1st tractor! any suggestions

[GManBart]

Hey everyone thanks for the comments and suggestions I'm finding them so useful on my search!! and Gmanbart thanks for the links brother!!! I was talking to some buddies and they said oh just buy new so you won't have to worry about anything going wrong. Would that be suggested or no?

If you can afford new it certainly takes a lot of uncertainty out of the deal. If it's not too much of a drive, you may want to give RCO tractor in Austin a look...they sell LS and Yanmar and have a great reputation. Right now LS is about the most bang for the buck going, and Yanmar makes quality machines as well.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Operating a Bush Hog is a potentially dangerous operation.

8N/9N tractors combined with a Bush Hog and a novice operator is a high risk combination.

You need really ample liability insurance, ample personal medical insurance and disability insurance to do commercial 'hogging.

Contemporary tractors have much reduced injury risks.

BS!
While I don't advocate buying an N Series Ford because of their limitations they are not bad tractors and will do a lot of work for you.
And they are cheap to buy, have excellent parts availability and are easy to fix.
People just love to bash the Ns.

 

[motownbrowne]

My suggestions for anyone's first tractor:
Get one with a seatbelt, and a rollbar. If you didn't grow up around old tractors or acquire hundreds of hours if seat time on them another way, these features should be considered mandatory. After that, a 4wd with a loader and a hydrostatic transmission will do a lot more work more easily than anything else, but of course the price tag is pretty high. Worth it, though in my opinion.

 

[GManBart]

BS!
While I don't advocate buying an N Series Ford because of their limitations they are not bad tractors and will do a lot of work for you.
And they are cheap to buy, have excellent parts availability and are easy to fix.
People just love to bash the Ns.

I'm not bashing Ns, but Jeff's statement that contemporary tractors have reduced injury risks isn't BS, it's fact. That doesn't mean they're "dangerous" but you do need to be more careful when using one, and even if you're as safe, and careful as possible, you are still at a higher risk for injury than you would be using a modern machine....just a ROPS alone makes a major improvement.

 

[HCJtractor]

I have to agree. My first tractor was a new 70'horse Kubota 4 wd. Years later I bought a 30 year old Massey Ferguson 2 wheel drive. Even though the Massey is much more modern than the old Fords, it still is no where near as user friendly as the Kubota. And 4 wheel drive is a must, especially if you have any hills. On my Kubota, I feel much safer and on my Massey, I have to be a little more careful as it is not as forgiving. Granted, with practice, either can be mastered, but a beginner has so much to learn so simpler is better.

So for a rookie, I would go to a modern tractor. With 4 wheel drive and a FEL, if that's in your budget. Also new is nice as most manufacturers offer zero interest for financing so it helps affordability. But that's just my opinion. As far as brand, you could argue that all day. I would say within the same class and price point, most of the major brands are very good. So it's a matter of dealer support, and personal tastes.

Even now, I would never buy any tractor made before roll bars were mandatory. But those old restored Fords are fun to look at, but give me a new Kubota to drive!

 

[Ultradog MN]

You fellows with all your safety gew gaws and doo dads make me wonder.
All those things do is lull you into Thinking you are safe and so you get complacent, even careless because of them.
I pay attention to what is going on and around my tractor because I don't have all your safety stuff on mine.
And seat belts??
I hate wearing seat belts in my car but do because of the safety Nazis made it a moving violation if I don't.
One of the reasons I love running my tractor is because I don't have to have all that stuff on it.
Free and easy, like a man should be.

 

[GManBart]

You fellows with all your safety gew gaws and doo dads make me wonder.
All those things do is lull you into Thinking you are safe and so you get complacent, even careless because of them.
I pay attention to what is going on and around my tractor because I don't have all your safety stuff on mine.
And seat belts??
I hate wearing seat belts in my car but do because of the safety Nazis made it a moving violation if I don't.
One of the reasons I love running my tractor is because I don't have to have all that stuff on it.
Free and easy, like a man should be.

This is a ridiculous post, and terrible advice for a newbie.

Having a rollover structure doesn't make you think you're safer it makes you safer....period. There is NO way to work around that. Rollovers are the #1 cause of tractor fatalities, and the overwhelming majority of them are on tractors without a ROPS.

Thousands of dead farmers who knew what they were doing are proof that your theory is wrong, and there's no need to derail this thread by starting an argument about something as basic as safety. Sure, some modern safety measures are a bit much, but things like ROPS don't fall into that category.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Over running clutch is a must for pto implements on an N. It's easy to spend other people's money.

Sure new and modern is good if it is in the budget.

If it is ROPS equipped, wear your seat belt and it will be safer. A fel is quite handy if you can afford it.

But you can brush hog with a 2 wheel drive. Be careful about slopes. Live pto would be preferred.

Look around and set a budget.

 

[Teachu2]

You fellows with all your safety gew gaws and doo dads make me wonder.
All those things do is lull you into Thinking you are safe and so you get complacent, even careless because of them.
I pay attention to what is going on and around my tractor because I don't have all your safety stuff on mine.
And seat belts??
I hate wearing seat belts in my car but do because of the safety Nazis made it a moving violation if I don't.
One of the reasons I love running my tractor is because I don't have to have all that stuff on it.
Free and easy, like a man should be.

Seems to me a he-man like you should be runnin' a pair of Brahma bulls and a walk-behind plow!

 

[motownbrowne]

Seems to me a he-man like you should be runnin' a pair of Brahma bulls and a walk-behind plow!

Free and easy... Like a man should be.