Best USED choice on my low budget?see options

[canucklehead]

I see about 5 tractors for sale in my travel area, in my budget ($4,000, maybe 5K tops).I have 5 acres, mini horses. need to plow manure piles, move hog fuel with bucket, some fencing. would like to scrape sand ring and plant grass seed in areas. Maybe some finishing mowing. My land is mostly flat, with wet muck in winter. I'm not sure 4x4 is 100% required. A large bucket would be nice because hog fuel isn't heavy, but it's bulky and gets delivered in a big truck load, like 30 yards or more. These are what I've narrowed my choices down to, in my budget, in my area....

1)Ford 1801 industrial tractor with a backhoe and FEL. says it works, but it's older & slow (does that mean tired??). This one seems biggest and heaviest duty. 4 cycl diesel, selectomatic shifter (whatever that is). No hours indicated, & I assume 2wd.

2)Bolens Iseki,4x4, 20hp, diesel, FEL & a new 5' brush cutter (or mower). I've read on these forums that they are hard to find parts for. Again, no hours specified.

3)89 John Deere 670 4x4, new tires, 3800 hrs, brush hog, and 2-size post hole augger. Good condition, runs strong.** NO FEL. How much to get a FEL to fit this??

4)Mitsubishi Beaver 372, 2 cyl, 15 Hp diesel front loader and three point rear hitch

5)434 International tractor. Diesel ,Runs good,FEL, no idea of hours.

Part of my problem is that all of these require me to spend about a full day of travel to/from, to go check them out.So I really need to focus on one of them. I think any one of these would be good enough. Pretty sure they all have 3PT hitches (except that Ford 1801 with the backhoe). Altho I don't need backhoe, there are a few areas where I could use some trenching.

So which one would you focus on? WHich seems most intriguing? Any of them to totally avoid? I'm leaning to the Bolens or Mitsubishi.

 

[RoyJackson]

I'd suggest the International 434 is the best fit for your needs, except for the finish mowing. You can get a rear finish mower, but the 434 weighs almost 5000 lbs and may rut your lawn (especially if it has ag tires).
The International 434 has 40some HP and probably the most capacity for lifting (loader and 3PH). Here's some info on it: TractorData.com International Harvester 434 tractor dimensions information.
You don't mention if this machine is 4WD. It probably isn't which might be a drag with the loader. It also doesn't appear to have power steering (which is really a drag with a loader).

The 670 is a sweet and tough machine...that was my first tractor. But finding a #60 loader may be pretty tough. Also, with 3800 hours, that tough little engine is getting long in the tooth. The good thing is parts are still readily available (except for the loader). But it's also a small tractor with 19 engine HP and 17 at the PTO. I could operate and lift a 60" rotary cutter with no problems, however. But you'd need front weights since there's no loader.
Figure about $3000US for an aftermaket loader.
This machine does have power steering and it's small size might be the best for cleaning stalls, They do well for finish mowing too, BTW.

The others I wouldn't even consider...

 

[dex3361]

The IH 434 is a real machine but it has some draw backs. If it does not have power steering it will not take long before you regret the sale especially after you put the FEL on. They tend to have lousy brakes because if it is not stored in the dry the moisture rusts the mechanism. The brakes are dry disc and they were one of the reasons I got rid of my IH424.

 

[canucklehead]

Ya, I thought the hours were a bit high for an '89 670. I had a JD790 and I know I'll never come close to replacing that. Used it to buy a toy hauler for atv vacations. I guess we get better family time out of the trailer, but that 790 was SWEEET!

I guess I like the idea of smaller tractor for zipping in and out of our horse stalls. My son was reading about that 1801 and only complaint he's found is hard starting. Heck, I might even be able to do some side jobs with that unit.

the 434 is a 67-69 model year. I think i also saw a 414 with PS and lots of recent work done, in the same price range.

thanks for your thoughts and please keep the feedback coming, it's much appreciated.

 

[canucklehead]

okay, here's another one in the same price range. looks like more stuff done to it, but a bit older. It's an International 414, 1962.

"43 hp New Front Tires.,New Hydralic Puimp,New Starter,Alternator Converted,,Power Steering,2 Speed rearend,Possi Pedal,,,8ft Heavy Duty Rear Blade,Heavy Duty Battery,,Runs Great,,,Solid Running Engine,,Never Burns Oil" It has a FEL with big bucket.

