4WD VS. Hydro

[mwagoner]

I recently looked at two Ford 1210 Compact tractors at two different dealers and would like to get some of the experienced TBN opinions. One of the 1210s I looked at was four wheel drive and Gear Transmission, the other is two wheel drive but has a Hydrostatic Transmission.
What is the preference in this case?
I would be using this tractor primairly to finish mow about 2 acres and then bush hog another 3 acres that is moderately hilly. The prices are relatively close.
What do y'all think?
Thanks,

Matt

[shakman]

Personally, I would go for the FWD/GST combo. The 10 acres I have to maintain has some pretty good hills as well and the FWD comes in real handy when performing FEL and shredder operations. When you have that much weight either in front or in back of your mule, the balance of the mule shifts accordingly. Having the ability to power both of your axles reduces the chance of slippage on hilly/slippery terrain.

What you need to determine for yourself is do you want the stability/traction afforded to you by the FWD, or do you want ease of operation? Obviously, I can't answer that for you, but I can tell you this: I have a TC29 GST with the FWD and I wouldn't do it any other way! Once you get used to the operation of the GST, it's a piece of cake.

Just my 2 cents worth...

If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you!

[cowboydoc]

Hydro will be easier to use but you will have more versatility and greater use out of your tractor with the mfwd. If it's a question of hydro or the mfwd go with the mfwd.

[Bird]

Matt, naturally I want both mfwd and hydro, but given your choices, I'd have to agree with the other guys and go for the mfwd.

[Jag]

MW, Cowboy Doc is right... Almost every day I get to work my tractor there are places I can not get or things I can not do without 4WD. My tractor is a 29 horse 4WD gear. The hydro is great for loader operation and other jobs where you are reversing a lot. Any 4wd will do much more and get into and out of that 2wd can not. On a small tractor most people can not believe what difference 4wd can be till they use it....

[DONOTDELETE]

<font color=blue>...then bush hog another 3 acres that is moderately hilly...</font color=blue>

Many ag tractor tests have shown with identical tractors, one with 2wd and the other MFWD... the MWFD will always give you an effective 15 - 25% increase in "grunt" drawbar hp over the 2wd version...

Note this only effects drawbar/pulling... not PTO...

In your case, I would reconsider the "brush hog" aspect with only 13.5 PTO hp to work with... for finish mowing it would be fine. I'd look for a minimum of 16 PTO hp for even minor brush hogging. Those couple extra PTO hp will make a day and night difference for hogging...

I've seen these {1983-89 Ford 1210 tractors} going for an average of $1800-2200. at auctions, most with finish mowers attached.

If you have your heart set on this unit, test it on your property for 15 minutes brush hogging your worst stuff and then decide...[img]/w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

[jinman]

My vote is with the 4WD and total agreement with John Miller about the PTO hp and brush hogging. Give it a try before you buy. I brush hog mow with a 31 hp tractor and 5 ft cutter. In heavy grass/weeds it really can be tough. It all depends on the type of stuff you want to cut and how often you plan to cut it.


JimI

[gerard]

seems like you got a pretty good consensus - this was a no brainer. You can do things with a 4wd that you can't do with a 2wd but all the hydro gives you vs gear is some convenience.

[mwagoner]

John,
Where are you located?
At these auctions do they normally have compacts? I look in the paper all the time and none of the machinery auctions around here mention compacts, so I never go.
If I could get one for $2000 I think I could make it Brush hog what I have. I am thinking that I would routinely brush hog and it wouldn't be a lot of big stuff to cut. With regular maintenance I figure a Finish mower would cut most of it.
Using a finish mower would be it's primary use. Would a 1210 power a 5' finish mower?
I would like to find something that would replace my lawn mower and still be able to brush hog on occassion. The 1210 just seems to be a good size and decent price ($4500). However I am not set on this brand or model.
Thanks for help.

Matt

[DONOTDELETE]

Hi Matt,

I’m in Upstate New York, outside Albany, the Capital District area…

A number of auctions with those units are “municipalities”… not at ag auctions. Farmers around here don’t use compact tractors.

Around here, what drives the “prices up” on the compacts are a number of individuals coming up from downstate NY {NYC & NJ & CT area’s}… in a number of cases they end up bidding more than retail… against each other…

I don’t know how great the 5’ finish mower would be, but a 4’ shouldn’t be any problem with that amount of hp… Mostly, the word tractor with a PTO shaft hanging off the rear denotes doing lots of work… but if it’s too small… it just plain won’t work well… It’s like you wouldn’t hook up a 6 bottom plow to a 35 HP farm utility tractor because just don’t have enough available hp to do the job… but yet we are talking a real farm tractor…

Everything has its limitations, whether you’re using 15 horsepower or 150 horsepower…

I think in your case, you may consider paying someone to brush hog the nasty stuff a couple times, till grass takes over and then you do the finish mowing yourself…