Deciding the best tractor to buy

[fyrmnk]

Hi all, been bouncing around the other areas of the forums with product specific questions, now I'm down to these two to compare:

1992 1720 Ford with a bucket, 4000 hrs. for $5900
1986 Case 485 without a bucket and only 586 hours for $5850.

Both are diesel. Any input for either one? I was wanting the better HP like the 485 has so I could go with a 6' rotary cutter, but could possibly drop to the 27 hp Ford and a 5' cutter.

I'd appreciate any inout on either of these tractors, pros and cons. Thanks.

 

[jbrumberg]

fyrmnk:

Welcome to TBN ! I would suggest you provide some information in your profile to assist other members in formulating their opinions as to which tractor "best" fits your current needs. It appears that mowing is your primary tractor task so I would tend to go with the tractor that could handle the bigger mower, but if you have terrain "challenges" you would be best served by a 4WD tractor. I had a tractor for 22 years without a FEL; now that I have a tractor with a FEL I do not know how I lived without one. Tractor balance is a consideraton as well. With a bigger and heavier mower hanging off your 3PH you probably need to add some weight to your front end to balance off the weight in the rear especially if your property is uneven and hilly. Another consideraton related to mowing and what you are cutting is the tires-are they R-1's (Ags), Turf, or R-4's (Industrial)? R-1's would have a tendency to cut up your lawn especially in 4WD. 4000 hours on a well maintained diesel is not too bad especially considering having a FEL. I am not unhappy with my tractor with specifications similar to a Ford 1720 cutting ~7A's of rough field and occassionally ~2A's of "lawn". You should also consider future tractor use needs in your decision. Good luck in your research and purchase (That's half the fun !). We at TBN would be more than willing to help you spend your money Jay

 

[fyrmnk]

Hi, thanks for the reply. I have 20 acres of raw land, some trees and brush and rolling terrain. Both tractors have ag. tires. I'm certainly drawn to more power and could get by without the 4X4, but did really want the loader as well.

I was leaning towards the 6' brush hog since I have to mow about 15 acres, thinking that might cut down on my time a bit.

Do they have front end loaders that fit the Case 485? Also, a poster in another thread had heard the 1986 485 is prone to tranny problems. Anyone have any additional experience with this issue?

Decisions, decisions...

Thanks again

 

[Soundguy]

I guess it really depends on how much you need the loader. if you can get by without it.. a 6' hog will help with mowing. I can tell you that a 5' hog and 10ac is about 4.5-6 hours of mowing.

The 4000hrs is a tad high.. but if it was well cared for.. it should have perhaps another couple thousand plus, left in her for clipping grass.

Soundugy

 

[tkcomer]

I had an ’84 484. Same tractor I think. I never heard any stories about problems with the transmissions. You can still get loaders for them. Just don’t try and turn that tractor into a yard machine. Too heavy if you have a lot of turns. What I liked about mine was for light duty use, a tank of diesel seemed to go a long way. And if your going to be riding around that 20 acres very much, you’ll apreciate the smoother ride the 485 will give you over the Ford. One word of caution. Those tractors don’t back up worth a crap. They’ll spin those rear wheels in light dew trying to back up a hill. And that’s with loaded tires. And that sounds like a good price. I just sold my 484 a few months ago. It had about 1400 hours on it and I got $6500 out of it.

 

[fyrmnk]

Thanks for all the input all. I just bought a 1975-76 Case David Brown 990 diesel for $4600. Happened upon it for sale on the side of the road by an individual who's owned it for 7 years. Included a 6' Rhino brush hog, a rear blade, original owner's manual, like new tires, and 2 book shop manual covering complete break down of entire unit. Now I just have to find a bucket for it.

The tractor is running great and seems in very good shape, just minor little annoyances. Called a service dealer in the area that advised they were good tractors and parts aren't too hard to come by.

I'm actually really glad with this one and hope to restore it one day. Reading the story on the David Brown series is very interesting, as is the case with many of the tractor originations.

I'm sure I'll be posting many questions on this site about the little things with this one. Thanks again all.

 

[Soundguy]

I almost bought a Db one time.. someone beat me to it. We don't see them down here very much,.

Soundguy

 

[daTeacha]

When looking for the loader, don't think you need to get a DB branded loader. There are several aftermarket loaders out there that are made for different tractors.

 

[Woodbeef]

You might have actually done better with the DB,then you could have done with the CIH. Very good all around tractors,bit quirky at times,but good all the same. Keep the oils & filters changed and clean. Make sure the shifter boots are in mint shape,or keep it inside!!

 

[RobertBrown]

I saw one last week for sale on U.S 27 N.E. OF Ocala. It was a 770 selectamatic 2wd. I stopped because I had never seen or heard of a David Brown. The asking price was 3000.00$. It had a new starter. The owner had it (starter) made for 300.00. The engine was covered with fuel. The tires had cracks you could hide your lunch money in. i guess it sold cause i went by there Sunday and it was gone