your thoughts please.

[aebsmithcreek]

i have been wanting a older tractor for quite awhile but really just dont know enough about them to feel comfortable buying one that would be my only tractor to rely on. now that i have a newer diesel with less than 900 hrs on it to rely on and have convinced the better half it would be a good learning experiance for the future needs of the JD i would like to have an old tractor to learn some of the skills and techniqes i have been reading about here. based on the following what would you reccomend.
my skill level-have worked on mechanichal systems such as a/c compressors rebuilding top ends, basic wrenching we all did coming up cause we couldnt pay someone. i am fair with stick,mig,and brazing, i own the old standby lincoln tombstone 225 a/c and have access to a miller trailblazer w/ hi freq box and tig torch though i'm not good with it. general mechanical work on conveyors, hydro gate operators,pumps,pretty varied array of electrical componets,motor starters,etc. i would describe myself as having more skill than knowledge or confidence with tractors

would like to have diesel but may go with gas if benefits are great enough.
parts readily available and preferably economical ut i know thats a stretch
simple and basic-translate-easy for the beginer to work on:thumbsup:
hyd lift 3pt/pto
it would be used for small ag ops, harrows,plows, cultivating, hilling and i have a planter i might use on it.
any suggestions will be appreciated.

thanks.

earl.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

i have been wanting a older tractor for quite awhile but really just dont know enough about them to feel comfortable buying one that would be my only tractor to rely on. now that i have a newer diesel with less than 900 hrs on it to rely on and have convinced the better half it would be a good learning experiance for the future needs of the JD i would like to have an old tractor to learn some of the skills and techniqes i have been reading about here. based on the following what would you reccomend.
my skill level-have worked on mechanichal systems such as a/c compressors rebuilding top ends, basic wrenching we all did coming up cause we couldnt pay someone. i am fair with stick,mig,and brazing, i own the old standby lincoln tombstone 225 a/c and have access to a miller trailblazer w/ hi freq box and tig torch though i'm not good with it. general mechanical work on conveyors, hydro gate operators,pumps,pretty varied array of electrical componets,motor starters,etc. i would describe myself as having more skill than knowledge or confidence with tractors

would like to have diesel but may go with gas if benefits are great enough.
parts readily available and preferably economical ut i know thats a stretch
simple and basic-translate-easy for the beginer to work on:thumbsup:
hyd lift 3pt/pto
it would be used for small ag ops, harrows,plows, cultivating, hilling and i have a planter i might use on it.
any suggestions will be appreciated.

thanks.

earl.

OK....First off.....I have a number of older tractors as well as a number of new/newer tractors. When it comes to reliability, frequency of needed repairs, and simplicity of service, the OLDER tractors win hands down. The single most reliable piece of equipment I've ever owned is the 40+ year old MF150 in my avatar photo. Get a decent older used tractor and it will surprise you just how much LESS maintenance intensive it is relative to newer tractors.

The "simplest" tractor to maintain or work on I've ever been around.....? Same tractor. But it goes beyond that. I have a number of tractors in the 30 to 50 year old range. They'll go when the new ones don't want to. They'll work right along side the new ones and do so with no fuss or fanfair. "Back in the day", when these tractors were designed and built, farmers still did 90% of their own repairs and maintenance. It was considered a key function of those older tractors to be simple and reliable....simple enough that the average "shade tree mechanic" could take a handful of tools and a manual and do everything that a tractor would ever throw at you.

I've bought and resold literally hundreds of tractors over a lifetime. I did that as a second (3rd?) income. Still do it to this day. I've moved 11 tractors since Jan 1, 2011. Over the years I've owned (for however long or short a time) Allis Chalmers, Case, Cockshutt, David Brown, Ford, Ferguson, International Harvester, John Deere, Kubota, Massey Harris, Massey Ferguson, Minneapolis Moline, Oliver, even one Stieger..... NONE...NOT ONE....ZERO were any LESS trouble, MORE dependable, or easier to work on than the Massey Ferguson 100 series. (ie 135, 150, 165, 175, 180/185) I've had bigger, I've had smaller, I've had newer, I've had older.....but as a generality, NONE were "better". And the single most impressive feature was their utter simplicity. They were still close enough to the original concept that Harry Ferguson laid down when he went in to the tractor business. Make 'em so that farmers could own 'em without breaking the bank....Simple and reliable, economic to operate, and make 'em run on like the energizer bunny. Parts are easy to come by. AGCO/MF supports them well.

Pick a size (hp) and there are dozens of us who'll be more than happy to walk you through the inspection/selection process with everything we've learned about the "oldies" over the years.

