Is this a 340 or a 340A?

[rrrancher51]

I bought an old Ford industrial tractor with loader and backhoe and I'm not sure if it is a 340 or a 340A. I want to purchase manuals for it so I can do some maintenance, but I would like to make sure I purchase the correct manuals. The ID tag on it is shown below. Any information you could give me about it would be very helpful.

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

Enjoy the site.

Here's what TractorData.com has to say about the two variations, unfortunately serial numbers weren't included:

TractorData.com Ford 340 tractor information

TractorData.com Ford 340A industrial tractor information

 

[rrrancher51]

Thanks for the welcome, Wagtail.

I have looked at the info from this website already on the two versions and can find nothing definitive that specifies which model I have, although the picture of the the 340 has 340 on the loader arm and the 340A has 340A on the loader arm. I guess, unless someone swapped loaders on mine before I bought it, that it would more likely be a 340, since that is what is on my loader arm, so I guess I will buy that manual.

I did find another post listed below this, in the Similar Threads section just now that talks about the differences in the 340 and 340A transmissions. I will see if I can figure out more by trying some of the shifting they talk about in that post. Thanks again, and you will most likely see me here again as I begin using and working on this beast more. It's good to know there are forums for equipment like this. Very helpful to us uneducated users.

 

[Wagtail]

Yep, the 'Similar Threads' section is a very helpful asset on this site... it can help prevent "re-inventing the wheel" on occasion.

As to being an uneducated user; we all had to start out at some point. It's only been a few years, both owning & operating, for myself. Just remember that you've got a LOT of your own life-skills and experiences to rely on too.

Slow and steady, Mate.

 

[rrrancher51]

Aye. At my age, slow and steady is the norm.

 

[TractorTech]

Rrancher51, the date code and model code stamped into the bell housing on the RH front ledge just behind the starter and also on the sticker on the hood will tell you what year and model you have for sure. I don't have the model code for the 340 available right now, but the date code for a 340 will be: 9#**B, 0#**B or 1#**B where 9, 0 or 1 indicates 1979, 80 or 81. The # is a letter, A- M where A = Jan & M = Dec; I is not used. ** is a number representing the day of the month.

Now the easiest visual way to figure out what you have is whether your front axle is a forged axle (340) with no external steering cylinders or a welded box (340A) with external steering cylinders.

The other difference is in the 4X4 shuttle transmission. The 340 uses a blocker valve that prevents shifting the shuttle when the engine is above 1200 rpm. The 340A use a modulating valve that allows shifts over 1200, but 'modulates' so that the tractor doesn't shift abruptly when making direction changes.