When will a manufacturer finally create an affordable retro style tractor

[super55]

I was surfing through all the major tractor manufacturer sites and maybe it's just me but today's tractors have no class or identity other than a particular color of paint. Badges, hood ornaments, particular grill designs, logos stamped into the metal have all been replaced by colorful stickers.

I agree that a tractor is made to work and looks are kind of a non-issue for most but I really like tractors that have some sort of identity to them. You could probably paint a kubota green and 90% of the people would assume that it is a JD product. The closest thing I can find these days is that MF is using round headlights instead of the square ones everyone else is using.

A lot of these older brands you can tell immediately if it's a ford, JD, or International just by the looks of it.

I was kind of disappointed with NH 8n boomer. Absolutely beautiful tractor that literally priced itself right out of its target market. I honestly think if NH could have produced a 30-40 hp MFWD 8n retro that was right in the same price range as all the other manufacturers they would have flown off the lot. Instead they went with a 50 hp limited edition with a CVT trans. Huge Blunder on NH's part in my opinion.

Maybe I can hope they will come out with a NH retro ford jubilee with the old badge one the front and not so darn expensive I could buy two of another brand.

 

[LD1]

Call me crazy, but I think they have identity.

Even with the old tractors, if you didnt "know" tractors, you had no clue who made it unless you knew the manufacture. Same thing today. There are differences, and if you "know" tractors, a kubota painted green isnt going to fool you.

And since hood ornaments, decals, etc cost money and dont add to the usable value, I can do without paying for them.

I agree with you on the boomer 8n though. Big flop IMO as well.

 

[JoeinTX]

"A lot of these older brands you can tell immediately if it's a ford, JD, or International just by the looks of it."
...
Sounds like my dad talking about modern cars. "Can't tell one from another anymore..etc. etc."

I dunno. I can generally tell them apart. There's a whole lot of outsourcing and rebranding among the various marks so that can cause some confusion. A TYM-is-a-Mahindra-is-a-New Holland kind of stuff. Apart from Kubota, Kioti, and, TYM I don't know many smaller tractors who are actually completely designed and built by the company with its name on the badge. I know JD back making small tractors in the U.S. but I don't know whether that's in-house design or a license build.

 

[super55]

You guys do have a point not a lot of tractors are made in house anymore. I know this seems kind of like a non issue but it seemed manufacturers spent a little more time in "putting pride in there product" than what could get pushed off the line as fast and at the lowest cost available. Plus metal stamped and cast parts used to all practically have the manufacture's name embroiled on it.

I guess part of the reason they go do with a retro look is partly do to liability. If they had exposed engines like the did in the old days they would probably have to cover it head to toe with warning labels of "hot to touch" and "moving parts" so they wouldn't get sued from someone.

It just reminds me of how back in the late 80's and early 90's all the full size pickups pretty much looked the same and than Dodge came out with the "wheel fender" look on their full size pickups with kind of a throw back look to trucks from the 50's. Prior to that Dodge sales were barely even speck on the number of Ford or Chevy's sold but after their "revolutionary" design their sales increased significantly.

Maybe I'm just the black sheep in thinking tractors from years ago had more style than they do today. Looks like I'm going to have to find an old 8n donor and a cheaper newer tractor and have to try and Rat Rod one for myself.

 

[NHmitch]

I was surfing through all the major tractor manufacturer sites and maybe it's just me but today's tractors have no class or identity other than a particular color of paint. Badges, hood ornaments, particular grill designs, logos stamped into the metal have all been replaced by colorful stickers.

I agree that a tractor is made to work and looks are kind of a non-issue for most but I really like tractors that have some sort of identity to them. You could probably paint a kubota green and 90% of the people would assume that it is a JD product. The closest thing I can find these days is that MF is using round headlights instead of the square ones everyone else is using.

A lot of these older brands you can tell immediately if it's a ford, JD, or International just by the looks of it.

I was kind of disappointed with NH 8n boomer. Absolutely beautiful tractor that literally priced itself right out of its target market. I honestly think if NH could have produced a 30-40 hp MFWD 8n retro that was right in the same price range as all the other manufacturers they would have flown off the lot. Instead they went with a 50 hp limited edition with a CVT trans. Huge Blunder on NH's part in my opinion.

Maybe I can hope they will come out with a NH retro ford jubilee with the old badge one the front and not so darn expensive I could buy two of another brand.

There are a few small brands of tractors that are made 100% in the US, but they are not quite like most modern ag tractors. One is powertrac tractors. They are made in Virginia, and have been since 1984. http://power-trac.com/Default.htm

The other is Tuff-bilt Tractors that are made Alabama. They look like the old Allis-Chalmers Model "G".

Both companies use american parts, and the tractors are made here, but again they are not like most Ag tractors that people are buying today. There may be a few other small companies, but I thought that these ones were kind of neat, and it is nice to still see a few companies staying with american manufacturing. http://www.tuff-bilt.com/index.htm

 

[fieldman12]

I can still for the most part tell them apart today but I feel they are all much more equal today. All seem to have same option type transmissions, some same engines and so on. When I was growing up tractors had much more character than they do today. IH had the torque amplifier, Deere power shift, and quad range, Ford select o speed, Massey Ferguson multi-power, Allis Chalmers Power director and so on. They all back then had weight built in from factory and weights on front and rear. Back then it was cool for a Diesel to blow smoke with the pump cranked up. All seemed to use there own engine or an after market others did not seem to use. I feel honestly they where just better built all around. Seems like on here I read about allot of mechanical failures such as broken cases, bolts, and so on that I don't recall happening when I was young. They all had big fenders back then that you could ride on and the ones today are cheap plastic you hear about breaking just by people leaning on them a little. Don't get me wrong there where issues back then such as transmissions but seems like they where just like a tank all around back then. Oh what I would give to be a child again with all the different USA made tractor manufactures still around. As for the New Holland 8n I really liked it but the price was just too much for people to buy it.

 

[jenkinsph]

Why bother with a retro style tractor at all. It is easy enough to restore and older tractor of your choice, most of these will do everything they would do new today. I like some of the old Olivers too.

 

[jeff9366]

Pretty limited demand for new retro-style tractors; therefore mass production is out.

Without mass production no tractor can be "affordable". Too much labor per unit, parts, assembly, marketing and sales.

 

[LD1]

Tractors have evolved to look the way they do for good functionality reasons. Curved loaders offer better view. Shorter sloped hoods give better visibility. Seats are better than the old metal pans. Etc etc.

Not sure there would be much market for "old" style.

 

[super55]

Why bother with a retro style tractor at all. It is easy enough to restore and older tractor of your choice, most of these will do everything they would do new today. I like some of the old Olivers too.

Biggest reason I would like a throwback model is because it is nearly impossible to find an old tractor with front wheel drive assist or 4wd. The Elwood transfer cases that made a lot of the older models 4wd cost almost as much as the tractor usually does. The other things I really liked on the old tractors were the spin out rims on the rear to make the stance wider and the built in headlights on the fenders that allowed you to see more laterally.

I guess I kind of am out of the norm in finding that old tractors have more visual appeal to me than the newers ones but after seeing success of the new dodge chargers mustangs when they went back to their roots in design with a modern appeal I just thought it would be nice to see a tractor manufacturer try and do the same. Maybe car buffs are more passionate about their rides than us tractor guys are. Granted tractors are made to work but that doesn't mean you can't look good doing it.