Buying Advice Looking for tractor suggestions to maintain my new property

[rScotty]

rScotty,
Good post and right on the mark. The old iron never did have an issue with pulling or brute strength. Most were made to last almost indefinately it seems, so there are quite a few to choose from too. Lots of small farms were powered by these tractors and made the difference in food production for many years after the soldiers returned from WW2. The tractors for the most part were much better made than the automobiles of that era imo.

Thank you for the backup. That old iron is so plentiful, so easily fixable, and such a good deal right now that it is hard to imagine that there will ever come a day when it isn't just sitting there waiting to be picked up.....but of course that day will inevitably come. Already we've seen it happen with some of the more popular makes. Have you priced a nice old Ford, Farmall, or JD3020 lately? They are still a great bargain for the price, but that price has gone up. I'd say that John deere with their dealership support of their own old machinery is the best of the old tractors, but parts and support for all the makes is surprisingly available.
Just for simplicity, I do prefer to go with older gasoline tractors rather than diesel. And I prefer not to go any older than the 1960's as before that there is a antique premium on some older types. Plus it wasn't until about then that tractors began to come standard with things like power steering, a universal 3pt hitch, wet brakes, high pressure hydraulics, updated cooling, live independent PTO, modern 12 volt electrics...on and on... Actually, other than the new HST transmission, not much has changed in tractors for about 50 years now.
rScotty

[Marauderer]

Welcome and enjoy your journey. Lots of great help and advice here.

[radioman]

I cant help but wonder if you are just chasing your tail here. Don't get me wrong- I LOVE old iron tractors, but without knowing your background growing up I think its the wrong tractor if you are expecting to do everything without mechanic knowledge. Old iron WILL break down just like new tractors but newer tractors parts can be readily found at your local dealer. The old iron stuff have parts out there and can be easier to fix, but without warranty and lack of mechanic underestanding can be - well, frustrating. Do you HAVE to maintain the outside areas like b and c? its perfect for the old iron stuff where its not critical- could be fun too though.
I would focus more on getting a more versatile newer type of tractor with ability to clear snow, have fel for variety of tasks ( you will wonder how you got along without one) and mid mount mower for everyday mowing. Do you know that the subcut tractors are so much more efficient in fuel then the gas mowers?

Just food for thought...

[Gale Hawkins]

radioman in these parts many tractor shops work on a wide range of old stuff. The best part they easy to work on and were not designed to require factory trained people to service them as was pointed out earlier. These are not short life machines like modern CUT's may prove to be when they are 50-75 years old like some tractors of the past era that still start, run and work daily.

CUT's are nice but the long history of these light weight imports has yet to be written. The pre computer equipment is much more simple and plastic free.

[jenkinsph]

I cant help but wonder if you are just chasing your tail here. Don't get me wrong- I LOVE old iron tractors, but without knowing your background growing up I think its the wrong tractor if you are expecting to do everything without mechanic knowledge. Old iron WILL break down just like new tractors but newer tractors parts can be readily found at your local dealer. The old iron stuff have parts out there and can be easier to fix, but without warranty and lack of mechanic underestanding can be - well, frustrating. Do you HAVE to maintain the outside areas like b and c? its perfect for the old iron stuff where its not critical- could be fun too though.
I would focus more on getting a more versatile newer type of tractor with ability to clear snow, have fel for variety of tasks ( you will wonder how you got along without one) and mid mount mower for everyday mowing. Do you know that the subcut tractors are so much more efficient in fuel then the gas mowers?

Just food for thought...

radioman,
When you consider the OP is moving to a new place with 18 acres mostly open and may have a tight budget for some time an older tractor is a viable solution. Doesn't do any good to talk about 20k to 50K tractors if the budget from the first post is 2k to 5K. Looking at the aerial view the OP posted makes me believe he can get good use out of the old iron, atleast I know I could. The new compacts are great for tight quarter work and I do alot of that work today but for open areas their advantages can dimenish quickly compared to larger new or old iron.

About the mechanical aptitude, I have found that alot can be learned by doing. Old iron is a good way to learn how to develop mechanical skills and is a less costly investment risk. I would rather encourage people to learn more about mechanics than to have them shy away from it. I have had enough old iron and currently have a 40 yr old tractor to say it is probably more dependable than the new stuff anyway.

[applescotty]

radioman,

I understand your concern about needing to do the work to maintain an older tractor. Seems very similar to something I'm more familiar with: metalworking machine tools. On the various machinist forums, there's always a new guy saying he wants to get a lathe or a mill. There's the guys that say he should buy some good old used 'American Iron', stating that they were built to last, go for scrap value these days, etc. Then there's the guys saying that you shouldn't bother messing around with old iron, that the problems you inherit aren't worth it, etc. I happen to fall on the side of old iron, since I enjoy messing around with it, and appreciate the 'style' of it more than modern import machinery. But for guys that really are just wanting to get the job done, a new import tool is often the better choice.

I certainly understand that having an old tractor sitting in the garage waiting on repairs doesn't do much good when the snow is starting to fall, the field needs to be cut, etc. I guess that's why I'll just need to buy two tractors.

Thanks again, everyone, for the input and discussion.

Scott

[MHarryE]

If you can afford the downtime old iron is the way to go because the bottom has fallen out of the market for old 2wd tractors. With part of my job being investigating fatal and major injury accidents, the one thing I had on my list as a must was a ROPS even though I survived my youth without one. However I did have a near fatal accident, on an Allis-Chalmers B, and that meant when I began planning my retirement in the future and bought this place, I immediately got rid of the old non-ROPS tractor that went with it and got a ROPS equipped replacement.

[jenkinsph]

MHarryE,

That is a good point about the rops being essential, I agree that it is worth the money to buy for safety's sake. While I was recommending old iron and mentioned my 40 year old 820 it does have a rops and canopy ordered from deere to fit this tractor.

[Soundguy]

much of the old stuff is sooo simple to work on. it was designed to be rebuilt swinging from a tree in a field by a horse farmer.

a set of paper manuals.. some basic tools and parts usually. i can get lotsa old parts from farm stores in some cases..

I cant help but wonder if you are just chasing your tail here. Don't get me wrong- I LOVE old iron tractors, but without knowing your background growing up I think its the wrong tractor if you are expecting to do everything without mechanic knowledge. Old iron WILL break down just like new tractors but newer tractors parts can be readily found at your local dealer. The old iron stuff have parts out there and can be easier to fix, but without warranty and lack of mechanic underestanding can be - well, frustrating. Do you HAVE to maintain the outside areas like b and c? its perfect for the old iron stuff where its not critical- could be fun too though.
I would focus more on getting a more versatile newer type of tractor with ability to clear snow, have fel for variety of tasks ( you will wonder how you got along without one) and mid mount mower for everyday mowing. Do you know that the subcut tractors are so much more efficient in fuel then the gas mowers?

Just food for thought...

[Soundguy]

i've been slowly outfitting my old fleet, at least the ones I drive, with rops.

hard to find.. but they are out there.. I usually finds about 1 rops a year so dfar averaged over the last few years.

I'd like to get 3 more sets ideally..

MHarryE,

That is a good point about the rops being essential, I agree that it is worth the money to buy for safety's sake. While I was recommending old iron and mentioned my 40 year old 820 it does have a rops and canopy ordered from deere to fit this tractor.