NH TNA Vs. JD 5020 series

[Robert_in_NY]

Doc, you are right to an extent about wanting a light tractor for certain haying jobs. That is why I use the 640. But if I get the Kuhn rake I want then I will need the hp of the TN but the advantage is that I reduce the number of trips across the field by raking two rows at once. When I use the TN for haying I drop the loader to reduce weight and so far I have not had any issues. My biggest issue is that the TN does not weigh enough for some of the hills I have worked on. Also, I think my baler compacts the ground a lot more then the tractor pulling it as does a full hay wagon.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I knew NH owned Iveco, I thought I admitted in my follow up that I did not know Fiat created Iveco to market their motors. Iveco has a great reputation around here and in Europe. I had thought that Fiat had acquired Iveco much like Agco just aquired Valtra for the Sisu motor.

I can tell from your post that you do not have anything against the TN except the motor. Why do you dislike the motor in the TN when you have not heard of any problems with the TN motors. I have friends who have the same motor in the TNF and put over 1000 hours on it a year with no problems. The TN motor and tranny is bullet proof and the reports on here as well as the garages should be proof enough. You never hear anyone say they are having a problem with the motor on their TN. It is usually a loose fitting or a wire got knocked off by a stick and it is the electrical that causes most problems on these newer tractors.

Comparing the TN to the 30 series is understandable. I had the choice to buy a 3930 or a TN65. The TN was so much better then the 30 series as far as operator comfort, layout and service. The TN is easy to work on and the loader comes off quick and easy. The 3930 is a great tractor but was dated and was long overdue to be replaced. I grew up on tractors and all my experience is on Fords and Masseys. The only JD's I have now are two JD-M's and an H. I have run Fords since I was 12 and a couple Masseys since I first learned how to run a tractor (don't remember how old I was then).

If I did not buy my TN I would most likely have bought a JD. When I was looking in early 2000 for a tractor to replace the Ford 4000 I talked to all the dealers. My MF/Kubota dealer wanted to sell me a 231s and could care less that it did not meet my needs. Agco Allis was a joke and was $5k more then NH. Case-IH was the same price as the AA. JD was $1400 more then the NH and 20 miles further away. I love my TN but I am not loyal to any one brand. I live two miles from my NH dealer. I have a great relationship with them now and will continue to deal with them. But I am seriously considering buying a Valtra if they give me a good price. So far the TS-A is about $3k less then the comparable Valtra.

My main work for the TN is haying, it is underpowered and undersized for my baler but I had the TN before the baler. The TN was bought to do our field work and we use every hp that it has. We pull a 3-16 plow and a 12' Int. transport behind it. We plant with an IH 56 4row corn planter. Weight is a big issue with us, compaction is not as a bigger tractor will weigh more and unless we get flotation tires it will not change the psi much put down by the tires. I need all the weight I can get to handle the disc, if the conditions are too bad I use our 10 footer. I will not baby this tractor which is why I took offense to your post about the motor being junk. Hope this clears things up some. Take care and enjoy the evening.

 

[jltrent]

Robert is sounds to me like you just need a bigger tractor. A 12' disc and 3-16" plows sounds like a load for your tractor. I have 3-18" non stop Ford plows(It has the big springs to trip itself back), but I use my MF 285 to pull it (82HP). Also what balor do you have? I have a 5x5 Vermeer balor and 62 PTO HP handles it well even on rolling land.
I have heard that some of the larger fixed chamber balors need extra power.
Also about three years ago I bought an 18 feet wheel rake made by M & W and it cut my hay raking time in half. It has ten big wheels that once they touch the ground pull themself and makes a windrow going the same direction. I sold the 256 NH rake, after using this one it wasn't worth the shed space it was taking up.
I got the M & W rake for $2400 dollars at the Valtra Valmet dealer and it has already paid for itself with the extra saving over the single NH rake. The dealer has been selling the Valmet tractors for several years now and they look to be a fine tractor, but it seem they are a hard sell around here.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I do need a larger tractor. I am looking at the TS-125A to take over the main tractor duties. The TN will handle the 3-16's fine unless the fields are wet. I am trying to get a 100pto hp tractor and have been looking at NH and Valtra because of my relations with the dealers. I need a larger plow and a 5 bottom will suit me quite well. I was looking at a Salford but it sold before I even had a tractor lined up to pull it. I am hoping to get a larger tractor to complement the TN this summer.

My baler is a NH 575 w/ 72 thrower. This is a big baler for my tractor and a TL 100a will handle it fine so I know the TS will have no problems with it. NH wants a min of 75 pto hp for just the 575 and when I take it on some hills my little TN works its fingers to the bone to get up them when the wagon is getting full.

I just need to prioritize my needs. I need a bigger tractor, a Kuhn 6002 rake, a 5 bottom plow and one or two extra kicker wagons. This year I do not have any hills lined up to hay and the TN can handle the 575 decently on flat ground so I am leaning towards the Kuhn rake first as it will save me a bunch of time and improve the quality of the hay and windrows compared the the NH 256 rake I currently use.

Any round bales I need done I pay my neighbor to bale for me. I can not justify the expense of a round baler and the only round bales I do are when the hay gets rained on. I then sell them to the grape farmers to put down in their grape rows. This helps protect the roots from freezing during winter. You can see how little my TN looks hooked to the 575 but like I said, I bought the TN for field work and my equipment keeps getting bigger but the TN don't /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif