FIrst time tractor buyer ... 1920 ??????

[xtal01]

OK, I know nothing at all about tractors!

I have been building a house for 5 years and how have a bunch of yard work to do (landscaping, drainage ditch, driveway, ...).

On top of this, it takes me 5 hours to mow the lawn with my little cub cadet (law tractor 22 hp, 54" cut).

I want a tractor that "does it all" ... 4 x 4, so I need a bucket, back hoe and finish mower ... maybe even a auger and forks.

I found a 50 hp for a good price but my neighbor pointed out that an 8000 lb tractor will just leave ruts in my very moist lawn (I live on the edge of a river / wet land).

I just found two tractors that interest me. First is a Chinese made Farm Pro 2425 with a bucket and backhoe ... 2005 ... $8500 ... 2000 hours ... AG tires. 3000 lbs. Still might leave ruts .... but might not ???

Maybe someone could comment on this one.

The other one ... and why I am here ... is a 1994 (maybe 96 ... owner doesn't know) New Holland 1920. It has a bucket and backhoe. Just under 700 hours. New front tires. Decent rear turf saver tires. New clutch, cleaned / rebuilt injector pump. I was told by the seller it sat for two years after the last owner died. The seller is a retired mechanic. He bought it, cleaned it up, fixed what needed fixing (I think he said he also put in a front axle seal) ... and now it is up for sale.

It started at $12,500 ... then $12,000 ... now $11,500

So, is this a good price ... too much .... good tractor model .... problem model .... ???????????

Any advice would be greatly appreciated !!!!!!!!!!

Mike .... Vermont

 

[vvanders]

That's a nice tractor, however there's a couple things to consider.

1. Are you handy mechanically or have a good shop that is? Stuff does eventually break and knowing how to fix it helps a ton here.
2. Parts are getting harder to find for the XX20/XX10/XX00 fords. For our 1500 I couldn't find a tach when ours broke so had to adapt one from at 1510.
3. If you're planning on doing a lot of loader work a gear tractor may not be the best choice. I'm easily 3x as fast/effective in our L4760 no including the weight difference between it and the 1500 from the HST alone.
4. Consider how much you need a backhoe vs renting out one for the jobs you have. Ideally you want to gear the tractor towards ongoing maintenance(mowing, gravel road upkeep, hay stuff) instead of one-off jobs that are better renting/hiring out.

That said the 1920 are solid machines and could make a good tractor to get your feet wet. We got 4 good years our of our Ford 1500 before moving to something bigger and it was money well spent.

 

[spitter]

Nice tractor excellent shape and if a mechanic owned it he probably stayed on top of things. Gear tractors do suck with a lot of loader work but your not going to find a 35 hp hst with a loader and backhoe in that kind of shape for 11,500. Hst is new millennium thinking when that tractor was new their was no HST and it didn't bother anyone to shift gears . It's definatily worth the money.:drink:

 

[Turbys_1700]

Great tractor. Very good price. Parts for the 20 series should be OK. You could check online with Messicks to ensure what is available. I owned a 1720 that was cherry. Only issue I had was with the a neutral switch. Tractor never gave any trouble. If properly maintained that 1920 will serve you well. One of the best compacts made in that era. Shibaura unit.

 

[xtal01]

OK .... after reading the second post, maybe I should be asking a more basic question ... do I want a geared tractor?

Honestly ... didn't even think about this!

Having never had a tractor, I didn't even think about shifting gears!

I know I would need to do this when I use the loader but do you shift while cutting grass or just leave it in one gear and go?

I have 3 acres .... longest run is say 250 ft .... then turn ... 250 ft ... turn .....

Is it like a truck .. would I need to downshift ... turn ... up shift?

I understand that you set the engine RPM's to get the PTO to 540 for the mower then it says there ... then do you just pick a gear (say 8th to set tractor speed to ???? mph) and cut at that speed?

Maybe I should be asking can you (or is it practical) to use the same tractor for a lawn mower and a bucket / back hoe tractor?

Backstory ....

