Landini??

[Robert_in_NY]

After having cut my teeth in the tractor world with a MF231, I quickly learned that Perkins engines are great - take a beating and sip fuel. Only problems with the MF231 was no cab and no FWD and too little power.

So went looking for a new tractor and landed at Landini's doorstep in Bradford, Ontario. This is also the parts distribution centre for Canada and you could eat off the floor and so I was impressed and they had lots of units (Landinis and McCormicks) sitting out in the compound. Checked out a PowerFarm 85 (4 cylinder 4.4 litre non-turbo) with cab, FWD, AC/heating, and a bunch of other stuff (non hydraulic clutch version).

I've had the unit for about a month and haven't had a chance to use it for much but it's tough, looks good, great HVAC system, and no turbo problems to worry about in future. The Perkins engine seems to be quite efficient for the few hours I put on it and I'm looking forward to using it a lot this summer.

By the way, I had actually put in an offer on a new TN75DA (3 cylinder, 3.3 litre, dual inline turbos) about an hour before I bought the PowerFarm but no go. I'm glad it didn't happen because although the units look almost identical from a distance, quality on the TN is somewhat lighter (even the fuel tank shield is only half as thick as the Landini's) and the TN seems like just a step up from a compact tractor versus a utility tractor (even with the large Hp), and the dual inline turbos frighten me although I know most turbo-diesels are bullet-proof if you take care of them right.

My two-pennies worth.

The TN is a step up from a compact. I do not know of any company that offers more utility tractors then New Holland does. The TN is a high quality tractor that sells like crazy here for use on vegetable farms, dairy farms, homeowners ranches and there is also the TN-F and TN-V versions for orchards and vineyards. They are very well thought out and do what they are designed for well.

The Powerfarm line is closer to the size of the TL and TDD line from New Holland. New Holland has a bunch of utility tractor lines to choose from to meet all their customers demands. Did you look at the TL or TDD lines?

I do wish there was a better Landini dealer down here in my area as the current one is a joke and I have little faith in his dealership lasting so I will not buy from him. But I have always been partial to Blue tractors.

 

[kiwiroo]

I just discovered Landini and after reading the posts about them am somewhat encouraged- my dilemna has been that I have 30 acres with horses and would like a good size as far as horsepower for the property, but also have 7 acres of blueberries which needs a lighter narrower tractor, and I'd rather not have to spend the money for 2 tractors.
New holland and John Deere have narrow lines but jumping up to those also gets you a tractor that is too heavy for the roots. My concern was the reliablity of them and availability of parts but it seems like most people in here have positive things to say about them , I guess the only disadvantage being resale on a lesser known brand.
It looks like the Mistral America is the same as the Mccormick GX-50, does Mccormick still make that model?

 

[dgl24087]

The GX 50 is still listed on their website. Landini and McCormick are both owned by the Argo Group, so I imagine the tractors are the same.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I just discovered Landini and after reading the posts about them am somewhat encouraged- my dilemna has been that I have 30 acres with horses and would like a good size as far as horsepower for the property, but also have 7 acres of blueberries which needs a lighter narrower tractor, and I'd rather not have to spend the money for 2 tractors.
New holland and John Deere have narrow lines but jumping up to those also gets you a tractor that is too heavy for the roots. My concern was the reliablity of them and availability of parts but it seems like most people in here have positive things to say about them , I guess the only disadvantage being resale on a lesser known brand.
It looks like the Mistral America is the same as the Mccormick GX-50, does Mccormick still make that model?

Have you looked at the New Holland TC 45? It is light, has decent power for a small farm and you can have a cab and hydro (if desired). If you don't want a cab you can go up to the TC55.

We use the narrow tractors in the vineyards and orchards all the time without any problem but then again I do not have blueberries to know how the root systems work on them. Most of the tractors around here are either the New Holland TN-FA, TN-V or John Deere 5000N with more Case-IH JX1075N (And 95N) popping up since Case-IH received the TN clone.

Also, Kubota has a narrow tractor coming out soon and I think these are lighter then the New Hollands. They also have the M8940 Power Krawler coming out which is 54" wide and has tracks on the back with traditional tires on the front. The tracks will reduce ground pressure substansially which might be something to consider for your application if you need this much tractor. For 30 acres I think a large compact would do what you want at a fraction of the cost. These narrow tractors with the high horsepower are designed for pulling large multi row sprayers. My neighbor had farmed his 20 acres for years with a Ford 1920. He had a small 200 gallon air blast sprayer for the grapes and apples as well as a 5' brush chopper, 2 bottom plow, 5' disc and other implements for use on his small farm. The tractor held up fine and is now working on his son's huge farm mainly running irrigation pumps but also gets used to tug trailers around as they harvest grape roots.

So happy tractor hunting and if you can could you tell me more about the root system on blueberries as I am curious about them. Are they real shallow and wide spread?

