Vintage tractor options for 3-bottom plow pulling

[flusher]

Here is a good one, it should pull a 3 bottom plow and will sound great doing it.

MF 98 with the Detroit Diesel

Neato. Nothing like Penske power.

 

[flusher]

I'd go with a ford 5000

soundguy

You bet. That 5000 would do the job nicely. But haven't seen many go at under $5K recently. A little pricey IMHO.

 

[billbill1]

My brother (also from NE Kansas) has several old AC tractors that he was wanting to part with, B, C, CA, and 2 WD45's. Also has my Dad's 20 and 30 Farmalls. All were in running condition the last I knew of, I guess they still are.

 

[Kaliburz]

JD 70, 4010, 4020, 3010, 3020

We have a JD 3020 and the 3 bottom. Been in the family since new.....

 

[Farmwithjunk]

After this thread has played out a bit, it is starting to appear that you want, in addition to 3-plow capability, a LOW PRICED tractor with a certain amount of collectability. With that, I'd look at Allis Chalmers, Case, Oliver, IH, and some of the more obscure Massey's (ie MF85, 88, 90) There's where your "cheap horsepower will be found these days. Brands that are still "current" typically have a higher value even as they get older.

And a question that has been left unanswered is the issue of draft control. If you'll be using a mounted plow, draft control is VERY worthwhile in any soil conditions. If you're looking at a 4 or 5 plow rated tractor to pull a 3-bottom plow, draft control probably isn't as important though. A bigger tractor with a (relatively) smaller plow can just "muscle" the plow in most any conditions. And it's been my findings that the more adverse the soil conditions are, the more valuable draft control can be to maintain constant working depth.

 

[ToadHill]

Farmwithjunk has come around to my way of thinking, The first tractor I mentioned was the MF85.

 

[flusher]

After this thread has played out a bit, it is starting to appear that you want, in addition to 3-plow capability, a LOW PRICED tractor with a certain amount of collectability. With that, I'd look at Allis Chalmers, Case, Oliver, IH, and some of the more obscure Massey's (ie MF85, 88, 90) There's where your "cheap horsepower will be found these days. Brands that are still "current" typically have a higher value even as they get older.

And a question that has been left unanswered is the issue of draft control. If you'll be using a mounted plow, draft control is VERY worthwhile in any soil conditions. If you're looking at a 4 or 5 plow rated tractor to pull a 3-bottom plow, draft control probably isn't as important though. A bigger tractor with a (relatively) smaller plow can just "muscle" the plow in most any conditions. And it's been my findings that the more adverse the soil conditions are, the more valuable draft control can be to maintain constant working depth.

FWJ: thanks for the feedback on draft control. I asked because I see old pull-type 3-bottom plows on the market at reasonable cost and just wondered if draft control is absolutely necessary for my fairly common type of gravely soil.

You're right about LOW PRICED. I'm like you in that regard, always looking for the bargain.

Collectability is nice, but not necessarily a top priority since I don't in any way think of myself as a classic tractor collector/restorer.

I know that I can plunk down $600-700 and buy a new 3-pt double-bottom plow for my 1964 MF-135 diesel that will do my job (plowing 7-8 acres). But that's no fun. I enjoy searching out the old stuff and haggling over price.

This thread was prompted by what I saw on a recent RFDTV classic tractor program. Instead of just having owners parade their tractors around, the participants hooked up plows, discs, etc and showed that their machines could still do a day's work. I was particularly fascinated by the power the 2-cylinder JDs had in pulling 3-bottom plows, hence this thread.

That prompted the question: what would it take to get capability to handle a triple bottom plow? After seeing those two-holers on that TV show, I started to research the options for 1950s tractors that can handle 3-bottom plows. The info I've picked up from this thread has been a real help in pointing me to tractor candidates I probably would have overlooked.

This whole hayfield thing that I'm getting into has been morphing on me lately. Before, it was get the job done using more modern, but affordable, equipment from the 1960-70s. Now I'm leaning toward doing the job with older equipment dating to the 1950s. I'm finding that this approach can be pricy because collectors enter the picture for that really old iron and bid up the prices, as you mentioned in regard to 1950s JD iron.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

The best buys for USEABLE mid-sized implements and tractors is mid-60's to late 70's equipment. Anything older is usually "collectable" and anything newer is still high dollar "everyday on the farm" stuff. And what I consider so odd is the fact that IMHO, those tractors from the 60's and 70's were the best ever built. They were simple, reliable, and built to last. By the 80's we were becoming a "throw away" society.

 

[Soundguy]

One day I'd like to get a wd45

soundguy

My brother (also from NE Kansas) has several old AC tractors that he was wanting to part with, B, C, CA, and 2 WD45's. Also has my Dad's 20 and 30 Farmalls. All were in running condition the last I knew of, I guess they still are.

 

[flusher]

The best buys for USEABLE mid-sized implements and tractors is mid-60's to late 70's equipment. Anything older is usually "collectable" and anything newer is still high dollar "everyday on the farm" stuff. And what I consider so odd is the fact that IMHO, those tractors from the 60's and 70's were the best ever built. They were simple, reliable, and built to last. By the 80's we were becoming a "throw away" society.

Agreed.

Regarding USEABLE, my simpleminded idea is that older generally means simpler, i.e that a JD 2-hole Johnny Popper engine is simpler than something like the 3-cyl Perkins diesel on my MF-135. So if I found something like a JD 70 or JD 720 that needed engine work, I would have a fighting chance to do the repairs myself. However, older might also mean harder to find affordable spare parts.