Buying first tractor - storing outdoors -Critter Concerns

   / Buying first tractor - storing outdoors -Critter Concerns
  • Thread Starter
#11  
A FEL would be nice but not a necessity, my main trailer is an old flat bed I use for moving brush, timber and debris from the house I am remodeling. (old 1890s farmhouse -lots of plaster). I also have an old pickeup bed that someone made into a trailer and attached 9 feet of scaffolding to. This comes in handy when maneuvered close to the house. I used it to re-roof and I still need to finish siding and soffits etc. Thus something that can be moved close with some control would be helpful. A decent PTO would be nice for brush-hog etc.
 
   / Buying first tractor - storing outdoors -Critter Concerns #12  
4570Man said:
What's the intended use besides pulling trailers? Do you want a FEL. Do you want 4wd? How heavy are the trailers?
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Are you kidding? For one or two thousand?
 
   / Buying first tractor - storing outdoors -Critter Concerns
  • Thread Starter
#13  
   / Buying first tractor - storing outdoors -Critter Concerns #14  
   / Buying first tractor - storing outdoors -Critter Concerns #15  
Ford 2000; 3 cyl. gas; 4/1 trans....last spring I bought my Ford 2000, including a bush hog, for $2000 after shopping in CraigsList for several months. No FEL. Happened to hit it just right and got a good deal although the tractor needed some minor work. It's purely a man-toy for me (with my wife's blessing) as I have no farmland but it's much more tractor than the 8N's which are very common in Georgia and plentiful on CL. I've been able to buy useful implements for cheap on CL with patience and the will to drive a ways for a bargain. Having no trailer, I rented a 'car hauler' from UHaul for the couple of times I've had to move the tractor behind my 1994 6-cylinder F150. UHaul will ask what the tractor weight is when you rent the trailer so do your homework. Tractordata.com is a great resource. I park my tractor in the back yard under a tarp. Got mice droppings once but haven't seen them since I put out some blocks of green poison. Also, I mess with the tractor frequently and that might be the reason the mice/rats don't hang around. Good luck on your hunt for a tractor.

Forgot to mention that, while I'm a long way from being an expert, I'd recommend a tractor with a 3-point hitch and pto as implement choices are plentiful and will continue to be in the future. My Ford has Cat 1 hitch, very common.
 
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   / Buying first tractor - storing outdoors -Critter Concerns #16  
jenkinsph said:
Are you kidding? For one or two thousand?
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Well he is probably not going to find much of anything at that price. Wouldn't it make more sense to increase the budget a little ( or multiple it by 3 ) and get a tractor that actually does want he needs to do. I have $3,000 in my B7100 without the finish mower.

image-84931607.jpg
 
   / Buying first tractor - storing outdoors -Critter Concerns #17  
   / Buying first tractor - storing outdoors -Critter Concerns
  • Thread Starter
#18  
These were just examples. If the right deal comes up. Budget isn't the main issue. The issue is I want something simple that won't get me in the doghouse the first time it doesn't start because some critter chewed something. (If I can fix it in less than an hour, I wont look like an idiot :)

I paid close to 4K for my mower ZT used, and 1.5 on my simplicity legacy garden tractor that has a category 0 three point and PTO. And these run on small gas engines (27HP Kawasaki and 21HP kohler). They are basically high end residential/light industrial; gear, but compared to a big tractor toys. I want something that can apply power to a big frame and move a trailer, or a back blade etc. with relative ease. This is a hobby farm, with basic chores. Thus I cannot get a kitchen pass for a 40HP diesel 4x4.
I just want something somewhat reliable that can maneuver my implements around the acreage with some style. And to be honest nodding back to the yesteryear is OK with me. My main concern is low maintenance. (annual oil change, check coolant, fix this or that, but no need for clutches, pistons or valves every other year etc.)

Simple is good.

I remember the old JD B tractor sat out for two maybe 3 or 4 years when my grand dad got older, and respectively stopped giving it love. I added some new gas, cleaned the carb and fuel bowl and POP!! It ran. (not good but it ran :) After about 1/2 and hour of idling and just moving around the farm slowly the things acted like new.

Now that doesn't mean just because I', a little sentimental about a 52 JD B. I want a big green 2 cylinder tractor. Maybe a ford 8n or a jubilee would be a better choice? 4 cylinder, 3point with live hydraulics, wide front end and still fairly compact. Or an Allis WD45 etc.

Which tractors, are still cheap? Easy to maintain? and have enough control (Finesse) that I can trust it to move stuff in close quarters?

Thanks

BSA
 
   / Buying first tractor - storing outdoors -Critter Concerns #19  
An 8n doesn't have live hydraulics. It will run a bush hog, but not well because first gear is too fast. A Jubilee aka NAA will be a little better and a little more expensive. A 600 or 800 series Ford is probably the easiest tractor to find with the features you want close to the price range you mentioned. Unfortunately they aren't anywhere near as common as the Ns.

One of my 8Ns has the Sherman over and under drive transmission, which provides 12F and 3R gears. This makes the tractor much more useful. Unfortunately, it also changes the PTO speed, so it doesn't fix the too high first gear problem. It is however indispensable for moving trailers with precision. Throw it into low range in first and you can crawl wherever you need to. I'd part with that tractor for what they're asking for that H, by the way, and I could deliver too.
 
   / Buying first tractor - storing outdoors -Critter Concerns #20  
As far as the old Farmal's go I would consider a Super M over an H, because it would be a good heavy tractor for your uses.

For Deere and newer tractors with a good 3 point hitch I would consider almost any of the Twenty Series 820, 1020, 1520 2020 and 2520 for starters. These Deere tractors were built in the 60's and 70's and are old enough to be cost effective yet still good tractors.
 
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