looking for another tractor

[SenileTexasAggie]

I am new to the forum, having just joined Sat, Apr 25. I am hoping you folks can provide me with the professional help my wife is always telling me I need.

My previous tractor, a 2005 New Holland TC48DA, died a painful death a few weeks ago. It was no fault of the tractor but the idiot who was operating it (me). So now I am in the market for another tractor, new or used. I am looking for a good source of reliability info, akin to what is available from Consumer Reports for used cars, but instead for tractors. That way, I hope to avoid tractor manufacturers or models with a history of trouble.

Here is what I have: 160 acres, with ~80 in pasture and 80 in woods. I currently have no plans to cut the woods except to perhaps built UTV trails through them. I do cut the woods along the edges, where they have encroached into the pastures. Currently, 50 acres are leased to another farmer for hay cutting, with the other 30 being a bit overgrown (lots of trees interspersed) which I cut. I have the following implements: shredder/rotary mower, wood chipper, box blade, landscape rake, (SSQA) bucket, grapple, tree shear, stump bucket, hay bale spear, pallet forks.

I appreciate whatever advice you can provide.

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[jeff9366]

How did the weight, power, transmission and amenities of your NH TC48DA suit you?



New Holland TC48DA

2003 - 2008
Boomer TC-A Series
Compact Utility tractor
Series: TC45A ← TC48DA → TC55DA
Production
Manufacturer: New Holland
Type: Compact Utility tractor
The New Holland Boomer TC48DA was unable to make the advertised 3-point lift of 3,465 pounds or 12 GPM of hydraulic flow during official testing. Measured performance was a lift of 2,789 pounds and a flow rate of 11.3 GPM.

Variants
CaseIH Farmall DX48
New Holland TC48DA Power
Engine: 48 hp
35.8 kW
PTO (claimed): 40 hp
29.8 kW
PTO (tested): 40.98 hp
30.6 kW
power test details ...
New Holland TC48DA Engine
Shibaura 2.2L 4-cyl diesel
Fuel tank: 13.5 gal
51.1 L

Mechanical
Chassis: 4x2 2WD
4x4 MFWD 4WD
Steering: power
Brakes: differential mechanical wet disc
Cab: ROPS. Canopy optional.
Transmission: 12-speed synch shuttle

Hydraulics
Type: open center
Valves: 3 (optional)
Total flow: 12 gpm
45.4 lpm
Steering flow: 5.52 gpm
20.9 lpm
Tractor hitch
Rear Type: II/I
Rear lift (at 24"/610mm): 3,465 lbs
1571 kg
Power Take-off (PTO)
Rear PTO: independent
Rear RPM: 540

Dimensions
Wheelbase: 74.8 inches
189 cm
Weight: 4,315 lbs
1957 kg
Front tire: 9.5L-15
Rear tire: 14.9-28

Page information
Last update: February 1, 2020
Copyright: Copyright 2020 TractorData LLC
Contact: Peter@TractorData.com

 

[rademamj1]

Despite serious effort at finding a Consumer Reports for Tractors, or something like a Car and Driver reviews for tractors. I could not find anything those comparative reviews. So instead, your going to have to do your own research, as to strengths and weaknesses of tractor brands.

Start with looking at what your wanting to do with the tractor and focus that way. With such a large property, I would start with 33Hp to 50Hp range. The subcompacts in the 18 to 26 Hp range are probably just too small for your property size and future tasks.
Especially if you get that 50 acres back. And used tractors are getting high prices, close to newer tractors.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Not trying to pour salt into your fresh wound, but would you mind briefly describing how you killed your last tractor?

Might help us know which way to steer you on the next one.

 

[3gunr]

With that much land to deal with ,I would be looking at 50 hp min and 60 to 70 hp would not be over doing it.

 

[SenileTexasAggie]

How did the weight, power, transmission and amenities of your NH TC48DA suit you?

I really liked it. It had a manual 12x12 transmission and all of the power I needed except a time or two when the loader (LA 16) could not pick up a log or tree truck. I would gladly buy another one if I could find another in decent shape. I looked on tractorhouse DOT com and there were only three listed in the entire USA. along with only 3 for its bigger brother TC53DA. It was an open station style tractor. If I buy another tractor, I am considering a cab.

Not trying to pour salt into your fresh wound, but would you mind briefly describing how you killed your last tractor?

Might help us know which way to steer you on the next one.

In the next edition of Webster's dictionary, my picture will be next to the word idiot. On Monday and Tuesday a couple of weeks ago, I cut down every cedar tree I could get to in the pasture that I mow, part of my thinning out of the trees in that area. Unknown to me, sometime on Tuesday a tree or limb bent my oil dipstick tube, causing oil to blow out of the crankcase. On Wednesday, I went out to pick up all of the cedar trees I had cut down. I noticed that there was a small amount of oil on the shop floor on the right side of the tractor. I decided that I would look into the source of the leak when I got finished picking up the cedar trees. While I was picking up the trees, the oil pressure light came on. Here's the bigger idiot part -- for some reason I thought that the oil pressure light was on the left and the light that was on simply meant that the tractor was not running. I thought that perhaps I had dislodged the wire, as I had done that numerous times with the neutral safety switch (I finally had to bypass the neutral safety switch because it kept getting torn loose by brush). So I kept working for 2 hours or so with no oil in the engine. Finally, as I backed into the shop, the engine started making a really bad knocking sound (I wonder why ). Once I went into the house, I looked up in the owner's manual just exactly what that light meant. When it said oil pressure, I became physically ill, and it hit me that I had most certainly ruined the engine. The next day, when I went to check the oil level, I discovered that the source of the oil leak was a bent dipstick. I filled the tractor with oil and started it back up. It ran but then soon sounded like front load washing machine with a bucket of bolts in the tub.

