Ford 1210 vs Ford 1700

[Hexa Fox]

Hey guys,

So this community has been awesome so far and things are getting more complicated. As some of you may know my neighbor just gifted me an old 2WD Ford 1210 and I am deciding what to do with it. Well my neighbor just got gifted a Ford 1700 that he is not sure that he wants. He has at least six attachments with it and the tractor is in his garage right now. He let me hear it run and it sounds good. I have not looked into it much but he said I am welcome to inspect the tractor whenever I want. He said he has looked up the value of the tractor at he is at around $3,000. I think this estimate is a little low for a tractor like this especially if he is willing to give up the implements as well. He said he would have to really think about it but he does not see the need for the tractor right now.

Anyway I was checking out the specifications of these tractors today. It looks like the 1700 is in another league from the 1210. So just from looking at it, the 1210 does not seem like it would make a good parts tractor for the 1700. However, is it possible the Ford 1210 could run a lot of the implements he has for the 1700? So if I was doing a less than 'clean' job maybe it could be a job for the 1210? Also I have some interest in people buying the Ford 1210 that was gifted to me. So I could always sell it and put that money towards the 1700. Just for the record, as expected the Ford 1210 sat for awhile and is in need of some work. Also I thought for sure he had a FEL with this tractor but he does not, which is a huge bummer. As always I would love to hear your guys thoughts.

EDIT:
Here is the tractor data for someone that cares or wants a refresher.

TractorData.com Ford 1210 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

TractorData.com Ford 1700 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

 

[MTGreen]

IMO the 1210 is a toy next to the 1700. 1700 is an actual cat 1 tractor rated for 4x more rear lift and weighing in at 1000 lbs more. It will be able to do a lot more useful work. Plus you get attachments that are presumably correctly sized for the 1700. Parts are going to be rough for either one.

 

[Hexa Fox]

IMO the 1210 is a toy next to the 1700. 1700 is an actual cat 1 tractor rated for 4x more rear lift and weighing in at 1000 lbs more. It will be able to do a lot more useful work. Plus you get attachments that are presumably correctly sized for the 1700. Parts are going to be rough for either one.

Yeah I have been figuring that out from people and experience with the 1210 now. Don't you think the Ford 1700 (if in decent shape) is worth a lot more than $3,000 especially if I can get the implements too? At the very least I could resale it later for what I purchased it for, maybe even a profit. Again the guy said it is something he has not decided to sell just yet and I have not decided to buy it either. Just seems like an awesome deal. Also I would love to have a nice little tractor to peddle around with. I have never owned an actual diesel tractor with a real PTO with 3 point.

 

[Wolfy]

My brother owns a Ford 1700 and I own a Ford 1600 which was directly before the 1700. It's a very handy size tractor that can do a lot of work, and they sip diesel. About the only application where I would choose the 1210 is if you mowed in tight areas.

 

[Hexa Fox]

My brother owns a Ford 1700 and I own a Ford 1600 which was directly before the 1700. It's a very handy size tractor that can do a lot of work, and they sip diesel. About the only application where I would choose the 1210 is if you mowed in tight areas.

They did not look that much different when it comes to size but that could totally be just me. Here is a picture he sent me of the tractor recently. If this thing had a FEL on it I would be instantaneously interested. Another user (cannot remember id) recommended by a tractor with a FEL if I wanted one. I already pretty much knew that was good advice. They are hard to locate and seem to go for more than people want for the actual tractor when you find them.

I was looking around on this site and trying to find a compatibility chart here or elsewhere to see if I could find something to go on this tractor easily. This one also looks to be a 2WD but cannot tell from the picture myself.

 

[MTGreen]

If you just need a loader primarily to pick and place things, one can get a lot done with a 3point boom

 

[Hexa Fox]

If you just need a loader primarily to pick and place things, one can get a lot done with a 3point boom

Yeah, I think a rotary broom is honestly one of the most under rated attachments period. Having this in mind, I really need a FEL. I do a lot of debris removal, firewood processing on my property and a lot of other stuff that could just really use one for.

