Been thinking about getting a tractor, and the wife bought home a flyer from Craigs List showing a ford 3000 that appears to be in excellent condition. Gas engine, live power, power steering, one hydraulic outlet. Has loader and back blade installed, and tires appear to be in great condition.
Any opinions or advice on this model from anyone, pros cons. Price is 7200. Thanks in advance. Byron

jmo- seems like a lot for a gas tractor.
i used to have some gas tractors, and after
having diesels i wouldn't go back.
just make sure it's big enough for what you
want to do. that, and make sure somebody back
down the line didn't fill the tires with water
and rust out the wheels. it seems like every
tractor i've ever bought had that problem.
makes for a lot of problems- tube puncturing, etc.
and check for water in the gearbox. a lot of
tractors have been parked in the weather and
rain ran down the shift lever and got in the
box or in the hydraulics. anything rusted or
pitted inside makes for a big pita. check for
leaks and make sure the 3 point doesn't leak down.
make sure the pto engages smoothly and doesn't
slip. i can't remember if a 3000 has a live clutch
or not. if it doesn't you'll want a slip-on overrun.

good luck

http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/000/2/5/259-ford-3000.html

The price seems a little high.

Really high priced , for this area , not sure where you are at but still seems pretty pricy there ain't much horse power there for those dollars

The 3000 Ford was one of the best tractors Ford ever made. They will last forever, and they are all metal, not half fiberglass. It was a very popular tractor around here back in the day, and you still see them in use. With that being said, the price does sound a little on the high side, but a clean 3000 with low hours will command some money. What are you wanting to do with it? If you're wanting a tractor for garden work or maybe fixing some food plots, or even bushogging, I'd think it would work. But, if you're wanting to use that frontend loader a lot, I'd get something with front wheel assist. They work much better for that.

Thanks for the responses guys. Yeah, I wasn't sure about the price. The thing looks pretty clean in the one picture I have. Original paint I presume. The add describes everything as excellent across the board including the tires. Judging by what I see in the background, it is on a ranch/farm and has been kept in a shed (Just guessing) but what with where we live (Wyoming) I'll say it's a safe bet it hasn't been stored outside, and that they probably haven,t filled the tires with water;)
I am going to be busy for the next week and can't go look at it if it is still there, but I have a friend that is going to that area this weekend that is a lifelong rancher/farmer who is going to check it out for me.
One of my biggest concerns is repair replacement parts. Something that I intend to check out.
It will be used for lite plowing, mowing, snow removal, and handling 3x3 hay bales (8
00-840lbs)

Old tractors, there has been some good advice here.

Much is the old luck of the draw.
Are parts available without a long drive, or long wait?

I'd wonder about just one hydraulic remote, a loader would use two by it's self.

As to purchase price, one shop bill can wipe out a "good", buy.

Good luck with whatever you do!

Parts are easy to find for all the Ford tractors, going back to the late 40's and early 50's.

Any New Holland/Ford dealer can get them or you can find them online.

I think Napa carries most parts for Ford tractors like that.

I know you can actually build a Ford 9N from new parts at Napa.. (If you wanted to spend the money.;) )

I'm more leery of buying a tractor off of Craig's List.

Lots of scammers on tractors there.

I don't know where your locale is but here's a link to a ford 3000 diesel that's currently for sell on another hunting site in TN. If nothing else maybe it will give you an idea of the price range that's out there.

http://www.tndeer.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=342200

Went and looked at the tractor. The basic tractor wasn't too bad, but the bucket was too narrow and wasn't much more than a pile of pieced together scrap, and the blade wasn't much better. The carb was a leaking mess, and there were a few other minor things that caught my eye.
Suffice to say that I walked away. Way over priced for what was there.

I have been on many wild goose chaises looking for machines.

Yeah, Darn it. The tractor would not have taken too much, but he couldn't have given me the loader, and the blade I might have allowed 150 dollars. That left the tractor with really good rubber and a new alternator. In my mind worth Maybe 4500-5000 at the outside.

Better wait until you find what you really want.
I can never find another sucker as big as me to resell to!

^ ^ ^ ^ this^ ^

i've mostly been on goosechases for implements. many many
times it would seem the new paint would be what was holding
the rusty junk together. for some reason, a lot of folks think
they can get new price for old stuff needing a lot of work.