Based on the above story, I expect you folks will now recommend I get a toy tractor, as less damage will occur when I tear that one up! I certainly deserve such responses.

Senile Texas Aggie

BTW, for those of you unfamiliar with Texas Aggies, enter into your favorite search engine "Texas Aggie jokes". It will explain a lot about me.

 

[airbiscuit]

The only advice I can give comes from anecdotal reports on TBN threads. I seem to have seen that some of the 5xxx series John Deere's had problems, and others did not. It also seems that some of the Mahindras have quality issues (but those made by TYM seem okay?). There is one recent model of Kubota (B3350?) that even Kubota dealers don't want to take in on trade.

I sure did like those Shibaura built New Hollands.

 

[rScotty]

I really liked it. It had a manual 12x12 transmission and all of the power I needed except a time or two when the loader (LA 16) could not pick up a log or tree truck. I would gladly buy another one if I could find another in decent shape. I looked on tractorhouse DOT com and there were only three listed in the entire USA. along with only 3 for its bigger brother TC53DA. It was an open station style tractor. If I buy another tractor, I am considering a cab.

SNIPPED OUT THE MIDDLE....

Based on the above story, I expect you folks will now recommend I get a toy tractor, as less damage will occur when I tear that one up! I certainly deserve such responses.

Senile Texas Aggie

BTW, for those of you unfamiliar with Texas Aggies, enter into your favorite search engine "Texas Aggie jokes". It will explain a lot about me.

Oh, I wouldn't be too hard on yourself.

But maybe that's because I just did some thing similar.... On the LandCruiser SUV I've owned for 22 years I just spent a month trying to figure out a problem that is going to sound equally senile. And perhaps it is.....

What I was seeing was the needle on the temperature gauge on the dash (labeled with the icon of a teapot) suddenly got erratic. On a late night trip, it began going from low to high when I accelerated from idle, and then back to medium when driving at a constant speed. It seemed to follow engine rpm exactly. No other symptoms except the gauge. But why would temperature follow rpm so quickly and closely? Being a pretty good mechanic, I devised several tests, and even raided the kitchen the next day for a candy thermometer which I strapped & taped onto the radiator hose. All of the tests - and the candy thermometer - confirmed that the engine heat was perfect and stable....so why was the gauge so wonky?

The software said that the temperature was stable, and confirmed that the gauge was reporting accurately. So where was the problem? I took it to the dealer and showed them the problem....they saw what I saw, but they didn't have an answer.
Their sorta young mechanic did say he wasn't so familiar with those old analogue non-digital gauges. OLD?!? What's OLD? This car is just barely old enough to vote! Hardly a quarter million miles. Wattayamean OLD! Phoofey!

On the way home is when it dawned on me. That icon on the gauge isn't a teapot with steam coming out the spout. It's intended to be a picture of a pitcher full of oil, and what is coming out the spout is supposed to represent a drop of oil. That's not a temperature gauge at all. It never was. That's an oil pressure gauge.....what I've been looking at is the oil pressure gauge. So of course it goes from low to high as the engine revs up and then back to medium at cruise. That's what it's supposed to do, dummy.

Sure enough, a little bit of scouting around confirmed the temperature gauge is below that oil pressure gauge, sort of hidden by the dashboard edge, works fine and is stable in the good zone. The temperature gauge has a thermometer icon just like you would expect it to. In fact, the icon looks a bit like the candy thermometer I forgot about and just remember it's still taped to the radiator hose. Better go rescue that.
rScotty

BTW, I went to High School in central Texas. So this might not be us at all. Maybe it's a regional Aggie problem.

 

[Beeenvenue]

Class of 86. Not getting into my own dumb stunts....
New to tractors and land. Have a kioti 3510se hst for 14 open acres with lots of undulations 5-10 ft high. 35 engine HP, 29 PTO. I can bog it down pulling a 5’ medium bushog in 2-4’ high heavy growth of weeds, especially in the morning or when wet. If I had 80 acres I would want more than even a 6’ bushog and while I think I could go to 6’ wide I don’t think I can or should try more. So for 80 I’d want quite a bit bigger and perhaps a batwing just so I didn’t spend all my time cutting.

 

[rScotty]

The only advice I can give comes from anecdotal reports on TBN threads. I seem to have seen that some of the 5xxx series John Deere's had problems, and others did not. It also seems that some of the Mahindras have quality issues (but those made by TYM seem okay?). There is one recent model of Kubota (B3350?) that even Kubota dealers don't want to take in on trade.

I sure did like those Shibaura built New Hollands.

Yep, I liked them too. Especially those motors had a nice sound. That 12x12 tranny is hard to beat The balance was good..good loader too. The hydraulics won't be hurt. And better yet, that is the era before all the new emissions equipment became mandatory. All in all, a desireable tractor even with serious engine damage. Those are moving engine parts, and if it didn't absolutely let go, it's rebuildable. In fact, from that era they are pretty much infinitely rebuildable. There's a time I would have loved to have a chance at such a nice tractor that only needed some mechanical attention.

I'd get a really good diesel mechanic - maybe an good old guy in an independent shop - a chance to go through that engine. We could talk about that; it may not be all that bad. And I'd let him or you price out a whole new or reman engine. A good job is going to take a while. It might easily be a year.

And that's not all bad either, because it strikes me that with 160 acres and all those implements that's a place just begging for two tractors.
Do I wouldn't let this screw-up rob me of a chance to get a nice new machine. Then next year you can decide to keep them both.
rScotty