Replacing a Furgeson F-40

[wetstuff]

I have had it for 15yrs - put maybe $500 in all that time, but it is 53yrs old and really tired.

I can buy a flogged, 1000hr Kubota 30hp for about $4k more than a 5500 Mahindra with 100hrs. (both with loader..) I need it to tend to general weekend needs on 25ac - 18 wooded. (I put the Kubota in there, but the real question is about size...)

Is the 5500 waaay too heavy for my needs? I hate to pass a good deal, but I'm not about to farm my 5ac pasture - just keep it cut. I do have a 1/2mi drive ..and it was a ***** to keep it open last winter with the F-40.

I also need one other bit of advice; I am handy with hi/low, gears, etc.. but the HSTs are attractive. Are there downsides for today's over-35hp tractors having HST? Do they all whine - all-of-the-time?

Thanks.

Jim

 

[Nissan197]

Don't have any experience with the HST, but I have had no problems with my shuttle shift. I only have a 32 HP, but I personally would not want an HST on a larger tractor. That is just my opinion. What did you end up going with?

 

[Redneck in training]

I have TYM 330. It is 33 HP HST and it doesn't whine at all. TYM used to make the same tractor for Mahindra except it was gear. Don't know the model. Perhaps 3510 2007 model year.

 

[civesnedfield]

I'd go for the Mahindra. 20 hp more for 4k less, it's a no brainer. Yes it is a heavy machine but it will do all you need to do and more, Take part of that 4k ya saved and get a nice 6 or 7 foot bush hog, field maintence will go a little quicker.
You'd be surprised how quickly you were wishing you had the bigger machine if you go with the smaller one.

 

[knute_m]

I have had it for 15yrs - put maybe $500 in all that time, but it is 53yrs old and really tired.

I can buy a flogged, 1000hr Kubota 30hp for about $4k more than a 5500 Mahindra with 100hrs. (both with loader..) I need it to tend to general weekend needs on 25ac - 18 wooded. (I put the Kubota in there, but the real question is about size...)

Is the 5500 waaay too heavy for my needs? I hate to pass a good deal, but I'm not about to farm my 5ac pasture - just keep it cut. I do have a 1/2mi drive ..and it was a ***** to keep it open last winter with the F-40.

I also need one other bit of advice; I am handy with hi/low, gears, etc.. but the HSTs are attractive. Are there downsides for today's over-35hp tractors having HST? Do they all whine - all-of-the-time?

Thanks.

Jim

Jim,

I'm not familiar with the F-40, but I've had a MF-35 and an MF135, which appear to be quite similar. I've had a number of other 1940s and 1950s gasoline tractors of similar size. About a dozen years ago I discovered Japanese diesel tractors after I told myself that I said I'd never buy another tractor that was around my age.

My very first little Japanese tractor was a Yanmar 1500. What a work beast. I've bought and sold a number of others since then -- until I bought a new Mahindra a few years ago.

I have found that the 20-25 hp 4WD small diesels will do everything the old gasoline engine Ford, Ferguson, Ford-Ferguson, Massey series in the 30-40 hp range would do -- but a lot better, with a lot less fuel, and a heck of a lot less maintenance.

I love my Mahindra, but all of the Japanese 4WD diesel tractors, except the sub-compact utility tractors, will more than make you happy if you are replacing an old 2WD gasoline engine tractor.

I live on 25 acres of WV mountain land. My gravel driveway is about 1/2 mile, some of which is very steep. I grade with a 7-foot rake. I plow snow with a 6-foot blade. I brushhog about 5 acres. I skid half-cords of bucked timber. I dig holes, and I move a lot of everything with the front-end loader. I also have the backhoe. I've done a lot of landscaping with a 5-foot box scraper.

My little baby tractor is only 20 hp, but it will run circles around any 50 year-old 4-6 cylinder 2WD gasoline tractor.

Don't be afraid to go too big or too small. It just takes longer to do certain jobs with a smaller tractor as compared to a bigger tractor. I love my small tractor because I can maneuver in very tight spots, and for most jobs, its size does not affect the time it takes me to do a job -- expect with the front-end loader. Unless a machine has been severely abused, 1000 hours isn't anything to be concerned about. 100 hours is nearly the equivalent of a "demonstrator car" with 1000 miles on it.

Don't get hung up on color or brand. Just make sure you have access to a good dealer for whatever brand you buy.