Tiger Joe

Member
Given the choice between the two, which one?

I assume all things equal, the obvious choice is the 60.

However I have come across two tractors.
850- appears to be in really good shape. Fresh paint, good tires. Looks as good as my 8n.
860- runs but ain't pretty. Looks like a worker not much of a looker.

We have about 40 acres of mostly woods. We cut trails and a small field. Currently using an 8n but considering upgrading.

Curious if live pto is worth it even though the tractor is much rougher?
 
Never judge a book by it's cover.

Life PTO is a significant improvement if you plan to operate a rotary cutter and/or other PTO driven equipment.

Dean
 
i personally would start my list of needs then wants.

if live pto is a need. then you hit the *6*

if it is optional.. then i'd look at mechanical condition not counting tin so much if it is a worker.
 
I'm not sure if live pto is a need, as we never used a brush hog with it.

I assume that nearly doubling our Ns hp with the 800 series would make brush cutting much easier.

Brush hog is the only pto driven implement we really use
 
beware of spray can overhauls...

beauty is only skin deep..

a pig is lipstick is still a pig.


So.. its not the looks of either, but the best shape of one, that is most important.
 
Lpto is nice but for just mowing, an orc gets u 95% of the way there, clutch in trans neutral, shift pto in, declutch to spin up mower, increase rpms to mow speed, clutch and drop throttle, select drive gear, declutch and adjust throttle, mower will still be spun up at least 60-75% of mow speed and will fall right in with throttle and drive gear, rotary inertia of moweris still prevented from backfeeding drive, so good to go. If one had good power steering that would make a difference to me more than lpto unless I was running a hay bailer
 
Echo the others on not going by looks.
Compression check on the engines might be a good start.
So would a check of the hydraulics, etc.
I like the live PTO myself, I use my 960 for the rotary mower.
Replacing the clutch in a x6x is quite a bit more money.
 
I would take power steering over live PTO about 90% of the time. So if one has it and the other doesn't that would do a lot to sway my decision.
But I would pick the one that was best over all and had the best tires regardless of transmission.
When I was looking to upgrade from an 8N I looked for a long time for a 660 or 661. Never did find a decent one. So I expanded my search parameters and found a real nice 2000 3 cylinder and have been hooked on the Blue ones ever since.
 
those two...
860 is too much money for condition
850 (while I agree on paint and pictures being deceiving) doesn't look too bad. fair price, but I would give it a thorough workout before buying at that price.

on the live pto, I've had lots of the same models with either option.
only time I found it handy was backing under trees mowing. (I don't bale hay)
Honestly, most *6*'s I've had, I put the rod in the other hole to disable it and get that clutch pedal down a bit.

gonna keep it?, or sell it someday?
*6* have a higher resale value, and sell quicker.
*5* are much cheaper at clutch time.
 
Looks like the Rest-O-Ride seat has collapsed on that 860. Seeing that it's a dealer selling the 860 "As is" there's a chance that there's something wrong with it that they're not admitting, and they have plausible deniability by claiming that their shop is too busy to even look at it. I would steer clear of that one on principal. I don't need the tractor but I could use that sickle mower, but It's a 5 hour drive each way to go pick it up and it sounds like it needs a lot of TLC.

The 850 does look like it's in better shape, and if you don't need live PTO then I would go for that one.
 
No power steering is a deal killer for me... Its a addiction I can not get over... Keep looking one will come your way...
 
well bumping this back up.

Life sorta got in the way and never managed to check either tractor out originally.

the 850 is gone, but the 860 is still hanging around. the price has come down- 2900 today.

is that getting close to a decent price for a possibly beat up 860?
 

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