Possibly goin' green. Partly anyway.5425N

[Dingeryote]

Gent on a neighbor farm, went back to work wrangling a keyboard and leased out his operation.
That left him with equipment to liquidate, and he gave me first dibs.

I'm not a Green guy, growing up and still running other stuff, mostly Landini and NH.
He's got a 5425N with the power reverser tranny, MFWD, and every gadget and gizmo deere could shove into the cab.
The price is too good not to jump on it, swallow some blue pride, and ease off some on the old 85F and 1920.
The thing has 670 hours and is cleaner than my coffee pot.

The bizzarro tranny with the goofy toggle, electrogizmotronic 3pt controls, and all the electronic stuff in general has me wondering though.
I'm used to levers and not solenoids everywhere, and the whole flipping a lever without using the clutch is just...well..wrong.

Whats the track record on these power reverser trannys, and all the gizmos in general?
Do they hold up worth a hoot for 20+ years? Maint. costs?

The local Deere dealer is A+++ and golden plated diamonds IMO, but he does know how to explode an inputs budget with shop rates.
If this thing is a sick bay commando, and the gizmos don't hold up, it sucks the fun out of the bargain, and there's nothing I hate worse than a 2 day window to spray, and a tractor that gets a case of the Divas.

I'm looking for opinions and folks experiences with the model before pulling the trigger.
I appreciate folks taking thier time if you don't mind.

Thanks!
Dingeryote

[Tx Jim]

My being an old fart I lean towards the non electronically controlled hyd & trans controls. I fail to see the advantage of all the relay controlled functions. Of course my tenure spent as a JD dealer service manager diagnosing electrical failures including relays & wiring harnesses contributes to my dislike. My orange colored tractor with a manual cable controlled hyd reverser operates smooth enough for me. It will be interesting to see what the others state.

[jenkinsph]

I recommend people buy what they like, I certainly wouldn't buy a tractor you feel uneasy with. I like deere well enough that it is all I have right now and that is five of them. While this sounds biased to some it is mostly because the Deere dealer is 50 miles closer than any others. If you are fixated on older style tractors and are happy with them why change?

[Dingeryote]

Jenk,

When it comes down to Narrow tractors, options are limited, and there are no good used Narrow options normally.
Folks run the crap out of them, spray dope eats things, and they simply get run to the point a refurb isn't cost effective.

Not fixated so much as I am forced to stray.
Got one of the best deere dealers in the country just down the road, and the price on this one is really good if the things aren't Divas.

I like what works. What my family ran and what I have been running, either dosn't exist anymore, or has become less than optimal.
Trust me, if IH came out with a Narrow 80hp MFWD Cab tractor that would turn as well as a Landini, and wasn't filled with electrogizmo crap, I'd be on it like white on rice. That ain't happening.

[jenkinsph]

I don't think any of the new tractors are similar to the older tractors I grew up with. They are just completely different machines. You may have good memories of the older IH tractors but I wouldn't think these are anything like the new stuff. The same is true for deere and the other brands, tractors have become more complex and the EPA isn't helping anything either.

[Dingeryote]

I don't think any of the new tractors are similar to the older tractors I grew up with. They are just completely different machines. You may have good memories of the older IH tractors but I wouldn't think these are anything like the new stuff. The same is true for deere and the other brands, tractors have become more complex and the EPA isn't helping anything either.

No kidding. Been running a 96' Landini 85F for the last 9 years and thought it was pretty updated, untill I got a look at all the electronic controls, and hyper complex drivelines on the newer Deere Orchard tractors.
Now Landini is doing the same thing, but maintaining the simpler controls. No excuse for what they did to the Perkins mill though, despite the EPA nonsense there is no excuse. I'd be in a new Landini or McCormick in a heartbeat if they kept the old Perkins.

I'm actually looking at the 5425N because of it's pre tier 3 Mill, bieng more robust than the current stuff in any line up. Dadgum EPA needs to be defunded and flushed.
It's the goofy electro/hydro tranny and electrics doing what a simple lever will do, that has me balking and wondering how long all those switches, servos, solenoids and wires will hold up.

[jenkinsph]

I can tell you this much, I have an 820 (1973), a 4520cab (2009) and a 110tlb. All similar in size and I like them all but the new tractors are much easier to operate in close quarters without a doubt. The 820 has been bullet proof and is 40 years old this year and I doubt that the new ones will be able to maintain this kind of track record no matter what brand. The newer ehydros I have have been great so far, I wouldn't worry about them. The power reverser trannies and power shift tractors have also done well. Nothing wrong with a gear tractor for most uses as they are dependable too but you do give up some convenience for the simplicity. My suggestion is to widen your scope and give the newer machines a chance. I say this because if you are not retirement age you will likely have to get used to it at some point.

Now I am not going to tell you that you won't have problems with all the electrical components in the newer tractors but they are not as bad as you may think. There are lots of things these newer tractors will do that a simple lever can't do. As an example a customer handed me a bag of seed that was about 15 lbs and $300 in cost, I need to spread this over 3 acres evenly. Being able to control my speed in .1mph increments makes this easier to do.

I suspect that narrow tractors are hard to find as low hour but older models. Most buyers of these tractors are commercial or farm oriented and would see more use than the common utility tractors. Lots of times I have seen very low hour utility tractors such is the case with my 820 bought it in 1996 with 1180 hours on it, so only 50 hours/yr.

My suggestion would be to look over the used tractors that fit your needs and try to determine their overall condition and suitability for your needs. I wouldn't be overly concerned about the newer electrical components so much.

[Dingeryote]

Thanks Jenk!!

Some good thoughts there. You're right, as sooner or later, the only thing available will be plastered with electric gizmos, and my retirement plan is to keep farming untill I become a billionaire...and THEN retire. Getting used to it now, will likely save me some angst when I'm 94.

Yep. You guessed right. Narrow Tractors around here, easily rack up 400+ hours a year between tilling, mowing, and spraying alone. More if they are the only Narrow tractor on the operation. No way around it when there is only 6' or less of real clearance in the rows.
Flail mowers and cannon sprayers eat HP so the smaller CUT's that might fit, are useless, as are the thousands of older 60+HP mid sized Utility tractors that are low hours and cheap.

I made up my mind and am gonna grab the deere and give it a run.
If it drives me nuts or gets a case of the divas, I'll can always sell it for what I have in it or better, and go grab one of the compromised Landini's so I can cuss progress for a different reason. LOL!

Thanks for the thoughts!

[Dingeryote]

Well, I got her home.






Looks like it's off to the deere shop for it's 600 hour valve lash adjustment, and general check up.
Untill I find a shop manual, and some time getting framilliar with it, I'm not taking a wrench to it...and there's no time for that, with spring looming and other stuff in the shop.


Thanks for the thoughts and opinions gang!
I suppose it will work out great for a Spray tractor, and for mowing/tilling once things get into the hotter months.
Darn thing is about as comfy as a tractor gets.

[Robert_in_NY]

Where are you located and what are you growing? I like the deere narrow tractors and they do have a great reputation around here. Higher then the CNH offerings as far as reliablitity is concerned and the cabs are roomier as well.