JD Plastic vs NH Metal

[jaymar421]

I was on a JD 4410 (?) Packing down the newly graveled driveway that my husband put in, while he was on our NH T1520. We had someone stop by to drop off payment for a job we did. Being a tractor fan himself, also a fellow TBN-er, he checked out both tractors and pointed out the difference in the amount of metal on the NH compared to the JD, which contains more plastic. I honestly never even realized this, but it sure made us feel good about our NH T1520

 

[jdbnh]

yes for the most part NH uses metal on most of their tractors. there are some models that have plastic but IMO they are one of the only manufactures that uses a lot of metal.......ie......T1500 series, the new BOOMER series, Workmaster sereis, TD5000 series, TS6000 series, etc.

 

[jenkinsph]

I don't see any clear winners here, both metal and plastics have their own good and bad points. Plastic parts aren't cheaper to make so there are other reasons most manufacturers are using it.

 

[jinman]

Steve is right. All of NH's Boomer line up until recently had plastics used extensively in the hood and fenders. While plastics may crack and chip, they don't rust. My NH TC45D Boomer that was manufactured in 2000, has lots of plastics. The only thing that's a problem is the rusting metal operator's platform under the rubber mat. I am one who likes plastics and considers their use a plus when looking at tractors.

 

[psdx]

I bought a New Holland 1720 in 1988 - new. It had no plastic body parts. It was stored indoors exclusively. By the time it was 5 years old there was rust forming at every seam on the fenders and hood, and at numerous mounting points where there was a tab welded on to hold body parts. In 2007 I bought a 1982 Kubota B8200 with 42 hours and it looked like it came off the showroom floor - not a speck of rust anywhere.

New Holland and Kubota both make great equipment. But I found it interesting (and disappointing) that so much rust appeared on a tractor that was kept indoors. It's the luck of the draw I guess. Plastic has some obvious advantages in this area. But....how many tractors and garden tractors have I seen or read about with plastic hoods that were cracked or broken, or the hinge mount snapped off, etc? The answer is a lot.

The bottom line is that neither option is perfect. You have to pick the best for your needs. My preference would be for plastic body panels that have color all the way through and don't break .

 

[Jamming]

My JD 3005 2012 is all metal, hood, fenders, side panels, but the plastic will never rust or dent. I installed a stack exhaust in my hood and I was surprised how thick the hood sheet metal was.