Money is tight for us. My wife was paralyzed from the shoulders down in a diving accident when she was 12. I moved from SC to VT about 10 years ago when I met her as she has a job her and her health insurance is up here. I was originally from Canada but moved to SC in the 90's when I met a woman there. She passed way after 13 years of marriage.

Housing prices are very high here in Vermont. After looking at buying an old house and modifying it (wide doors, roll in shower, ...), we decided to build and are just finishing up building an accessible house. It took me 5 years ... I did much of the work myself even building my own elevator ($40K to buy one ... I got an old electric forklift and put it together for $2K). We even lived in an old RV onsite (froze when winter temps hit -30) for three years to save from paying rent.

My wife needs care every 4 hours so I work out of the house. I am a machinist by trade. With luck by next year I will have a shop to do work out of ... already poured the pad and will build next summer (my machines .. lathe, mill, welder, etc ... are in storage in a tractor trailer next to the house). Right now I do small repair work on just about anything (last week I repaired an electric drier and a tractor) and I build electrical control panels. Here is a link to my facebook page:

Vermont Country Workshop - Home | Facebook

Anyway ... lots of work still to do ... obviously I cut grass once a week (using a 12 year, 22 hp kohler, old 54" cub cadet I bought for $800 three years ago), I have two large piles of dirt still around the house ... lots of landscaping ... I need drainage ditches put in around the workshop, driveway is rough and I want to move it over a bit, even building the workshop I would use it to stand up the walls, ....

I had been hoping to stay around the $10,000 mark. With this tractor I would be say $12,000 ... a bit more then I wanted but I could just pull it off. All the other tractors I see are around $15K ... now we are definitely out of my budget.

So do I go for a geared tractor can I not use one tractor for everything or ????

Thanks so much !!!!!!!!!!!

Mike

 

[Rich B1]

Until the HST became common, they were all geared tractors......there has likely been more done over the years with geared tractors than HST.

You adapt to what you have and make it work

 

[fried1765]

OK, I know nothing at all about tractors!

I have been building a house for 5 years and how have a bunch of yard work to do (landscaping, drainage ditch, driveway, ...).

On top of this, it takes me 5 hours to mow the lawn with my little cub cadet (law tractor 22 hp, 54" cut).

I want a tractor that "does it all" ... 4 x 4, so I need a bucket, back hoe and finish mower ... maybe even a auger and forks.

I found a 50 hp for a good price but my neighbor pointed out that an 8000 lb tractor will just leave ruts in my very moist lawn (I live on the edge of a river / wet land).

I just found two tractors that interest me. First is a Chinese made Farm Pro 2425 with a bucket and backhoe ... 2005 ... $8500 ... 2000 hours ... AG tires. 3000 lbs. Still might leave ruts .... but might not ???

Maybe someone could comment on this one.

The other one ... and why I am here ... is a 1994 (maybe 96 ... owner doesn't know) New Holland 1920. It has a bucket and backhoe. Just under 700 hours. New front tires. Decent rear turf saver tires. New clutch, cleaned / rebuilt injector pump. I was told by the seller it sat for two years after the last owner died. The seller is a retired mechanic. He bought it, cleaned it up, fixed what needed fixing (I think he said he also put in a front axle seal) ... and now it is up for sale.

It started at $12,500 ... then $12,000 ... now $11,500

So, is this a good price ... too much .... good tractor model .... problem model .... ???????????

Any advice would be greatly appreciated !!!!!!!!!!

Mike .... Vermont

View attachment 577916

I would call myself just an old (78 yrs) Ford tractor guy!
I have three!
A 1951 Ford 8N,... nice old tractor,.... but DON'T buy one!
A 1989 Ford 1920 FEL
A 1970 Ford (gas) 3400 TLB

All three are in excellent condition, with the 3400 and 1920 restored to like new condition.
I am a bit perplexed about a 700 hour tractor needing a new clutch.
My 1920 had 1056 hours when I bought it 4 years ago, and I did replace the clutch, because I had the tractor mostly torn down. My original clutch was perfect, but I already had a new one, so I put it in anyway. An aftermarket (Chinese?) clutch, and it failed after 3 hours. The moral of that story: BUY YOUR PARTS FROM MESSICK'S.

