Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Buying a New Farm Tractor

Exactly. The Deere's we have are US made and they show it. Some of the later ones are made overseas. Quite honestly the US made Deere's are my favorite. And their engineering folks are smart.

New Holland will be my first choice when i go looking next week. I won't buy unless i can find a 4x4 drive.

Yet another great piece of advice.

Around here 90% of the framers use John Deere. I once asked a guy why he preferred Deere over a Case, he went off about how much better Deere's customer service is. He had a Case loader and told me when it breaks down it takes him three or four days to get a part, the Deere parts are usually in stock, or one day away.

Not sure if this is a national indication, or becasue 90% of the farmers in this area use Deeres.

I have been using Fords for a while but got a Kubota when I upgraded to an AC cab three years ago. The dealer had both NH (Ford) and Kubota. I went in to buy a NH and he talked me into a Kubota. He said it was less expensive and would probably require less servicing. I got a 70 HP 4X4 with a cab. I really like the Kubota even though I like the hydraulics on my two Fords better.

That should be no problem. Most of the NH have that option. I really liked the NH tractor, but I liked the Kubota dealer better. Talk to some of the end users in your area about service calls and dealer support, and how willing they are to work with you.

Nothing wrong with New Holland stuff. Go with what you can get parts or service for nearby. 4x4 will give more usable power to the ground but you sacrifice a little turning radius if you are doing hay work. We prefer JD due to easy parts availability and it seems you can rebuild them forever and if well maintained their value remains very high. If you get something that is turbo charged be sure to keep the air clean and cool them at an idle before shutting down or they will fail prematurely.

The trouble with a danged 4040 is they are too high. They are bringing as much as they did new around here and you're talking a tractor that's usually been repainted, has a ragged-out cab, needs a few things and has 7000 hours on it. You're talking $2000 per cylinder for an overhaul. Nobody is selling one they just redid. A 2510 isn't big enough for what I need and they're pretty expensive too.

I pulled into a field this very afternoon and baled hay with a '80 model tractor and a '75 model baler and they worked flawlessly and could sell both tomorrow for nearly what they were new. That's a good value and yes they're both green...

Lots of good advice here.Mine would be to talk with the locals and look for the dealer with the best rep.Good support can make all the difference.I live in farming country and JD outnumbers all the others.We're talking large tractors,but most of the farmers have one small tractor,and most of them are Kubota.Good Luck in your choice. Lightman

Go blue or red. I have operated various brands of farm equipment over the years.
If it were me, I'd go with an older large frame (not ulility)tractor (ex IH 56 series). The older large frame tractors are heavier and have larger engines than newer models of the same horsepower.

For example, My uncle traded a Massey Ferguson 1100 for a JD 6410. Both have the same hp rating. The 1100 had a 6 cylinder naturally aspirated diesel engine. The 6410 has a turbo-charged 4 cylinder diesel. The 6410 can not do the same work the old 1100 did.

The newer tractors are not built like the older tractors of equal horsepower.

My dream would be to own a fully restored "muscle" tractor from the late 60's early 70's era like an AC 220, IH 1456, or a MF 1135

What Sportsman Doug says it right, The older machines had a little more weight, but the real difference is the length of the wheel base. The newer tractors have shorter wheelbases and the weight is not distributed as far forward to counter the implement weight as on the older units. That only becomes a concern if you are running large disks, dirt pans, etc.

If you are just running a bush hog, you will appreciate the tighter turning radius the new models have.

I Have worked for John Deere or Deere Dealers over the last 14 years in the Construction & Forestry Division.

They make outstanding Farm tractors, as do Kubota and New Holland.

The advice you got regarding dealer support is right on.

I wouldn't buy the largest bush hog rated for the tractor you choose, instead get the next one down.

If you will be strictly bush hogging with the unit, you really don't need 4-wheel.

If you will be pulling a disc, depending on the size, the 4-wheel drive will be worth the money spent.

Be sure to check your 3 point hitch lift capacity when purchasing implements and get the required front counterweights.

Deere would be my first choice, but I am biased. However, my FIL owns a Ford 6610 that has been a great tractor as well.

Good Luck,

JM.

p.s. I have an 82nd Airborne sticker I can send you to put on it.

