Possible tractor purchase

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

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Staff member
Hope everyone is having a good summer. Haven't been around much lately as we've been playing a lot of baseball. In fact five of the next six weekends we'll be on the road playing tournaments. Lots of fun but the time it takes is admittedly insane.

I'm in the market for a tractor. Nothing fancy, just something for bush hogging, light cultivating and working the hunting property I've been given access to. I'm looking at tractors in the 30-40 hp range and under 4000 lbs as the Tacoma has a towing capacity of 6000 pounds. I'd love to get a 60+ hp tractor but that's too big for my present needs/capacities.

Not having a big budget I'm looking at older tractors. Besides, I tend to like old US made stuff anyway. Some of what I've been looking into thus far are Massey Ferguson 35, 135, and 230s, Oliver Super 55 and 550s, International B275, and Ford 6xx and 8xx series. The one thing that scares me about the Olivers and International B275 is getting parts. Those rascals have been out of production a long time. Parts for the Massey Fergusons and Fords from what I understand are easy to get since they built many units over a lot years.

Does anyone here have advice on buying an older used tractor? Perhaps some personal experience with the above or other recommendations. I'm interested in hearing any thoughts or advice on tractor purchases in general or as they relate to working on duck property.

Eric
 
Eric,
I don't own any of your choices but have been around the old Fords and Olivers for several years. My thinking would be go with a Ford as there are a lot of them around and at least around here, parts are easy to get. With all the interest in restoring old tractors, it's getting tougher to find a good deal on them though. Good Luck and I can hardly wait to follow the restoration project as I'm sure whatever you get will get the same treatment as your "new" tools that you buy.
Ron
 
Ive had an older MF 35 diesel w/ power steering for the last few years and love it. It will handle a small disk, 6ft bush hog, harrow and still fit on asmaller trailer. Great tractor.
 
Tractor House.com


Allice Chalmers.


D12 or D15

A bargain compared to the Deere's and a real worker.
 
Eric, my in laws have a 1951 Ford 8N and you cant beat that old thing. It just keeps going and going. Runs a bush hog, box blade, small plow and pulls a wagon. Parts are available and seems like there are a bunch in the area (southern Va.) Never in my 30 years with the family has it been out of service. With a little paint it would look new again. My father in law does wish it was a Jubilee model though. Its a winner.

Bill V
 
Eric,the 8n ford will do all you want,parts are still availible,I have had one for many years,get the later model year,51-52 the coil and distributor are the side mount,where the earlier are in front,make sure you have the slip clutch on the pto as well,on there best day they are 24 hp,the allis d-14 and 15 are a good choice,there is alot of small equipment out there,A package deal is what I would look for,not a powerhouse for sure,but you can peck away at the big stuff,hope this helps Brian...... pm me about the decals
 
Eric, not american but you might want to look at Yanmars. There is a large "grey " market for them. Bought mine from a guy in Huntsville who works at NASA(lost his contact info) and refurbishes them for fun. They have a shuttle shift transmission so no clutching is required unless you change ranges. Just a thought. Steve
 
Ah, old tractors...I love them all! But I am particularly passionate about Olivers! MY grandpa bought an Oliver 60 new when my mom was young, and used it until he retired. My cousins on my dads side ran Olivers from the 40's through the 90's...two 70s, a 770 and a super 55 outfitted with a backhoe. My dad's dad ran Case tractor (the models are escaping me at the moment). I've also worked on a few Chalmers over the years, enough so that I would stear clear of any made after 1970ish.

Deere tractors, you will pay too much for the name. Fords have good parts availability, my brother uses a 4000 on the farm still for may of the type of job you would want to accomplish but I really don't care for the 'Select-o-speed' transmission.

The thing to remember about old iron, is for a given physical size of tractor, old versus new, the old ones are twice as heavy and have half the horsepower. Going on soft ground can get iffy in a hurry. Gearing can be wierd for using some PTO implements, like a rototiller, to get the RPMs you need, some tractors arent geared low enough to run a slow enough speed to keep them going. Brush hogs...though you can get a tow behind, I'd prefer a 3 point mount for the type of work you are doing, and many old tractors don't have these.

