Buying Advice John Deere Vs Branson

[THEPARTYHOUND]

Hey everyone, I've been reading these forums for the last several weeks and have decided it was time to just put a post out there and get everyones opinions. Ive recently sold a truck and am seriously considering getting a tractor. I have 2 that i am looking pretty hard at and the 2 are quite a bit different.

The first is a 1989 4wd John Deere 2240 with about 4200 hrs on the clock. It has a FEL, rear scraper blade, and somewhat of a cab (roof and windshield). I have not seen it yet, but there are no leaks i am told and it has been well maintained. I believe i was told that this is a 50 or 55 hp tractor. Also, it has a class 2 3-point hitch.

Second option in the same pricepoint is a 2010ish Branson 3510i. It comes with a triple axle trailer, FEL, rake, harrow, and back blade. This has about 130 hrs on it. Everything in good shape according to the owner.

For what i will be using the tractor for, either one would work fine. I plan to grow hay on about 20 acres, clear snow, and other chores around the property. My main concerns are reliability and ease of starting in subzero weather. Which tractor would i expect to get the most hours of trouble free use out of?

 

[mcfarmall]

I'd do the Branson if there was a dealer within 25 miles of my base camp. Extremely low hours for an almost 8 year old tractor.

 

[THEPARTYHOUND]

Well, the closest branson dealer is about 6 hours away. I figured that I'd be doing all of the maintenance myself, buying parts online, and it is no longer under warranty so I hadn't really considered a dealer being close by to be of much importance. If I bought a 10 year old toyota pickup, the closest toyota dealership would be my absolute last consideration in the purchase. However, I've never owned a tractor. Maybe a dealer close by is important for some reason, and if it is please clue me in!

 

[ericm979]

Tractordata.com has all the specs. If the 3510 is big enough for haying I'd choose that one out of the two. 4200 hours is a lot.

Unlike Kubota there's no internet website ordering for Branson parts. You need a dealer. There's a couple that post here who will ship parts- Dave's Tractor in Northern CA and Mr Bitz in ND. I bought my Branson 3725 from Daves, they're good people.

 

[THEPARTYHOUND]

Well, I just got off the phone with the lady who is currently using the branson (she's not the owner...long story). From the specs I had found on this tractor, it should be able to lift a 1500 lb round bale. According to her, it will not. She also said that they have gone through some hoses by trying to lift things that are too heavy for it. That is starting to tip the scales away from the branson.

So, 4200 hrs on a korean brand of tractor like Branson or Kioti is probably a LOT. But I see John Deere, Case, IH, and others of that nature with a lot more hours than that and still going strong. Is 4200 hours a lot on that model of john deere?

 

[LouNY]

That doesn't sound like the proper year for that model 2240?
Is it old enough to have a mechanical tach and hour meter or is it an electronic clock?
4000 hours on an electronic hour meter can be a lot different then 4000 on a mechanical meter.

 

[THEPARTYHOUND]

I had noticed that too. When i looked up that model it was only made till 83 i think it was.
I was assuming it was a mechanical hour meter. Why the difference between the mechanical and electronic?

 

[Kentuckyfarmer]

I have a 4720 and 1500 lbs on pallet forks is about all it will pick up and you better have something on the back for counter weight. Hit a bump and the back tires will float a little. I believe its probably 1500 lbs at the pins is what it rated at. A little less sticking further out. I have moved 1200 to 1300 lbs round bales. One on the back and one in the front. 4200 hours on the smaller tractor is quite a bit. The larger tractors not so much.

 

[LouNY]

Most tractor mechanical hour meter tachs show engine hours at rated speed, usually PTO speed;
at pto speed an hour equals an hour on the hour meter,
but idle it down to half of rated rpm an hours run time is only 1/2 hour on hour meter,
at idle it could take 4-5 hours to make an hour.
The newer stuff with the electronic hour meter total up clock hours regardless of engine rpm even just leaving the key on
and not even running will add hours.

 

[THEPARTYHOUND]

Ok, good to know! So, something with 4200 hrs on a mechanical clock could have several thousand hours more on the engine.

 

[LouNY]

I guess that's one way to look at it, growing up with the mechanical type we think it is a more accurate indication of the engines condition.
But yes mechanical hours usually accrue much slower then clock hours.
Good Luck on your tractor search

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I have a 4720 and 1500 lbs on pallet forks is about all it will pick up and you better have something on the back for counter weight. Hit a bump and the back tires will float a little. I believe its probably 1500 lbs at the pins is what it rated at. A little less sticking further out. I have moved 1200 to 1300 lbs round bales. One on the back and one in the front. 4200 hours on the smaller tractor is quite a bit. The larger tractors not so much.

I would ask the lady using it what kind of ballast weight they have on the back end when trying to lift a bale. From your list of attachments offered with the Branson, I don't think they have anything with enough weight to try it.

And even if you pass on the Branson, I would not buy that JD. 4000 hrs is a double-buttload of hours on a light duty tractor, that is being sold for "the same money" as the Branson + attachments, only sounds like you're not getting any useful attachments with the JD. Ok, a blade, but nothing for haying?

I'd keep looking.

 

[rScotty]

Ok, good to know! So, something with 4200 hrs on a mechanical clock could have several thousand hours more on the engine.

