Old tractor technology versus new?

[Yseesee]

Well, I have been spending a lot of time at this site over the past few weeks. I have been gathering as much information as I can and comparing tractors from the different manufactures. I finally made a choice and I ordered a John Deere 2520 with a front loader and the 62” drive over mower deck. I’m told it will be here in a couple weeks or so.

I currently own a 1951 Ferguson TO30 and I’ve had it for 4 – 5 years now. I’ve been using the TO30 to mow 8+ acres’ of pasture and have been using it to maintain our gravel driveway which is a little over a 1/3 of a mile in length. I also use the tractor in the fall to split wood with an old PTO driven “Unicorn Log Splitter” (which by the way is the most dangerous piece of machinery on the face of this earth) and other chores around my 10 acres’ in Missouri. My Ferguson is rated at 30hp and the 2520 is only 26.5hp. Since I’m going backwards in horsepower am I going to notice much in performance loss? Perhaps, because of the age, the old Ferguson isn’t even as powerful as it once was and I’ll actually be gaining performance! I’ve never owned a John Deere or even a diesel for that matter and I really don’t know what to expect.

 

[jcmseven]

The rule of thumb is that a diesel's torque advantage will give one the equivalent of a 25% larger (more powerful) gasoline engine. The 26.5 HP JD should perform like a 32-35 HP gasoline engine, provided that you are comparing HP at an equivalent location. If your MF were tested at the PTO, the JD only has 20.5 HP there so the difference might not be as great. MFWD really helps these machines also. Because they are generally lighter than there older counterparts, having MFWD really helps. They will pull really well for their size and for loader work and such the MFWD really helps them. Hydro transmissions also really enhance efficiency. I really think you will find the JD to be a step up in productivity v. the machine you currently have. My neighbor has a MF 252 and I a 3720 JD. My 3720, which is physicially smaller but has MFWD and hydro transmission will literally mow circles around his MF and can do loader work and box blade much better also. I regularly get calls from him to pull him out of ditches, etc. when he has gotten lodged. I think you made a nice move.

John M

 

[Chris2520]

the 2520 is a beast. it will do all you want to and then some. it will do everything a larger tractor will do. maybe not as fast. but as i was you will be surprized after to run it. if you want to read all about the 2520. just right click my name and read my posts. and you will learn alot about the 2520 and what it can do. I take it to the max. cause i know if it breaks i will fix it. and it has done everything i have ask of it without flinching....

 

[RoyJackson]

You'll really want to try the machine to determine if the power is adequate.
The newer CUT engines don't have the torque those old tractors had....it's a matter of cubic inches.
Per Tractordata.com, the Fergie has 28 PTO HP...quite a bit more then the 2520.

I'm not really sure about that "rule of thumb" jcmseven wrote about...that may apply if the engines were the same displacement. Torque is torque, regardless of the engine type.
Big trucks get their advantage through gearing (normally a minumum of 5 gears, frequently quite a few more in tractor trailers). So do some tractors...my 790 pulls really well in 1st Low Range...but I'm only moving at ~0.5 MPH.

Assuming your Fergie isn't too down in power, you may find the 2520 a bit less power then you're used to. That's not saying it'll do less work though.

Are you keeping your Fergie?

 

[radman1]

What you will notice immediately is the weight and traction difference with the ferguson. No comparison here. The shear size/bulk goes to the TO, even if the Jd has 4 WD. The JD will have better creature comforts, a hydrostat and smaller size will give it much better manuverability. For many tasks, you will like the JD better but occassionally, you will have moments when the ferguson worked better. It is kind of like comparing a 1980's full size pickup to a 2007 small pickup.

 

[jcmseven]

I would agree with Roy, save for one thing. I concur that torque is torque, BUT keep in mind that torque "under the curve" is an important benefit of the diesel engine. The MF might have as much, or perhaps more, peak torque, but as the RPM's drift away from its torque peak the power then favors the diesel, which tends to maintain its torque levels better throught varying RPMs. A good example of this is my new XUV Gator. I had a gasoline one, which I traded on a diesel. The gas one is 23.5 hp and has 33.5 ft.lb. of torque, while my diesel is 24.5 hp and 38.5 or so ft. lb. of torque. (Numbers are close). When you actually USE them though, the diesel feels as though it has twice the power of the gas one. Pulling a trailer loaded with 1000 lbs. of mulch up a steep hill which is about one mile in length, the diesel pulls it several MINUTES faster than the gasoline one. There clearly is a difference. I would say you would find the diesel to be a power match for the gasoline engine you are used to, if not more, despite the numbers maybe not reflecting it. I do not disagree with Roy, just note that these properties of the diesel engine exist, a finding which he also has seen with his 790.

John M

 

[RoyJackson]

I would agree with Roy, save for one thing. I concur that torque is torque, BUT keep in mind that torque "under the curve" is an important benefit of the diesel engine. John M

Yep, torque curve for a diesel is much flatter then a gasoline engine. No dispute with that.
I think in Yseesee's situation, the cubic inches will tell though.

 

[RalphVa]

I think your new 2520 will do a lot more, mainly because of the flat torque of the diesel engine and the 4wd. Don't think you mentioned an FEL? The old Ferguson certainly didn't have that. A friend of mine has a Jubilee Ford, very similar. I gave him my Gravely cart because he didn't have anything for carrying stuff. Well, he has a carryall but had it kinda occupied with a heavy wood stove sitting on it. With FEL, you can have both it and a carryall or cart/trailer behind.

Ralph

 

[Yseesee]

Thank you all for your comments! One of the things I am most looking forward to is the “Live PTO” and finally having “Position control”! I can’t wait to get it home and start running it though it’s paces. Thus far I haven’t sold the old TO30 so I’ll be able to better compare the two machines. Who knows, if I get the time, I may even post some sort of comparative information between the two tractors.