Buying Advice JD 790 or NH TC30 Which is better?

[JD500]

Hi, I was looking at tractors and came across this site. I see some people have given the 790 a bad review. Too light seems to be the same complaint.
So here is what I am looking for. A 4x4 30Hp Gear driven tractor with Front end loader. I have a 2020 and a 500A backhoe. Which are to heavy to get in the back yard. So the One ton weight of the 790 and Tc 30 seem to be right for me. The tractor will be used to move topsoil. Some light grading. Maybe a tiller. Last maybe snow. Any thoughts? Can the tractor go into a topsoil pile and come out with a full bucket?

Oh, Unless it is Allis orange, there will never be a orange tractor on this property.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I had the 770, essentially the same as the 790, less a few HP. GREAT high quality Yanmar tractor. Never had a loader on it. Belly mower and front snow blower.

The transmission was the reason I got rid of it. Just not enough available speeds. Blowing snow was always either too fast or too slow. And it's a dry clutch, so not one you want to ride. It's not an arrangement I would want for any serious loader work, not that a compact is capable of that anyway. IMO.

I just remembered something. A good friend whos Dad was an Allis dealer, never had anything else on the property. He never had much good say about green, and yet guess which tractor he recently got? A JD 870 I believe, with loader. He seems to have warmed up to it and havn't heard a curse word about it. And these guys will push any piece of equipment to its limits!

 

[amaxwell]

I had a 790 and it was a solid tractor. The thing a disliked most was not having a shuttle shift while doing loader work. I still wish I had kept the 790 instead of trading it in on my larger tractor. There are some times, when a small tractor as the 790 just works better.

 

[thatguy]

the 790 is pretty 'bullet proof' and has stood the test of time.. The biggest issue most ppl have, as mentioned, is the transmission for FEL work..

Either one would probably serve you well..

 

[joe12185]

I own the predessor to the tc30 a 93 ford 1715, I have plowed snow with it, just need some chains because the grip is not the best with turf tires. transmission I have is 3 fwd and 1 reverse with high, med and low ranges, I have not found any use for any more gears than that. it will handle a 60 inch rotary mower with no issues as long as you use the correct transmission fluid. (I had an issue with the internal overrun clutch disengaging when I put TSC fluid in it, switched back to NH134G and tractor is working fine.) My tractor is equipped with a single stage clutch which is not the best for mowing, but it works. If you want a gear drive tractor, I am impressed with my 1715, it is a very strong tractor for 27HP I would consider the TC30. It does not sound like the tractor will have a hard life with you as you have larger machines to do the heavy lifting when needed.

 

[RoyJackson]

I had a 790 for 6 years...great tractor with the same two caveats others wrote about...light weight and the transmission (my complaint about the transmission was just the reverse gears...reverse low being too slooooowwww, reverse high being too fast (at PTO RPM).
As far as the weight...easy fix...put a ballast box full of sand (or what ever you want to use) on the 3PH. If you intend to plow snow, rear ballast (chains too if you have R-4 tires) is essential.

 

[Hiltz]

I cant comment on the NH but I have had a JD 790 for almost 15 years. Never a problem. Comments about it being a little light are valid and I sometimes wish it had more lifting power on the FEL but for my needs it is a great little tractor. If I was on it 8 hours a day moving dirt or a lot of back and forth traveling the shifting of gears would get old but I specifically wanted this non complicated tractor as my use of the machine is limited to a couple of hours a week.

 

[dirt ditch]

Bought my 790 new seven years ago. Great tractor & never have had a problem with it. I solved the gear / loader thing by buying a skid steer...

 

[FredH]

I have a TC30 with HST . My Brother has a newer JD 3005 gear transmission . Although Basically both are in the range of 30 hp tractors , I look at the JD as a more solid tractor , as in the way it is built . I have moved 80+ yards of topsoil with mine form in Our field were it was dumped , to the new lawn area on end of House , a distance of maybe 100 feet , one way . With the HST , it was a pretty fast process .
Tires also effect choice also . I have wide R4's ag's while My Bro's are a much narrower R4 . Now in muddy areas , He would not float , thus would likely get better traction , but in working around house or in areas that You would rather tread lightly , My tires are are better since they tear up the surface a lot less .

Here is a site that You can look up data on just about what ever you need in a tractor .

TractorData.com - information on all makes and models of tractors

Fred H.

 

[super55]

I had a kubota L2500 DT which is about the same Hp and weight of a 790 and I loved the thing. The only downside was snowplowing in reverse. With only two reverse speeds and no live PTO it was a tricky procedure but I got pretty darn good with it.

I loved the thing for loader work. That thing was unstoppable for filling up the bucket. I would break lose with all four Ag tires before I ever ran out of power as long as in the right gear. I rarely if ever stalled it because once I heard the engine lug down I'd just press the clutch and off i'd go again. It had an unsyncronized trans but I could tell when I had the RPMs in the sweet spot by the engine sound when I could upshift on the fly.

If you're good with a gear shift I would go with either by all means. They are pretty indestructible. If you find a smaller older kubota L series you might want to give that a look as well. I had 800 hours on mine and never had one single issue.