Buying Advice Looking at a Ford 1700

[Tonyfishhead1]

Hi all,

I'm new to the site and tractors for the most part. I have ~5 acres and horses and looking for a tractor to mow, move snow, and manure. My limited budget of around $5K has led me to a Ford 1700 with a loader for $5850. They say everything works and that they re-did the head. It is MFWD. Is this a good price and do I need to worry about getting parts in the future? I've read on the other forum that getting parts for the 1700 is pretty hard. I don't want to make the investment if I can't fix the thing in the future.

Thanks.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I own a 1720...
A newer version of the 1700...
I am not aware of parts issues with this series...
Ford produced this model from 1979-1983 according to tractor data...
Looks like they produced a lot of units also...
I would assume that some of the parts are interchangeable between series also...
If the tractor was in good mechanical shape I would not be at all hesitant to buy it...

 

[joecdeere]

Tony, they were and still are nice compact tractors, but parts are getting harder everyday for that XX00 series

 

[Wolfy]

I have a Ford 1600. It is the same size as the 1700, only slightly older. I also have a Ford 1710, which is the same size as the 1700 but slightly newer. Both tractors have been fantastic. Simple and easy to work on. I haven't had parts problems, and would buy another Ford tomorrow.

 

[RickB]

The lucky owners that have had no parts availability issues with xx00 series Ford compacts probably haven't had to buy much more than regularly replaced wear items. The list of parts that are NLA for xx00 and xx10 series Ford CUT's is staggering and growing monthly. New Holland's recent divorce with ISM (Shibaura) will only hasten the process and cause prices of available parts to rise more dramatically.

 

[Wolfy]

But what nonregular wear items would you need, any more so than any other brand.

 

[RickB]

But what nonregular wear items would you need, any more so than any other brand.

I had a guy last week looking for an air filter cover for a 1310. I got him the outer cover, turns out he needed the inner cover as well. Guess what; NLA.

A person that works behind the parts counter has a wider range of experience with availability and pricing concerns than person with one tractor. And for the record, New Holland parts availability probably isn't much better or worse than other brands of a similar age. I know of a Deere 650 CUT that is now a two wheel drive tractor for lack of a front driveshaft: NLA.


Anyone buying a CUT older than 10 or 15 years is shooting craps. You can believe it or not, I really don't care.

 

[Wolfy]

I hardly deal with one tractor. Some of my machines date back to the 1960's. If you look hard enough you can find the parts. If I can't, I fix what I have. Or I take something close and modify it. Reminds me of the time I went to a JD dealer looking for a particular roller chain for my tiller. The parts man said JD never offered that style. The f--- they didn't, I just took it off, it was in my hand. So I had it custom made elsewhere. A couple years later, that same JD parts man is now working at a NH dealer I deal with...... I don't know if the OP is mechanical. But we can't all afford new machines.

 

[JC-jetro]

Hi all,

I'm new to the site and tractors for the most part. I have ~5 acres and horses and looking for a tractor to mow, move snow, and manure. My limited budget of around $5K has led me to a Ford 1700 with a loader for $5850. They say everything works and that they re-did the head. It is MFWD. Is this a good price and do I need to worry about getting parts in the future? I've read on the other forum that getting parts for the 1700 is pretty hard. I don't want to make the investment if I can't fix the thing in the future.

Thanks.

I own a 1700 for the last 5 years. Two previous owners took a good care of it for the last 25 years. I can only tell you I could not be more pleased for the purposes I used it for. I'm sure major internal engine will be difficult but for me yet to need any parts like that. I have been able to very easily buy consumables or alternates equally functional. I have a ton of posts and few threads that shows pretty much all I have done with my machine. You might use the search function of this board and find threads and posts using my handle and you'll find whole bunch of information and knowledge guys shared on the subject tractor. That might help you a bit. I have seen 1700
with close to 4000 hrs on it and mine at 1000 hrs has plenty of life left barring a major unforeseen problem. I have done quite a bit of upkeep on this tractor and I know I have not spent more than $300 tops in the last 5 years including anything and everything I have done to it (includes all oil changes and hydraulic oil). You need to be mechanically inclined to make all the work economically feasible.

JC,

 

[RickB]

I hardly deal with one tractor. Some of my machines date back to the 1960's. If you look hard enough you can find the parts. If I can't, I fix what I have. Or I take something close and modify it. Reminds me of the time I went to a JD dealer looking for a particular roller chain for my tiller. The parts man said JD never offered that style. The f--- they didn't, I just took it off, it was in my hand. So I had it custom made elsewhere. A couple years later, that same JD parts man is now working at a NH dealer I deal with...... I don't know if the OP is mechanical. But we can't all afford new machines.

50 year old domestic built machines have a different dynamic than 20 year old Asian CUT's. If you don't get that, I can't help it. Like I said, I don't care. I deal with folks that have all the answers every day. Most of them don't.