Which Older Tractor - A Few Options I've Found

[fried1765]

Me? I'd avoid the 1500-1900 fords in favor of a good 3x00 or 4x00 ford.

I bought a 1988 (1056 hrs.) Ford 1920 4x4 with Ford 7108 quick attach loader, a year ago.
Last Summer I took it apart (not the engine or transmission), and repaired or replaced everything that needed it.
Every piece of sheet metal was sanded, and primed and painted both sides.
The 1920 is the last model in the 1900 series. I absolutely love the thing!
I have a new 60" King Kutter tiller, and a new 5' bush hog.
I do have a bunch of money in it, but my 1920 looks like new, and is almost as simple to repair as my 1951 8N.
Big bonus: I will never have to deal with any of the new engine pollution crap.

 

[ovrszd]

I bought a 1988 (1056 hrs.) Ford 1920 4x4 with Ford 7108 quick attach loader, a year ago.
Last Summer I took it apart (not the engine or transmission), and repaired or replaced everything that needed it.
Every piece of sheet metal was sanded, and primed and painted both sides.
The 1920 is the last model in the 1900 series. I absolutely love the thing!
I have a new 60" King Kutter tiller, and a new 5' bush hog.
I do have a bunch of money in it, but my 1920 looks like new, and is almost as simple to repair as my 1951 8N.
Big bonus: I will never have to deal with any of the new engine pollution crap.

Sounds great!!!! Post some pics if you can. Love pics!!!

 

[varmint]

While I have less experience than most of the posters in this thread, especially on non-Kubota tractors, I have been using my Kubotas for 14 years, doing mostly snow removal, firewood gathering and moving, fencing work, and general loader work. I started with an $7500 Kubota B8200 that was about 15 years old when I got it. It didn't have power steering, and I was lucky to find Kubota's aftermarket kit for it, because it REALLY needed PS for loader work. My suggestion would be to find some more money, plan on keeping whatever you get for a while, and avoid the constant headaches of replacing hoses, getting seals fixed, getting it running, etc., by starting out with something more suited to what you will likely wind up wanting. If you buy a clean, old Kubota, you'll most likely find that taking care of it will mean its resale value stays pretty level, taking some of the sting out of the initial cost. That has been my experience with two Kubotas so far, and I ain't switching brands.

Gray market tractors, while possibly tempting, are said to be a bear when it comes for finding needed parts. Most US importers seem to discourage aftermarket parts supply for stuff they didn't sell, based on my following threads here for some time.

I think you'll really want 4WD and something with a cat.1 3 point hitch so you utilize whatever implements you wind up with. A loader, ideally with SSQA, is a given. I didn't see any mention of being a skilled, avid mechanic with time to rebuild an old tractor, another reason to spend more to begin with.

 

[Soundguy]

I bought a 1988 (1056 hrs.) Ford 1920 4x4 with Ford 7108 quick attach loader, a year ago.
Last Summer I took it apart (not the engine or transmission), and repaired or replaced everything that needed it.
Every piece of sheet metal was sanded, and primed and painted both sides.
The 1920 is the last model in the 1900 series. I absolutely love the thing!
I have a new 60" King Kutter tiller, and a new 5' bush hog.
I do have a bunch of money in it, but my 1920 looks like new, and is almost as simple to repair as my 1951 8N.
Big bonus: I will never have to deal with any of the new engine pollution crap.

A 1920 is a much different animal than a 1900.

The 20 series were much more feature laden, not to mention a 1920 is newer than a 1900.

My comments were specifically targeting the models I mentioned, 1500-1900.

1920 are fine. Wish i still had mine.

 

[bspeedy]

Seems to be some general agreement that there is no such thing as a $5K tractor. Might cost you five grand when you purchase it, but you are likely to have significantly more in it to get leaks fixed and other things put right. My opinion - to get a 30 hp or larger tractor that is worth a darn, you need to plan on spending a minimum of 7500-8500 bucks. I'm far from a rich guy - FAR from it. But I know value, and I try to buy things with the best overall value and lowest overall cost of ownership. The $5K tractors that I have come across have neither. Thus, I've opted to spend a bit more and get a lot more value for the long term.

Let the flaming beeeeeeeee-gin.

 

[bspeedy]

Seems to be some general agreement that there is no such thing as a $5K tractor. Might cost you five grand when you purchase it, but you are likely to have significantly more in it to get leaks fixed and other things put right. My opinion - to get a 30 hp or larger tractor that is worth a darn, you need to plan on spending a minimum of 7500-8500 bucks. I'm far from a rich guy - FAR from it. But I know value, and I try to buy things with the best overall value and lowest overall cost of ownership. The $5K tractors that I have come across have neither. Thus, I've opted to spend a bit more and get a lot more value for the long term.

Let the flaming beeeeeeeee-gin.

 

[bspeedy]

Me? I'd avoid the 1500-1900 fords in favor of a good 3x00 or 4x00 ford.

Two different classes of tractor, for sure. Compact versus farm tractor. OP needs to make that decision before shopping. My usage requires a CUT (or maybe my ignorance prevents me from getting a UT)

Your stable of tractors is impressive, and I'm sure they are all in good shape. None of them appeal to me for doing the work I need done on my terrain. Too wide / long for the woods and no 4wd is a deal breaker for me.

 

[clayrogers]

Like some of you guys have mentioned, part of my problem is I don't even know yet everything I want to be able to do as I'm still new to this property. All I really NEED right now is something to brush hog. I originally was planning on a 8n with a brush hog on the back but from there learned about live PTO. From there, seemed to read a lot of people said having a FEL is really a nice thing to have. With the hauling of firewood etc, I thought that made sense.

I originally was looking at a 8n with a brush hog for around $3000. So, I was willing to go up to $5k if it was a more versatile/reliable machine that could last me.

I just really can't justify spening $20k+ and finance a new Kubota when we are just getting started here. I don't have car payments and don't want tractor payments each month.

So, I guess I'm still looking for something that will work well for the next 5 years and I know I'll have to do maintenance on it. You guys have me thinking though if a FEL is more trouble than it's worth or just do a 3 point platform. I can see how that extra complexity is just another area to fail on an old machine.

I really think something like a Ford 1920 would probably be all I need. I just haven't seen anything for around $5k. So, it seems like I'm back to my short list of ag tractors.

Thanks for all the comments so far. I know it's hard to recommend something for someone who's not exactly sure what he's looking for.

 

[jenkinsph]

clay rogers,
It can be very confusing trying to find a used tractor from a short list of models, too limiting. Look at all brands and try to find the best used tractor while being color blind. If you find something you think might work post about it to find out if it has a history of well known problems. But don't hesitate if you do find a good deal or you will find it sold quickly.

 

[fried1765]

Like some of you guys have mentioned, part of my problem is I don't even know yet everything I want to be able to do as I'm still new to this property. All I really NEED right now is something to brush hog. I originally was planning on a 8n with a brush hog on the back but from there learned about live PTO. From there, seemed to read a lot of people said having a FEL is really a nice thing to have. With the hauling of firewood etc, I thought that made sense.

I originally was looking at a 8n with a brush hog for around $3000. So, I was willing to go up to $5k if it was a more versatile/reliable machine that could last me.

I just really can't justify spening $20k+ and finance a new Kubota when we are just getting started here. I don't have car payments and don't want tractor payments each month.

So, I guess I'm still looking for something that will work well for the next 5 years and I know I'll have to do maintenance on it. You guys have me thinking though if a FEL is more trouble than it's worth or just do a 3 point platform. I can see how that extra complexity is just another area to fail on an old machine.

I really think something like a Ford 1920 would probably be all I need. I just haven't seen anything for around $5k. So, it seems like I'm back to my short list of ag tractors.

Thanks for all the comments so far. I know it's hard to recommend something for someone who's not exactly sure what he's looking for.

I have a 1988 Ford 1920 4x4 with a loader that I bought in 2014.
It was clean and had 1056 hours, but I paid $9500 (in the Northeast tractors bring more money).
I like to bring used machinery back to as close as original as possible.
So .... the real story here is that overall, I spent too much money, but I am 75 years old, so why not?
You might find a 1920 without a loader, and with 2 wheel drive, at $5K, but as others have suggested you WILL need to do some "fixin".

If you do buy an 8N, and plan to use it with a bush hog, do NOT operate the bush hog without a PTO overriding clutch!
Since the 8N does not have a live PTO, the inertia from the spinning blades of the bush hog will continue to drive the tractor
forward, even after you have pushed the clutch in to stop.
The PTO overriding clutch slides over the end of your PTO shaft, and takes only about a minute to install.

Bush hog operation on an 8N without a PTO overriding clutch, is DANGEROUS, and must be avoided.
You can order an inexpensive PTO overriding clutch on line from Agri-Supply.

Agri -Supply also sells an very nice inexpensive set of three point forks, made by Titan attachments.
I love my 3pt. forks.