Why do CUT owners/buyers have low expectations?

[milkman636]

I grew up around ag tractors and have owned a couple of ag utility tractors. They are built for years of daily work in a straight line. They don't do alot of the property owner / casual user type activities with the ease and operator friendliness of a newer CUT. I made the leap down from a 5000 series Deere to a CUT in the last couple of months and I am pleased with the nimbleness and manueverability that the smaller CUT offers. It beats the tar out of the Ford 2000 that I had as my first tractor.

Unlike your assumption about CUT owners, I also hope it lasts me for 30 years without any major breakdowns. I'll be taking good care of it and using as designed. In ten years I hope to be praising its reliability.

 

[tessiers]

I recently looked at a new holland Workmaster 55. I told the salesman I wanted a tractor that would still be running when my Farmall H died, he laughed and I walked. I agree that expectations are very low. I have been looking at new basic 50 horse 2 wd tractors. I think the New holland workhorse, john deere 50XX, Farmall A series Tractors have the best chance at longevity. I am very frustrated when I walk into a dealer and they try to steer me toward a 4x4 80 hp cab tractor. I want to make a little hay, burn a little fuel and park it when the weather is bad, is that too much to ask.

I little off topic, but I agree with the original post

 

[wny770]

My '42 Farmall A starts. In the winter. Below zero. Oh, I crank it. Gramps bought it new. Any of my tractors from the 40's to the late 60's are pretty much the same way. Over-designed AMERICAN steel. Fact. My NH T1510.... Runs like a top, performs flawlessly, but I would NEVER consider using it the same way I use the older AMERICAN ones. What if it breaks? $$$ Lots of people complain about everything being made overseas, but what if people TRULY tried to buy American where possible? I know it's hard. Maybe we'd still be manufacturing small tractors? Who knows... Think I'm that wrong... I can crank start my '42 Farmall A in the winter..... Imagine the hours on it. Plowing, cultivating... etc... Original pistons...thousands of hours, 5000? 10,000? I'd hate to guess... How will your NH, or Kubota, or other compacts be in 69 years? Makes you think?:confused2:
Those "old iron" days are gone. Long gone. Your best bet is try to take care of what you have. Regular maintenance and common sense will last you longer than you think. My T1510 drives like a car compared to my bigger Olivers, and in fact can do more. But I know that 'ol Oliver will be pretty much the same 10-20 years from now. I hope I can say the same for the NH. Sorry for the winded post!

 

[crbr]

I can't help but observe .......Why are CUT enthusiasts so accepting of major tractor problems before the tractor has been broke in good? I think the owners/buyers have let the CUT manufacturers ...........What do you think? Ken Sweet

A good dealer would avert your aforementioned subject of infliction that the owner / buyer has to (potentially) encounter, by accepting that risk at the point of the risk event, replace the broken machine wholly, and step up to the manufacturer to insist on a better product to sell, thus relieving the owner / buyer of said (potential) issues.

This is another century, thus no real comparison to the older machines, other than a trip down memory lane.

$0.02

 

[bp fick]

Agree. Old iron is gone, long gone.

Here's the 1953 Massey Harris I learned on. Yeah, there's some still around. (my neighbor has the red version) It was all iron, through and through. 15 hp drawbar rated Continental engine. Gas, of course. Full hydraulics, but no power steering. 3-F and 1-R. Not all that different in over all size and ability to the 'Bota I have now.

Ken, there is no comparison between the two. Almost none. Everything about that Massey was iron and we never put a wrench to it in 25 years for anything remotely resembling a repair. Far as I know, it's still running.

Honestly, comparing the tractor of my youth to my current tractor is like comparing a current Ford Fusion to the '54 Ford wagon we had at that time. They are both cars, but don't have much else in common.

 

[JD3520Cab]

I bought a JD3520 about 4 months ago. Been telling all my real farmer buddies I am disappointed in it. When it come from the factory it was the same size as a JD7930 but they forgot to sanforize it at the factory and with all the rain we have had it has shrunk. ..........................

 

[Just Bill]

The whole world has become a dumping ground for inferior products.
Instead of the government saying " you are not going to sell that junk to our people" it's sure come on and we will all make money.
Not very much is built to last more than 5 years tops.

 

[whistlepig]

I am a CUT owner and I don't consider myself having low expectations. I have owned "Old Iron". Most recently a 1964 MF135 diesel. I sold the MF135 and bought a Kubota B7800. I expected the B7800 to be easier to use with the QA loader, Hydro, 4WD, and it's tighter turning radius. I expected the B7800 to get more work done quicker and easier in a day than the MF135. And it does that. That's why I bought it and why it meets my expectations. Comparing "old iron" to a modern CUT isn't a fair fight. Not for either participant.

 

[crazyal]

I expect to get 5000 hours out of my Kubota before I have to do any work to it other than routine work. Every day I pass farms with "old iron" that has sat for decades because it broke and cost more to fix than it was worth. I have no idea of how many hours are on them but I would suspect that any tractor (as long as parts can be bought) could be fixed up.

But most "old iron" around me doesn't do much work. Most either just pulled something in a field or some had a PTO to drive an attachment. How many of these long lasting "old iron" tractors never had a loader on it? If they never did then the front axle never had any real weight on it, it never had to deal with the forward/ backward/ forward operation of digging in a pile.

I would say it's not low expectations but higher expectations of wanting to use the tractor for more things and wanting more options than an non syncro stick and a better ride than a stamped metal seat will give.

 

[deere5105]

A couple of years ago I purchased a JD 5105 2WD 50 HP tractor expecting to have similar performance compared to a Ford 4000 I grew up using and we still own. The newer 5105 was much easier to operate and nimble, but when it came to pulling a heavy load there was no comparison. The weight and size of the 4000 in my opinion made the difference. I have since traded up to a JD 5303 4WD and have not yet put it through all the paces to see how it stacks up. I expect from my use so far that it will equal or exceed my expectations. We have a Massey 40 gas burner with around 8000 hrs and a Ford 4000 with around 5400 hours. Both still crank and run as they should. To my knowledge no major repairs made. I do however expect similiar service out of my 2008 JD 5303. I intentionally sought out a simple design with hopes of increased reliability. In a nutshell, I seem to have had to move up to a 64 HP 4WD "modern" tractor to equal the performance I was used to from the "old" Ford 4000 which I believe is rated around 52 HP.