TN65 Suitability

[Anonymous Poster]

I'm interested in thoughts on the TN65. I have 103 acres, with 45 in fields and the rest in woods. My use is recreation - stress relief from a high pressure job. I mow the fields, clear brush, and till food plots for deer and turkeys. I've used a Ford 1720 MFWD for two years, but would like to get a bigger tractor to do some backhoe work as well as the field work.

I've found a well cared for 2000 TN65 2WD with under 200 hours, 32LA loader, loaded turf tires, shuttle shift, 3 pair hydraulics and a Woods 7500 backhoe with 9" and 24" buckets for sale privately for $22,000.

I'm wondering:
Are there are any problems/issues with the TN65s?
Is the Woods 7500 a rugged unit for a 3-point backhoe? I'll be mostly digging up roots from buckthorne trees that are 4 - 6" in diameter.
Does the price seem high?

Thanks for your help.

Mark

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I paid $25k for a TN-65 with 32LA loader, FWD and ags. It has a shuttle tranny and is a powerful tractor. My biggest problem with what you described is it has turf tires. Great for mowing lawns at golf courses but for brush chopping and loader work they are worthless, especially if you start working in mud with the loader or backhoe. Granted people will say you can use the backhoe to get you out but with ags and FWD you wouldn't need to. I would just go to the dealer and see what price you can get on a tractor with the backhoe then weigh out the options. As for the TN's the originals up to this year all have problems with the shifting linkage tightening up making it hard to shift or engage FWD. It is a easy fix and the dealers have to fix it. But a 2wd with loader will disappoint you, if all you were doing is mowing fields and moving a occasional clump of dirt you would be ok if you had ags. I would pass on this and hold out for a better deal or just buy new. Another possibility is to buy this tractor, rob it of the loader and backhoe and trade a 2wd TN65 with turfs in on a FWD TN65 with ags. You could probally make out on that deal pretty good, maybe even talk to your dealer and explain what you want to do and maybe he will swap the loader for you. Take care.

 

[Phred]

Mark,

I have a TN70 and love it. These are great machines. I rented a TN65 2wd for a few weeks prior to buying and was basically pleased with it. My place is pretty steep and therefore I needed 4wd. Also I wanted to run a baler so 65 hp was a bit marginal.

I suspect you would be pleased with the TN65 but if you have any steep or wet areas you may wish you had the 4wd.

As far as cost goes; I have seen 2wd tn65s (Ags) with about 400 hrs for ~$14,000. The loader is worth about ~$4k. So the question is what is the backhoe worth? I suspect that $22K is a pretty reasonable deal if you can live without the 4wd.

I agree with robert; the turf tires are not the way to go unless your place is flat and dry. Today I about got my 4wd drive stuck with Ags. However, the Ags are hard on turf.
You could always swap out those turf tires for Ags or have both/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.

my two cents......

Fred

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Robert and Fred,

Thank you for the sage advice. The land is rolling hills, and has several wet spots in the Spring and Fall. I think I'll be patient and wait for a similar 4WD tractor to come on the market.

My 1720 does what I need, it just takes a long time - but I can think of worse fates than to need more seat time.

:>)

cheers,

mark

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I do not want to discourage you from the TN 65 as I recommend it to a lot of people as it is a great tractor. I would talk to your local NH dealer and see how much a TN 65 w/FWD would cost. Then ask what the trade in value is for a TN 65 2wd with turfs and see what the difference is, then decide if you want to pay the extra for the FWD and just swap the loader and back hoe to the new tractor. I would think it would be considerbly cheaper then buying it all new and will give you another option to consider. Plus we need more TN owners on this board. Take care and let us know what the dealer says if you ask him.

 

[Lewis1720]

Robert,

I'll check with the dealer to see what can be worked out on either a swop for 4WD or else putting Ag rear tires on this unit. My 1720 is very nice, but the chance to upgrade it to a TN65 that is barely broken in is awfully tempting.

I tried attaching a photo of my 1720 with loader off for mowing, but it didn't work. I'll post it after I figure out how.

Mark

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I know what you mean, I have been using my neighbors 1920 for a few years before I got the TN and I still use it depending what is going on. They are extremly nice machines and the only problem he has had with the 1920 is he bent the power steering cylinder when a limb he trimmed off a apple tree managed to work its way up there and bent it a tad bit. Tractor gets used quite hard and he has had it since 96'. He maintains a large orchard and a small vineyard as well as growing his vegetables for his stand. Even if you get the TN I would probally keep the 1720 if you can justify it just to play with if nothing else. You can never have too many tractors./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Have fun.

 

[Phred]

Lewis,

How much do you use the 1720 in 4wd? If not very often then maybe its a non-issue. The high point on my property is ~2000 ft and the low point is ~1600 ft over about a qaurter mile distance, so its really steep in some areas. Thats why I need the 4wd.

I ran the 2wd (ags) TN65 I rented with a 7' box blade without any trouble even on fairly steep roads.

Also its amazing how much these units hold there value. I looked at a used (~200hrs) TN75S with a cab and 4wd which had a few nicer features than my TN70D. However this used tractor cost several thousand more than the brand new TN70D with less than an hour on the clock! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Bottom line (as robert pointed out) if you buy the whole set and find out you need the 4wd you may be able swap just the tractor without much if any loss.

Also there are times when I would like to have turfs rather than Ags. The ags are awfully hard on the sod if 90% of what you want to do is cut the grass then a set of ags and a set of turfs would be ideal. If they are not liqiud filled its not that big of a deal to swap. Not something you would want to do every day, but a couple times a year you could slip the ags on and do your plowing and dirt work.



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Plus we need more TN owners on this board. Take care and let us know what the dealer says if you ask him.


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Very true. These are great machines!

Again just my two cents..


Fred

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Hows your TN holding up, I was looking at a couple TN 95F's today and thinking a second TN couldn't hurt but my next tractor will probally be a TS so my TN can have a big brother. The biggest thing he was talking about was the loader which on a 2wd tractor isn't that great, now you throw the turfs on it and you have a oversized powered wheelborrow as that is all it is good for. He would have to at least get a set of ags for the rear which is probally why the other guy is selling it. Trade in value is good on these tractors and his dealer should be able to work out something to change the tractors so he can keep his backhoe and loader. I miss mine right now as it is at an employees house. I have a lot of work to do and am waiting for him to get done dragging his feet so I can finish up at his place with it before I haul it back. Have a couple other jobs to do with it as well before I can get on our fields so hopefully the fields will be dry enough by then. Take care.

 

[Lewis1720]

Fred,

I mostly use the tractor in 2WD, and switch to 4WD when I'm mowing in wet spots or using a very heavy brush hog.

My place varies from 1700 - 2000 feet over a half-mile.

The 1720 is great in the woods, but is on the small side for mowing the fields. The TN65 with a large mower would make much faster work of the place. With the backhoe I could clear out several stone foundations, dig footers, and clear out roots of brush I've cut to clear fields.

I'll try attaching a photo of my 1720 again.

cheers,

Mark