Tractor?

[DSteimle]

i dont know if this is in the right place but here we go.



i'm in the market for a diesel tractor. my brother has a massey 245 w/perkins diesel. i need one about the same size, but was wanting some input on other models (I/H, JD, Kubota, etc). i'm interested in your opinion (esp from guys who use these things regularly) as to why you recommend a certain model. this is for small farm use and i will not make a living with it, i just want to buy one tractor and be able to use it for the rest of my days. i don't really have the funds for a shiny new unit with all the bells and whistles (hydorstat, electronics, etc) so it will be a used unit. i just want an idea of whats out there before i start shopping.



btw, my brothers Massey is a great tractor, just exploring options.



thanks

 

[Andy]

Try this link... . Lot of very informed people on the subject

http://www.ytmag.com/ttalk/wwwboard1.html

Andy

 

[mroodzant]

Not much help here,... ... ... ..... But I have an 04 JD 4720. this is my first tractor. I am one lucky SOB i know. This thing is awesome. lots of implements available, lots of power, and easy to operate. I moved aprox 300 yards of material with a shovel and wheel barrow before I bought this thing. What was I thinking. I originally wanted the 30 hp range tractor. I am so glad I bought the "Oversized" 58 hp tractor. its the biggest small tractor JD makes Oo. good luck

Matt

 

[JJuday]

Any of those brands you mentioned would be good machines. Nice thing about Deere and Co. is they are more common and have a better dealer network than any of the other brands. Thing to remember is all those tractor brands out there have their own quirks and flaws, John Deere is no different, just the color. Massey made and still makes fairly good tractors, the older ones like you have mentioned have Perkins engines and bad point about the older Perks was the fact that they were mostly of the dry sleeve type, other than that the ol' Perks were good engines. IH hydrostatics were expensive to repair and or replace, spindles and castings were pretty weak, and the T/A's were hard to shift, but they built good engines as long as you changed the coolant filters regularly. Deere..... well since about the mid 80's most JD machines under 40 horse were built by Yanmar and are still today. Not sure if thats good or bad. On the bigger tractors the Syncro Range transmission was diffucult to shift, especially if the pattern tags were gone and it was the first experience on one. 4230... . or was it a 4320... . I can't remember now. JD tractors are easy to pick and choose from as there are so many out there. Just check them over well before you buy. Good luck.

 

[JJuday]

Any of those brands you mentioned would be good machines. Nice thing about Deere and Co. is they are more common and have a better dealer network than any of the other brands. Thing to remember is all those tractor brands out there have their own quirks and flaws, John Deere is no different, just the color. Massey made and still makes fairly good tractors, the older ones like you have mentioned have Perkins engines and bad point about the older Perks was the fact that they were mostly of the dry sleeve type, other than that the ol' Perks were good engines. IH hydrostatics were expensive to repair and or replace, spindles and castings were pretty weak, and the T/A's were hard to shift, but they built good engines as long as you changed the coolant filters regularly. Deere..... well since about the mid 80's most JD machines under 40 horse were built by Yanmar and are still today. Not sure if thats good or bad. On the bigger tractors the Syncro Range transmission was diffucult to shift, especially if the pattern tags were gone and it was the first experience on one. 4230... . or was it a 4320... . I can't remember now. JD tractors are easy to pick and choose from as there are so many out there. Just check them over well before you buy. Good luck.

 

[GFritsch]

I assuming you are looking for a loader/grader. Make sure to get 4x4 unless it is flat and not muddy. Also get one with a PTO to allow auger attachments, mower attachments etc. My old Ford works good aside from the two points I mentioned. No PTO, and it will get stuck.

 

[IC Smoke]

KUBOTA

Worth the $, hold resale alot better than the throw away deere! We picked up a kubota B2400 (24hp loader belly mower 3pt 4x4 diesel) and use it ALOT daily were doing something with the little brute!! after falling in love with the kubota diesel power we bought a zero turn KUBOTA 28hp diesel 60" pro deck and its almost impossable to lug the motor down with grass and up a grade!!



Weve had John Deeres in the previous and all have fallen apart rapidly, currently were fighting to hold onto a small JD but it is rusted out and about to die, I think the injection pump is going due to hard start... . IMO you pay a Deere dealer to produce the advertisement crap they have now



PM JDakin for Kubota info, he might be able to find you a good used one!!



Ian

 

[HGreen]

If you are inclined toward John Deere's look at the 790, mine's rated at 30 hp, but I believe its been down rated to 27 hp. Its a manual shift bare bones machine, made by Yanmar, available in 2 and 4 wheel drive, and you can get all the neat attachments. I've had mine since 2000, moved a mountain of dirt, scraped, raked, everything but mowed (mower is next attachment). I looked at all the rest, and the John Deere was priced where I wanted to pay. Since that time, Koiti has come to town, there machines are well built, we have 3 here at work for snow removal and grounds work and I would very seriously consider one if I was buying today.