 

[charleyfarmall]

The GX50 is still available,but has not been a huge success in the US like it has been elsewhere. I own a GX50 with a cab and loader and use it for everything including tilling, discing, square baling 30-40 acres. The only problems are ones I created. The cab is a little small but I fit fine. At full power with with the A/C on and 100 degree day it will overheat, so I added and auxilliary radiator and it has completely solved the problem. I will be adding a CMAX 75 or 85 this year.

The CT series are rebadged Montanas (LS from Korea). The CXL, CMAX, MB are all Landini's made in italy, as is the new CL, which is ( I believe it's ready) now available (or will be soon) with a cab. The CX series is an old Case tractor but is now produced by Landini. Look for it to change soon. The C series are being phased out, they are old Case tractors too.

I doubt the GX will be around too long except as a special order, but it has a lot going for it. I bought it for stable work and blueberry orchard work. There should be pictures of it in the gallery.

 

[slowzuki]

I've come back to looking at Landini's again because the Powerfarm's and a Vision I tried out really seem to be good units. If I could get a quote from the local dealer anywhere near what they sell for in Ontario or Quebec I'd be set! Oh and I suppose the minor issue of selling my L5030 HSTC, strange, I've not had much luck selling it. Lots of people lowballing me but no solid offers.

 

[charleyfarmall]

Yes, the powerfarm looks like a really nice machine. I wish there was a dealer near me. The nearest listed dealer is that only by name. When I called, they really wanted just to sell a kubota and they don't have any Landini's on the lot.

I would be very tempted by the powershuttle but I would probably get the plain mechanical transmission because in the end, 20 years from now, it will be easier to fix and repair.

 

[landinista]

I've come back to looking at Landini's again because the Powerfarm's and a Vision I tried out really seem to be good units. If I could get a quote from the local dealer anywhere near what they sell for in Ontario or Quebec I'd be set! Oh and I suppose the minor issue of selling my L5030 HSTC, strange, I've not had much luck selling it. Lots of people lowballing me but no solid offers.

I've got a PowerFarm 85 (non-turbo) with a cab that I enjoy driving more than my F250SD and although I have less than 25hours on so far, it seems great. While I believe most tractors in this class are probably very good too, the one thing I personally like about the Landini is the Perkins engine - only because I was somewhat familiar with it from my old tractor (MF231s). NH in this class or the TNs, I believe, have the Iveco engines which is FIAT - not too shabby either although the turbos scare me because I've never had one before.

If you end up going to any tractor dealer, will they not accept a trade-in for the new one? I originally wanted to get a NH and they were going to give me $4k for my MF231s. I ended up at a Landini dealer who would gave me about $9k for it! I probably didnt save as much on the new machine due to the high trade-in but I wasn't going to be saving $5k on the NH either.

Although I have the mechanical transmission, the shuttle feature is pretty useful even though you have to clutch between forward-reverse. But I do hear that the power-shuttle is also very reliable and increases clutch life significantly. I ended up foregoing the power shuttle to put money into a cab (a luxury for me that I never expected to afford).

Anyway, good luck with the tractor shopping. Hey, this may be far-fetched but if the pricing is so far out from Ontario to where you are, why not buy here and ship it? They shouldn't refuse you service at your closest dealership.

 

[slowzuki]

I've thought about doing that, but they are a small dealer and could be petty about it in the future.

I've got a question about your manual shuttle and the price you were quoted. The local dealer said 46,000$ for Powerfarm 85, cab, manual shuttle and Frey (landini) loader.

My other question is the mech shuttle had 3 positions on it, one looked like an overdrive, but the floor range change also had three positions, basically a high medium low. Whats the story here? The hydro reverser model only has 3 ranges, and the forward reverse on the shuttle.

 

[landinista]

The price you were quoted is actually about $2k less than I got - I have an 72" Buhler loader, manual 4-wheel drive, 16.9-R34 rears with R24s up front. I'm not sure if Frey is a Landini FEL - the Landini loaders I saw are quite interesting as they extend quite far.

With respect to gearing, it depends on what you want. With mine, I have range control (LO-MED-HI) on the floor, with 4-gear stick, and then the shuttle provides me with REV, FWD, OVERDRIVE which is about 23% faster than FORWARD. This combination gives a maximum speed of 40kph with 24forward and 12reverse gears.

The tractor is also available in UNDERDRIVE and CREEPER modes so you can choose what you need. I'm not sure how you get overdrive with the power shuttle but it is definitely available and even up to 32FWD+16REV. The nice thing about the power shuttle system is that you get a 'de-clutch' button on the stick that allows you to change gears with clutching.

The other thing to note is that there are two versions of cab available. The Techno and Top - the TECHNO is a little more bare-bones and has the exhaust pipe coming out the middle of the hood. The TOP has a fancier interior (some extra upholstery) and has the exhaust pipe coming out the side of the hood and running up the right hand cab post so it's not blocking any vision.

The other thing to keep in mind is that if you have implements already, because the rear final drives are offset from the differential (they are further back), the arms extend further and some of your PTO shafts may be too short. Also, the PTO output is quite high off the ground with the R34 rears thereby increasing the PTO shaft angle (decreasing life). Good luck and please let us know how it goes.