I have to agree with a lot of what you are saying, however to me it sounds like you farm with used tractors, and used tractors as such can be someone else's troubles or lack of maintanence. We hear people everyday complaining about IH TA and JD power shift, both in my opinion excellent products. Use of improper oils in both has been the biggest problem. I just amazes me to hear some of the products dumped into machines, and by people you would think know better. Like Steven, I agree torque on the diesels is not a problem. After being out of farming a friend asked me to give him a hand one spring. He had for tractors a Farmall 666 and 886 with 360 engine as well as a new CaseIH 2090 (I am not sure on that number had 5.9 Cummins and around 100 hp.) he was all excited about. More torque and more power than the 886. The 886 was 2 wheel drive with 18.4x38 duals. Case had 4x4 with 18.4 x38 on rear. I used both of these tractors spreading manure and discing over a period of about a week. He wanted my opinion on new CaseIH. I said,"it is a good thing it has the power shift or it would never haul the big manure spreader over the dales on your marsh, the 886 doesn't need to shift not even the TA." This guy was quite a hot head so by now I had him quite excited. so I threw in another jab, I said," Being used to my own IH 1066, I think they both suck." One day I was in field discing with new CaseIH, my friend pulls up along side with his pickup, climbs in cab with me, practically shoves me out of seat to right of cab and said, "let me show you how to drive this tractor." He was going along, I looked at tach, grabed the power shift lever and moved it quite quickly up to high, before he could get his foot on clutch it stalled. He said,"what did you do that for." I said," that is the speed 886 was pulling disc at yesterday." He jumped out of tractor and back to his pickup, almost burried pickup in loose soil. This guy had two full time employees on farm, and that evening in a discussionon what every one was going to do next day. He said to the two guys," why didn't you guys tell me the Case was so gutless." They responded," the difference is we need our jobs, Hugh doesn't." Next day he then turned on the CaseIH dealer and gave him the gears. It always amazes me the number of people on forums compareing tractors and judging one against the other, and you discover they are buying 15-20 year old tractors which they have no record of the maintenance on that tractor and trying to run a commercial farm enterprise with them. I am not saying this is not the way to do things. If I were going back into farming today it would not be with new tractors. Tractors, all makes, built since early 1980s are nightmares when something goes wrong. So remember guys, when you are buying 15- 20 year old tractors you are judging the maintenance as much as you are the manufacturer. If as one respondant suggested you are using 60+ hp gassers on a commercial farm that is your problem.
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