My advice, look at everything available, test drive, move some dirt and pick the one you like best.

 

[n7gxz]

I assuming you are looking for a loader/grader. Make sure to get 4x4 unless it is flat and not muddy. Also get one with a PTO to allow auger attachments, mower attachments etc. My old Ford works good aside from the two points I mentioned. No PTO, and it will get stuck.

GFritsch,



What Ford do you have that did not come with a PTO? I know that 9N, 2N, 8N, NAA all had PTO's. I personally have a couple of 9N's and a 3000 and they all have PTO's.



Kevin

 

[Hoefler]

I second the 4 X 4 790 Deere. I have had one for about 6 years as well. Bought it with the Deere back hoe, loader, and brush cutter. Also got the Bush Hog brand post hole digger with 12" auger and 6' box blade. Paid $21,000 set up and delivered ( 80 miles ). They are still advertising it as a 30 hp. The engines are rated of 32 hp in other model tractors. Adjust the throttle stop for 200 rpm more and get 2 hp. Anyway, It is a work horse, if you can keep the tires hooked up, it will move anything. I have wore out 8 sets of teeth on the back hoe bucket, a set of front tires and need to replace the mole board on the loader bucket. All in all, the only thing I would change, is to go hydro-stat.

 

[JasonBrown]

I agree with ICSmoke, the Kubota is the way to go. I have the baby Kubota BX-24 with loader and backhoe. It is a 22HP unit and has a lot of power for such a small package. Very very handy for working around the house or small farm area. Hey, and even though they're a foreign tractor they're made in Atlanta, GA.

 

[zstroken]

As others have mentioned it is the dealer base. Find a dealer that you are comfortable with, close, etc and look at that. The local kubota dealer closed about 2 years ago, I don't know where the nearest is. My dad had a massy (165 I think) and it was a nice little tractor, excellent power to weight ratio. One thing to think about with a these utility tractors is so many of them have more power than weight, you can't move things if you can't hook up. Also if you have a loader on there make sure you have a tractor that doesn't want to flip. My dad just sold the 165 and got a JD 870, it isn't hydro, but has a decent range and a bucket. Pretty decent sized tractor for what most people need. It is a yanmar tractor. JJuday it was the 10 series(00 also) and the 20 series have the synchro mesh transmission. Can be confusing, but a pretty decent setup, it is no power shift transmission, but does well.

 

[rhino_50]

I also have 790 JD. It came with the new 300 loader. It is very versitile piece of equipment. Not to heavy,but heavy enough to do my needs. Rhino50

 

[JHerr]

Daryl, what I hear you saying is that you need a small utility tractor. Utility tractors are heavier and more durable than today's compact tractors. Even today's largest compact tractors may be too small for what you need. Utility tractors of the age and price range where you are likely shopping will be dominated by American and European manufacturers.

When shopping for tractors, don't only look at horsepower numbers, look at the tractor's weight as well. If I were you, I would step back about 15-30 years to utility tractors which are the "previous" generation. Brand-new utility tractors are considerably lighter than the utility tractors of just a few short years ago. (John Deere trimmed 1000 lbs. out of a 2155 compared to a newer 5300. ) In your part of the country, I believe that you will have the best luck finding the following brands: John Deere, Massey Ferguson, Ford, and International.



Below are the tractors which would be on my shopping list in alphabetical order with newest models listed first. I will star * my preferences:



Ford (now New Holland): TN55*, TN65*, 3430*, 3930*, 2810, 2910, 3610, 3910

Ford originated the utility tractor design in the 1940's and everybody eventually adopted their basic design. The current TN-series New Holland tractors are built heavier than many other utility tractors and the TN's are very civilized. The older Fords are VERY solid tractors. Driving a Ford utility tractor produces a surge of adrenelin in me similar to when I spur the Cummins in my Ram. Raw, beastly power... but bring your earplugs. I starred the Ford tractors which are more likely to have a shuttle-shift transmission. Fords are an excellent choice.



International (now CaseIH): 3220, 3230, 485, 585, 484, 584

I probably know the least about these tractors other than they command a good reputation. You won't go wrong with an International.



John Deere: 2155*, 2150*, 2240*, 2040, 1530

John Deere made a superb utility tractor. The 2150 was the nicest handling tractor I had ever driven, until I drove a New Holland TN. Good engines and super steering. The starred models are more likely to have either shuttle-shift or hi-lo transmissions. I have a soft spot for Deere utility tractors.



