White 110 - 120 - 125 ????

What are the areas to be wary of with these models? Is the drive line the same in the 110 as in the 120 -125? Did they make significant improvements as the year models changed? Would it be OK to tune up the 110 to put out 120+ HP like in the Masseys or is it not as good a Perkins as Massey used? I understand the trans and rear end are different than in the 105. Is the over under unit also more heavy duty like the one used in the 135/155? Is the 120/125 worth the extra money over the 110? Are the cabs the same quality?(noise etc.) Does anyone have one they want to sell? Thanks; Bruce

In my opinion (most people agree), the newer the series the nicer the tractor. White really had a fine tuned machine when they were producing the Cummins engined White tractors. The Workhorse series tractors had a nicer cab on it then the 100 series, but to find a Workhorse is pretty hard, especially a black framed one. I tagged on the picture of our 145- its a 1992 model. My only two complaints on our 145 are that it doesnt steer as tight as I thought it would and the best speed for round baling for us is in 3 under, which coasts down our hills. Being White/Oliver users, you just accept the coasting and go with it. Its a heck of a tractor, and if I'd find a 120 or 125 someday, I'll pry pick it up for a little brother to the 145.

ps- the rockbox is long removed!

I have a 4-120 and like it. It has a driveline
similar to my 4-135. The shifter on the console
is a good idea if you have hired help. My Cummmins engine was a little doggy when I bought
it. A few thousand hours ago we turned the pump
up to 140 hp and problem solved. It has not
seemed to hurt the engine. It does not to seem
to burn much more fuel. It has 8600 hours on it
and the only thing I have had to work on is the
air conditioning. I do not think you can go
wrong with a 100 series tractor.

Whoa! I'm impressed!! But to stepping from a 105 to a 110 is a major difference, the side console and pressurized cab, and I don't have an air ride seat, that would be nice, but here's one thing I've noticed, the 105's ride is so much better than the 110, same tires, same weights, but a lot rockier ride from the 110. If the later models ride the same, I'm not so sure I would pay almost double for a 120 than a 110, although you're getting the cummins and a deff lock. by the way, happy new year J.

The 100 series White tractors are some of the best tractors ever built. Same basic design as the 135/155. Well worth the money over the 2-110. This is our 120 experimental; it's going to the Floyd County museum when I'm through with it. Shows about 2000 hours on it now.

Dean, what's "experimental" about your 120? Is the 110 not part of the 100 series. You said the 120 was well worth the extra money over the 110 but didn't elaborate. Is the 120 different other than the engine, The cummins is a great engine, but the perkins doesn't scare me, it is older tech, I know.
Thanks for the replys

Quite the puff of smoke from that 120! Got a few extra hp coming out of it?? I'm with Bruce on finding out what adjustments this tractor has from the 2-110 besides that engine. I know you worked for White, but how'd you get this one away from them? Also, how or why did White decide to go to the Cummins engine back in the day? Too bad everything was going to pieces with the farm economy and with White when they finally started making these great tractors.

Hey- sorry about never coming back to that thread I had on those magazines. Never looked like anyone had anything to add. Anyways, I guess I would have to come drive your 2-110 to feel the rocky ride your getting. I dont think the seat was moved ahead in the newer ones--I'm sure Dean or somebody can tell us otherwise. I never noticed much of a "buck" to our 145, but it does have the deluxe air ride seat. I believe most 100 series tractors do as well. Maybe its just a matter of the old mechanical seat with a redone cab giving a bit more buck to it. Why not add a picture of the 110 to the thread, it'll look good showing off an '85 model White! Not many of them around. Happy new year to you too- see you around!

experimental? looks like a real nice tractor. Those whites sound as if they are premier tractors with the cummins in them. This ones turning over 120 horses isnt it? That puff of black smoke makes me guess it is.

It is still @ 120 HP, just the device that limits fuel to prevent black smoke is disabled. The White 100,120,140,160, and 185 are like the 2-135 and 2-155 in that they have the inboard planetaries, diff lock, and the heavy cast rear housing. This is the very first White 120 ever built. The build was started in the spring of 1985 from experimental parts in the experimental lab. We built another one to go to Phoenix, AZ for heavy field testing, so this one was used just as a lab tractor to try different things out. In 1989, money was getting short so a lot of things were getting sold and I was able to buy it. Kind of an inside job as I was the power train engineer. It has only an experimental number (X-815) instead of a serial number. The day I drove it out of the plant to drive it home (22 miles) it had 319 hours on it. It was never pulled hard so it used oil for the next 1000 hours (10 hours to the quart) at that time it quit using oil. This tractor has the standard seat. I guess the deluxe seat rides much better. The ride over rough ground is my only dislike.
An interesting sideline, about a year after I bought the tractor, I received a phone call from our then experimental manager. Cummins still owned the engine. I never heard how that issue was resolved.

Was there a time when White started with quieter cabs? Had a 2-85 and now a 2-150 and they are louder than I like. Is the only difference between the 110 and 120, the engine?
Thanks; Bruce

What we called the pod cab was the quietest; it rests on rubber bushings and the only connection to the tractor is wires, cables, shift rods, and hydraulic hoses. I believe the 2-88 and the 2-110 had this cab, as well as the later tractors. The 2-110 had the same basic rear end as the 1800 Oliver. The White 100 and 120 has the same design rear end as the 2-135/155. O/U's are about the same.

Normally, experimental tractors were not sold up to this point. About this time everything was for sale and I was in the right place at the right time to buy the 120. As I remember, Cat was the preferred choice for the 100 series, but their new engines in the required size were almost a year away. The Cummins B and C engines were available immediately, so Cummins was chosen. As it turned out, this was an excellent choice. Cat probably would have been a good choice as well, but I have not heard much about their smaller size engines.

Very nice tractor, Dad has a white 2-155 and it has been a good machine. That has got to be a fair load for a 120hp tractor. For being 25 years old, it still looks like new.

Dad bought a 2-110 new in 1984. Had all the series 3 features and was a very good tractor. The only trouble we ever had was with the rear hubs working loose when pulling the tractor hard. We had to replace 2 hubs at different times. Have heard this was common on these. Too bad White didn't do somthing like the 100 series tractors about 10 years earlier. I think that they could have gone alot further if they had. If the 110 would have had the heavy rear end with diff lock and heavy taper lock wheels, it would have been a bullet-proof tractor! White also had a very good cab with great visibility and nice steps.

Our 2-135('78 model bought new by us) was a good tractor in some ways...it was a great puller, but cost alot of money in the time we had it. The heads were off twice, inj pump off 2 or 3 times, 3 speed rebuilt, then the engine had to be overhauled at 3500 hours, hyd pump coupler broke, small things like doors handles breaking, light swith going bad, etc. This fall Dad tried using it to chop stalks and had to be hauled on the stretcher to the Agco dealer twice. Last time the PTO shaft broke. That was the straw that broke the camels back...when it came out of the shop, Dad told the dealer to sell it on consignment for him. The next guy will probably run it for thousands of hours with no trouble!

It's unfortunate that White didn't make some better, and more timely decisions on improving their products. They had alot of potential. They were one of maybe two or three companies that had a bullet-proof rear end/transmission. White was testing a infinitely variable transmission in a Oliver tractor back around 1970. Imagine if that got fully perfected and made it into production!