 

[Johndeere3720]

I saw the 670 and the international on craigslist too. They appear to be in good shape. There is a place in washington with FELs for $1500 or $1700 installed. If i get a loader for my Yanmar, Im getting it there. Ive attached the pictures from those adds on here so we get an idea of what these tractors look like. Ive seen the bolens, it was nice too. The 670 does have a lot of hours but atleast parts are available as the others will be hard to get parts for. Have you looked at any Yanmar tractors? There is a 1300D yanmar with a FEL on craigslist for a good price. It is small but its size will make it easy to manuver around. I also saw a good deal on a 1500 yanmar with a FEL but it was a 2wd. It was in great shape though. I wish you luck with your purchase. Oh, That 670 looks kinda like my Yanmar.

 

[flusher]

I see about 5 tractors for sale in my travel area, in my budget ($4,000, maybe 5K tops).I have 5 acres, mini horses. need to plow manure piles, move hog fuel with bucket, some fencing. would like to scrape sand ring and plant grass seed in areas. Maybe some finishing mowing. My land is mostly flat, with wet muck in winter. I'm not sure 4x4 is 100% required. A large bucket would be nice because hog fuel isn't heavy, but it's bulky and gets delivered in a big truck load, like 30 yards or more. These are what I've narrowed my choices down to, in my budget, in my area....

1)Ford 1801 industrial tractor with a backhoe and FEL. says it works, but it's older & slow (does that mean tired??). This one seems biggest and heaviest duty. 4 cycl diesel, selectomatic shifter (whatever that is). No hours indicated, & I assume 2wd.

2)Bolens Iseki,4x4, 20hp, diesel, FEL & a new 5' brush cutter (or mower). I've read on these forums that they are hard to find parts for. Again, no hours specified.

3)89 John Deere 670 4x4, new tires, 3800 hrs, brush hog, and 2-size post hole augger. Good condition, runs strong.** NO FEL. How much to get a FEL to fit this??

4)Mitsubishi Beaver 372, 2 cyl, 15 Hp diesel front loader and three point rear hitch

5)434 International tractor. Diesel ,Runs good,FEL, no idea of hours.

Part of my problem is that all of these require me to spend about a full day of travel to/from, to go check them out.So I really need to focus on one of them. I think any one of these would be good enough. Pretty sure they all have 3PT hitches (except that Ford 1801 with the backhoe). Altho I don't need backhoe, there are a few areas where I could use some trenching.

So which one would you focus on? WHich seems most intriguing? Any of them to totally avoid? I'm leaning to the Bolens or Mitsubishi.

I'd steer clear of that Ford industrial. That transmission may be the infamous Ford Select-o-Speed (SOS) tranny that costs a fortune to repair when it breaks.

You'll have better luck finding repair parts for the JD and the IH tractors you're eyeballing.

 

[canucklehead]

I'm going to pick up the IH B-414 later today. I didn't realize it's a gasoline engine! Oh well, sounds like it has lotsa HP and is better than what I have now (nothing!). It's hard to put the money on a 1962 unit when you see all these sleek CUTs, but I just can't afford them, or a payment.

thanks for the feedback.

 

[RoyJackson]

Good Luck...hope it works out for you!

 

[flusher]

I'm going to pick up the IH B-414 later today. I didn't realize it's a gasoline engine! Oh well, sounds like it has lotsa HP and is better than what I have now (nothing!). It's hard to put the money on a 1962 unit when you see all these sleek CUTs, but I just can't afford them, or a payment.

thanks for the feedback.

Gasser, diesel--if the engine has decent compression either one will do a good job.

Congrats on your purchase.

BTW: my 2008 Mahindra 5525 diesel (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, gear tranny) is a descendent of the IH 414. Mahindra was licensed by IH in the early 1960s to build the 414 in India and a lot of IH design features remain in the larger Mahindra models (heavy, simple tractors, sheet metal instead of plastic, etc).

 

[TripleR]

I'm going to pick up the IH B-414 later today. I didn't realize it's a gasoline engine! Oh well, sounds like it has lotsa HP and is better than what I have now (nothing!). It's hard to put the money on a 1962 unit when you see all these sleek CUTs, but I just can't afford them, or a payment.

thanks for the feedback.

Don't worry about it, my brothers still have a Ford NAA and couple of 600 Series built in the 50's and they still run great. Any tractor beats no tractor. These worked for us until we could get something newer/bigger; still use them from time to time.

 

[bill in ny]

i still use my 1946 h to rake hay, can't beat it.

 

[Barry Bowen]

If you got the 414 for a good price, it sounds like a good piece of equipment for what you want to do. It is a true small farm tractor. There are many sources for IH parts who will ship them. The biggest is Bates of Ohio, on the web you know. I would have told you to only look at american iron from the 60 or 70 as that was the hay day of american tractors, strong and dependable. In the long run you should be happy until you are ready for something bigger. Gas banger will do you fine, it will just cost more per hour to run than a disel. Little word of advice. Change the trans fluid when you get it and ONLY USE HY-TRANS from IH. Yes the junk at TSC will say it works, but that is far from the truth. Hy-Trans is a 30 weight oil, and the junk at TSC is usually 10 weight. IT will tear up your tractor if you try to use it.