Massey Ferguson: 231, 243, 253, 240, 250, 235, 245

Nothing fancy but quite dependable. They are the best selling tractors worldwide for a reason.



Do not forget about your local tractor dealer. Give preference to the tractor brand who has a better dealer.



Check out www.tractorhouse.com for easy-to-use online classifieds.

 

[smartineau]

My vote and money went to Kubota, Grand L 3430, (34 HP). The JD dealer was a jerk and tried to get me into a 22-24 HP range, I knew it was way too small.



Any of those brands are good, NH at the time I bought the nearest dealer was over 150 miles away. MF there were no dealers within 250 miles.



Sit on each and drive each one around, check them for comfort. The one thing I really liked about JD over K was the hydrostatic pedals. JD two seperate pedals, K one big one that you can do the heel toe rock thing.



there are little things like 3 point hook ups, the K had adjustable arms that you could pull out to make hooking up an implement easier, these came standard. JD you paid extra for this. I do not know now.



As far as parts go it will depend on your local dealer and how well stocked they are, if you break some stupid wierd part it will be order and wait no matter what brand.



Normal parts, filters, you should never have to wait.



Also when shopping discounts on implements then and in hte future can play a big part of the price, K I get a 10% discount on everything at the store for my lifetime. Local JD 10% for the first year. Implements get real $$$$$$



good luck



steve

 

[JJuday]

Almost forgot, if you can find one, White made the American series tractors in the late 80's. The American 60 and the 80, both powered by the 3. 9 Cummins. FWA option as well as cab and loader. May cost less than a newer one.

 

[skobylenski]

After being schooled on Deere equipment (SUNY Cobleskill), I probably wouldn't buy one, simply because I've seen first hand a lot of the problems that can arise (mostly electrical gremlins that can ruin your day, and wallet). They do offer operator comforts that remind you of sitting on the couch at home with the TV clicker in your hand, lol. The other reason I wouldn't go for a Deere, especially the larger ones (45hp+) is the new 5-cyl. engine isn't tested and fixed fully, and I know it had some problems in its first go-around.



I've had first hand experience with Kubota and New Holland (post Ford departure). I would not recommend a Kubota, simply because they are very light (we've got a new L-5030 at work and you can pick the *** end up very easily trying to lift even small loads of soil). It's comfortable and the cab is nice, however. We've also got and OLD 23hp Kubota (not sure on the model) with a backhoe on it. That thing is seriously rugged. For such a small machine, it digs like a champ.



New Holland builds a beefy machine that is quite a bit heavier than the similar Kubota or Deere models. This means avoiding getting stuck takes a bit more experience (not hard to achieve). Check out either Deere or NH's websites, select a tractor, then click the "do a comparison" link and see what you come up with.



One more note - if you're into being "environmentally friendly," New Holland has approved the use of B20 in ALL it's engines for 2007. Kubota has approved a select list of engines for B5 use, and I'm not sure what Deere and the others have approved.



For what you're looking at using it for, a bare bones New Holland TC30 or NH Boomer TC35 would be the minumim you'd probably want. I would suggest trying to move up about 10-15hp from what you think your minumim HP requirement is, simply because there is always a task you wish you could complete, but can't because you're limited by tractor size, and upgrading 10-15hp won't make the tractor that much larger, but will make the productivity go up quite a bit.



Good luck on your search, and keep us posted as to what you decide.

 

[jgillott]

I personally have a 2004 Deere 5303 65hp that I purchased new. It is one of the entry level ag tractors from John Deere. So far it has been very good.

 

[JRF]

Daryl,



I have the Kubota 5030 and am extremely pleased with it. Use it on my 40 acre farm in hilly southeast Ohio. Perfect for my use, but I would certainly insist on 4x4 and PTO. I use the 4x4 all the time and it is the one option I was not sure about. If you have any questions, I used Neil Messick of Messick's Tractors in Pennsylvania for my information and purchase. Did it all over the internet and they delivered it door to door. Neil was superb to deal with, just e-mailed him what I was looking for, what the terrain was like and what I wanted to do. He sent me some options, with pros and cons, and let me decide. Also, I would insist on the foot controls on the 5030 and these are great going up and down hills, no clutch and trying to manipulate hand controls while steering. Makes the tractor like driving a car. If you decide on the Kubota, send me a private message and I will tell you some things to consider/not consider and precautions that may save you time and aggravation. Good luck.



John

 

[DSteimle]

well guys, thats exactly why i asked the question. man i love this site. i've got a list of make and model numbers from above and i'm doing the research so i can make an informed purchase. i'll be sure to let you know what i decide and why. can't thank ya'll enough.