We have a John Deere 990 with 430 loader (2002 model I think) on the family cattle ranch (350 acres in west Louisiana), it is the smallest of 3 modern tractors (others are JD 6310, JD 7200). The little 990 gets a fair amount of use, particularly in the nicer weather months, lots of general use, hauling round bales of hay, either feeding or hauling in from the field after being bailed by one of the larger tractors, bush hogging, finish mowing, spreading with bucket or box blade, etc. Which gets us down to the point, with something over 1,000 hours on the meter there are a few things that will need attention soon, the tires don't have a lot of life left in them, the hydraulics are starting to leak down some while carrying heavy loads, loader bucket needs some TLC, it is even about time for a new battery, so a number of things that can add up.
So given the number of lightly used, recent model tractors that tend to show up on the used market in this size range at substantial discounts off new price (there are a LOT of hobby farms in east Texas and people that tend to buy too much tractor for their 10-20 acre plots), I am wondering if the smart move may be to sell off the 990 while it still has some value, and replace it with something newer and with fewer hours.
Overall the 990 is a good fit for our needs (particularly the lift height of the 430 loader), although as with everything there is room for improvemet, a power reverser or hydrostatic transmission would likely make hay hauling a lot easier, particularly when bailing and hauling it in from the fields. Better visibility for the FEL would also be nice, as would a joy stick FEL controller to make it fit the same style as the other tractors.
Now for the question, can you offer suggestions of models of tractors in the 40 HP ballpark to put on the short list as a potential replacement so I don't have to do a lot of research when a smoking good deal comes along. All major brands considered, while we like JD our town recently lost its JD dealership, and the nearest one is now 45 miles away, so we are less tied to JD than we once were.
thanks
So given the number of lightly used, recent model tractors that tend to show up on the used market in this size range at substantial discounts off new price (there are a LOT of hobby farms in east Texas and people that tend to buy too much tractor for their 10-20 acre plots), I am wondering if the smart move may be to sell off the 990 while it still has some value, and replace it with something newer and with fewer hours.
Overall the 990 is a good fit for our needs (particularly the lift height of the 430 loader), although as with everything there is room for improvemet, a power reverser or hydrostatic transmission would likely make hay hauling a lot easier, particularly when bailing and hauling it in from the fields. Better visibility for the FEL would also be nice, as would a joy stick FEL controller to make it fit the same style as the other tractors.
Now for the question, can you offer suggestions of models of tractors in the 40 HP ballpark to put on the short list as a potential replacement so I don't have to do a lot of research when a smoking good deal comes along. All major brands considered, while we like JD our town recently lost its JD dealership, and the nearest one is now 45 miles away, so we are less tied to JD than we once were.
thanks