Ford 1710 4WD 12 Speed Synchromesh PS
Model Year: 1984
I bought this to replace a Ford Jubilee and to pull a 15KW/3OKW PTO generator along with a loader, finishing mower, box blade, and cultivator. Looked at Deutz but their 30 hp diesel was discontinued, Kubota (at the time too narrow tread stance for Georgia and awful hydraulics), John Deere and Massey Ferguson (235 had transmission powered hydraulics; 245 was live, but a bit heavy for application). I settled on Ford 1710 mainly because of high clearance design of FWD. This tractor was primarily used with a 5' finishing mower for tending to 5 acre lawn, as well as a 5' bush hog for pasture. It has also used as a whole-house standby generator during ice storms with an Onan 4-pole PTO generator. Only replacement parts have been water pump and clutch and normal wear blades, belts and such for the finishing mower. It lacks draft control, but otherwise hydraulics and transmission is very good and plenty of power. I don't care for single hydraulic pump (which is slow on loader), nor do I like the priority valve operation for power steering, nor the 2-stage clutch for PTO (this clutch is poorly designed and is not adjustable for the PTO; I would prefer live independent PTO). On balance, this is an excellent tractor with 4WD which easily makes it out pull heavier tractors (I recently pulled out a neighbor's International 444 that was stuck in his field, for example). My son recently repainted it (though it still needs new decals) and we used a tip from tractor on line to replace brake linings. The parts are expensive, but it hardly uses any. If you can find one, it's the pick of the compacts for this age.
Pros: Reliability, 4 WD Clearance and perforance, transmission, power steering
Cons: 2-stage clutch has no adjustment for PTO, lacks draft control, live indepent PTO is better.
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