old1500
Silver Member
I had owned/operated Japanese compact tractors for years, but recently sprung for a Ford 1500. The 1500 has advantages over some of the others and for the most part, I feel like the 1500/1700 series is much better built....but they have a few very weak links.
The steering gear housing assembly is very week. Obviously, originally no bushing/bearing was installed in the case at the output shaft and this point wears to the degree that a round of steering loss can be expected over time due to sector arm slack/play. Another weak point is the front axle-to-frame attachment. The front axle is connected to the frame via a pivot shaft welded onto the frame and cradled in cups with drive bushings on both sides. If overlooked...these will also wear and result in yet another few inches of steering loss. Another weak area is the method in which the battery is mounted just if front of the radiator. If the tray is not maintained (as in corrodes and comes apart) and the battery gets loose....the first thing it will beat-on is the face of the radiator. Other compact tractors use similar mounting methods, but there are some frame members/radiator mounts between the battery and the radiator. The water-pump is yet another weakness. The shaft is rather long, resulting in great belt stress being applied out on the pulley-end, which eventually wears out the bearing.
I believe the Ford/NH 1500 is a much stronger tractor in may ways as compared to some of the others and if these points are serviced on a regular basis, may not offer any problems, but can be expensive to fix. If I were thinking on the purchase of another one...I would pay close attention to these items just mentioned. You can very quickly turn a great deal on a $1500 tractor into a $3000 proposition to put it back in working order.
I am thrilled with my little 1500, but I would never have paid what I did for it had I realized it was going to cost as much to fix is as it did to buy it. As was....it had a steering system with a "mind of it's own."
I am not whining....I like the little monster and it's generally built like a tank. I am just making a few points that I as a new owner have observed that should be considered in pricing/purchasing this model tractor.
The steering gear housing assembly is very week. Obviously, originally no bushing/bearing was installed in the case at the output shaft and this point wears to the degree that a round of steering loss can be expected over time due to sector arm slack/play. Another weak point is the front axle-to-frame attachment. The front axle is connected to the frame via a pivot shaft welded onto the frame and cradled in cups with drive bushings on both sides. If overlooked...these will also wear and result in yet another few inches of steering loss. Another weak area is the method in which the battery is mounted just if front of the radiator. If the tray is not maintained (as in corrodes and comes apart) and the battery gets loose....the first thing it will beat-on is the face of the radiator. Other compact tractors use similar mounting methods, but there are some frame members/radiator mounts between the battery and the radiator. The water-pump is yet another weakness. The shaft is rather long, resulting in great belt stress being applied out on the pulley-end, which eventually wears out the bearing.
I believe the Ford/NH 1500 is a much stronger tractor in may ways as compared to some of the others and if these points are serviced on a regular basis, may not offer any problems, but can be expensive to fix. If I were thinking on the purchase of another one...I would pay close attention to these items just mentioned. You can very quickly turn a great deal on a $1500 tractor into a $3000 proposition to put it back in working order.
I am thrilled with my little 1500, but I would never have paid what I did for it had I realized it was going to cost as much to fix is as it did to buy it. As was....it had a steering system with a "mind of it's own."
I am not whining....I like the little monster and it's generally built like a tank. I am just making a few points that I as a new owner have observed that should be considered in pricing/purchasing this model tractor.
