Buying Advice New member seeks help for first tractor purchase

[tmac196]

Hello all,

I am looking t o move out of the burbs and purchase 15-20 acres where I can keep my horses and learn to raise my own hay. I have recently become enamored with the Farmall Letter series tractors. I like the old iron, I guess.

I am contemplating purchasing one of these tractors for general farm use and, of course, for fun. Duties would include land clearing (light brush and small saplings - the property has been overgrown for 15 years now - old cow pasture - the land is flat and relatively sandy soil), finish mowing, hay cutting and raking and perhaps general grounds maintenance (snow removal, riding arena dragging), plowing and discing the hay fields, etc.

I need advice on whether this is feasible with these old tractors and, if so, what should I look for in this class of old tractors to define if a given tractor is worth the price. What should a buyer look for to differentiate a good tractor from a bad one?

Thanks in advance. I also posted this on the Case-IH forum, but I thought this looked like a good place for advice, too.

tmac

 

[beenthere]

:welcome:
The old 50's IH letter tractors, H and M, were and still can be great tractors. But the usefulness of the new CUTs makes everyday chores much much easier.
For a company that has stuck around over the long haul, go to Deere or Kubota.

Buy a modern CUT and pick up some of the old iron to play with and to fill in the extra need for a second tractor.

 

[BruceWard]

I bought and have been using a Kubota B21 for clearing 4 acres to build a house. Prior to that I have used a MF35 and Ford 4100 (with FEL) on the farm for hay, discing and bush hogging.

The MF35 and Ford 4100 farm tractors are larger, heavier and stronger. But they would be much less useful for the clearing and dirt work I have been doing. The Farmall's with their narrow front wheels could be very dangerous. I am often working on uneven soil where tipping is a risk.

Personally I would buy something with a FEL and 4WD for the initial cleanup then buy the antique once you have it cleaned up and can carry out all future tasks with 3 point hitch implements.

 

[texas42]

I grew up on a dairy farm and we had both an H & M Farmall.
They were great tractors for their time - dependable, powerful etc.
If you find a well restored one now you will spend 3 to 5,000 dollars for it.
We had a FELD on one and that about made the tractor useless for any other work. Additionally, compared to the FELD on today's CUT's it really wasn't much of a FELD but rather a manure loader.
I agree with Beenthere, these would be fun to play with, but the modern CUT's with their much better hydraulics, power steering, wide front end, live PTO and other features make them a much better machine for the work you have in mind. For instance, if I remember correctly all the attachments had only single acting hydraulics, so no down pressure.

 

[tmac196]

beenthere, Bruce and Texas,

Thank you for the replies. I'm gratified to hear you advice as this is exactly what I had in mind. The Farmall is to be a second tractor for the jobs listed. A CUT would be the primary.

As to my original question, I have found this web site: www.farmall-h.com/ has information on pre-purchase inspections. Any other advice would be most welcome.

tmac

 

[TripleR]

Pretty much in agreement with others. I grew up with Ford and we still own two that my brothers use regularly, but we have more modern, powerful, comfortable tractors for the serious work.

I love the old iron, but use modern equipment exclusively now.