Buying Advice How can a total noob buy a tractor?

[Borfly]

hi all,

So, I want to buy a tractor, and am mostly interested in Ford 1920 and 1720s. The problem is, I don't have a clue what I am doing. I have little mechanical experience and don't even know how to drive or start a tractor.

Can anyone offer some advice on how to go about it?

 

[Agrantina]

welcome-- You are not unlike most here.. Just ask alot of questions and take what is good and ingnore the rest. I used a 1720 for many years and they are good tractors. Not a lot in HP but good tractors. Should post what you are going to use it for- 80% of the time and list what the use will be 20% of the time. This way folks can give better advice. Tractors are a lot of fun and great to own. Just remember dam things are dangerous also...

AndyG

 

[TigerfaninAR]

Your post described me a year ago minus the interest in the Fords. Knew I would be needing a tractor so what did I do? I read this site for months, everyday. I looked at tractorhouse and ebay to get good ideas what tractors were selling for in my area. I watched countless youtube videos on everything from starting a tractor to attaching a pto shaft. Watched just about every video on everythingattachments.com as well. Went to a few dealerships to just kick the tires. Met some great salesmen who answered any question I had.

Finally had to just take a leap of faith and buy one. Bought a used Kubota last April or so and the learning really started. I should have recorded my first attempt at attaching a boxblade, wow. While no where near the folks on this site I can attach what I need, change oil, filters and basic things although I'm sure it could have been done better by someone else.

Use the internet to learn the terms, use the heck out of the search button on this site, I'm sure its been covered before. Good luck.:welcome:

 

[flusher]

hi all,

So, I want to buy a tractor, and am mostly interested in Ford 1920 and 1720s. The problem is, I don't have a clue what I am doing. I have little mechanical experience and don't even know how to drive or start a tractor.

Can anyone offer some advice on how to go about it?

Get as much seat time as you can on whatever tractor you can find. That'll give you a little tractor experience.

Those Fords you mentioned are 10-20 year old designs built in Japan with 3-cylinder Shibaura diesel engines. If you don't have experience repairing vehicles, then before you buy one of these, find out where you can get parts and service. If your budget allows, you probably should consider newer used tractors that might not need a lot of repairs.

 

[Ductape]

Your post described me a year ago minus the interest in the Fords. Knew I would be needing a tractor so what did I do? I read this site for months, everyday. I looked at tractorhouse and ebay to get good ideas what tractors were selling for in my area. I watched countless youtube videos on everything from starting a tractor to attaching a pto shaft. Watched just about every video on everythingattachments.com as well. Went to a few dealerships to just kick the tires.

Excellent advice ! :thumbsup:

 

[Borfly]

Wow, fast advice!

Here's the deal: We just moved from 10 to 40 acres so my wife could get more serious with her horse business. The house is a fixer-upper and it also has an older indoor arena (50x150) and a nice garage/shop. The land is mostly neglected hay fields and maybe 15 acres of woods at the back. Couple of ponds. Quite nice- in the Schoharie valley of NY, if anyone knows where that is.

So, I'll need it for removing snow, brushhogging, moving manure and firewood, post hole digging, pulling a manure spreader, and I'm sure a bunch of other stuff.

I'm not really inept mechanically, and having a shop where I can work will help. Time is a bit of an issue though. There are several tractor dealers nearby, so I think I should be able to find a mechanic.

 

[jenkinsph]

Borfly,
You decribe yourself as new to tractors but have homed in on two specific tractor models is there an explanation for this?

For 40 acres with 25 open I would consider a 50 hp compact tractor new if possible. Lots of good tractor brands out there, I am partial to Deere but it seems almost all of them in this size are good machines.

 

[TripleR]

Very good advice so far on which I certainly can't improve.

I would suggest renting a couple of tractors to get a better idea of their capabilities and you comfort level and a baseline for comparison. You will probably be intimidated initially, but with a little experience some of that will abate.

I would recommend buying "enough tractor" as while a lot of tasks can be done with a smaller unit, it is often very frustrating for a new owner and my experience is that smaller tractors require more skill for many jobs than a little bigger one with more power and weight.

You might want to check to see what your neighbors are using and approach them for advice/information.

Good luck

 

[teg]

What's your budget? Are you mostly looking for used?

Being new to tractors, that much land AND "...Time is a bit of an issue..." Tractors are slow in nature, if you get a smaller one, it takes even more time to get the job done. Small is OK around the barn but those fields will need a larger tractor.

 

[Maxify55]

Your mother didn't impart the wisdom of tractor use while you were still in her womb? How odd is that?

Most of us aren't farmers nor from a farming families.

The knowledge that you don't know everything is, itself, the first step to wisdom, Grasshopper.

Uh, oh. I think I just dated myself....again.

:welcome: