Any Suggestions on a 80-95 hp Tractor?

JESSE1 · Oct 28, 2007

EquipmentJunkie said:
Farmwithjunk is exactly right about IH. It was not product that led to their demise, but a multi-layered, perfect storm scenario that brought them down. Poor management, too diverse a corporate product line which sapped R&D assets, hostile labor relations which brought a long, bitter strike, the collapse of the farm economy, plus sky-high interest rates. I am currently reading Barbara Marsh's book, A Corporate Tragedy. The 20+ year old book chronicles IH's demise. Not light reading, but fascinating.

That sounds like the same thing that happened to White Motor Company. You had a very old, established company that diversified into too many areas and coupled with poor management finally had to sell out. Happened in the early '80's, too.

Farmwithjunk · Oct 29, 2007

JESSE1 said:
That sounds like the same thing that happened to White Motor Company. You had a very old, established company that diversified into too many areas and coupled with poor management finally had to sell out. Happened in the early '80's, too.

Both farmers and farm equipment manufacturers fell through a trap door in the 1980's. They were operating on credit and hope. When the AG economy yanked the rug out from under them, only the strongest survived. As numbers of US farmers dropped, the customer base went away. There simply wasn't enough business to go around. And that's why ALL the successful manufacturers are so inclined to go "global" nowdays. The US AG market was once the "basket" in which they all put their eggs. In todays world, US market is only a small share.

EquipmentJunkie · Oct 29, 2007

I don't want to hi-jack this thread but some were requesting a photo of the '72 F250 but I couldn't attach a photo in a PM. It should be posted below.

It was sad to see the consolidation of the tractor brands twenty years ago. Good designs and organizations were thrown into a corporate pot and the resulting stew was not the same as before. It is a shame.

I grew up in a solid green family. For years, I all but ignored anything but Deere products. But as I grew older (and hopefully wiser) I realized that the products of many companies had their own merits and in many ways were superior to those that Deere produced. In recent years, I have discovered how truly rugged and efficient IH tractors were. Oleozz bought a timeless tractor that is well-suited to his task.

Oleozz · Oct 29, 2007

Very nice 250 Junkie, clean and sharp looking. Don't see one bit of rust.

pengs68 · Nov 14, 2007

I will be upgrading to a tractor that size in the next few years and have started researching them. My neighbor has a 4020 that I ran for him one day over the summer and that became a top choice for me. I also found a Ford 7610S at a dealer that I test drove and that was a great tractor as well. I dont think you would be disappointed with either of those.Good luck to you.

JiminGa · Nov 14, 2007

We had a 1066 when I was a kid, that thing was an absolute monster. It out pulled the 4240 we replaced it with hands down. My uncle has a jd 4020 that he's been pulling a 4 bottom plow with since it was new, I think it's a 67ish year model, powershift...one of my all time favorite tractors. I believe it's rated at 96 hp. I saw one on machinefinder for $7500 with 9000 hours on it.