Tractor Sizing Nothing-Electronic... 4x4... cabin.. 6-cyl?

[Erik M]

I bought a ‘81 JD 1840 a couple years ago to keep the lane clear of snow. I have a neighbor who cuts and bales my hayfields for his use as I have no livestock and don’t want get the equipment required to cut and bale 20 acres. However, this 6o hp tractor would be more than capable of doing all the cutting and baling. My tractor has no FEL but a 35-40 yr old tractor is likely available cheap and as you are comfortable in an engine you could do your own maintenance. With some looking you could likely find a complete setup going cheap from a small family farm that is packing it in.

 

[fitterski]

Some of the models discussed are 45-55 years old. Expecting optimum reliability from one of these tractors just because it has a more modern engine is unrealistic. A repower project can be a form of entertainment. But the stated premise is flawed.

The subject reliabilty would come not from a more modern but from a rebuilt engine and more importantly from a lack of fail-prone digital vehicle systems, to a lesser extent this also includes electrical vehicle systems. I would even welcome the return of hand cranks!

 

[fitterski]

I bought a ‘81 JD 1840 a couple years ago to keep the lane clear of snow. I have a neighbor who cuts and bales my hayfields for his use as I have no livestock and don’t want get the equipment required to cut and bale 20 acres. However, this 6o hp tractor would be more than capable of doing all the cutting and baling. My tractor has no FEL but a 35-40 yr old tractor is likely available cheap and as you are comfortable in an engine you could do your own maintenance. With some looking you could likely find a complete setup going cheap from a small family farm that is packing it in.

Sorry to say there are many such families around here, it's a sign of the times, the kids don't want to hear about nothing that you could not do on an iPad :-(

 

[Erik M]

Sorry to say there are many such families around here, it's a sign of the times, the kids don't want to hear about nothing that you could not do on an iPad :-(

Yeah, here also. Lots of mega corporations are buying up these local farms and clearing everything away to have field of several hundred acres. They have huge equipment driving between these fields, usually planting potatoes, and the small tractors associated with little farms are bought up by people that clean them up and sell them for casual users like myself. My little beast has a freshly overhauled engine and a new PTO clutch pack and runs extremely well. For a new machine of this size I would have had to pay $50K or more which is not happening.

 

[LouNY]

The subject reliabilty would come not from a more modern but from a rebuilt engine and more importantly from a lack of fail-prone digital vehicle systems, to a lesser extent this also includes electrical vehicle systems. I would even welcome the return of hand cranks!

The engines get over 45-50 hp cranking becomes impractical, the last tractor I could easily crank was a WD Allis Chalmers, gas.
Ease of starting without an electric starter means a straight gear drive and parking on a hill :dance1::drink:

The OP also wanted a cab, so that means an AC system with its associated electrical and switches, anyone that's ever worked a cab tractor on a sunny day
knows how important that is. Then you also need some lights.

 

[fitterski]

The engines get over 45-50 hp cranking becomes impractical, the last tractor I could easily crank was a WD Allis Chalmers, gas.
Ease of starting without an electric starter means a straight gear drive and parking on a hill :dance1::drink:

The OP also wanted a cab, so that means an AC system with its associated electrical and switches, anyone that's ever worked a cab tractor on a sunny day
knows how important that is. Then you also need some lights.

I like that hill bit, I happen to have a ravine that would do ))

But didn't they have some inertial cranks back in the day? Seems to me I've seen some guys cranking up a flywheel and then popping the clutch on it....

 

[LouNY]

I like that hill bit, I happen to have a ravine that would do ))

But didn't they have some inertial cranks back in the day? Seems to me I've seen some guys cranking up a flywheel and then popping the clutch on it....

Made me think a bit, yes there where a few I recall hearing of them never saw or used one but they are still made today
Kineteco | Springstarter – Providing lightweight, hand starting solutions throughout the world

We used to always park one tractor were it could be coasted to start when the forecast was for a really cold day, especially when we got our first diesel a Ford 8000
unless the block heater was plugged in it wasn't going to start at 10-15 degrees, coast it about 30 ft in high 4 pop the clutch and she would be running.

 

[fitterski]

Made me think a bit, yes there where a few I recall hearing of them never saw or used one but they are still made today
Kineteco | Springstarter – Providing lightweight, hand starting solutions throughout the world

We used to always park one tractor were it could be coasted to start when the forecast was for a really cold day, especially when we got our first diesel a Ford 8000
unless the block heater was plugged in it wasn't going to start at 10-15 degrees, coast it about 30 ft in high 4 pop the clutch and she would be running.

Gosh, I didn't even know those existed, BOOKMARKED! I guess you'd need a good starting engine, from my experience the air cooled Deutz starts on second turn at -20c, but what the Perkins starts instead is draining the batteries around 0c:laughing: I've heard of compressed air starters too but your downhill bit sure takes the cake. My ravine is a bit far so maybe I could build a ski-jump just for that:cool2:

I have a wonderful water-softener by Kinetico (i instead of e), it requires no electricity either and does everything with water-pressure dosing salt on usage gallons. All you need to do is add salt and it's been running for 15 years with zero problems. Wonder if they're related?

 

[RickB]

The subject reliabilty would come not from a more modern but from a rebuilt engine and more importantly from a lack of fail-prone digital vehicle systems, to a lesser extent this also includes electrical vehicle systems. I would even welcome the return of hand cranks!

You miss my point. The 40 year old chassis is where your reliability falls flat. You are focused on the engine because that’s where your interests lie. Other systems are equally important and you aren’t even entertaining a discussion on the merits of different brands’ and models’ design and functionality characteristics. Your sole stated criteria is whether or not a 5.9 can be retrofitted. The entire premis is great for a hobby project but irrelevant as a pathway to maintaining an acreage.

 

[fitterski]

You miss my point. The 40 year old chassis is where your reliability falls flat. You are focused on the engine because that痴 where your interests lie. Other systems are equally important and you aren稚 even entertaining a discussion on the merits of different brands and models design and functionality characteristics. Your sole stated criteria is whether or not a 5.9 can be retrofitted. The entire premis is great for a hobby project but irrelevant as a pathway to maintaining an acreage.

Well, it's really not an open invitation for bids. As with anything else there are makes/models I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. I don't follow your chassis argument, my father-in-law has an old International he bought in the 60's that I could buy for a dime and it's just like new. Its only problem (from my perspective) is 2wd and a dripping gas engine. Not only an optionally i.e. on-demand driven front axle but an entirely mechanical control for it is definitely another one of my must-haves.

Obviously there are older tractors that are falling apart as well but from an overall reliability standpoint, as far as "I" am concerned NOTHING gets close to the threat of digital systems (unnecessary electrics coming 2nd). I would not have one in service in winter for my own needs unless someone paid me ten grand per month to try it.

I can think of a dozen horror stories in my immediate environment involving code-flashing garbage that not only cost as much as a house but costs that much again in ten years counting only the down-time. Manufacturer specialist are required for just about everything except putting air in the tires and they come from 300 miles away with no bill below 3-4 grand! Only one of many other reasons (for my money) is the frightfully low quality of almost all cards soldered up for a buck in china by robots, or wiring contacts that are not soldered. In the case of the cards, come -25c or -30c in winter the soldered contacts throw an invisible intermittent break and you're stuck in the howling blizzard blocking the only road in a yard of snow. A week later it's warmer when the techie arrives with his iPad but by then the contacts are making again and so it becomes "unable to duplicate, call me next time it happens".

I'll give you a technology example. When I made my current snow blower in 2009 it had 12-channel radio for the controls. One day the little card in the receiver part threw a fit and engaged the starter while running ..so I pulled it. Then I went looking for a triple digital control system with each channel having its own fail mode. In the case of the starter and chute controls this would require all-3 circuits commanding unanimously but in the case of low oil pressure any 2 of the 3 channels should have authority and in the case of the panic button one circuit should do it. I couldn't find the necessary DIY parts. Inevitably I just pulled the entire digital control system and half of the electrical one as well and I have yet to see a tractor with digital systems not only at this level of sophistication but well above it given the prices sought.