Ford 5610 vs. Zetor 5245

[Renze]

Hah, my name gets mentioned before i've even arrived

this series has had poor master brake and clutch cylinders, which retail for about $70 and take 2 or 3 hours of work. Thats what you can expect anyhow with these tractors: total cost about $300. The rest of the tractor will outlast the Ford, i know a 7745 which has 18.000 hours in hard use (silage contracting) with other than clutch and brake replacements, just regular maintenance.

I speak for my self here: I would never trade the 5245 for a Ford, especially with the fuel price these days, and the ever decreasing parts backup of CNH for older models. On my 1967 3011 i can get every gearwheel brand new, for reasonable prices. CNH is already throwing parts for late 70's tractors off their stocklists, or charge 5 times the price for it.

On our side of the pond, Zetor tractors hold their value better than most other brands, so I'm not going to debate against the prejudice of a non-USA brand: Just buy what you feel comfortable with from the get go.

 

[whodat526]

The rest of the tractor will outlast the Ford, i know a 7745 which has 18.000 hours in hard use (silage contracting) with other than clutch and brake replacements, just regular maintenance.

and the ever decreasing parts backup of CNH for older models. On my 1967 3011 i can get every gearwheel brand new, for reasonable prices. CNH is already throwing parts for late 70's tractors off their stocklists, or charge 5 times the price for it.

On our side of the pond, Zetor tractors hold their value better than most other brands, so I'm not going to debate against the prejudice of a non-USA brand: Just buy what you feel comfortable with from the get go.

i would have to say the parts supply for the ford tractor made from the 9n to s series fords i can still get every part for from nh and after market zetor tractors over here at least around my area and the 5 states surronding me doesn't bring much because of parts supplies is almost impossible to get

 

[Renze]

i would have to say the parts supply for the ford tractor made from the 9n to s series fords i can still get every part for from nh and after market zetor tractors over here at least around my area and the 5 states surronding me doesn't bring much because of parts supplies is almost impossible to get

You shouldnt look 5 states surrounding you, but directly to Zetor NA, or Ridgeway which is a grey market parts importer. They both have a 99% parts availability for the models imported to the USA, and on request they can even deliver 95% of the parts for any Zetor ever made since 1946 for reasonable prices.

But as said, buy what you feel comfortable with and dont waste too many words on colour wars

 

[D7E]

Hah, my name gets mentioned before i've even arrived



On our side of the pond, Zetor tractors hold their value better than most other brands, so I'm not going to debate against the prejudice of a non-USA brand

I'm from the UK originally and that is a joke ! They were popular on stock farms because they were cheap ..!

 

[whodat526]

I'm from the UK originally and that is a joke ! They were popular on stock farms because they were cheap ..!

thats the only reason they sold over here with any success

 

[Renze]

I'm from the UK originally and that is a joke ! They were popular on stock farms because they were cheap ..!

Yup, they were cheap on purchase, parts, fuel and maintenance, i.e. low cost per working hour, not just at purchase. Despite that, most British livestock farmers never maintain nor clean their equipment at all, so British livestock farms arent exactly a reference mark for the resale value of any tractor...

But as said, buy what you feel comfortable with and dont waste too many words on colour wars

Therefor, this will be my last post in this topic... Useless debate anyway.

 

[slowzuki]

Very hard to get parts in eastern Canada. Every dealer goes belly up within a year or two. The new ones look good, nice specs, but you can't try one except at the shows, and you can't get parts here. Its easier to get Belarus parts here than Zetor, another tractor that has a good rep in some areas but is terrible to own here.

 

[D7E]

Yup, they were cheap on purchase, parts, fuel and maintenance, i.e. low cost per working hour, not just at purchase. Despite that, most British livestock farmers never maintain nor clean their equipment at all, so British livestock farms arent exactly a reference mark

But they were virtually the only customer for a zetor !

 

[rdbigfarmboy]

I saw at an auction a 5610 with a 5900 hood on it with a mower set up like was discussed here. The tractor was rough unknown hours and started OK. I saw it as a $2500 tractor needing 3500 in work and tread. When I walked away it was at 11000 and going.

Fords are very popular in the south.
A Zetor same size same condition would have been scrap only for 1200.

 

[stevewatr]

Well, I passed on the Zetor, and the 5610 ended up on Ebay. I was the underbidder at $6000, but was driven that high buy a winning bidder who than did not buy it. I was offered it at $6000, but by then had found a 6610 on Craigslist just like it, orange, but with 2 flails! One rear PTO driven, one hydraulic driven side mount. Also, I began to suspect foul play with the Ebay 5610 deal, i.e. phantom bidder. The 6610 had several issues like leaking injection pump, major blowby, grinding brakes, poor rear tires and no lo range.
He still wanted $8000 for it, but with all it's issues, I would only go to $4000, so that deal died. Then yet another orange 6610 popped up on CL, this one has a newer aftermarket loader, with no mower. This one started good, with minimal blowby, but I could not drive it because of a bad rear rim, and tire. He was asking $6500, but I waited too long, so he took a deposit from someone else. Funny thing is, his deal is also not working out. He still has it up on CL 2 weeks after he told me he took a deposit, and told me he thinks the guy was just not ready to commit to buy. Last Saturday I attended a municipal auction just like the one these tractors came from, and there were several 5610's with flails, some JD 2235's, and a couple Ford 1920's. I bid on a few, came close on a 5610, but ended up buying the much smaller 1920. The reality is the 5610 is much more tractor than I need, and I was just getting caught up with the idea of owning that much tractor. BTW, all the tractors at this sale have issues, most do not run, and leave lots of questions. It would be a gamble buying any of these. The 5610 I almost bought went for $1700. A steal IF it can be made a runner without breaking the bank. My 1920 has a good running motor, but I have to jump the solenoid to do it. I figure its a safety switch issue. The bigger issue is it will not move. But that's a question for a new thread. Thanks for all the comments on this thread!