What is your favorite tractor and why?

[MossRoad]

The one that's in my garage! :laughing:

Not really a tractor, but it's a machine that does everything I need it to do. PowerTrac P425.

 

[Thomas]

Farmall H. That's what I learned to drive on when I was about 10. Dad was spraying the roadside weeds with the hose and wand off our big tank spray rig and had gotten to the end of the hose when I walked up. My driving "instruction": "Climb on it an pull it up." So of course I did.

A few years later I spent many long hot summer days in the Sacramento Valley on it cultivating beans, corn, and sugar beets. We were glad when Dad got us umbrellas to keep off the sun. Also spent many cold pre-dawn hours raking beans for harvesting - had to rake them when the dew was on them so they wouldn't shell out when raked.

We had three or four of them and an M. We had both wide front ends and single front wheels for them. I don't know what year model they were -- Dad bought them used in the 40's.

For tillage we had several TD-40s:
View attachment 547641

They all started with a crank. I don't think I ever cranked one, but I ran them enough that my ears still ring. I recall waking up on one as it was about to get into the fence. I was pulling a "Swede harrow" as I recall we called it - heavy wooden spike tooth harrow - with something behind it, probably a "roller" (cultipacker). It for sure wouldn't back up so turning it around that close to the fence was at least interesting. Kept me awake the rest of the shift!

...........................
Farmall....Farm all day.

 

[dalola]

Back in my youth, growing up on a farm (70's & 80's) we had quite a few tractors come and go. Dad always bought used stuff at farm auctions.

Two that stand out for different reasons:

Our very first tractor when we first bought our small farm in '73, was a 1958 Ford 600. As other tractors would come and go, the 600 remained, and was sold with the farm when we sold it in '84. That rig was rock solid reliable, simple, and always handy for so many tasks. Never failed us no matter what we asked of it. For this, and many other reasons, this was my favorite tractor. Lots of good memories.

We also had a Case 930 (uncertain of the year). A real brute of a tractor. Had a narrow front, our first tractor in the "tricycle" configuration. I just remember how unstoppable that thing felt, like a tank. That was the biggest tractor we ever had.

We also had a smattering of various JD's & IH's, all good machines, but forgettable compared to the Ford & Case. Probably also worth noting, all our tractors were gas powered. Dad didn't like diesel for some reason.

Fast forward to today. Bought my first ever "new" tractor, my BX2380, last summer. Like everything else, the technology in that little rascal is so different from the tractors of my youth. Unbelievably efficient, and amazing what it can do based on the size of it. I appreciate this one more for how it makes my life easier, now that I'm no longer a young man.

But my heart always goes back to that old Ford 600. I cut my farm teeth on that machine, and it will always hold a special place with me.

 

[TheMadOne]

Gas Allis 180. Thing wasn't amazing, even for it's time. But it meant time with my dad.

Farmall Cub. Again, a family tractor, and the first thing I ever drove.

 

[K5lwq]

A lot of great machines! These responses are bringing back a lot of memories from the farm. When I was a kid I hated living on a farm. Most of the time my friends wanted to do something, I could not join because dad needed me for work. I could not wait to get away from that. Today, I would give anything to be back! I really miss farming! I would even be willing to use old number 3. Number 3 was a IH 1586 cab tractor. A/C did not work, hydraulics were weak, power steering did not work and the floor board would get so hot it would blister my feet thru my shoes! But, she would pull! I disked 5000+ acres for several years with that tractor. I did not cry the day it finally died!

 

[LouNY]

Can't really say I have one favorite;
my first was a WD Allis Chalmers it was a good learning tractor,
Farmall 560 she'd snort and go,
The big one for it's day the Ford 8000/
for the more modern it would be one of the Magnums 710,7220,7310 not as fancy as the PUMA,
and can't forget the IH 10's,

 

[Phillip w]

Back in my youth, growing up on a farm (70's & 80's) we had quite a few tractors come and go. Dad always bought used stuff at farm auctions.

Two that stand out for different reasons:

Our very first tractor when we first bought our small farm in '73, was a 1958 Ford 600. As other tractors would come and go, the 600 remained, and was sold with the farm when we sold it in '84. That rig was rock solid reliable, simple, and always handy for so many tasks. Never failed us no matter what we asked of it. For this, and many other reasons, this was my favorite tractor. Lots of good memories.

We also had a Case 930 (uncertain of the year). A real brute of a tractor. Had a narrow front, our first tractor in the "tricycle" configuration. I just remember how unstoppable that thing felt, like a tank. That was the biggest tractor we ever had.

We also had a smattering of various JD's & IH's, all good machines, but forgettable compared to the Ford & Case. Probably also worth noting, all our tractors were gas powered. Dad didn't like diesel for some reason.

Fast forward to today. Bought my first ever "new" tractor, my BX2380, last summer. Like everything else, the technology in that little rascal is so different from the tractors of my youth. Unbelievably efficient, and amazing what it can do based on the size of it. I appreciate this one more for how it makes my life easier, now that I'm no longer a young man.

But my heart always goes back to that old Ford 600. I cut my farm teeth on that machine, and it will always hold a special place with me.

Them old 930 case tractors were a good rugged strong tractor. I had one and i know what you mean. In a matchup between my allis 185 and a 930 case i'd hate to have to bet on the winner. I really think the case would probably edge out the allis. My favorite tractor is probably a 730 john deere diesel w/wide front end. Just something about them old two lungers and the hand clutch. Had to watch pulling with them cause they tended to want to rare up.

 

[sd455dan]

Them old 930 case tractors were a good rugged strong tractor. I had one and i know what you mean. In a matchup between my allis 185 and a 930 case i'd hate to have to bet on the winner. I really think the case would probably edge out the allis. My favorite tractor is probably a 730 john deere diesel w/wide front end. Just something about them old two lungers and the hand clutch. Had to watch pulling with them cause they tended to want to rare up.

Similar for me - dad had a Case 970 we worked the fields with.
nice quiet smooth diesel with lots of power, really enjoyed being able to upshift the powershift trans under a good load and not have the rpms drop.
when dad got older he found and had restored the tractor he had always wanted - a JD model R
Mainly drove it in parades and it always put a smile on his face.

 

[rScotty]

Like a lot of TBNers, I'm thinking that my favorite tractor (that old 1958 vintage John Deere 2 cylinder) is a favorite more because of memories and nostalgia instead of by how good it is compared to today's tractors. Because there's really no comparison.

The truth is that in spite of us old timers yammering about our golden memories of times gone past, the modern tractors are about a thousand percent better in every way. I love that old JD, but when the time comes to actually sit in the saddle to do some tractoring, nine times out of ten I pass on the JD in favor of one of our newer 4wd tractors - an IMPORTED 4wd tractor.....All but one of the new ones is imported.
rScotty

 

[MitchellB]

My favorite tractor has got to be my current tractor; a 1958 Ford 861Diesel.
The first tractor I ever drove was (don't remember model year) an old red Farmall A for a couple summers in high school with a belly mower mowing between acres of boxwoods on a boxwood farm. After we got married, my first tractor I ever owned was a 1949 Ford 8N that we used for over 16 years for various chores around home, until I found the 861D I now have. While I really loved the old 8N, it could be needy sometimes if it sit for a while between using it. I've found the diesel to be more forgiving if I don't used it for a month or two and a lot stronger.