How many people own more than one brand of tractor

[MBTRAC]

A lot of good tractors there MB and very refreshing to see a list that proves you dont need all brand new paint to farm large acres . Normally we bale our own straw but occasionally if we are pushed and weather is bad i have a guy who comes with another 3x3x8 baler and uses a MB 1000 on the picker , They do seem a very simple and "fixable" tractor , Never owned one but i see your passion. I also agree on your dislike of the 8440 ...We ran 12 deeres in the 70's weaning down to the last few being 7520, 4630,4430 in turn getting changed to steigers then versatiles etc as you said too expensive to run even at a younger age than we run most of our tractors now .I also share the passion for your fiat 780 ..or at least for the several 90/90's we've had and a 110/90 turbo and a f100 turbo , i personally love fiat engines .I am surprised that you rate the whites so highly ?

Thanks - D7E you've also got a fair range of gear also, it's hard to go wrong with Steigers & Versatiles :thumbsup:. & you farm in Canada & the UK ? Wow !!!
IMO I can't see a lot of sense in always owning the biggest, latest & "greatest" gear (unless you enjoy working for the bank ) sure you need some newer tractors/gear to keep pace with efficiencies in certain farming operations but when we can buy good s/h at 40% or less of new a minor difference in fuel consumption or acres/hour doesn't justify the cost of new......& generally I find the older gear is more reliable or at least more "predictable" for breakdowns/downtime...

Don't underestimate the complexity of the MB's, get a good one & it'll last forever, buy a "dog" & you'll need a "exocist" to fix it - the engines are just about bulletproof, it's the gearboxes which are trick to set up right post rebuilds/work.

We've run most brands over the years & apart from our JD6030, I've always found JD "ownership" below their "reputation" though their resale value is good, we also did the "Challenger" thing a few times before we left that "technology" behind....just never quite proved suitable for any of our operations.

Seems you have a soft spot for Fiats too, I've always respected these Italian "Stallions"we've ran for their big hearts, reliabilty & durabilty - amongst our non-runners in sheds awaiting resto's are an old c.13,000hr Fiat 1300Super (pictured when we last dragged it into daylight months ago) & an even older 411R , & I'm close to doing a deal on reasonable houred Fiat 180/90 hopefully in the next week or 2

Don't know what it is with Whites seems you either love 'em or hate 'em - I find against other brands in the size/hp class the old 2wd 6cyl 478 Hercules or Cat V8 3208 powered Whites have an easy 5-10% or more drawbar pull, probably due to their high weight are infinitely more able to put more power to the ground + they are simple to work on & don't suffer the frame/sub assembly cracking/fatigue fractures of others + here we buy s/h White's @ c.50-65% of an equivalent machine (ditto for Allis)

Expressed in "my tractor currency" (our family/farmhands all laugh that I do not value our machines in $'s but in something else of equivalent value & overall comparative hp output performance) so 6-8x c.150-180hp s/h White's (or Allis) @ c.6000hrs = 1x new Daedong (Kioti) FWA 100hp with FEL 4/1 - as a minimum the White's will collectively provide 6000hrs+ of 150hp operation & so the 1x new 100hp Daedong needs to provide a minimum of (hp adjusted) 9000hrs before it's anywhre near a breakeven equation- hence my preference where practical of many s/h machines than running only many newer tractors......

It's funny because when I read your list I was sharing your thoughts (on Whites) for the JCB Fastrac - we had a JCB (known affectionately across our farms as "Just Completely Breaksdown" ) once & it was a disaster, you name it from Cab AC, electronics to insufficient engine cooling it failed, until we offloaded it after 10months & a mere c.400hrs of complete trauma - seems JCB attracts the same polarised opinions as Whites, my guess is we probably had the misfortune of one off "lemon" machine or maybe they're just suited to cooler climates.....strange thing is our ancient JCB Backhoes are industructable...

 

[deere755]

I have John Deere, Massey, and now a Case

 

[Rick1961]

Two Farmall 140s, an MF 135, and a Ford 3910. My family has had all since new and have been using the 140s on a small vegetable farm since I was a little whippersnapper in the 60s. The Ford has a front end loader with a bucket and hay fork. Not sure how we EVER got along without that loader!

Rick

 

[Short Game]

2001 MTD CubCadet 7300 (to replace my 7274 with the cracked block -- a small fortune in spare parts) and a 2010 LS 4010 (forerunner of the 4041).

The 4041 has much more comfort when banging along over the bumpy ground and better power for my wood chipper. The little 7300 has a superior loader, in size and strength, and does low power PTO chores (like buzz saw and wood splitter) on a few drops of fuel.

 

[farmgirl19]

I have a 1936 Avery, and a 1986 JD 1050. Both have been in the family since new. I love the JD! And, even in the 100* Texas heat, I enjoy just listening to the music of the engine! As hard as it would be for me to go back to no A/C in a vehicle, I'm sure it would be hard to go back, if I ever got the enclosed cab. As it is, I can mow all day long on less than 10 gallons of diesel. With today's fuel prices, there is something to be said for that! I don't do much large acreage, as some of you do. I am under 50 acres.

 

[Rod in Forfar]

Brand loyalty is great until another one comes along.

Massey Harris 30
Massey Ferguson 35
TAFE 351DI (same as Phil's on Duck Dynasty)
Bolens G174 (my surprise favourite)
Simplicity mower

 

[professor]

I have the following:

New Holland 3930 MFWD
Mitsubishi BD2F dozer
Yanmar 1401
Oliver 550
Farmall cub
Oliver 75 lawn tractor
Allis Chalmers 416 garden tractor
JD LX 280 lawn tractor
JD Z225 zero turn mower

 

[stuckmotor]

I got the WD because my granddad had one and I got the 261 because my brother had one. When you're as poor a mechanic as I am, it's helpful to be able to pool your knowledge and spare parts.

 

[Soundguy]

I was wondering how many folks are color blind and own more than one brand of tractor and how do they like them. Any all around favorite from your stable?
I have LS P7010C, Kubota B26and John Deere 332 garden tractor. My brother in law has John Deere 750 and New Holland T2310. I cant find any one thing that makes one brand better than the other. Mine are all totally different so uses are different so my favorite depends on what chore I am doing, but if I had to keep only one it would be the B26 for the backhoe and it being very easy to maneuver. I like the LS when moving heavy loads of dirt and when like last week, dragging over a big 3' diameter oak tree that had blown over and held in the air about 15 feet by some large limbs. No way the B26 would do that chore. The one thing that I dislike on any tractor is fixed width of wheels. Some like my B26 have a fixed width and not adjustable without expensive spacers and then only by a few inches and not sure that would even be allowed due to the back hoe weight. Wheel spacing is not much of an issue till you start trying to use cultivators or disc hippers to make rows for gardens etc. and then the CUT's are normally too narrow to straddle 2 rows and too wide for just one.

I have many brands.. jd, allis, case, IH, ford.. etc. I'm kinda partial to ford...

 

[Grateful11]

I guess we're color blind on tractors, there's 2 reds, 1 orange, 1 green and 1 green GT.