Suggestions on which tractor wanted

[pharmvet]

Do you feel the 3155 Deere is a better tractor than a Ford 10 series? Would it hold its value better? Would I be compromising anything by going with the 3155 over the Ford? This tractor does not have a loader presently. Im thinking that may be a good thing as far as the clutch is concerned?? How would the 3155 stack up to the 4050? One thing I like is that its 20 miles from me. That means something. The 3 point linkages and arms are really beefy. The 4 post cab has some rust and I was wondering if total replacements could be found or even fabricated with additional expanded metal to surround the driver for heavy shreddingl. I had also considered a locally fabricated FOPS like some of the timber tractors have.

 

[RickB]

Do you feel the 3155 Deere is a better tractor than a Ford 10 series? Would it hold its value better? Would I be compromising anything by going with the 3155 over the Ford? This tractor does not have a loader presently. Im thinking that may be a good thing as far as the clutch is concerned?? How would the 3155 stack up to the 4050? One thing I like is that its 20 miles from me. That means something. The 3 point linkages and arms are really beefy. The 4 post cab has some rust and I was wondering if total replacements could be found or even fabricated with additional expanded metal to surround the driver for heavy shreddingl. I had also considered a locally fabricated FOPS like some of the timber tractors have.

Eurpoean built 6 cylinder Deeres don't have a good rep "here". Weak, dry clutches, poorly designed internal hydraulc tubing, weak clutch slave cylinders make these tractors undesirable to many folks. A 3155 isn't half the tractor a 4050 is from a durability standpoint.

 

[EquipmentJunkie]

I'll second what JasG says about Deere's support. I have never heard anything bad about the 3155 tractors.

 

[chh]

I was looking on a another forum(agtalk) and many of the posters agreed with RickB on the 3155. Those are mainly heavy ag users that put a lot of hours on equipment. Parts support though ought to be good thru JD.

 

[Renze]

Found a John Deere 3155 MFWD about 20 miles from me. Dealer says he used it personally for about 3 years. No loader. 4 post canopy with the controls on the rt. Not sure of the hours, I think the odo is non functional. What do most of you die hard Deere guys think if the 3155 model? Are there any really weak or really strong points to this model? Is it a generally reliable model? Can parts be found? Will dealers work on them? thanks

Dont know about reliability, but JD made a huge leap in reducing the fuel consumption (down to the industry average) in the 50 and 55 series. Older models were notorious for their drinking... Not many older Deeres around here, but i dont hear anything bad from them either.

Eurpoean built 6 cylinder Deeres don't have a good rep "here". Weak, dry clutches, poorly designed internal hydraulc tubing, weak clutch slave cylinders make these tractors undesirable to many folks. A 3155 isn't half the tractor a 4050 is from a durability standpoint.

I've never heard of the weaknesses you mentioned, however there arent many in my area so i dont hear much about them anyways.\
However, i hear enough about them, to disagree about the 4050 being so much better. the powershift transmissions needed major rebuilds at 10.000 hrs which often meant that they were traded to a dealers lot and just sat there.
My family in Canada said that USA folks liked the American Deeres because they are American, but Canadians liked the Mannheim Deeres better because of their build quality...
Biggest problem Deere had in general, was the HFWA which just didnt work. On the smallest two 4000 series, there were some European versions with a ZF mechanically driven front axle, to reduce the loss of market share. I think they were called 4240S or so...

 

[pharmvet]

After weighing all my options and with all the good information given to me here, I think Im leaning toward a Ford 6610 or 7710 MFWD with open canopy. Now comes the hard part -- finding a clean one close enough to me to be practical. Ive looked on fastline, tractorhouse, local craigslist and American Classifieds. Ive also called some of the New Holland dealers within 100 miles of me and asked them to be on the lookout .Are there any more obvious places to look that I dont know about?? thanks

 

[chh]

Well if you like auctions, there is this.


tlist


Usually a lot more tractors than what is listed, but some of them are not too good. None in the listing that are what you are looking for, but that may change.

 

[JasG]

Machine finder is a search of Deere dealers. You can search by brand, model, Hp, and it starts at your zip code working out.

You have narrowed your search to so much it could take years. Ford was the 4th or 5th tractor maker in sales at that time, and most of the models you are looking at I have seen are 2wd.

 

[Renze]

After weighing all my options and with all the good information given to me here, I think Im leaning toward a Ford 6610 or 7710 MFWD with open canopy. Now comes the hard part -- finding a clean one close enough to me to be practical. Ive looked on fastline, tractorhouse, local craigslist and American Classifieds. Ive also called some of the New Holland dealers within 100 miles of me and asked them to be on the lookout .Are there any more obvious places to look that I dont know about?? thanks

Also take a look at the Case Maxxum 5120 and 5130 models. Well built reliable tractors without too many gizmos to break down. They are a popular used tractor in Europe.

About them Fords, the dual power operated by a foot button didnt work. 80% of all fords i've driven, were converted by farmers or dealers to an electronic switch mounted on the gear lever, to replace the knob that allways stopped working from dirt, or the awkward flip floor lever.
With the industrial switchboard switch, they worked perfectly and were a lot more operator friendly.

 

[EquipmentJunkie]

I will second Renze's recommendation on the Case IH Maxxum tractors. I didn't mention them before since they are a bit newer and command a higher price. A Maxxum would be my first choice in that horsepower class with MFWD. Smaller, nimble, and very dependable...plus red dealers are fantastic in my area. Do some research but I don't think that you will hear many bad things about an older 5100-series or 5200-series Maxxums. Just a few months ago, an older farmer from my church was raving about his 5220. He raved about its versatility. He said that it acts like a small tractor but there is enough machine there when a larger tractor is needed. His only complaint is that has a shorter wheelbase (4 cylinder model) and it can get to see-sawing and bouncing at higher speeds when pulling wagons on the road.