Ford 3000, Ford 4000 or MF 135

SeanSouth

Hi All

First off, I'm not a farmer and pretty clueless however I have a few acres and I need to buy a tractor. I would really welcome the benefit of your expertise. I need the tractor because :

1) I need to cut three acres of grass regularly during the summer and I want to use the tractor together with a topper or finishing mower
2) We're cutting 22 trees this year and I need a transport box to move some logs around
3) I need to run a log splitter behind the tractor.

I've looked at some compact tractors but they are huge money.

I'm more tempted now to buy an old Ford 3000 or Ford 4000 or a Massey Ferguson 135. Will these tractors do the job ? Which one should I go for ?
Any downsides or something to look out for ?

blue5000

What's your budget? 135 could be over 3k, you should get a 4000 without a cab for less than that. I like the way you are thinking though.

SeanSouth

2500 - 3000 is what Im willing to pay. I want something in fairly good nick that I can move on again in a year or two.

bbam

David Brown 780/880 would be another option.
You'll probably get some of the smaller internationals for similar money, there is a little International 354 on DD at the moment with quickie loader for €3500, if it's a straight tractor it would be very handy.
As good as any you've mentioned.

It all depends on the ground type. If it's wet or hanging off the side of a mountain then any I these small 2wd tractors will struggle.

Personally I'd try and get one in unrestored condition. Sooo many were tarted up and your basically paying big money for a spray job and no mechanical overhaul.

Nekarsulm

Getting hard to get any of your target tractors in your price range. They will appear on DD, but you will have to be quick!
Also consider a David Brown / Case 1190 or International 444, 684 or 784. Or go round all the local garages and see what they have, and try and get some kind of limited warranty, at least ask them to stand over it for 3 months or so. If you can, bring some one who knows a bit about tractors. Beware anything that has already been started before you get there! Check hydraulics work, lift arms lift, and stay up when the engine is stopped, etc.

maidhc

A Ford 4000 is a big step up from a 3000 or a 135 with 62HP. It is a proper tractor that would suffice for a 100 acre farm. They are a wonderful tractor, parts are easy to get and cheap, they rarely give trouble and are delightful to work on.

Definately that and the 4600 are my favourite tractors of all time!

ford2600

Either a 3000, 135 would do the work for you easily.

Get a mechanic to check out before buy. Buy a good one once

Mr321

The 135 is the one for you. If the ground is as wet as a sponge it wont mark it. It will pull all before. Suitable for any job especially the ones you have listed. They are cheap to run more then the Fords and arnt as nosie either. The Fords are a good farming tractor dont get me wrong.

You should will be able to buy a reasonable one for the price you have staed. A MF 35 is also just has good as the 135. The only differ is the 135 has a handbrake and foot pedal throttle.

solorpower

i bought a 4000 4 years ago, while it is no oil painting it does the job i need, i use it for putting in silage (with spike), puting out a bit of fertilizer, topping and other odd jobs.

at times it is my best friend, I paid €1,800 for it in late 2010 and it has given very little trouble.

all i can dd is that if you got the same as i did you will not make a mistake.

SeanSouth

The Ford 4000 seems to be coming in at a good 1000 euro below the MF 135.

That's the way I'm leaning now.........I need something reliable and some extra horses to handle the odd hill !!!!!

Mr321

Well a cheap 4000 could mean its on the way out. Just give it a good inspection engine and lift wise before buying. Good luck in your choice.

tabby aspreme

A Massey 65 mark 2 would be an option also , have seen a few on DD lately for handy money .

bbam

Nice little DB 880 on DD for €2500. Great little tractor, we had one here for years. Would be my choice if I were in the market.

yellow50HX

Was chatting to fella that was exporting tractors and he said the arse is after falling out of the market in last few weeks as the main market was to Thailand but there is a spot of bother there now. Might be good value in picking put a 4600 or the like from the trade.

jimmy G M

OP, just looking at the tractors you mention here - MF 135 are generally more expensive than the Ford 3000 which is a similar tractor in size & HP (circa 47 HP) and prob not worth the extra €1000 or so IMO.

Ford 4000 is a much larger class of tractor. Older versions known as the preforce model are circa 55 hp. Newer, (still circa 35-40 years old) models have about 62 hp and the comparable MF tractor is MF 165. Again MF tends to be more expensive than the equivalent Ford by at least €1,000 for tractors of like condition.

Given the amount of work you are doing fuel economy is not a factor as all these tractors are very economical.

