36,243 Hours

[tree farmer]

I am the third owner of a 1958 IH 3414 industrial loader tractor. For the first 10 years, it was a rental machine with a backhoe attached. For the next 25 years it belonged to a building contractor, who installed a 3ph and pto on it also. I bought it 15 years ago to clear about 35 acres of logged over brush land. The steering axle, hydraulics, and brakes have been rebuilt, but the engine, transmission, clutch, etc. have all never been opened. It is a 4 cyl. BC 144 gas engine, made by Perkins. No idea of engine hours, as the hour meter shows 800, the same as it showed in 1968 according to the previous owner. Still starts and runs great and burns no oil between changes. Maybe I'll have to buy it new tires for its 50th birthday next year, as one rear is the original, I think. Too bad they don't make "old iron like this anymore". ...Dan.

 

[redlevel]

The steering

I owned a Super Dexta with the Perkins for about 5 years in the mid-late 70's. It was a heck of a tractor, and I wish I had never gotten rid of it.

I have no idea how many hours it had, but I would guess I put 1000-plus hours on it. The main reason I got rid of it was that the steering box was worn out. My first thought when I read the original post was that the poster's tractor must have been through at least a half-dozen steering boxes. I have never seen an original Ford 100-series, N-series, MF 100-series, Dexta, etc., with 4000+hours or 40+ years, and I have driven a lot of them, that didn't have a worn out steering box.

I would guess that other systems, such as hydraulic and clutch would be similar.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I owned a Super Dexta with the Perkins for about 5 years in the mid-late 70's. It was a heck of a tractor, and I wish I had never gotten rid of it.

I have no idea how many hours it had, but I would guess I put 1000-plus hours on it. The main reason I got rid of it was that the steering box was worn out. My first thought when I read the original post was that the poster's tractor must have been through at least a half-dozen steering boxes. I have never seen an original Ford 100-series, N-series, MF 100-series, Dexta, etc., with 4000+hours or 40+ years, and I have driven a lot of them, that didn't have a worn out steering box.

I would guess that other systems, such as hydraulic and clutch would be similar.

36 years and 3285 hours and my MF150's steering is still tight as new. But that didn't come about by accident. Trick is to stay on top of them. Every 5 or 6 years or so, I change oil and adjust backlash in the steering column. I replaced all the tie-rod components last year. Just a tad bit of wear.

The Ford 3000 gasser I sold 2 years ago however... You could turn the wheel 1/2 a turn in either direction before the wheels started moving. That was with over 5500 hours and a loader most of its life.