First off, it would be good to know what size tractor you're looking to obtain.. If it's one of the little compacts, I think they're 'ok', but when I bought my JD I was comparing it to a NH in the same class.. My decision to get the JD was because of two items I didn't like about the NH: The dainty front axle and the little welded piece of steel that anchored the top link.. Both, IMHO, were chintzy, cheap and prone to fail..

I've had my 4210 JD now for six years and I've only had to replace the battery..

You might want to check out Kubota also.. But just make sure that whichever you buy, it's enough tractor all around for your use..

Consider a Kubota. I have a New Holland but it's not as large as the ones shown here. Mine is a TN-65, about 48hp and is not 4WD. Be sure to check the dealer out as to the quality of his service. No matter how good the tractor is if the dealer sucks you ain't gonna be happy. I have a great dealer here and it makes a world of difference.

John Deere 4020 made from 1964 to 1972, wheelbase: 97.5".

John Deere 6615 made from 2003 to 2005, wheelbase: 104.3".

The difference between then and now is that more utility style tractors are being sold now IME, than there were in the past, at least with all makes except Ford (New Holland). Utility tractors are more compact and generally have the shorter wheelbases you mention. If you get a row crop tractor, the wheelbase will be longer than the utility. Most people nowadays seem to be opting for the utilities. That comparison is apples-to-oranges. A lot more people have small acreages today and use the tractors almost exclusively for lighter jobs like haying. Most serious farmers have extremely large tractors (usually true four-wheel drives) and then keep smaller ones around for the aforementioned. The large ones are used for heavy field work. In the past, the 4020 was considered fairly big and used for a lot of heavy field work. Many times, farmers would use the 4020 for everything. That's not as common today.

I've actually used my TL90 for heavy field work as well as haying and it worked fine. In fact, it worked just as good as my 930 Case (a direct competitor to the 4020 John Deere), if not better. Would it hold up under constant heavy use as well as the older models? I doubt it, but IMO the 4030's and 4040's didn't hold up as well as the 4010's and 4020's either. All of us farmers feel like the newer tractors have been cheapened up both so they are less expensive to manufacture and so they will eat more of the super-expensive parts and not last as long.

The problem with buying one of these older machines is they are mostly just worn out. I read the above post about haying with a 1980 model and I am sure it ran well. Many of them do. My 1967 Case runs good and I used it to hay with this summer as well. The problem is the constant upkeep and also lack of creature comforts. If you want a cab, you have to go with at least a 30 series John Deere (1973-1976) for a decent one and many times these will be trashed. The a/c won't work properly or will require constant attention and anybody who has worked on car a/c knows how expensive that is. Believe me, I looked at older, more familiar tractors when I traded last time. For me at least, the newer tractor was the way to go. IMO the older ones are way overpriced right now. I did see a 2750 John Deere with cab, that looked to be original, on Tractor House last night. It was about $16,000 compared to the brand-new Case-IH that I posted a link to. I can see where if money was a big concern that the older tractor might work. However, I'd personally get the newer model unless I was strapped for cash. As an aside, the 2750 wasn't made here either. It's pretty difficult to get a tractor that's made here now and if it is, as was said earlier, all the parts tend to be made somewhere else. It's very deceptive.

The one i buy will be over 50 HP for sure. I was thinking of spending around 30,000 or maybe a little more for one.

I would look for a used, well maintained John Deere.

It will be impossible to find a brand-new one with a cab and front-wheel assist for that money. The one I put up, obviously, lacked the front-wheel assist, that you said you wanted. I can tell you from my experience that it would indeed be good to get that. There are many times I wish I had power to the front wheels. To an extent, it makes up for the lack of weight and size that most newer tractors lack due to the reasons I mentioned before. In fact, IMO it trumps the weight of the older ones.

Then again, here is an almost new one...

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=5646584

Comparable Deere, near you, with a few more hours.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=5600458

lol

Well I guess I am fortunate... After moving from Alberta back to Texas (the Hill country) with me soon leaving for the Middle East my wife did some research and went out and bought a Kubota. She researched the internet seeing good reviews and with local discounts and zero interest loan taking her over the top vs. the JD. Also, the dealer was local and a family business for 60 years. She's darn happy with it, I haven't even seen it... Gotta love the gal though.