300 / 350 good and bad points?

Alan K · Oct 11, 2010

What are the good and bad points of a 300 or 350? How much hp do they have? The one Im looking at has a loader on it.

RAW in IA · Oct 12, 2010

Dad bought a 350 new and it was our "big" tractor. Not a bad tractor. He had a 3-16 fast hitch plow which it handled ok. We worked it hard and had few problems. There are those who say the TA is no good, but his went probably ten years of hard years before he didi anything with it. You have to keep it adjusted by the book, and it will last a long time. We spent most of the time plowing in low range, so that does not hurt it. The Fast hitch is handy to have for rear mounted equipment. Overa-all good tractor.

Bkpigs · Oct 12, 2010

The 300 was my dad"s only tractor and my first tractor (that was my payment for my childhood and teenage years of work) and the only fault I can find is that the hydraulic levers are backwards. Forward is up and back is down. Once you master that, I am sure you will love either one.

mkirsch · Oct 12, 2010

There are no serious weak points on the 300/350 tractors, but keep in mind that you're looking at a 52-55 year old machine, with 52-55 years of wear and tear.

Literally ANYTHING could go wrong at any time, just from wear and tear.

The TA is frequently "out on the low side" on tractors of this era. Some will say that's because the TA is a weak point. It's not.

The TA is just plain wore out. Remember what I said before? 50+ year old tractor...

Replace the TA at this stage, and it will outlast you. You're not going to be working a 100 acre farm with a 300 as your main power. You're going to be diddling around mowing once in a while, maybe plowing a few acres each year for a garden.

The only other area of any concern is the hydraulics. Occasionally you'll get a tractor with a plugged screen or bad pump. Again, due to time and use, not a flaw in the design.

Larry in WNY · Oct 12, 2010

My grandfather had a 350 diesel (Continental engine)and the engine blew twice. Once when running a silo blower. He always said he wouldn't buy another 350 with a diesel. Maybe he had a lemmon and others had better luck with their diesels.

Larry

mkirsch · Oct 12, 2010

350 diesel is an oddball.

It has a 4-cylinder Continental diesel engine, not an IH engine.

If I were to hazard a guess, IH didn't bother designing a start-on-gas engine for the 350 because they already had the 460 diesel designed and ready for production. They simply used an off-the-shelf engine from another manufacturer as a stopgap measure.

Parts for the 350 diesel can be difficult to find. They seem to be the proverbial red-headed step child in the IH world.

300 / 350 good and bad points?

Alan K

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RAW in IA

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Bkpigs

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mkirsch

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Larry in WNY

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mkirsch

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