If it were me I would prob buy the Ford 4000, as it can handle heavier work than the other two and you never know you might need that extra power in the future. Better still buy the ford 4600, successor to the 4000. Just buy something in decent condition and make sure you see it being started from cold without being heated. You'll get something decent for €3,000 - €4,000. You'll always get your money for it again down the line.

I say this having had 2 x ford 4000, a ford 4600, & ford 3600, MF 65, & 165 here in the past and have a MF 35x here currently.

SeanSouth

Many thanks for the excellent contributions here. I came to the same conclusion about MF. They seem to command a premium that stretches my budget a bit much

Brown Podzol

Buy something with power steering, can be retrofitted to the ford 4000 or 4600. Don't know about the rest.

Mr321

If you can pick up a good 4600 buy it! ive been looking for 1 over a year now and its impossible to find one half decent! All fords are being exported like mad as no one here will buy them because the cost to fix them is to much. There exporting them to the middle east and china because they can refurbish them very cheap.

Jimmy Garlic

What could I expect to pay for an unrestored Ford 3000 with a loader that is in fairly good nick? I know where there is one but the person that has it wants nearly 6 grand for it. That sounds like it is way overpriced.

Nekarsulm

Sounds dear to me. Heres an 885 at handy money. Twice the tractor a 3000 ever was.

https://www.donedeal.ie/tractors/INT.%20HARVESTER/MODEL%20UNKNOWN

There is a 784 on DD as well. Good see machine, and if you wanted a loader, you seen to come across one's with 784 brackets more often than 885 one's.

Kevhog1988

i have a ford 3600 here cab and all E3200

Figerty

Ford 4000. good lift and power steering essential.

Wide tyres needed. I have a 4000 with the same width tyres as the MF35 I have. They are too narrow for soft ground.

Both the 35 and the 4000 are great tractors..A 135 is a little more powerful than the 35x. The 4000 is a more powerful tractor.

Colin.JDM.

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

What could I expect to pay for an unrestored Ford 3000 with a loader that is in fairly good nick? I know where there is one but the person that has it wants nearly 6 grand for it. That sounds like it is way overpriced.

If that's the one on dondeal she's rough as **** 😂 you'd wanna wathch what u buy with a front loader especially old tractors the front axcel on the ford 2000-3000 is very weak compared to a ford 4000+ wit a straight front axel

cornholiooo

135 all the way
Pound for pound ford or international never made anything comparable.
Hence the price
Reliability, simplicity, versatility

Bullocks

cornholiooo wrote: »

135 all the way
Pound for pound ford or international never made anything comparable.
Hence the price
Reliability, simplicity, versatility

I don't know cornholioo !

Grueller

cornholiooo wrote: »

135 all the way
Pound for pound ford or international never made anything comparable.
Hence the price
Reliability, simplicity, versatility

Sounds like you never had anything to do with a 4000. 135 were a great tractor but the 4000 was the most bombproof tractor. We had 135s, a 165, a 188, a 4000 and a 5000. We still have the 4000. Our only regret out of all that is selling the 5000 and also never buying a 7000.

White Clover

Had a 4000 here years ago. Changed it for a 4 year old Zetor 6718 from local dealer. Best decision ever made. Ould lad said the Ford was rhe worst tractor he ever owned.
Neighbour was always a fordson / ford man. He had a power major and 4000 for years. Changed the major for a 35x about 5 years ago and changed the 4000 for a 188 2 years ago. He's around 70 now. Says his only regret is that he didn't change 30 years ago.

Figerty

cornholiooo wrote: »

135 all the way
Pound for pound ford or international never made anything comparable.
Hence the price
Reliability, simplicity, versatility

Not better than the 4000 if you ever want to lift a silage bale or run a small disk mower.
Brakes on a 4000 are far superior.

I have a 4000 and a 35... each has their own strengths. The 4000 does the heavy work.

Username John

I think a 3000 vs a 135 - 135 for me would be far better.
We had both and the 3000 was hard to start and somehow a bit more ignorant whereas the 135 is just a nicer piece of machinery...

The 4000 is that bit bigger, so unfair to compare it against a 135 really...

muirsin

Will 4000 lift fusion bale.

Figerty

muirsin wrote: »

Will 4000 lift fusion bale.

nope, unless it's a hay bale!

if the silage is wilted for a day or two mine will lift bales no bother.
There aren't any fusion balers around here.... the would sink!