 

[Benharrismassey8600]

How many horse power do you need? If its about 100 hp I would go with a MF 5445, I had one once and it was great for what I needed it for.

 

[Bigfoot62]

The older Massey tractors are good machines. Nothing wrong with them.

Most of my family, friends and neighbors have had Ford and JD.
My Ford 2600 has had a total of two repairs in the last 30 years. A leaking rear wheel seal and leaking PTO seal. That's it, other than routine maintenance, and I did the work myself. A neighbor has a Ford 2000 (late '60's model, I think) and it's been just as good. IIRC, he has changed the clutches a couple of times and replaced the water pump.
JMHO, I would get something diesel, with power steering. (P/S was optional on a lot of the older tractors) Also, I would stick with a major brand, like JD, Ford, MF, IH, etc.

 

[flusher]

Courage--working with old tractors is a fun challenge. With your skills, you'll have no problem handling anything that comes your way.

One piece of advice--locate a source of spare parts BEFORE you buy a used tractor. Ford, IH and MF parts are readily available. I had to dig hard to find parts for my 1951 Minneapolis Moline BF tractor that I'm restoring now. I had to go to eBay to find a used brake drum for my 1945 Oliver 60 Row Crop tractor that needed a brake job real bad.

The hardest part of repairing/refurbishing old tractors is stuck bolts. You'll soon become an expert at this job. And there are plenty of guys and gals on TBN you will offer good advice on handling these headaches.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[tmajor]

My personal preference is "Gray Fords" ... they're fun, tough, easy to find new or used parts for and no end to attachments.

 

[aebsmithcreek]

thanks fella's. as far as horse power goes i would consider a pretty wide range, from mid 20's to 40 horse.all my stuff is single row and the only heavy implement i have is a 16" dbl bottom and a 16" 4 bottom that was given to me which is for parts and to rob steel off of so i could easily cut down to a single bottom or use the 5105 for plowin,though from what i understand the older tractors being heavier actually pull plows easier than newer ones in the same class. another thing i should have pointed out clearly is that what i would idealy like find is a tractor that needs work to be made work ready, in other words something to cut my teeth on. a couple of questions i have are 1 would the older massey's stop power to the pto when the clutch pedal is pushed in and 2- what year did the n type fords become available in desiel? this may be adding to much to the conversation but it just came to me... i have a cane mill and plan on having it in operation by 11-12 (the mill is ready the hold up is the furnace) right now it is still a horse mill, if i wanted to convert it to a power mill how far back would i have to go to get a tractor with a belt drive and what effect would that have on parts availabilty? this is not a deal breaker or gotta have just a after thought, i have a old five speed transmission i can run the pto through to power the mill if i decide to go that way in the future.
thanks again.
earl.

 

[tmajor]

There are belt drive conversions for the old Fords .. eBay $35 - $100. I don't believe, any of the Gray Fords had diesel, but I could be wrong. I'd guess, maybe, the 600 series had diesels.

NAA is a good tractor, as it's a bit bigger than the 8N's, however some parts are "unique". Both will pull a double bottom plow, with filled tires. It is quite a lot of work for them in sod and they need the coulter blades.

And the PTO isn't "live". The PTO is tied to the drive train, so without an over running clutch, the momentum of a brush hog blades, etc., will drive the tractor, until the blades stop.

 

[tmajor]

Well, I was wrong, according to Ford History.

The Fordson New Major ('52 - '58) was diesel. And Live PTO was an option on the NAA.

 

[jonyyuma]

I remember a Ford that had gas and" tractor fuel" for power?Tractor fuel was a little oily?Looking at the history posting i guess it was a kerosene motor? I know if siphoning it from 55 gallon drum, the gasoline would burn your mouth , tractor fuel did not?

 

[Soundguy]

I'm a ford guy so I'm gonna reccomend a few ford models, but the list is by no means exhaustive. There are similar ferguson/massey ferguson models that are just as tough/utilitarian and collectable/workable, with good parts support.. and not bad prices.. and have good track records.

my recomendation would be a ford gasser from 1955 thru 1964 IE.. a 4 cyl.

get one preferably with a 5 spd trans and a live pto. these models will have a 6 as the middle of 3 digits for the 55-62 models.. in 63/64, there were the 4 cyl 2000/4000.. if it has a 5spd.. it was live pto, if not swapped out.

if going 65+ like 65-75, then get a 2000-3000 with preferable 8spd and live pto, and power steering.. and I'd go diesel. in the 76+ i'd go with a 2600, 3600 or 4600su.. all those are smallish and can maneuver.

if you want bigger.. go with a 1965+ 4XXX NON SU model.

soundguy

 

[Scotty370]

OK....First off.....I have a number of older tractors as well as a number of new/newer tractors. When it comes to reliability, frequency of needed repairs, and simplicity of service, the OLDER tractors win hands down. The single most reliable piece of equipment I've ever owned is the 40+ year old MF150 in my avatar photo. Get a decent older used tractor and it will surprise you just how much LESS maintenance intensive it is relative to newer tractors.

