Comparison Need a ~65-85hp tractor, looking at several options, not sure which is best

[D7E]

the ford 7710 is the best tractor in that list or the little IH 684

 

[Siorus]

According to your original post you have 8 + 10 acres to mow. You started out telling us it was hilly, rough ground. Now you're telling us you want to run over it at 7-10 mph, effortlessly cutting a 12 ft swath. And you'd like it to have 4wd and a cab, all for under $20k max. However you are willing to buy used and willing to turn some wrenches.

OK. Here's a search some equipment for sale in Missouri that meets your criteria.

TractorHouse.com | 4 HP To 99 HP Tractors For Sale In - 8 Listings - Page 1.

List includes two cab models with about 5,000 hours.

The cutter or flail will probably be another $5k on top of the tractor cost.

Good luck with mowing rough ground or slopes at 7-10 mph with any of this equipment.

The Kubota and the Allis are both on my radar; doing research on both now. Also looking at stuff that's somewhat more expensive; my budget isn't a strict ceiling, I'm just trying to spend as little as possible because whatever money I sink into another tractor is money I'm not going to spend on cars, and the more research I do the more I find that I'm going to end up spending more than I wanted to. So it goes. *shrug*

Already priced the mower. And yes, I'm aware that I may ultimately not be able to safely manage 6 acres/hr of mowing with these things (7mph @ an 87" cut width) on this terrain; that's fine. It's a hypothetical best-case scenario that I'm using as the basis for sizing the machine. It may never happen in the real world. However, sizing for that scenario should help ensure that I have a comfortable excess of power in real-world use. That's what I want. I'm fully aware of and ok with paying the ongoing penalty of increased operating costs to have surfeit capacity that I may never fully utilize.

 

[LouNY]

Any of those tractors will do the job, to me it would be which ever one fits you the best. I would prefer a row crop to the utility, as I get older so many of the utilities you have to climb into and then you are straddling the transmission and hydraulics it will get hot in the summer with or without a cab and they can be a royal pain to get off of. As far as getting your mowing done quicker go with a batwing and cover more width slower your equipment and back and wallet will thank you. Also consider larger 100-125 hp field tractors may not be much difference in price from the smaller ones

 

[Siorus]

Well, I figured I'd post an update on what I ended up deciding on.

I just bought a '79 Ford 6600, about 4500 hours. Sold new by the dealer I bought it from. Cab, heat, a/c, radio. Needs some work; they just did an a/c compressor on it but the a/c system is still not working correctly, and it appears to be weeping oil out of the head gasket (I'm hoping that it's just an external oil leak).

In any case, it starts easily and sounds healthy, appears to run fine in all gears (at least without a load on it), the clutch and brakes feel fine, it even still had the factory threaded PTO shaft cover on it, so. Overall, I think it's a decent machine.

I would have been much, much happier with something with 4wd because I feel it has a significant impact on the stability of the tractor under certain conditions. But that just wasn't going to happen given what I wanted to spend and how far I was willing to drive to look at stuff.

I should probably start a new thread for this, but, question:
Does the factory cab on the 6600 function as a ROPS? It was my understanding that it does, based on some of my reading, but the machine has no seatbelt and I had someone today very emphatically insist that it is not a ROPS, and the pillars certainly look a little flimsy up close.

 

[BAP]

Well, I figured I'd post an update on what I ended up deciding on.

I just bought a '79 Ford 6600, about 4500 hours. Sold new by the dealer I bought it from. Cab, heat, a/c, radio. Needs some work; they just did an a/c compressor on it but the a/c system is still not working correctly, and it appears to be weeping oil out of the head gasket (I'm hoping that it's just an external oil leak).

In any case, it starts easily and sounds healthy, appears to run fine in all gears (at least without a load on it), the clutch and brakes feel fine, it even still had the factory threaded PTO shaft cover on it, so. Overall, I think it's a decent machine.

I would have been much, much happier with something with 4wd because I feel it has a significant impact on the stability of the tractor under certain conditions. But that just wasn't going to happen given what I wanted to spend and how far I was willing to drive to look at stuff.

I should probably start a new thread for this, but, question:
Does the factory cab on the 6600 function as a ROPS? It was my understanding that it does, based on some of my reading, but the machine has no seatbelt and I had someone today very emphatically insist that it is not a ROPS, and the pillars certainly look a little flimsy up close.

Post some pictures of the cab. If it is a factory cab, then it most likely has the ROPS built in. It could be an aftermarket cab because that was at the time period that both could be had for those tractors and some were better than others for protection. Most likely it is factory cab and those were good cabs for the time and quite roomy. We had several Fords from the mid 70’s to the late 80’s. Good tractors.

 

[LouNY]

If it is ROPS certified cab it should have a tag usually riveted on a pillar easily visible stating so.