That's true of a mechanical tach, but often that means those are hours at low speed or idle, and so they don't add the wear that full throttle work does.

But the opposite isn't necessarily true with electric tachs. It's true that a tractor could have an electric tach that works like a clock so that hours add up anytime the key is on....I've heard of that but the tractors I've seen don't don't work that way.
In my experience, the electric tachs add the time up just like mechanical tachs do, they just do it by adding up electrical pulses instead of counting mechanical revolutions.
The result is the same. Both types are RPM dependent.

How many hours is too many? Well, that is the question, isn't it? IMHO, 4200 hours would be a lot for a low end tractor but it is only medium hours for a high-end machine. And it would represent a lot more wear and tear on a general purpose or construction tractor than it would for a machine used for mowing and field work.
Keep in mind that you will probably put far fewer hours on a tractor than you think you will. I'd be very surprised if you put on 250 hours in a year.

Two things seem odd about those tractors. One, it seems odd to me that a nearly new Branson with a triple axle trailer would be priced as low as this older JD with thousands of hours unless the Branson is much smaller tractor. Looking it up on Tractor Data the Branson does seem smallish size for the work you want to do.

On the JD the oddity is this: Are sure that model/year is correct?
My old info doesn't show a 2240 of that year with 4WD. But I'd say that any 50 HPish JD is worth a look. With a Cat II 3pt, it is the size you are looking for in terms or HP and lift. You will know when you see it, because with older machines it all comes down to how well they have been treated. And that is hard to disguise.
I sure do like the idea of a roof and windscreen! Now that is what I'd call civilized....

A older tractor treated well can easily be as good as a new one, that is true regardless of how old it is. And it is expecially true of something really high quality like the JDs of that era. Or it could be one worked hard, poorly maintained, living outside, started cold, and run hard and just be at the end of it's life.

Here at our place, both of our JDs have more hours than that and both start and work well. Yes, they are getting old and I can see wear and tear most everywhere on both machines, but so far there is no noticible degradation of things like engine compression, or hydraulic functions, or any of the working parts. Electricals are fine. Brakes are worn, clutches and trannys fine. Our tractors live outside.....

It will come down to condition. How easily it starts in cold weather is an excellent basic test. This cold winter gives us the perfect test bed. I'd say to always start with a well charged battery and with the block heater plugged in for an hour or two. After all, that's how you will be using it. And it is how anyone should be. I'd expect that either the JD or the Branson should then start right up. You will hear it crank once or twice and then fire right up. Expect it will run ragged for five or ten seconds while you advance the throttle to a slightly higher idle and then let it sit there and purr. If the weather is below 30F, give it at least fifteen minutes to warm up the hydraulic, steering, and tranny fluids before using the controls.

Most of us try to warm them up like that while looking over the machine and preparing tools for the day.
A machine treated that way will have noticibly less wear at 4000 hours than one that is fired up and pressed into use immediately.

Good luck, a good tractor is a real working partner. Take your time, post some pictures, ask difficult questions, do a search on both models, & get more info!!
rScotty

 

[Texasmark]

I'm not a BTO and my Deeres have maxed out at 100 hp, having had several of them, all used up through the 1979 4230DC. In 2007 I wanted a new tractor with all the whistles and bells. I shopped all the popular colors as I live near a metropolitan area surrounded by lots of farm land and lots of choices were available. I quit looking and 6 months later passed a Branson dealer. My 6530 is the result and the 2016 2400 I bought last year should indicate how I feel about that purchase.

 

[LouNY]

That's true of a mechanical tach, but often that means those are hours at low speed or idle, and so they don't add the wear that full throttle work does.

But the opposite isn't necessarily true with electric tachs. It's true that a tractor could have an electric tach that works like a clock so that hours add up anytime the key is on....I've heard of that but the tractors I've seen don't don't work that way.
In my experience, the electric tachs add the time up just like mechanical tachs do, they just do it by adding up electrical pulses instead of counting mechanical revolutions.
The result is the same. Both types are RPM dependent.

Could be some do, I'm not positive how the Magnums clocks run but I believe they are clock hours, I know the Puma 125 and the NH 6050 and the Branson 8050 are clock hours.

 

[THEPARTYHOUND]

Well, i pulled the trigger on the older 2240 today. I ran it a little and it seems to be a pretty solid tractor and very heavy duty. I ended up deciding this route because if im going to do any haying, the smaller tractor might just be a little too small. It may have the muscle to do what i need it to, but i think it would be working the little tractor pretty hard. One other deciding factor is that if im able to talk any of my neighbors into letting me borrow any of their implements, they will most likely be for a class 2 3-point hitch.

 

[sd455dan]

Well, i pulled the trigger on the older 2240 today. I ran it a little and it seems to be a pretty solid tractor and very heavy duty. I ended up deciding this route because if im going to do any haying, the smaller tractor might just be a little too small. It may have the muscle to do what i need it to, but i think it would be working the little tractor pretty hard. One other deciding factor is that if im able to talk any of my neighbors into letting me borrow any of their implements, they will most likely be for a class 2 3-point hitch.

Congrats on the tractor,

We Love pics - and the rule is it didn't happen without them...

The extra size and strength should be an advantage when moving large hay bales.