I was reading and it looks like a tractor of this size does a lot better with 4WD, especially when using something like a FEL. I cannot tell but I suspect this one to be a 2WD model. I might have to go check it out again when he is available.

 

[Wolfy]

I also have a 1710 which has 4wd and yes it's nice with a loader. That said, it's awful to mow with. These tractors are very front heavy with a loader, so I have to put it in 4wd to mow, where the 2wd 1600 (or 1700) would climb right up the hill. The loader also really cuts down on maneuverability, and even shifted into 2wd,you will not turn as sharp as a 2wd tractor. I agree that a boom pole on a 2wd tractor can do a surprising amount of work.

 

[Wolfy]

Oh one more thing, the 4wd 1700 was infamous for snapping front wheel shafts. I'd be cautious if I came across one.

 

[MTGreen]

Yeah, I think a rotary broom is honestly one of the most under rated attachments period. Having this in mind, I really need a FEL. I do a lot of debris removal, firewood processing on my property and a lot of other stuff that could just really use one for.

I was reading and it looks like a tractor of this size does a lot better with 4WD, especially when using something like a FEL. I cannot tell but I suspect this one to be a 2WD model. I might have to go check it out again when he is available.

I was meaning a boom which is basically a small crane on your 3pt:

 

[arto98607]

They did not look that much different when it comes to size but that could totally be just me. Here is a picture he sent me of the tractor recently. If this thing had a FEL on it I would be instantaneously interested. Another user (cannot remember id) recommended by a tractor with a FEL if I wanted one. I already pretty much knew that was good advice. They are hard to locate and seem to go for more than people want for the actual tractor when you find them.

I was looking around on this site and trying to find a compatibility chart here or elsewhere to see if I could find something to go on this tractor easily. This one also looks to be a 2WD but cannot tell from the picture myself.

Very nice size tractor for many homeowners, but it has a 2-cylinder Diesel engine (vs. 3 or 4-cylinder for smoother running), and based on your photo it looks like a 2-wheel drive model, but not 100% sure about that?

If it is 2-wheel drive not much point in adding a FEL in my opinion, but a 3-point boom would be fine if it suits your needs.

Much larger tractors are a little different story in that regard.

 

[square1]

The 1700 has a lot of grunt and enough weight to get it to the ground
Don't bother with a FEL on 2 WD though, unless your going to hang a lot of counterweight on the 3 PH (probably a good idea even on the 4 WD model).
The weak front spindles (4 WD) were corrected mid model year 1978.

 

[MTGreen]

A 3-point dump box complements the boom and between the two can do a good portion of what a loader can.

 

[Hexa Fox]

The two big things that I would like to do with a FEL

I was meaning a boom which is basically a small crane on your 3pt:

My mistake, I misread your post. The boom and the dump box you mention do look really cool. I really appreciate all the feedback!

1.) I do a lot of debris removal from peoples property. This is usually just a lot of sticks and landscape waste people have collected over the years. They are usually not fun jobs. Having that said, I thought if I had something like a Bucketeer on a FEL these jobs would turn into easy money. Have also thought about a grapple. Picture for illustration, not mine.

2.) I have 275 gallon IBC totes that I use to store firewood. I neatly stacked the wood into them so they have approximately one face cord or 1/3 of a cord of wood in them. That means that they could literally weigh thousands. So something I like about this idea already is that the Ford 1700 has a lift capacity of 3,800 pounds on the hitch. Even some mid sized tractors struggle to lift these totes but with the right counter weight the 1700 may be able to pull this off pretty effectively. So I am super interested. These are the IBC totes on my property, I have four of them so far.

