machine and like it as much as most others seem to would it be possible and worth it to find the parts needed from a salvage yard to convert it to a three point hitch and PTO (if indeed it is possible) The hitch to get a blade on the back being the most important.
Price wise it does allow me to get some work done right away and I could upgrade later when more cash is available.
Thank you very much in advance for any comment or input.
Gary
This is my first post in this forum as I am planning to purchase my first tractor. I have a couple pieces of property in northwestern Washington State just south of our (Canadian) border that I need a machine to do some work on. They are not large pieces of property 5 & 20 acres in size, quite flat, and not too rocky. However the larger section of land I am doing the most work on first is very sandy and quite desert like. I had quite a bit of trouble getting stuck on a rented skid steer recently but it did have very poor tread and they do not have much clearance at all.
I was sent a photo(hopefully attached) of this Ford 3400 with a 730 loader for sale the other day. Asking price is $3500 CAN$ which is about $2600 US$ these days which seems to be pretty good. The machine looks to be in quite good shape.
The current owner does not have much experience with the tractor as it came with the piece of property he recently purchased. Seems like a very nice and honest guy that found the tractor a little too large for what he wants it for and not well suited to his steeper property. I assume that is a result of the reduced rear wheel traction from the loader despite having some weight on the back. The tractor was stored under cover and looks to be in very good condition. It is also a diesel, runs fine without any major issues or damage, and has the eight speed transmission as well. The loader has enough down pressure to lift the tires which I have read in this forum to be of value rather than being valved to lift under pressure and drop by weight/gravity. I am not sure of the year but will be able to figure it out based upon the previous post on this site. I do assume it is somewhere between a 1968 and 1975 model year? From what I have read both the tractor and loader are well liked by their owners.
The main disadvantages I can see are that it does not have a three point hitch or PTO. I was planning to get a box blade for the back and post auger but unless I was willing to go to all the work and expense of trying to upgraded as been mentioned on this site I will be limited to the front bucket and perhaps some forks.
I do have about a mile of fairly rough but relatively flat gravel/sand access road to maintain and a blade at the back seems like it would be very useful. Other than the grading I would be primarily using the machine for levelling off sections of the property for buildings, small road, etc and general clean up. Digging is very easy on this ground. I have attached a couple pictures of our property and the ground I will be digging around in too.
Finally..... The question(s) I have are:
Does the tractor sound like a reasonable deal?
Is it somewhat well suited for what I want it for?
And if I purchase the machine and like it as much as most others seem to would it be possible and worth it to find the parts needed from a salvage yard to convert it to a three point hitch and PTO (if indeed it is possible) The hitch to get a blade on the back being the most important.
Price wise it does allow me to get some work done right away and I could upgrade later when more cash is available.
Thank you very much in advance for any comment or input.
Gary
