Tractor was purchased to replace a 1952 Farmall Super C. I wanted something with roughly the same size engine and weight, but designed from the ground up for a FEL & BH.

Price stated includes the following: TC40, triple guage pack including oil pressure & volt meter, grill guard, set of rear remotes, rear work light, deluxe hitch with extendable links, engine block heater, folding ROPS, tool box, starboard step, R4s, 16LA FEL with quick detach bucket, 72" HD bucket drilled for bolt on teeth, welded on hooks, 758C BH with 18" bucket and a 36" cemetery bucket.

The engine has started and run well, including some sub freezing days. Fuel useage (by actual measurement) has averaged .75 gph. The gears shift reliably, and, as it gets more hours on it, increasingly smooth. Low gear at medium rpm is very slow (.5-.6 mph) and approaches a "creeper" gear in speed. The shuttle shift works well-I'm glad I didn't get suckered into the hydro. So far, the only time the hydro would have been handy is short loader work (moving back and forth over a 10'-30' distance). Since the Farmall would do a 180 in its own length, I expected this tractor to be noticeably less maneuverable, however, it really isn't and turns tightly.

Access for checking under the hood is very good, even with the loader attached. The plastic "sheet metal" seems heavier duty than I thought it would be, but, will have to see over the long run. The PTO brake is silly (others have reported it going out on them - I can see why). However, PTO operation on/off is smooth and easy to feather and complete independent which is nice. The bolt pattern on the PTO is not the same as the old 8Ns and Ferguson's, so, I will need an adapter bracket (like I did on the Farmall) to use my belt pulley. Position control on the 3pt is smooth, but not as precise as I had on the Farmall. Also, REALLY miss no down pressure-The Farmall had both float and down pressure. The range of the 3pt arms is excellent as well as the adjustment ability. Also, the extendable links are even handier than I thought they would be. Seating is good even without the deluxe seat (spent 5+ non-stop hrs on it the other day). Will probably not need to upgrade the seat. Climbing on/off is easy even for an old man (it is soooooo much easier than the Farmall was). The metal floor is actually quite satisfactory, especially when climbing on/off is the mud. Have replace a few of the cheap wire ties/cotter piins with click pins. The operator's manuals are excellent and the 3 vol. set of repair (shop) manuals are some of the best I have ever seen.

The FEL works quite well, and, with the sloping hood and arms, visibility is excellent and approaches that on a skid-steer. The joy-stick (hasn't broken, yet!?!?) feathers well, the float positions are easy to engage/disengage. Bucket angle poistion rod has a nice loop in it for easy visual level reference. Mounting/demounthing the FEL is easy (so far have only done it once though for practice). The quick detach bucket literally take only a few seconds. FEL easily lifts a full load of moist dirt - though I am going to need a heavier counter-weight than I originally thought when the FEL is eventually used without the BH on. The dump angle is excellent, although I wish the roll-back angle was a bit more. The lack of self-leveling when raising the FEL bucket to max height has not proved a problem-just have to be careful with it.

The BH is a bit disappointing. For example, when pulling an 18"+ tree trunk it was necessary to "chip" through the large roots rather than simply curling them out. However, since I have some experience with larger BHs, any disappointment is more a matter of delusional expectations on my part than any weakness in the equipment. The relatively short reach (only 11' from the swing pivot) does require more frequent repositioning though. The hydraulic flow is very good and easily enough for quick-operations and feathering is usually smooth and easy. The unit does not have hydraulic "bumpers" at the end of the swing, so you have to be careful not to go too quickly at the end. Except for the control valvers, construction appears heavy and crude (crude is good). For example, the boom and stabilizer locks are simple pivoting metal plates that hook over lugs - can't get more reliable than that. The BH looks like it will work indefinitely. Mounting/demounting is a bit more complicated than some others (have only done it once though for practive), but you gain the fact that the sub-frame stays on the BH, not the tractor, thus leaving the tractor cleaner. It does, however, require a slightly longer storage area. Switching buckets was a bit of a pain. The pins came with a small bevel, so, I had to grind them down a bit on the ends for easier feeding when switching buckets.

Overall, after living with it for awhile, the design of this tractor is even better worked out than I thought it was when I purchased it. In fact, some things I didn't like too much when I bought it, I can now see have good design reasons. I got exactly what I wanted, to wit: a light duty piece of construction equipment that can easily be stripped for use as a small acreage farm tractor (except its ground clearance won't make it much food for straight cultivation of growing crops). Access is nearly as good as the Farmall, engine/drive train appears very, very solid (and has been in production for well over a decade). Nothing I have observed so far causes me to question its long-term survival. If given reasonable care, it should be running 50 years from now just like 50 year old 8Ns are - something I can't say for some of the other tractors I considered.

The big question, of course, is "would I buy the exact same tractor again if I were doing it over?" If I were going to stick with this size tractor, the answer is absolutely, unequivocally yes, The only thing I would have purchased differently is that I would have added two rear remotes instead of one, and, I might have gone with R1s (not sure about that though). However, these can be added later. If I were doing it over again, I might have given more thought to the TN series which I did drive briefly and liked very much, not so much the for HP, but for the increased reach & force of the BH & FEL. On the other hand, this tractor (TC40) is big enough to do some serious work, yet small enough to easily trailer/maneuver (have done some off property work with it), and, it was $7k-$8k less than the TN. And, gentle reader, that $8k is roughly 100 gold sovergns!

Date Purchased: 12/2002
Purchased: New
Price Paid: US$27500
Pros: Very solid, well thought out piece of equipment.
Cons: Havn't found any (yet).
Rating: