Best Tractors

Lot of money for a 4 speed, no live pto, no live & not very good hydraulics, no power steering machine....

Those N Fords were true leaders of a revolution in tractor ideas, but that was 65 years ago, and a lot of improvements have come down the road.

A tractor from the late 50's or early 60's can often be cheaper than those 'in demand' N Fords, but have a lot more useful options.

Again, not knocking the N's - they were very innovative & capible in their day.

--->Paul

We have a New Holland and LOVE IT. Growing up we had a Fergison(sp) that worked awsome even when the John Deer was out of commision.

we have a D-17 Allis Chalmers. You can get a 3 point for them. Ours starts like a top in the dead of winter. We have a trip bucket loader but I do recommend a hydraulic loader.

We just bought a 46' Allis Chalmers WD with bucket added on, live PTO, brush hog (needs to be adapted), set of disks and harrow (also need to be adapted) for 1500.00!

A great deal we thought, as these were goin' for around 3500.00 with none of the extras where we use to live.

sage

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sage


Wise men talk because they have something to say; Fools, because they have to say something.

something else to consider -
in europe many, many farms are 20 acres or less - fuel there costs a fortune - farmers till land with such a severe grade that standard tractors are unusable -
for years they have used two-wheel walk-behind (or ride behind) tractors - there are a ton of attachments available and the tractors and attachments are very reliable -
do a search on BCS America -

those things look like oversized Tillers.

"Just bought a Ford NH 1720 4wd machine with loader 18 months ago, neat little machine of 27 hp, has a lot of features but not so much plastic, computers, & switches on it as the real new ones...

Rambler, Man was I glad to see someone with a NH 1720. I had posted on another site and after 60 hits no one claimed to no anything about this likely great little tractor.

I am about to drive one that is a 1998, 340 hours 4WD diesel with need of front tires (40%). I plan to put a cheaper thatn NH loader on it and hope you can giove me a recommendation on this unit. It supposedly has mainly mowed and possibly tilled , which cincerns me. I hear this PTO is know to grind teeth with an over used tiller(heard from 1 dealer).
After installing an after market loader Cal 67LT loader the NH 1720 would come to about $9.000. Is this a much better unit than the Kubota below.
I am also considering a 1996 3 cyl. Kubota L2350 smaller 25 HP 4wd economy Diesel, no remotes yet with a loader from a reputable dealer/rental place. Yet this unit has 1100 hours and was a rental unit. I would only buy with the dealer puttin on the DYno Analyzer in fronmt of me. I see people swear by this unit and could buy it for $8500 includes loader.
A dealer that handles both Blue and Orange stated get the 1720 without a doubt. Another dealer with both stated the opposite.
I have to get to work with a loader to move gravel, clay and finish some new trails, brush hog and ready some sites for a po0le barn and garage. More than my 9N will do without a loader and more of my patience. Help with your advice please. And Yep I still have my 53 Willys CJ 3B from my high school days in the 70's.. Thanks a bunch...
Charlie

And I drove the 68 Rambler American......

I really like my 1720. It has the NH loader on it. I had a rear remote installed. I use it a lot here on the farm, runs a lot of augers both pto & hydraulicly. I actually pull a 4 row JD 7000 corn planter with it, that's a lot for it but works. Loader is nice, move a lot of stuff like manure & sand & dirt here. Rake all my hay & straw. I also run a slightly too big 7' snow blower on it in winter. But it is like a Swiss army knife for me, run it almost every day, my own portable crane, wagon mover, etc.

My brother in law has an older tiny Kubota, & he likes it too. It was _much_ more well worn when he got it, but well made machine.

Either brand has a good reputation. Would not be scared of either.

I guess I see the Kubota in question seems to have a lot of possibly hard hours on it, I might steer towards the Blue one myself....

--->Paul

I have a Ford 1210 that is 4x4 and small enough to clean out the stalls in our mini's barn yet large enough to run a 5' tiller or brush hog and haul 100lb bales on the back. Front loader and back blade to clean anywhere.

mikell

do you really need to have a tractor, ours sits in the shed most of the time. i bought a massey ferg.250 from a one owner, down in salem. it is about 40 or so horsepower and have a bushhog on back and a good front loader, if we sell, maybe you should get in touch.
but seriously, make friends with neighbors near and far and pay them for a half days work to cut your grass and weeds, then get some animals on it and they will take care of the rest.
good tractors are a big investment, i could easily find something else for 9,000 bucks.

Would really like to have our own tractor. Not only for the grass, but for scraping a path to take my cart on (keeping it maintained), moving downed trees out where it is easier for DH to cut up, moving heavy things,,, having a bigger garden...
Some of the stuff I can do with my little horses,, but I do not have the right equipment for much of what I do.
Was thinking to find someone to do some of the work, but some of the prices seem high to me. Maybe I am just out of touch with that kind of stuff,, I just do not know.
The Tractor is on the shelf for now, unless we can get a really good deal. Due to a couple of things that fell in our lap we were not counting on.

