Greetings all!
Long time guest reader, first, well, second time poster. I have been reading about Ford 1700's in various capacities over the last 8+ months. My wife and I have built our dream home on ten acres, and needed a tractor to help with mowing the upper and lower pasture once we moved. Well, that happened (after a MUCH too long building, um, 'experience,' to be as politically correct as possible) on April 13th. Based on my Grandfather living in a town of less than 500, it was pretty easy to track down his old tractor, a 1979 Ford 1700. I remember riding on this as a little boy (five years old, dating myself a little
), have photos of me and 'Grandaddy;' I feel very blessed to have it back in the immediate family.
The tractor is in phenomenal shape for it's age, even the original seat doesn't have a crack. The previous owner still believes he has the original paperwork; I sure hope that's true. Having things in my Grandfathers writing would be pretty amazing. I still remember taking the key; it still had the same ring on it as when I was a little boy.. Its never spend a night outside, the blue is in great shape, the gray, as I'm sure other 1700 owners know, was a little worse for wear. I was able to remove the fenders and polish a majority of the rust stains out, but the inner portions were just too bad. With the intention of keeping everything as original as possible, I wire brushed the inner fenders, sprayed self etching primer and 'Ford Gray' from TSC last weekend. it certainly isn't a show paint job, but it looks infinitely better than it did. I've put about 10 hours on it mowing since purchase, almost everything functions. I must admit quite a bit of nostalgia mowing with it; knowing my Grandfather spent time on this unit is pretty special. I remember mowing his lawn towards the twilight of his life (he was too sick); funny how you sometimes don't realize special times when they are happening.
It has 1537 hours on it, and has been very well maintained for the most part, at least, from what I can tell. JC, feel like I already know you reading all your threads about the 1700, thanks so much for all the information! A couple of outstanding items I'm hoping for clarification on is the replacement of the oil on the injector pump (fortunately, my tractor has the drain hole tapped), a potential water pump issue, and horn.
Firstly, the injector pump. Reading several threads on the subject, I first opened the 'weep hole' (where the oil is supposed to be filled to before spilling out), VERY black oil started coming out. I replaced it and loosened the fill / vent, then the drain hole. Based on everything I read here, it must have been changed at least once in my life, because the old oil 2/3rd filled an ENTIRE blue Solo cup!!! Near as I can figure, there was around 10 oz of oil that I drained out. So much in fact, I almost capped it back off for fear that somehow I was draining oil from the pan (even though I've read over and again that can't be the case with this injector pump). I capped the drain plug and slowly started refilling with a turkey baster. at exactly 3oz, it started to come out the 'weep' hole. Question: Are we *sure* that 2-4oz of oil is all that it takes? The last thing I want to do is burn that pump up (it's pretty expensive to replace), and there is NO doubt it had much more oil before I drained. As I typed, it's likely it was changed in the past and overfilled, but I want to make absolutely sure.
The water pump started making noise when I was in the bottom field Friday at idle. It sounded exactly like a car with bad bearings in a water pump. I finished up mowing (hasn't overheated; the radiator has been boiled out recently and looks very clean inside), let it cool off. Next morning, grabbed the pulley and sure enough, a measurable amount of play. I have priced new pumps from several sources, ranging from $43-130, does anyone have a good resource? When I replace the water pump (this week), I plan to change the upper and lower radiator hose (original) and hopefully the thermostat. Do the offer different temperatures or is there only one? Speaking of water temperature, does anyone know what the different marks on the temp gauge indicates? This tractor usually runs right in the middle to one or two needles width higher.
The horn, well, call me ****, it's a pathetic excuse for one, but I would like all functions of the tractor to work. I can get it to 'cycle,' but it's strong to say it 'functions.' I'm guessing it's either a bad ground or just a bad horn. Lastly, it certainly appears to be a compromise in design that the battery covers a full third of the radiator opening. I think someone could modify that bracket to lower the battery and allow much more airflow to the radiator, which would aid in cooling, has anyone attempted such a modification?
Thanks in advance, I look forward to learning more about this fine tractor and offering insight when/wherever possible.
Brian A.
