Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire How things change in 24 years !! farm tractors

Was thinking the other day about the advances in farm technology and how it has advanced . Don't think they have improved tractor since 1990 to now this much here is example of 2 of the most popular John Deere's models of the time!!



An old '51 B last year made was '52 and this on is fancy lights and electric start!!! than a '75 model 4430 last year made was '77 lets see, AC, heat , stereo ,and much, much more

They are pretty amazing. Road in a John Deere with satellite assisted driving last fall. It could keep rows straight +/- and inch or so across a half mile circle.

Bought this one in 2012. It's a 6210 and the 210 is the horsepower.

I used our 1988 JD 950 on a small logging project today. It has been a great tractor.

I love that JD4430 in the first post!

But, man... 210 HP..!

That thing would tear my shredder up when you turn that to the contraption..

It's what we use for laser leveling and chiseling etc...

I'll bet it does that well.

You need a GPS....

Nah,got two eyes.

Still using my early 50's Ford 8N. It was my dad's "pet" tractor. When we sold the farm (they went to assisted living)he let me take her home, along with a harrow and bush hog and small bottom plow. Everything else got sold.

I call her The Beast or my Fire Breathing Dragon...all 23 hp of her!

One time I was at sears getting a belt for my riding lawn mower with an 18 horse Briggs and Stratton, and the heavy black Lady said, "Lawd, yous got one of them big ole tractors, don't you?" I could barely contain my laughter. miles

Yes! One used to be able to buy the farm for the price of one of today's tractors.

Speaking of which a good 4430 and like will bring as much now as they did new

You can buy them new or used, either way your going to have to do repairs on them, and the old ones are easier to work on.

It is not much the tractor values, as the declining American dollar.

I was reading just the other evening that the JD 8000 series now have more computing power than our Early Space Shuttles.THERE is some food for thought.

GTC

What's that red thing in the background? Just kidding - I've run "binders, too)
I use the baby JD 5500 - also have access to a 6400, a 7210, and a 7230.
Great machines - but you NEED the AC in those units with cabs - or you will discover what the term "pheasant under glass" really means!!

Mark

You're right.. And then take that 4430 and compare to today's units. Absolutely night/day.

I grew up with Farmall H and Ms. Over the last few years I've been operating Case/IH 71/72 series with 150-250HP.. Now, they obtained a Case/IH STX425 and I've only briefly driven it once - but holy crap, what a machine!! Some of this stuff is getting so complicated/computer run that it takes an old geezer like me about an hour trying to figure out how to RUN the damn thing..

Mark's right too - that A/C better be working very well because, with all that glass, the driver can feel like an ant under a magnifying glass...

I saw a big John Deere with 12 wheels on it the other day. I don't know the model number but it was huge.

Personally I think the high point for just usefulness of tractors probably topped out with the John Deere 4020. Since then tractors have definitely gotten more comfortable and higher horsepower. The 4020 for just purely doing what a tractor is for and all-around usefulness, has to be some sort of high-water mark. Another thing is that after that point a lot of the manufacturers started getting cute, IMO. They started programming scheduled maintenance in and things like that and researching ways to make parts go bad so you would have to buy new. I don't think there was much of that going on in say, 1970. By 1980 it was in full swing. Today's tractors are a lot more delicate and a lot more reliant on fragile, electronic technology than they were in '70 or so. And by now if you have tractors for serious use the 4020 and the like is just about too old. Stuff does wear out eventually and for everyday, hard use you sooner or later have to update to the stuff that is very difficult to work on yourself, which was the plan all along.

Hot temps and no A/C will make you feel sick. I've taken my boots off more than once which helps some.
Strange feeling when you step out of the cab and 90 degrees feels likes a cold front!


Lots of guys say they like the 'older' tractors because of the lack of computer chit to go wrong. Might be part of the reason why demand is high for the 20-30 year JD's.