new and small vs old and big

[moron88]

Somehow my dad, and us kids, managed 200 acres with an 8N, no FEL. We plowed, disced, planted corn, mowed raked and baled hay, cut timber, you name it... From 1950s into 1980s.
After my grandfather died we added his 9N to the fleet.
In 90s he bought a Ford 600, with the 8N now out of commission.
In 2005 I bought the L5030 with FEL for him. Now he says he doesn't know how he ever got along without a FEL.
At 92 he can still use a tractor without power steering, but he sure prefers the one with it and the FEL.

sounds a lot like my great grandpa. man was always tinkering, doing household repairs himself. he tended to the yard and driveway all the way up till he was 96 and a fire destroyed his garage with garden tractor inside. pretty sure he was stronger at 90 than i am today.

 

[ShowroomShine]

thanks all! i have my search narrowed down to 3, just need to get financing cleared with the bank (aka my mother). 2 are first run ford 2000s (no power steering op) and one 1990 (the listing says, anyway) ford 3910. the 3910 is $1500 with loader, one 2000 has a loader for $2300 and the other 2000 is in far better condition (upholstered seat and decent paint, barn kept) with a brush hog, back blade, disc, corn planter and single bottom plow for $4100. of course, my inner hoarder wants to try to get all 3 and while not strictly out of the question, that'll be a very hard sell. i'm ok with manual steering, i'm reasonably strong and aint afraid to sweat. thanks again!

Uh, if that 3910 is in operational condition...run don't walk to that deal.

 

[fried1765]

Uh, if that 3910 is in operational condition...run don't walk to that deal.

$1500 for the 1990 Ford 3910 with loader is an Incredible deal.
If that is a Craig's list advertisement....BEWARE!
Craig's list is loaded with scammers "selling" tractors.

 

[fried1765]

thanks all! i have my search narrowed down to 3, just need to get financing cleared with the bank (aka my mother). 2 are first run ford 2000s (no power steering op) and one 1990 (the listing says, anyway) ford 3910. the 3910 is $1500 with loader, one 2000 has a loader for $2300 and the other 2000 is in far better condition (upholstered seat and decent paint, barn kept) with a brush hog, back blade, disc, corn planter and single bottom plow for $4100. of course, my inner hoarder wants to try to get all 3 and while not strictly out of the question, that'll be a very hard sell. i'm ok with manual steering, i'm reasonably strong and aint afraid to sweat. thanks again!

BEWARE !!!
The 1990 Ford 3910 is DEFINITELY a SCAM !
I have been watching it for weeks on Craig's List.
DO NOT e-mail edithbennett11@gmail.com.
Edith will likely give you a sob story about having to sell the tractor because her son or husband was killed by a meteorite.

 

[moron88]

BEWARE !!!
The 1990 Ford 3910 is DEFINITELY a SCAM !
I have been watching it for weeks on Craig's List.
DO NOT e-mail edithbennett11@gmail.com.
Edith will likely give you a sob story about having to sell the tractor because her son or husband was killed by a meteorite.

here i was expecting a little old lady selling off her deceased husband's tractor... i guess i'm their prime target.

 

[Texasmark]

Somehow my dad, and us kids, managed 200 acres with an 8N, no FEL. We plowed, disced, planted corn, mowed raked and baled hay, cut timber, you name it... From 1950s into 1980s.
After my grandfather died we added his 9N to the fleet.
In 90s he bought a Ford 600, with the 8N now out of commission.
In 2005 I bought the L5030 with FEL for him. Now he says he doesn't know how he ever got along without a FEL.
At 92 he can still use a tractor without power steering, but he sure prefers the one with it and the FEL.

There's a saying around my house: You don't miss what you never had. Social media and the internet didn't exist back then. I lived in town and a lot of things passed me by too; didn't know they existed. Worked with a guy who grew up in MS. and all they had was a Farmall B and made a living with it.

 

[newbury]

here i was expecting a little old lady selling off her deceased husband's tractor... i guess i'm their prime target.

One of the ways to quickly check for scams is to pop the ad title into your search engine - (i.e. Google the ad) or do a search on the image. Often the same ad will be playing in many markets.

It can be chancy giving a link to a great buy on TBN because I suspect some here would jump on a good deal and figure first come first served.

 

[fried1765]

here i was expecting a little old lady selling off her deceased husband's tractor... i guess i'm their prime target.

If you will send me your e-mail address via private messaging (PM) I will forward some e-mail exchanges I did with Edith Bennett.
I think you will find them very informative.

George

 

[DVMSteve]

short and to the point questions at the bottom:
3. should i skip the old tractors and stick with the garden tractor?

I might have missed it, but I didn't see where any of the tractor folks addressed this one. I am not yet a tractor guy, but I am heavily researching new ones. I am in the market because three weeks ago I tried moving some dirt with my 54" "garden tractor" (Craftsman, 26hp Briggs & Stratton, with Tuff Torq K66Y transmission). I mention the transmission just in case somebody has a used one that I can buy to replace the one that I MELTED trying to move 9 yards of dirt with a box blade attachment. Man, I loved that thing as a lawn mower... But when I took off the mower deck, put on the "ag tires" and wheel weights and (36"?) box blade, it just couldn't handle it. Got stuck several times, and then finally melted the HST.

Good luck! BTW, I grew up in GR before moving to NC.

 

[Huskerfan]

short and to the point questions at the bottom.

hello folks. i have 3.5-4 acres in southwest michigan and am looking for my first tractor. the annual/everyday uses will be grading my driveway, brush mowing the side yards a couple times a year and finish mowing the back acre. i wouldnt mind the ability to move snow, but i have a good shovel and a barely used snowblower (bought it in jan, used it once...) to do most of that. my mother wants a garden, but i dont know if she just wants flowers or if she wants more food plants than the grape vine i bought her. my plan was to go to lowes and get a husqvanra garden tractor with 54" deck, front scoop, utility blade and grader blade for about 6k delivered. however, i made the mistake of checking craigslist...

there i found a bunch of late 30's-60's tractors all less than 4k. one in particular that has caught my eye is a ford 2000 (unknown year) with front end loader in working condition for $2600. only problem with that deal is that i'd need a way to get it back to my house (dont currently have a truck). this is not the only listing like this. there's a '59 allis chalmers tractor with loader mounted snowplow for 3500, a few ford 9n's for ~2500 and even a couple old deeres. i like the thought of these units better than the husq for 2 reasons; 1, they are designed to do more than anything i'll likely put them through and 2, most of them run diesel (our furnace is oil fired and i've been filling the tank myself with offroad diesel for 3 years now. i have easy access to copious amounts of diesel in 5 gallon cans).

now i know the compatible attachments will cost more $, but buying used means when/if i sell i wont lose much (if any) money. plus bigger attachments mean i can get the work done quicker. my real issue is parts and maintenance. i'm new to maintaining vehicles myself (started out of financial necessity, now money isnt nearly as tight) and dont have the slightest clue where to start on a tractor. i'm a rather quick study and usually learn best by doing.

my questions:
1. where do you get parts for old tractors?
2. what should i look out for when i go see them?
3. should i skip the old tractors and stick with the garden tractor?

If your considering old, have you considered a little newer? I'd look for a circa ~1970s Oliver 55 series, say a 1655. Excellent for loader with the wide front end. 18 forward speeds and 6 reverse (over under hydraulic shift on the basic 6/2 transmission), ps, hydraulic brakes and pto. About 60 hp. Very operator friendly. Huge support network through the Hart Parr Oliver Association