1979 1700 2wd
Long time guest reader, first, well, second time poster. I have been reading about Ford 1700's in various capacities over the last 8+ months. My wife and I have built our dream home on ten acres, and needed a tractor to help with mowing the upper and lower pasture once we moved. Well, that happened (after a MUCH too long building, um, 'experience,' to be as politically correct as possible) on April 13th. Based on my Grandfather living in a town of less than 500, it was pretty easy to track down his old tractor, a 1979 Ford 1700. I remember riding on this as a little boy (five years old, dating myself a little
), have photos of me and 'Grandaddy;' I feel very blessed to have it back in the immediate family.The tractor is in phenomenal shape for it's age, even the original seat doesn't have a crack. The previous owner still believes he has the original paperwork; I sure hope that's true. Having things in my Grandfathers writing would be pretty amazing. I still remember taking the key; it still had the same ring on it as when I was a little boy.. Its never spend a night outside, the blue is in great shape, the gray, as I'm sure other 1700 owners know, was a little worse for wear. I was able to remove the fenders and polish a majority of the rust stains out, but the inner portions were just too bad. With the intention of keeping everything as original as possible, I wire brushed the inner fenders, sprayed self etching primer and 'Ford Gray' from TSC last weekend. it certainly isn't a show paint job, but it looks infinitely better than it did. I've put about 10 hours on it mowing since purchase, almost everything functions. I must admit quite a bit of nostalgia mowing with it; knowing my Grandfather spent time on this unit is pretty special. I remember mowing his lawn towards the twilight of his life (he was too sick); funny how you sometimes don't realize special times when they are happening.
It has 1537 hours on it, and has been very well maintained for the most part, at least, from what I can tell. JC, feel like I already know you reading all your threads about the 1700, thanks so much for all the information! A couple of outstanding items I'm hoping for clarification on is the replacement of the oil on the injector pump (fortunately, my tractor has the drain hole tapped), a potential water pump issue, and horn.
Firstly, the injector pump. Reading several threads on the subject, I first opened the 'weep hole' (where the oil is supposed to be filled to before spilling out), VERY black oil started coming out. I replaced it and loosened the fill / vent, then the drain hole. Based on everything I read here, it must have been changed at least once in my life, because the old oil 2/3rd filled an ENTIRE blue Solo cup!!! Near as I can figure, there was around 10 oz of oil that I drained out. So much in fact, I almost capped it back off for fear that somehow I was draining oil from the pan (even though I've read over and again that can't be the case with this injector pump). I capped the drain plug and slowly started refilling with a turkey baster. at exactly 3oz, it started to come out the 'weep' hole. Question: Are we *sure* that 2-4oz of oil is all that it takes? The last thing I want to do is burn that pump up (it's pretty expensive to replace), and there is NO doubt it had much more oil before I drained. As I typed, it's likely it was changed in the past and overfilled, but I want to make absolutely sure.
The water pump started making noise when I was in the bottom field Friday at idle. It sounded exactly like a car with bad bearings in a water pump. I finished up mowing (hasn't overheated; the radiator has been boiled out recently and looks very clean inside), let it cool off. Next morning, grabbed the pulley and sure enough, a measurable amount of play. I have priced new pumps from several sources, ranging from $43-130, does anyone have a good resource? When I replace the water pump (this week), I plan to change the upper and lower radiator hose (original) and hopefully the thermostat. Do the offer different temperatures or is there only one? Speaking of water temperature, does anyone know what the different marks on the temp gauge indicates? This tractor usually runs right in the middle to one or two needles width higher.
The horn, well, call me ****, it's a pathetic excuse for one, but I would like all functions of the tractor to work. I can get it to 'cycle,' but it's strong to say it 'functions.' I'm guessing it's either a bad ground or just a bad horn. Lastly, it certainly appears to be a compromise in design that the battery covers a full third of the radiator opening. I think someone could modify that bracket to lower the battery and allow much more airflow to the radiator, which would aid in cooling, has anyone attempted such a modification?
Thanks in advance, I look forward to learning more about this fine tractor and offering insight when/wherever possible.
Brian A.
1979 1700 2wd