 

[MTGreen]

3pt pallet forks are also available for those totes. Also keep in mind that 3800 lb may be the technical lift limit but as you mentioned ballast is going to be very important from a practical and a safety standpoint on a 2500lb tractor

 

[Hexa Fox]

3pt pallet forks are also available for those totes. Also keep in mind that 3800 lb may be the technical lift limit but as you mentioned ballast is going to be very important from a practical and a safety standpoint on a 2500lb tractor

Yeah definitely. You mean they make an attachment for the ICB totes? I must Google this at once! So these IBC totes full of firewood would be the heaviest that I ever lift. People of a less intelligent nature underestimate what a cord of firewood weighs all the time. Hence the geniuses that think because their bed is 8' long they can stack wood in it 8x4x4 and do not think about it weighing an easy two tons, especially if it is green.

Anyway, even when the wood is green, from my estimates it will never weigh even a single ton, a much better estimate is about 1,500lbs for even the greenest wood. Talking about a face cord that I may or may not be lifting with a tractor now, by the way. I have been recently collecting, splitting and stacking wood so I have become very interested in knowing what I am dealing with. I have a 1500 Sierra with a 8' bed. So even though I have plenty of space I need to be careful how much I put into it.

 

[arto98607]

Glad to hear you have it figured out....

 

[MTGreen]

Yeah definitely. You mean they make an attachment for the ICB totes? I must Google this at once! So these IBC totes full of firewood would be the heaviest that I ever lift. People of a less intelligent nature underestimate what a cord of firewood weighs all the time. Hence the geniuses that think because their bed is 8' long they can stack wood in it 8x4x4 and do not think about it weighing an easy two tons, especially if it is green.

Anyway, even when the wood is green, from my estimates it will never weigh even a single ton, a much better estimate is about 1,500lbs for even the greenest wood. Talking about a face cord that I may or may not be lifting with a tractor now, by the way. I have been recently collecting, splitting and stacking wood so I have become very interested in knowing what I am dealing with. I have a 1500 Sierra with a 8' bed. So even though I have plenty of space I need to be careful how much I put into it.

They make 3pt pallet fork attachments like the one below and those totes have spaces built in underneath specifically for picking up with pallet forks. There are cheaper kinds that don't allow pallet fork side to side adjustment and better ones that do.

Obviously your three-point has a practical maximum lift height here, but you can certainly move stuff around the yard. If you need to pick them up out of the back of a pickup truck you would need to arrange something like a loading dock to be able to drive the tractor up to a level even with the truck bed. A gantry crane might also come in handy here to unload out of a pickup bed.

All of this can be accomplished with a loader. However, tractors with loaders tend to be a lot more expensive due to high demand, and getting a tractor with a loader that will be able to safely pick up and manipulate 3000 lb or so requires a much larger/heavier tractor likely in the utility or ag/industrial sizes (not compact) which tends to = $$$$. So IMO for occasional or homeowner use one can do an awful lot with a $3,000 tractor and maybe $1,500 worth of ballast, 3-point pallet forks, dump bucket, and boom pole if you buy used or don't buy the professional/fancy brands.

 

[Hexa Fox]

So IMO for occasional or homeowner use one can do an awful lot with a $3,000 tractor and maybe $1,500 worth of ballast, 3-point pallet forks, dump bucket, and boom pole if you buy used or don't buy the professional/fancy brands.

Yeah my dream has always been to have one large tractor, something dedicated to mow with and then something medium sized like a Ventrac. So it would be nice if this tractor was a little larger. However, for $3,000 and implements included it may be worth getting for just that reason. I also thought about having a decent sized skid instead of a larger tractor.

 

[Hexa Fox]

Hey so I would like your guys' opinion. Is the Ford 1700 assuming it runs good and the many implements he has worth $3,000-4,000k? I know I have not given a lot to go on. I am hopefully going to look at the tractor and implements this or next week. Is there anything that you guys would tell me to specifically look out for? It seems like it is normal for a lot of these engines to start getting fuel into the engine as they age. Is there anyway to easily check for that without sending the oil in for analysis?

Like I said, I do not know a whole lot about tractors but it would seem that the price for a tractor like this is very reasonable with implements included.