The "simplest" tractor to maintain or work on I've ever been around.....? Same tractor. But it goes beyond that. I have a number of tractors in the 30 to 50 year old range. They'll go when the new ones don't want to. They'll work right along side the new ones and do so with no fuss or fanfair. "Back in the day", when these tractors were designed and built, farmers still did 90% of their own repairs and maintenance. It was considered a key function of those older tractors to be simple and reliable....simple enough that the average "shade tree mechanic" could take a handful of tools and a manual and do everything that a tractor would ever throw at you.

I've bought and resold literally hundreds of tractors over a lifetime. I did that as a second (3rd?) income. Still do it to this day. I've moved 11 tractors since Jan 1, 2011. Over the years I've owned (for however long or short a time) Allis Chalmers, Case, Cockshutt, David Brown, Ford, Ferguson, International Harvester, John Deere, Kubota, Massey Harris, Massey Ferguson, Minneapolis Moline, Oliver, even one Stieger..... NONE...NOT ONE....ZERO were any LESS trouble, MORE dependable, or easier to work on than the Massey Ferguson 100 series. (ie 135, 150, 165, 175, 180/185) I've had bigger, I've had smaller, I've had newer, I've had older.....but as a generality, NONE were "better". And the single most impressive feature was their utter simplicity. They were still close enough to the original concept that Harry Ferguson laid down when he went in to the tractor business. Make 'em so that farmers could own 'em without breaking the bank....Simple and reliable, economic to operate, and make 'em run on like the energizer bunny. Parts are easy to come by. AGCO/MF supports them well.

Pick a size (hp) and there are dozens of us who'll be more than happy to walk you through the inspection/selection process with everything we've learned about the "oldies" over the years.

Boy!!!!!!!! All good input! As you may know, I've got a '47 JD "M". The fact that a farmer could "fix them in the field", was a real asset back in the 40-'s - 50's. Their's a ton of 8-9n Ford out there also! The computer age made alot of this stuff much more complex than it needed to be to pull a plow!!!! ~Scotty

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Boy!!!!!!!! All good input! As you may know, I've got a '47 JD "M". The fact that a farmer could "fix them in the field", was a real asset back in the 40-'s - 50's. Their's a ton of 8-9n Ford out there also! The computer age made alot of this stuff much more complex than it needed to be to pull a plow!!!! ~Scotty

I'm installing an auto steer gps system on my planter tractor before next season....I feel like I've sold my soul to the devil....

 

[RoMad]

here ya go. Ocala Craigslist for sale farm and garden Tractor Project

 

[Soundguy]

i know that guy.. he generally hits auctions.. buys junky tractors. if they are easy to fix he make sthem run and sells them.. otherwise he parts them. I've bought a set of tires and rims from an 8n off him recently..

soundguy

 

[KRB]

My favorite all round is my 3000 ford diesel 74 model. Got a 51 c farmall great for laying out a big garden, but don't have many other uses for it. My 63 JD 1010 can tackle most small jobs as well

 

[jimmysisson]

My suggestion would be to let go of the fun of learning to fix a tractor and run your JD for the tasks you need. With what you plan to do I doubt you'll break it. You can save a heap of time and money with my plan. Less fun though...
Maybe your fun could be in hooking up the flat belt drive as you said.
Jim

 

[davygp38]

I had a 1959 Allis Chalmers D17 gasser. It was rated for about 53 HP and was unstoppable with a brush hog, but in my case I was spending to much time on tune ups, and little stuff. The Allis I had also came with power steering, which was nice, but it started to leak, and the shop manual made it look like building a nuclear bomb might be easier. In any case do what your doing, and really make sure about parts, and service if you need it.

 

[tessiers]

My only complaint with the fords is tall gears, hard to find a low enough gear for some things, sherman transmision helps. I have never had an old massey. I am real partial to my old Farmall. I have a theory that any old tractor is a good tractor, because in most cases if it wasn't a good tractor it would have been parted or scrapped long ago. I like the old tractors better for farming chores, seams they don't make tractors under 50 hp for farming anymore.

 

[Soundguy]

on the gearing.. just have to look around. depending what you are doing.. pto or drawbar.. gots lots of options with add on trans, or 5-6-8-10spd trannies..e tc.

soundguy