Buying Advice New holland TC 29 pitfalls and pricing

[mostly_gas]

At $7000 that tractor is not going to lose much more money due to age. It will depend more on mechanical condition and a lesser extent on cosmetics. I have a '79 1700 4WD w/FEL and 1285 hrs.I estimate value about 5 to 6k.
Is the tractor really as big as you want? If not forget it.
Make a list of what it will cost to get in shape for you to run it and make that your target price

 

[nickel plate]

Is it for sale by the original owner and what kind of work did it do? Were there various farm hands using it? Could it have been a rental yard machine? I even get the feeling that the seat is all torn up by multiple operators all packing a screwdriver in their rear pocket. I'm trying to figure out why it is cosmetically so beat up. You say it has a FEL yet the headlights are damaged? I guess the FEL could have been removed at various times. How many of us over the years of tractor ownership have EVER removed our FEL just once? Now be honest!
A machine that is not cared for externally could have been planned for financial depreciation from the start so I am not in favor of that deal.

 

[karlbike]

thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to keep on looking.
I need a tractor, not a hobby. especially if it's going to be too small.

sure is tempting though, but I'm a little too tight to gamble $7000 on something that may not be what I want.

thanks again.
I appreciate the advice and will keep on reading on the site.

Karl

 

[art]

Do check the engine block to transmission housing for cracks!

 

[Raspy]

In many cases the amount of power one needs is only related to how fast they want to do something or what they perceive to be true.

I have a TC29DA I bought new. It has about 500 hours on it and it has done an enormous amount of work building a new house, making roads, digging footings, digging at least 600' of utility trenches and digging the septic tank hole. I scrape the roads and have lifted all the posts into place on the new house. It never needs more power except on very steep hills with a full bucket, but that is what the lower gears are for. Also it is easier to transport than a bigger one. Sometimes the backhoe is at it's limit, but I haven't had to compromise on depth. And that tractor will get itself into some of the tightest places to do work. Bigger is not always better.

Two of my friends are always reminding me that their tractors have 65 HP. But I'm the only one actually building things.

On the other hand, I don't like buying machinery that has been mis-treated or poorly maintained unless the deal is ridiculously cheap. You might be better off with a TC29 that is in good condition.

 

[jdboy4410]

Brin,
sorry about that,and no,i am not condemming them,i just feel that for the money,the JD is the better buy.i never abused my NH,quite the opposite,i babied it.my biggest dissappointment was for dealer support,even the NH rep would not do anything,i went round and round with them.the other thing was that it just did'nt have any guts.the guy i sold it to kept it for about a year and he too sold it and bought a kubota,same reasons why i sold it,it was just anemic in the power department.the 7308 loader i thought was just awsome.i liked it better than i do the 430 loader on my JD.mine was the hydro obviously being the D model.i bought my new JD for 2k less than i paid for the NH 3 yrs before.i have about 300 hours on my 4410,and so far,it has just been a great tractor.no lack of power.i got more tractor for less money,dealer support was excellent,had a minor wiring issue when it was new,pinched wire,they took care of it right away.there are pros and cons to all the brands,but i think JD just makes the better CUT tractor,in my opinion.i have been on ford, kubota's,NH,JD,Kiote,andTYM
CUT tractors.i still prefer the JD.they are all nice machines.i could have bought a less expensive machine,but dollar for dollar,JD has always had good residual value and they seem to hold up really well.there are some things i don't like about it,the hood is a little chincy,and it blows alot of hot air over the platform and your feet get hot,especially in the summer.i don't like that it has a cast aluminum rear axle housing either.all in all,i have just had good experiences with JD and their products. so,you see,i'm not hatin' on NH,i gave them a shot,and it did'nt work out for me.you find something that works good for you,and you stick with it.you could go on forever about it,just like the age old ford vs chevy trucks,all boils down to preference i guess.they are all good,some are just a little better than the others in different areas.i never thought my JD did anything great,but it does everything good,so i will just stick with the green machines,they have'nt let me down yet.

 

[karlbike]

so for less than the cost of the TC 29, I bought a good condition Ford 5000 diesel, with loader, (twice the tractor in every way, except 4x the age) and I got a bunch of implements.

I'd be willing to bet I could pick up the TC29 with the loader on the 5000.
as any other 40 year old equipment, it needs some TLC, but I'm optimistic that it'll do well for me. and it'll do real field work.

Eventually when I can afford it, I'll get my dream tractor, the Deere 110 (the big yellow one, not the little green one)

thanks for the advice.

karl

 

[dave1949]

so for less than the cost of the TC 29, I bought a good condition Ford 5000 diesel, with loader, (twice the tractor in every way, except 4x the age) and I got a bunch of implements.

I'd be willing to bet I could pick up the TC29 with the loader on the 5000.
as any other 40 year old equipment, it needs some TLC, but I'm optimistic that it'll do well for me. and it'll do real field work.

Eventually when I can afford it, I'll get my dream tractor, the Deere 110 (the big yellow one, not the little green one)

thanks for the advice.

karl

I think that's great.
Dave.

 

[brin]

so for less than the cost of the TC 29, I bought a good condition Ford 5000 diesel, with loader, (twice the tractor in every way, except 4x the age) and I got a bunch of implements.

I'd be willing to bet I could pick up the TC29 with the loader on the 5000.
as any other 40 year old equipment, it needs some TLC, but I'm optimistic that it'll do well for me. and it'll do real field work.

Eventually when I can afford it, I'll get my dream tractor, the Deere 110 (the big yellow one, not the little green one)

thanks for the advice.

karl

"
"I'd be willing to bet I could pick up the TC29 with the loader on the 5000."

Karl - What ? Trying to make yourself feel good about your purchase at others expense ?.. What have you been smoking...? Go ahead and try to pick up a TC29 with your tractor and report back to us...!!!!

 

[pitt_md]

So you are condemning all New Holland Tractors. In other words you were not happy with yours and then your friend was not happy with his and you sum it up saying New Holland builds some nice stuff but not as far as CUT tractors. So you rule out the possibility that you abused your tractor or got a lemon. Personally, I don't think you like New Holland. There are plenty of happy New Holland Tractor owners just as there are some disappointed John Deere, Kubota etc. owners..No sense in condemning a whole company.

It's an opinion. Based on his experience. He is entitled to voice his opinion.