What do you like about your newer utility tractors?

[Robert_in_NY]

When I sold my Ford 640 in the fall it was with the intent to replace it with a new utility tractor. Well, with all the rain we have had it has not been a great year so far and I have not needed the third tractor too much yet. But I have been thinking about its replacement and was curious what you guys liked/disliked about your new utility tractors? I am looking at 50-70 pto hp models, most likely with a cab and 4wd but I have not ruled out a plain jane economy model 2wd open station unit so everyone is welcome to chime in and flood me with their thoughts and opinions.

If we can keep things civil you can also tell me why you ruled out the runner up tractor when you bought. Thanks and have fun

 

[bigbull338]

if i was you id move up to something like an 8540 kubota cab 4x4 with fel.now you can get good clean cheap used 2wd drives if you have a use for them.i was asked why i didnt buy a cab tractor when i bought a new 4x4 tractor.an i told them mainly because i hate being closed up in a tractor.an that i like hearing whats going on with the equipment.if i was looing for another tractor it would be either a 7040 or 8540 4x4 with fel.

 

[fowllife]

It really depends on what you intend to use it for, and how much you would use it. It's a lot easier to have the gear/hydro, cab/rops talk when we know your intent. If I remember correctly you already have 2 fwd cab'd tractors. do you do enough work in the elements to need a third?

I'm assuming that by your pto hp requirments you want to use it as a backup and be able to hay with it for sure. If you making hay then the weather is good (ok, maybe a little hot) so a bare bones tractor would be fine. The other question I would have is why did get ride of the 640? I'm guessing it was short on HP for what you needed?

If you mainly plan on using it to move wagons, and other misc stuff I would keep it as simple as possible so not much can go wrong with it. There is nothing worse then having your main tractor break, then getting on a tractor that has sit for a while just to find out corrosion in the electrical system has caused the gremlins in the computer to go into hyperdrive (or whatever else.)

Although the bells and whistles may be nice, I would choose something that is simple and more bullet proof. But. I also don't own a "new" utility tractor....

 

[TripleR]

I love the Hydraulic Shuttle Shift on our M8540. We went from a Synchro to the Hydro and it is hard to appreciate how much easier it is.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

It really depends on what you intend to use it for, and how much you would use it. It's a lot easier to have the gear/hydro, cab/rops talk when we know your intent. If I remember correctly you already have 2 fwd cab'd tractors. do you do enough work in the elements to need a third?

I'm assuming that by your pto hp requirments you want to use it as a backup and be able to hay with it for sure. If you making hay then the weather is good (ok, maybe a little hot) so a bare bones tractor would be fine. The other question I would have is why did get ride of the 640? I'm guessing it was short on HP for what you needed?

If you mainly plan on using it to move wagons, and other misc stuff I would keep it as simple as possible so not much can go wrong with it. There is nothing worse then having your main tractor break, then getting on a tractor that has sit for a while just to find out corrosion in the electrical system has caused the gremlins in the computer to go into hyperdrive (or whatever else.)

Although the bells and whistles may be nice, I would choose something that is simple and more bullet proof. But. I also don't own a "new" utility tractor....

I was mainly looking for feedback from users who recently bought newer utility tractors to see what features they liked best and what they didn't like about their new tractos since my newest tractor is 11 years old now and things have changed in that time frame.

I have a open station, FWA TN65 with loader and a Ford 1920 FWA with Loader and Curtis cab. I am looking for a decent used vineyard tractor with cab but I want to keep that tractor dedicated to the vineyards.

The utility tractor to replace the 640 will be used for lots of things from helping out with tillage to spreading lime/fertilizer, planting, helping with hay (raking, tedding and potentially baling if need be), brush chopping, spraying, ...... just about anything and everything I do with the TN65. I would love a FWA, cab tractor and am leaning that way but I can also see myself buying a bare bones basic 2wd open station tractor as there is something appealing to me about that set up for my intended uses. It will all come down to where I am sitting and what I feel will best fit my needs but I may change up and go 2wd, cab and stay to the higher side of my hp requirements.