Fire away with any specific questions, or if you prefer give me a call

Chuck
 
It's been many years now but when I was in High School my Dad moved up from an old John Deere to a newer Ford 8N. Big improvement for our uses Bush Hogging, tilling up a small garden patch, and general use. Then in the early to mid eighties he sold the 8N and bought a new Ford 1720 with a two cynlinder diesel. As Chuck pointed out...smaller lighter weight tractor but tons more torque and pulling power. Also used considerably less fuel. Mom still has that tractor, and its runs like a champ.
 
My recommendations would be along the Ford line as well. If you are getting an older one - look for live PTO. Stay away from the select-o-speeds. I preferred the 8N to our 801. I didn't like the power steering or the "jerk-o-matic" transmission on the 801. I have heard good things about the Ford 4000 series, but we never owned one. I did like the 6000 we had, but it was a much bigger tractor. The automatic transmission on the 6000 was a little better than the 801, but I still would not recommend it.
 
Appreciate the input. Lots of things to think about.

Bob, I looked around for an Allis Chalmers and didn't see much in my area. Cool looking tractor though and if one were to show up I'd take a look.

Matt, got any pics? Was the power steering aftermarket? I though PS didn't get on their tractors until a bit later in the 135 series.

Bill & Brian, the Ford 8n was the first tractor I started looking into. A friend recently sold one and he and another friend suggested I go bigger. They used one on their hunting poperty and got great service but in the end it was just a bit too small. I don't want to be in the market again in a few years so I'm looking at getting the biggest thing I can tow.

Steve, I haven't looked into Yanmars. I'll explore that a little more.

Chuck & Tim, you made me think about the weight issue. Soft ground is something I'll have to deal with. I just went and looked at a new Mahindra 35 hp 2wd and it ran over 4000 pounds. That's comparable with the old ones. Maybe I picked one that is heavy for new tractors? Does the 4 wheel drive on today's tractor really make that much difference on soft ground? The tractor I borrowed had 4WD but we never used it. It does give more weight and stability in the front of the tractor but I don't have a feel for just what it would go through in terms of mud. The swamp we cleared by hand last summer was too soft for a tracked skid steer. After we cleared it I could drive my truck actross it. It really dried out once the vegetation was removed. I'd sure like to get some sort of equipment in there and do less chainsaw and foot dragging.

Andrew, I've seen pictures of the select-o-speed but don't really know what they do. Is is a clutchless shifter of some sort? You mentioned live PTO. I'll start paying close attention to whether or not a particular tractor has it. I know it predates some of the tractors I've looked into.

Thanks again.
 
The select-o-speed was essentially a 10 speed automatic "shift on the fly" transmission. They are serious patience testers if you are trying to hook up a three point implement by yourself.

Live PTO means that it still turns even when you have the clutch in. It makes some things much easier.
 
A better bet then the 8N would be the 5 speed 600/601, 800/801, or even a 3,000. Live PTO, lower speed, and no select o matic nightmare. The old MF's are another good option and some have a low range in speeds.
The Mahindra, to the best of my memory, is the old MF 35 updated, you can't go wrong with that and there are a lot of dealer support.
 
Eric

Without checking specs, I'd guess that sounds heavy. Is that the "shipping weight" or working weight? Most will load the tires with chloride solution so that will change things quite a bit. YOu looking for a loader too? Again, more weight, more up front cost, and you need to be careful shopping for used loader tractors as they get beat on. I believe that the common place of todays four wheel assist tractors are related to the change in the HP to weight ratio, as the old tractors had a lot of weight to HP, and as the weight decreased and HP went up for a given "physical size" of tractor, the need for the front wheel assist became greater. The other big advantage is allowing you to steer yourself out of a rut rather than plowing dirt with the front wheels, of course individual rear brakes help with this as well.

A while back, you were asking about two wheel tractors, did you give up on these?

Chuck
 
Chuck

I don't think it sepcified what kind of weight. I was assuming operating weight. Not planning on using a loader.

