Looking to buy a tractor strictly for bush hogging

[Soundguy]

Get a ford 4000 or better yet.. a 4600.. plenty of hp for a 6' cutter. 8spd trans... ind pto, wet brakes.. get the diesel.. the 3 cyl jobs were virtually bulletproof.

3900$ got me a 4600 and beater 6' mower.

I put a lil time and money into fixing both up, including rops and paint. probably didn't put in 2 weeks worth of real work, and probably not more than 700$ either, including rops, paint and oil change / small parts repair and a front grill.

mower just needed welding an greasing and a coat of leftover paint.

thus a few hundred less than 5000$ from zero to hero...

soundguy

I've decided my farm needs a tractor STRICTLY for bush hogging. The day I find what I'm looking for, I will bring it home, hook it to the bush hog, and that will be it's life forever. This puts me in the used market, something from the 60's, 70's, 80's and MAYBE early 90's(although the few early 90's I've come accross at the price I'm looking to spend look pretty beat to you know what.). Make doesn't matter...well I take that back, yes it does. I want something I can get parts for so I've been thinking of sticking with John Deere, Massey Ferguson, Ford/early model NH....something like that. She don't hafta be pretty, but she don't need to be junk either.

I NEED independant pto, live is not a consideration, btdt got the t-shirt. 2wd is all I need, transmission really doesn't matter(or maybe it does, someone help me out??). The tractor needs to be at LEAST 40 pto hp to run my John Deere MX6. I don't mind going bigger, but i know I won't need a 70 pto hp tractor. I also might get rid of the MX6 and try to find me a Bush Hog brand 6' cutter, haven't decided yet. Maybe I can get lucky and find a good tractor that comes with a decent bush hog? never know.

what I'm willing to spend, I've set a maximum of $11,000....I figure that would get me what I'm looking for after searching through various places and comparing prices. What I need to know is are there any specific models I need to be looking at that would make a good bush hog only tractor?

 

[Soundguy]

we have the younger brother.. a jd 2240 decent machine.. figure it's near 50hp or so.. don't know exactly.

ditto on the 4000 series fords.

soundguy

You're in the right price range for a NICE Deere 2440. They're rated at 60hp pto, but that's wound out WFO screaming.....@ 540 rpm on the pto, you're looking at something more like 1800rpm engine speed where you'll more likely get something like 53 or 54 hp pto....

They were built from 1977 (as '78 models) to mid 1982. '80 to 82 models were built in Mannhiem Germany. Earlier ones were built in Dubuque Iowa. Early models were for the most part a 2030 with different decals.

I've got a 2440 and a 2640. Had the 2440 since new. Good tractor overall, IPTO, 4X2 tranny, They were offered with several tranny options including a 4X2x2 shift on the fly hi/lo. I'd avoid that one from all I've heard. 219 cu in diesel 4-cylinder.

I've seen a few low to average hour 2440's in the $8000+ range, mint condition above $10,000.

Beyond that, I'd look for 255/265 Masseys, 4000 series Fords, 574 IH...all of which can typically be had for less than the Deere's of that size.

 

[RollingsFarms]

Get a ford 4000 or better yet.. a 4600.. plenty of hp for a 6' cutter. 8spd trans... ind pto, wet brakes.. get the diesel.. the 3 cyl jobs were virtually bulletproof.

3900$ got me a 4600 and beater 6' mower.

I put a lil time and money into fixing both up, including rops and paint. probably didn't put in 2 weeks worth of real work, and probably not more than 700$ either, including rops, paint and oil change / small parts repair and a front grill.

mower just needed welding an greasing and a coat of leftover paint.

thus a few hundred less than 5000$ from zero to hero...

soundguy

VERY nice job you did on that tractor! heck i would have been happy with it like it was when you brought it home! i'm keeping my eyes open for a good older Ford but they sure are tough to come by in my area, and by the time you hear about one it's been sold. i'd sure be proud to own that tractor though! before and after the work was done to it!

 

[Soundguy]

I even built that topper too.. patterned it off a ford topper on my 5000 and then buzzed and chopped it outta scrap, marine plywood, and heavy rubber matting.

that front bumper and grill guard started out as scrap too. rescued from the pile at work, to protect that new 50$ grill, and radiator from trree limbs.

keep an eye out... look on Clist.. and at dealers for trade-ins.. that's what this was.. and I came alog at the right time..

soundguy

 

[flusher]

My neighbor has a JD2640--a big, reliable beast of a tractor.
I've seen 2640s sell on eBay from $6200-10K without FEL and $8500-10K with FEL.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Don't know how far you are from this:
1982 FORD 3600 Tractors - 40 HP to 99 HP For Sale At TractorHouse.com

But, that looks like a decent machine with low hours. I think the x600 series Fords were some of the best tractors ever built.

Here's the TractorData page for that model:
TractorData.com Ford 3600 tractor information

 

[Soundguy]

hmm.. i dunno if the 3600 has ind pto? might.

Rickb would know.

I'm no where near my manuals to check. there were a few trans options...

soundguy

 

[Bigfoot62]

hmm.. i dunno if the 3600 has ind pto? might.

Rickb would know.

I'm no where near my manuals to check. there were a few trans options...

soundguy

Yep, PTO lever is below the seat on the left side of the transmission housing, and it has a two-stage clutch. Gears were 8x2, with an optional 6x2. But I've never seen a 6x2 in the x600 or x610 series. They must be rare.
The 3610 has a foot throttle. That's handy, but for a dedicated bush-hogging tractor, unecessary.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Another option would be the NH 3010 (or even a 4010). They are basically a re-make of the older Fords. The NH will also have the 3 cyl, and they are still economical on fuel.

 

[SSdoxie]

Here is a 255 Massey just got posted today in Tennessee. Either very well kept or has fresh paint. Could probably trade the loader for a bush hog.
Local Sales Network - 255 MASSEY FERGUSON in LEBANON, TN #2332536 - Go LSN!