I am fortunate in that I do not have just one tractor for all tasks.
The 8N is useful to drag a blade, or run a 5' brush mower (used ONLY with a PTO overrunning clutch)
The gas 3400 TLB (1850 hrs.) is wonderful, with a very capable backhoe.
The 1920 FEL is an absolutely delightful little 4x4 32HP diesel tractor/loader.
The loader is good, but will only lift about 800 lbs. I have added a removable tooth bar to my rebuilt bucket, and have an EA 6 way 6' deluxe scrape blade, a KK 5' box blade, a KK 5' tiller, a Ford 2 bottom plow, a KK 5' brush mower, and Agri-Supply 3 point hitch forks. I also have a 7' KK scrape blade to sell (the EA deluxe scrape blade is SO superior).
The 1920 backhoe (any small backhoe) will not deal well with Vermont rocks, but a backhoe is a very handy thing to have.
Messick's is a GREAT source for 1920 parts, and there are many aftermarket suppliers as well. As of today, you will not have much trouble finding parts.
As I recall, Shibaura built approximately 22,000 of the 1920 series for Ford.
I paid $9500 for my 1920 4 years ago, but I got a bit carried away with new tires, repairs/parts and painting, (most people think it is new) and have $15,300+ in it now.
The good news: I LOVE IT!. No DPF! No electronics! No regen issues! You can fix it yourself!
My thoughts: Buy the 1920! (Remember- it is not a D-8 Cat), you will love it!

Forgot to mention: My 1920 is a 12 speed, shuttle shift. The shuttle shift is a very nice feature, especially with a loader.

 

[jmc]

Welcome to TBN.

I had a 1989 Ford 1920 4x4 and sometimes I still miss it. Random thoughts:

Turf tires wearing out in less than 700 hrs? My Ag tires (limited rubber contact with ground) still had much tread after 8 or 9 hundred hours. That included many pavement hours, which is tough on tires. I once saw a rental compact tractor/backhoe with worn out front tires on low hours. Rental agent said it was because of customers leaving it in 4 WD on pavement. I would avoid buying rental equipment. Also, fronts may have been replace because of damage. No problem with that.

A mechanic/owner is probably good but if he bought it to flip it, that might affect which issues he addressed.

Mine was the most basic transmission and to change directions when trimming around obstacles and doing loader work, the tractor would almost need to be stopped. That gets old on a big job. Ford also had a shuttle shift transmission option that might address that reversing issue.

 

[wolfie1959]

Did you find a tractor yet? You should be able to find something in your price range. HST is nice but unless you will be using 8 hours a day every day a gear tractor will be fine. Messics is a great source for parts but don't forget your local New Holland dealer. I have found prices to be comparable and building a good relationship with the local dealer will be very helpful. Especially if you are not experienced with tractors.

 

[K8vf]

If the 1920 has shuttle shift, you can leave it in main gear-push clutch-pull lever in front of you to reverse, and release clutch. It is a whole lot easier than shifting a gear shift along side of you. I used a 27 hp J.D. 4210 for years and , believe me, compared to fishing for reverse when in 2nd or 3rd, , the shuttle shift is a dream. Forward is forward and back is back. AS LONG AS YOU CAN USE SAME GEAR GOING BOTH WAYS, IT IS GOLDEN. So I pick the gear I want and just shift directions. You will like it.
I just bought this nice 1996 1920 with N.H. front bucket, Back blade with EZ hitch, and 6 foot roto tiller for 13,500 dollars in Michigan. It has good turf tires on back, and worn turf tires on front Under 2000 hours.. I will probably want to put Agricultural tires on it, but will need to buy new rims, or buy already mounted ags to do that, or swap someone who wants turf tires and has Ags.

Finding Ford/N.H. rims used for Agricultural tires is seemingly difficult. I have been searching around a week or so online, and am not having any luck.

Rear needs to be 13.9x24 or 14.9x24, and front needs to be 7 or 8 by 16 inch rim.....Turf tires are on 16.1 rim(rear), and 15 inch on front. Finding a swap could be good for both parties, so keep it in mind if you will be wanting to change tires.