 

[canucklehead]

previous owner told me he had changed all fluids. I'll double check with him and see what he put in the tranny.

I've got some hydraulic fluid leaks. when you have the bucket at it's extreme positions, it will squirt out fluid at a couple of different fittings, but only when it's at it's extreme and you stay on the controls.

idle is crazy high. needs some fine tuning on the linkage i think. HUGE, heavy 8 foot blade on the rear. should be good for plowing and maybe some grading.

came with wheel weights, calcium filled tires, tires like new, he did an alternator upgrade, and replaced all the hydraulic hoses, plus pump. might even be upgraded with full bucket controls. heavy duty battery.Canvas retractable canopy. starts/runs awesome. even got an owner's manual.

boy, she's pretty heavy! broke my ramps loading it, and the tires were quite squished on my 3500lb tandem axles. it's gotta be close to 7000lbs...just a guess. Of course, that rear blade is mega-heavy.

the bucket is very rough and I think I'll replace it. I'll post in the appropriate sections. All-in-all, I think I got an excellent deal for $3500, well a bit over $4000 by the time I pay taxes, convert currency, etc.. Heck, people want more than this for lawnmowers!!

thanks for all the replies. I know these types of.... "what tractor should I buy" posts get tiresome and redundant.

 

[D7E]

I'd steer clear of that Ford industrial. That transmission may be the infamous Ford Select-o-Speed (SOS) tranny that costs a fortune to repair when it breaks.

I agree they are trouble..!

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. plus if I wanted a ford diesel.. I'd get 65+

soundguy

 

[scoutcub]

What?? No pics??

 

[Johndeere3720]

well congratulations on the tractor. You have any pictures? I remember seeing it on craigslist. It definatly was heavy duty.

 

[tree farmer]

Good choice getting the B-414. That BC 144 gasser is a great engine, made by Perkins. Same one I have in my '63 IH 3414, which is the industrial model of a B-414: heavier front axle, integral loader, higher capacity hydraulics for a backhoe, etc. I've had it for nearly 20 years, and cleared and maintained probably 20 acres of my brushy logged over land with only minimum repairs. The engine is still intact, burns no oil, & still has the original clutch. A few years ago I replaced the carburetor with one from a 4 cylinder Willys Jeep, and the previous owner had installed a different distributor in it. You gotta change the points, condensor, rotor & cap every couple of years, or it won't start when damp. Mine, anyway, was made in England, meaning Lucas electrics (expensive), and most of the hydraulic fittings and bolts are metric, but that's not been much of a problem. You just have to have both metric and SAE tools to work on one. Enjoy it, it probably will outlast most of us.....Dan.

 

[D7E]

previous owner told me he had changed all fluids. I'll double check with him and see what he put in the tranny.

I've got some hydraulic fluid leaks. when you have the bucket at it's extreme positions, it will squirt out fluid at a couple of different fittings, but only when it's at it's extreme and you stay on the controls.

idle is crazy high. needs some fine tuning on the linkage i think. HUGE, heavy 8 foot blade on the rear. should be good for plowing and maybe some grading.

came with wheel weights, calcium filled tires, tires like new, he did an alternator upgrade, and replaced all the hydraulic hoses, plus pump. might even be upgraded with full bucket controls. heavy duty battery.Canvas retractable canopy. starts/runs awesome. even got an owner's manual.

boy, she's pretty heavy! broke my ramps loading it, and the tires were quite squished on my 3500lb tandem axles. it's gotta be close to 7000lbs...just a guess. Of course, that rear blade is mega-heavy.

the bucket is very rough and I think I'll replace it. I'll post in the appropriate sections. All-in-all, I think I got an excellent deal for $3500, well a bit over $4000 by the time I pay taxes, convert currency, etc.. Heck, people want more than this for lawnmowers!!

thanks for all the replies. I know these types of.... "what tractor should I buy" posts get tiresome and redundant.

Not sure if it fits but pity you're not closer, I have a white IH loader with a really nice bucket off a 434 that i bought for a customer who wanted me to make a snow bucket for a skid steer and ended up cancelling because he bought a backhoe instead.
Very nice looking but has a few cracks in the frame and some hoses missing, I'd sell the whole lot mounts and all for $200 .
Buckets are around cheap though,I bought a new buhler 84in with no brackets on an auction for $400 ,cut the back out of my old bucket and welded to the new one to fit my european MF loader.

I thought all of these tractors were made in the UK, do you have any pics of it ???