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north west arkansas | I am looking at a ford 8830 fwa 3,000hrs and it has a loader. I know they are 170 hp but are most of them stronger than that. I was planning on buying a case ih magnum or a ford genesis but this tractor is has lot less hrs and is alot less money. I have a ford dealer in town so service wont be a problem. |
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North Central Kansas | I have never owned a 8830 but had a TW20. Bought it because it was cheaper than a 7120 Magnum. Ended up trading the TW-20 off on a 7120. They are cheaper for a reason. I had alot of little problems, electrical problems, hydraulic leaks, The 3pt lever had a little tin flex plate that broke several times. That was always fun to fix. It was a hard starting tractor. Better plug it in below 50 if you really wanted it to start or give it some ether. The only major work I did was on the brakes and the clutch. The worst problem I had was with the wheel wedges. It had the quick adjust rims. I would break the wedges and it would drop down on the rims. Those are just some of my experiences. I have had to work on my magnum too but it is alot more tractor than the Ford was. The 8830 has a different hydraulic system than the TW had so I can't tell you anything about it. The multi power transmission was bullet proof. |
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Charles City. Iowa | Ford 8830 was a good tractor. One thing if the brakes leak off and you have to beed them once a week. Time to put in new seals on brake pistons in . Have try off the axle housing more time then parts. |
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manitoba interlake | Had 8430.engine and power shift transmisson are good. power steering was weak. Loader was bolted to engine block,not a good idea,make sure bolts are tight. |
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manitoba interlake | sorry was 8630! |
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Wisconsin | If a guy is so inept as to require powershift, its as easy to operate as they get. Dual power is great. The guy with so many issues on a TW20 obviously maintained nothing. Had none of tjose issues with two high hour 8000's an 8600 and a 9700. Latter has had power steering issues though. Thw TW30 starts like a dream. Comparing a TW to a magnum is NOT apples to apples. Early magnum was a class unto itself. No tractor of ANY brand was in its class in those days.Please excuse typos. Computer is down and typing on ipod is hell.
Edited by 6thGeneration 5/2/2011 17:50
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It made a Crop | And on cold starts don't forget the "Excess Fuel Button". Using it I've never had trouble starting our tw-20 or 25 or 5000 at temps as low as 15-20. |
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Southern Lower Michigan | I have an 8830 I bought two years ago. The powershift is Excellent. fairly smooth and very easy to use. It has power, but you have to keep it wound up to use it. You can put a 540 PTO in them fairly easily.
cooling system is close to maxed out when pulling hard. I use mine mainly for planting, and grain cart with some occasional tillage. I am happy with it considering what I paid for it.
Joe |
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North Central Kansas | That is a pretty bold statement to make about someone who you have no idea what their maintenance program is. I do as much of my own maintenance as possible. What I was not able to do I had the local dealership do. Here is a more complete list of what I did to the tractor:
Things I did:
1. Alternator: Had this item rebuilt at least twice in the time I owned. I also replaced the voltage regulator once
2. Replaced Starter
3. Removed radiator and took to radiator shop to have it cored, cleaned and tanks resealed. Replaced water pump while radiator was off. I also replaced the thermostats at this time as well. I replaced them twice in the time I had it. While radiator was off I replaced the radiator hoses.
4. Replaced the gear in the right side three point linkage gear box multiple times. It would bind and destroy the gear or the roll pin would shear if it bound up.
5. Replaced belts and idler pulleys at least twice. Idler pulley bearing did not seem to have a long life to it. I always kept an extra set on hand. The belts seem to wear excessively or at least I thought so.
6. Replaced front tie rods. First time was after I bought it because they were stuck and we could not get them to adjust. Second time they wore out. I grease them religiously.
7. Flex plate on the three point control lever underneath cab. Replaced it multiple times. I bought one new one from the dealer and I eventually made my own it broke often enough that I figured out I could make them.
8. Oil changed every 100 hours along with filter. Hydraulic filters changed each spring ahead of planting. Air filters replaced annually.
9. Removed Master brake cylinder and took it to the dealer to have them rebuild it.
10. Replaced several broken wedges. Tractor originally came with clamp on duals. I determined that the wedges on the quick adjust rims could not handle the torque and stress of the clamp on duals when I was pulling my 12 row planter. I think the tongue weight when folded was more than it was designed for. I replaced the clamp on duals with axle mount duals. Solved most of the problem but I still had to watch them. I kept a supply of extra bolts and wedges on hand.
11. Replaced hydraulic couplers with update kit. They still seemed to leak alot.
12. Replaced power steering pump.
13. Replaced the battery 3 times in the time I had it.
14. Replaced diesel lift pump two times. It was still leaking when I sold it. Replaced several injection lines and the oil supply lines for the injection pump due to leaks.
15. Replace light switch and ignition switch.
Items I had repaired at the dealership:
1. Clutch and throw out bearing. Throw out bearing was starting to make a noise so I had it replaced and did the clutch while it was split. Reare main seal and front seal was also replaced.
2. Crankshaft dampner. Let loose one really hot day plowing. I am a gauge watcher and saw the gauge headed up and got it stopped before it overheated.
3. Dealer installed new injectors and rebuilt the injector pump. It did not seem to start any better than when I took it in. Pulled better but started the same.
4. Replaced wheel brake seals and tightened axle bearings.
5. Replaced air conditioner compressor, dryer and expansion valve.
6. Dealer adjusted valves when I bought it and when the injectors were installed.
7. Inquired with dealer about doing a bottom end but they did not recommend this. Traded tractor at 6500 hours.
At the time I owned this tractor I was farming considerably less than I do now. The tractor average 2-300 hours per year. It was my main tractor. I pulled a 6row and later a 12 row planter, 5 bottom plow, 20' disk and 25' field cultivator. Tractor was shedded most of the time and not abused. Traded it for a 7120 magnum and never looked back. A TW is not a Magnum. I have owned both. I would hands down tell anyone who was thinking about one or the other to buy the magnum. It will always be the better tractor. Is a TW a total piece of crap. Absolutely not. Is it my first choice NO. If you can swing the Magnum I would go that route. Another thing to think about is parts availability. Just because you have a local dealer doesn't mean they have that many parts. The number of TW's/8830's built to Magnums is significant difference. I was always able to get parts but they were high and not as fast sometimes. First dealer I started with quit New Holland and went Deere only. Second dealer quit and became a CaseIH dealer. Third dealer was a new New Holland dealer and only sold the later model New Holland stuff. Mechanics did not know the Ford tractos and they stocked very little if any parts.
CaseIH dealer I deal with has lots of parts and mechanics that can fix anything that I need them to do.
This is just my personal experiences with this model of tractor. I am glad that you were able to have good luck with the tractors that you had.
Edited by kstate90 5/2/2011 23:41
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good and bad of ford 8830 fwa