I'm headed to Nashville for a baseball tournament in the morning. Going to look at an Oliver Super 55 while I'm there. It's a diesel. A friend suggest I stick with a gas burner as they are cheaper/easier to work on and since I won't log that many hours the benefits aren't there. I can't argue that but I think price and condition will win out above all. All this live PTO talk has got me thinking I would be better off with it. For the kind of tight quarter and drop the blades on brush cutting I do I can see having live PTO would be advantageous.

Eric
 
Eric

Without checking specs, I'd guess that sounds heavy. Is that the "shipping weight" or working weight? Most will load the tires with chloride solution so that will change things quite a bit. YOu looking for a loader too? Again, more weight, more up front cost, and you need to be careful shopping for used loader tractors as they get beat on. I believe that the common place of todays four wheel assist tractors are related to the change in the HP to weight ratio, as the old tractors had a lot of weight to HP, and as the weight decreased and HP went up for a given "physical size" of tractor, the need for the front wheel assist became greater. The other big advantage is allowing you to steer yourself out of a rut rather than plowing dirt with the front wheels, of course individual rear brakes help with this as well.

A while back, you were asking about two wheel tractors, did you give up on these?

Chuck
Click to expand...


What does Chloride solution in tires do?

Mark W
 
Extra weight to hold the front end down.

I had a Ford NAA (1953 Golden Jubilee) 20 years ago and it was a very capable tractor. I had no problems getting parts or working on it.
 
Eric

Without checking specs, I'd guess that sounds heavy. Is that the "shipping weight" or working weight? Most will load the tires with chloride solution so that will change things quite a bit. YOu looking for a loader too? Again, more weight, more up front cost, and you need to be careful shopping for used loader tractors as they get beat on. I believe that the common place of todays four wheel assist tractors are related to the change in the HP to weight ratio, as the old tractors had a lot of weight to HP, and as the weight decreased and HP went up for a given "physical size" of tractor, the need for the front wheel assist became greater. The other big advantage is allowing you to steer yourself out of a rut rather than plowing dirt with the front wheels, of course individual rear brakes help with this as well.

A while back, you were asking about two wheel tractors, did you give up on these?

Chuck
Click to expand...


What does Chloride solution in tires do?

Mark W
Click to expand...


The smart remark would be keeps the water from freezing...aren't you a scientist? Really though, most farm tractors have loaded tires for more weight to increase traction. You can also add steel wheel weights and/or front end weights. Not only does the salt keep it from freezing, but adds a couple more pounds per gallon.

Chuck
 
Chuck

I don't think it sepcified what kind of weight. I was assuming operating weight. Not planning on using a loader.

I'm headed to Nashville for a baseball tournament in the morning. Going to look at an Oliver Super 55 while I'm there. It's a diesel. A friend suggest I stick with a gas burner as they are cheaper/easier to work on and since I won't log that many hours the benefits aren't there. I can't argue that but I think price and condition will win out above all. All this live PTO talk has got me thinking I would be better off with it. For the kind of tight quarter and drop the blades on brush cutting I do I can see having live PTO would be advantageous.

Eric
Click to expand...


I agree with your friend in theory, but you are also right on price and condition. Diesels have their advantages, but there is a pain in the rear factor for your kind of use.

Admit it, you just want an Oliver tractor to match your woodworking equipment...

Chuck
 
I own a Kubota B8200 with a 19hp 3 cyl diesel. With the 4 wheel drive and turf tires, I have never even gotten close to stuck and that includes regularly scraping a couple of feet of snow off a 200' driveway.

I can't tell you what it would do with farm tires and chloride but it would be fun to find out.

Its been very reliable in summer or winter for the past 14 years. I have pulled ny 4' brush hog, 5' landscape rake, 4' box scraper and 6' backblade thru some pretty tough spots and it never fails. I even fabricated a 12" knife (sort of like a straight plow blade) and tube contraption that bolts to the rear scoop and cuts a neat 12" deep slit to lay Romex off a spool as you drive along. Cuts thru roots and pushes rocks away without much trouble.

Around here, a used Kubota (or similar Deere) with 1000-2500 hrs, I would guess you are looking at the $6000-8000 range (minus implements).
 
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