Now if I could figure out a safe way to have Maggie pull the Reel mower we have, at least around the house... that would make things easier.

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Shari

hey, maybe we do need to keep in touch. we brought the auger with us when we moved back to wa from missouri. also have a back blade. this tractor is a diesel, which of course is best. unfortunately we do not know exactly what we are going to do in our old age. if my son goes to mountain states, i probably will hang up my farming shingle for the last time. he doesn't help, but he.and his wife and kids are nice to have around, lol.............

I've had my JD 970 diesel for 12 years, compact, extremely reliable, no problems, 33hp, 2 wheel drive assist, wet brakes/clutch, small in size, able to navigate heavy/hilly woods, its got the power of big tractor with a compact size. Earlier folks stated it just green paint, but the choice should be made by the thickness of metal around the wheel wells, tractor weight/stability, etc. those types of measurements go a long way in determining not just quality, but reliability as well... Runs about five gallons of fuel in eight hours of full RPM operations, can last up to 24hrs on same amount of diesel just putting around (i.e. plowing snow)...More can be said, but I think looking at different tractors with quality in mind, the difference will be obvious. John Deer may cost more but I also believe you get what you pay for and I've been satisfied on my purchase then, still are today.

"also will be haying,"

This one comment will take you out of the small compact utility tractor and at best put you in to something in the 40+ horsepower range. All of the other tasks you mentioned can be accomplished with a small tractor 20to25 HP but haying can not.

I had a Ford 1720 compact with a loader and it was amazing what you could accomplish with it. I now have a Kubota B7610 with loader and belly mower. It is a good tractor but not as beefy as the 1720 was.

My need changed and I need something that could cut a lot of grass with and the B7610 does a good job. I still use the loader a bunch. Every time I need to lift or carry anything it is my choice of weapons !

One thing I found was look at a lot of different tractors and learn the values so you will recognize a good buy when you come across it. Narrow down the models that would be acceptable to you and look for those models. I bought the 1720 in the middle of winter. I offered the dealer what I felt like was a bargain basement offer and did not expect for him to take it. To my surprise he did. When I traded for the Kubota, I got $500.00 more than I paid for the tractor after putting about 300 hours on it in 3 years. It was kinda like getting to use one for free !

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ChuckinVa


Authentic Appalachian American

Hi,

In defense of foreign made tractors, I confess I have a Yanmar 25 HP tractor, diesel, and it is really a good little tractor. I have great dealer support too, plenty of spare parts, and it came with a 6 month warranty - how is that for a used tractor?? Bought it at Fredericks Tractor in Alabama and they have been very fair and actually bent over backwards to make sure that my tractor runs right. They send spare parts through the mail or UPS or I can haul the Tractor up there to be fixed. So far, other than a starter switch, this tractor has run great.

So here's what we do with it: Cut my Mom's 55 acres of pasture and yard using a bushhog and a finishing mower. Bushhog my 12 acres and sometimes cut my yard with the finishing mower. Cut trenches for water drainage and for laying underground electric. Move round hay bales with some added weights on front. Load and unload the trailer with the spare implements using the boom pole. Seed the pastures with the 500 lb. seeder and fertilizer spreader.

Anything that needs doing I can do - am thinking of adding hydraulics to it for a log splitter. This tractor completely rebuilt by Fredericks came with a 16 ft. trailer, bushhog, finishing mower, potato plow and a box blade (I scrape the driveway and use it to move manure from in front of the permanent hay feeders). About $6,000 for the whole package (all the implements and trailer were new) and only one repair in 2 years of using it. We use it pretty hard during spring, summer and fall with both my place and my Mom's place to work on.

A lot of the parts I buy at Auto Zone like oil filters, etc. It also came with an english repair manual. I have since bought a hay spear, a pallet fork, a rear bucket (wish i had bought the bigger model so I could have a front bucket), and a rototiller for it. Nice little tractor that I can maneuver in and out of tight spots easily and it has wide front end instead of the skinny front end.

If you buy a foreign tractor get one from a good dealer that has been in business for a long time and has a good reputation and will warrant the tractor. That can mean the difference in the long run.

Sidepasser

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Be yourself - no one can tell you that you're doing it wrong!

I have a new (March) 30 hp Chinese diesel. It is a FarmPro, made by Jinma. The fit and finish are weak, but I see no value there anyhow. It's a tractor not a sport car. Dealer support varies, but there is quite a bit of help available.
My 4wd, 30 hp, 3 cylinder diesel with a 5ft FEL and backhoe cost me $14,000. I would buy it again tomorrow. In a tractor fight I would clobber an equivelent JD or NH, as well as the Japanese brands.
Grey market tractors are crap.

my Grandpa's brother has a John Deere, umm what would you call it, a combine?

it had like a bean header on the front, and you pulled it with a tractor and at the back of the emplement there is a seat where a person sets, and he opens up a door and it plops out a pile of wheat, and whenever the thing turns, the rear operator suposed to brake the wheel when you turn(to make a sharp turn) neat to see how they did things the old way.