I sold the 640 because it was a gas engine and was geared too fast for my use. Also, it lacked the hp to really do too much more then run the vicon, rake and tedder so it say around idle most of the time. It just didn't fit in too well and I had a buyer interested so I let it go.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I love the Hydraulic Shuttle Shift on our M8540. We went from a Synchro to the Hydro and it is hard to appreciate how much easier it is.

The hydraulic shuttles were just coming to the market when I bought my TN and I remember having the option but I was scared of the electronic aspect of it so I went with the manual shuttle. How has the shuttle shift worked out for you? I dont see myself using the shuttle anywhere near as much as I do with my other two tractors since I won't be putting a loader on the new one but I do appreciate the shuttle for its ease of use.

There are more and more M series Kubotas making their way into this area so I have been noticing them and enjoying hearing feedback on them.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

if i was you id move up to something like an 8540 kubota cab 4x4 with fel.now you can get good clean cheap used 2wd drives if you have a use for them.i was asked why i didnt buy a cab tractor when i bought a new 4x4 tractor.an i told them mainly because i hate being closed up in a tractor.an that i like hearing whats going on with the equipment.if i was looing for another tractor it would be either a 7040 or 8540 4x4 with fel.

I have two tractors with loaders already so there isn't any need for a third. The loaders get in the way for the most part and I keep the loader off the 1920 from spring through fall. I keep it on the TN most of the time because I am jumping around with that tractor doing all sorts of things with it and the loader is just to useful to keep off it any length of time. The utility tractor I plan to add will take over for the jobs the loader gets in the way on. I really don't want another loader on this size tractor.

I have found I can hear just fine in a cab tractor and in some cases better then in open station tractors. If there is a problem you do know it and you can actually feel it if you are use to the tractor and how it handles different implements. The great thing about cab tractors is that you don't have to dress heavy to do work in early spring/ late fall where it is generally windy and cool. The wind has been my biggest enemy and dislike while using an open station tractor. And its nice to be spraying or chopping and not being covered if the wind shifts with spray drift or dust/pollen. But the advantage of the open station is that I love the smell of the fresh cut hay as well as the smell of the earth during tillage. You lose those smells in a cab.

 

[bigbull338]

your right the a/c is nice in a cab.i have ran a tractor with a cab an no a/c an that joker was a hotbox.ive always liked the open tractor no matter the weather.we do have a 7700 cab tractor.right now the only reason id buy a cab tractor is for the buddy seat,so some1 could ride with me.

 

[Dargo]

your right the a/c is nice in a cab.i have ran a tractor with a cab an no a/c an that joker was a hotbox.ive always liked the open tractor no matter the weather.we do have a 7700 cab tractor.right now the only reason id buy a cab tractor is for the buddy seat,so some1 could ride with me.

I moved from Kubota to Deere this last time because the cabs on even the 8540 Kubota tractors were considerably smaller than the 5XXX JD and you couldn't get a 2nd seat in the small cab. I place quality and durability pretty well even in my personal experience with both, but JD comes out on top with their cab. I've used my "training" seat quite a bit with my son. Sure makes work seem a lot less like work. I've been quite pleased with my JD 5525 for several years now.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I moved from Kubota to Deere this last time because the cabs on even the 8540 Kubota tractors were considerably smaller than the 5XXX JD and you couldn't get a 2nd seat in the small cab. I place quality and durability pretty well even in my personal experience with both, but JD comes out on top with their cab. I've used my "training" seat quite a bit with my son. Sure makes work seem a lot less like work. I've been quite pleased with my JD 5525 for several years now.

The buddy seat is one of the great things they came up with for these newer cab tractors. I am glad to see them making their way down to the smaller tractors.

Do you have your 5525 weighted? I spent a lot of time in a JD 5410N as well as the NH TN75V and the only difference (other then brand) is that the NH has the tires filled but their both 2wd and while pulling the grape gondolas the NH walks circles around the JD. I have not had any experience with the regular JD utility tractors though so I am not sure how they are for pulling. I am trying to keep this tractor a little lighter and not fill the tires but possibly go with cast weights (if I end up needing weight). For most of my uses I shouldn't need the extra weight hopefully.