Looking to purchase one of these tractors in 2wd for mowing around our farm. Farm is leased for soybean and corn but i keep field edges and barn lots mowed. Tractor will mostly be used pulling a 6 ft rotary cutter but also a 6ft tiller and light gardening. Also maybe pulling a tedder or rack in hay field. I am not new to tractors and have been around them and operated them since I was 9 years old. Ran mostly fords on farm before we started leasing. If anybody has any experiense with either of these two tractors let me know what you think.
I don't have any firsthand experience with any of the Massey-Fergusons made since AGCO bought them out decades ago. This seemed to be about when they went from a major player in the market to an also-ran, at least around here. Despite living in a Midwestern area where agriculture is a huge part of the economy, AGCO/Massey-Ferguson has almost no presence in this entire region. There are only 2 or 3 dealers in a several hour radius. The nearest one also sells New Holland and had about 75 blue tractors on the lot, and only three red ones the last time I was up there. There are dozens of Deere dealers in this region, same for Kubota, CaseIH, and slightly less for New Holland and Kioti.
I have never seen a Massey-Ferguson 2600 series unit in person. I have seen a few 4700s which are larger, fancier tractors. On paper the 2604H is a very basic tractor with a non-synchronized transmission, a two-stage live PTO, a bull gear rear end, and outboard drum brakes. The 2WD 2606H and 2607H are optioned more like the Deere with independent PTOs, synchronized transmissions, and planetary rear ends. I wouldn't have an issue with the 2604's setup based on the paper specs, but do realize it's different than what the Deere offers, so I certainly wouldn't pay similar prices for the 2604H as the 5045E.
I have a 5075E set up the same way you are looking at- open station and 2WD with the synchro transmission. This tractor is identical to a 5045E but with the engine turned up from 50 HP to 75 HP. This is a good, solid, basic tractor that should do what you want to do, and do it well. I have a 6 foot rotary cutter and a 6' tiller as well, the tractor doesn't know either one back there, and a 5045E wouldn't either. However, the tractor isn't so unmaneuverable to make it unusable for running through a big garden, we have about an acre's worth that I work with the 5075E. It's more than powerful enough to plow with a 3 bottom plow (probably wouldn't exceed that with a 5045E) but isn't so unwieldy to not be able to run the two-row cultivator and get into tight spaces. We make hay and it pulls a wheel rake and a hay rack just fine. I also have a loader and handle round bales with mine, and it does a good job at that as well. I certainly would recommend a 5045E based on my experience with the 5075E.
The others I have sat on are the CNH twins, the Workmaster 50/60/70 and Farmall 50A/60A/70A. These are offered in a similar specification as the Massey and Deere. I ended up with a Deere because the tractor was stouter, the dealer had a bunch of them in stock while the CNH dealers didn't, and I ended up paying noticeably less for the green one. Kubota does not make this kind of tractor any longer, they quit making open station 2WD utility tractors with the end of the M40 series.
