Buy new or used tractor

Trying to decide between a 1999 Ford 1920 tractor - 33hp,4WD, loader, 1000hrs for $10,000 vs a new New Holland T1510 - 30Hp, 4wd, loader for $15,000.
The Ford is older,with 1k hrs, but appears to be in real good shape and also appears to be a heavier duty tractor. (newer rear tires and battery, no welds, no leaks, tight)
The NH is new with a warranty.
The tractor is to be used at hunting camp for food plots (3 acres), 1 mile Dirt road maintenance and moving a litle dirt...
What are your thought?

They are both overpriced. I have a price quote for $12,320 for a brand new John Deere 3032E sitting on my desk.

RON...GOOD hunting for a tractor. Here are some thoughts just off my head to think about if you haven't already.

(1) The fact that the older unit already has 1000 hours may be indicative that the "bugs" have already been worked out and is now a tried and proven unit. WHY is that low hour machine for sale?? Was it a problem or a trade in for a larger unit??

(2) Loader/dirt work...you'll probably appreciate the extra strength of the older unit.

(3) As the tractor will be "away", you might wanna consider dealer support at/near the "away" location.

(4) Is there a "trusted mechanic" at the dealership you could talk with?? Often times the mechanic that works on them will know the real "pros & cons" of each unit and can give you some good advice.

Have fun and PLEASE be safe!!

Rick

The best price i had for the JD 3032 4WD with a loader was 16K. I'm also considering that one vs the used Ford. The NH dealerships near me have a better reputation then the local JD dealers. Better service, easeier to work a deal with...

That sounds like a good price, must be bare tractor, no loader? We have had our 4600 for about 10 years and love it, and we have a great JD dealer in Baudette, although we really haven't needed them, 550 hrs and no issues!

(quoted from post at 06:41:33 05/13/11) Trying to decide between a 1999 Ford 1920 tractor - 33hp,4WD, loader, 1000hrs for $10,000 vs a new New Holland T1510 - 30Hp, 4wd, loader for $15,000.
The Ford is older,with 1k hrs, but appears to be in real good shape and also appears to be a heavier duty tractor. (newer rear tires and battery, no welds, no leaks, tight)
The NH is new with a warranty.
The tractor is to be used at hunting camp for food plots (3 acres), 1 mile Dirt road maintenance and moving a litle dirt...
What are your thought?

Click to expand...

Do you know why they paint the JD green and yellow? Because when they broke down, they could hide them in the corn field while the other tractors did the work.

id go for the older unit, even with that, i hope you have some place to lock it up, "hunting camp" sounds remote, and here remote means at least 40 miles from a paved road, tractors in such places today have a way of getting lost, due to the low life scum running around today , or some kid gets it started for a joy ride, then watches it crash into a canyon when he's bored with it

Not too remote, 1/2 mile off main rd. but not visible from neighbors. I do have an old barn to keep it in, even then I will prbably, chain it to a beam, and remove the coil wire or something to make it less easy to borrow..

For that kind of use Your cost of ownership should be substantially lower with the used unit provided that it is truly as represented.

No loader, but it does have one remote hydraulic.

All this for a food plot? To farm feed so called wild animals? the value of venison must be up there. Hunting used to be when you went in the woods to have fun with your father's old jacket and your grandfather's rifle. I guess it is serious high tech business nowdays. I have 9 tractors and all the implements you can think of, and I don't have 15k in the whole bunch. And I grow people food... in general this is a site for 'yesterday's beat up' tractors, old fashioned stuff, you might find other opinions on new top end tractors on hobby farm or hunting sites that talk about growing bait patches. BTW, these tractors are diesels right? Diesels don't have coil wires, so you better get a bigger chain.

Best sign I ever saw at a baseball game (Minnesota Twins): "Hey, Hrbek, buy a vowel!"

For your proposed use, I'd go with an older, much less expensive tractor. You can farm 3 acres and grade a road with almost anything down to a Farmall Super A, and an older tractor will be much less likely to disappear. A nice little Oliver 550 diesel could be had for 3 grand or so, and would work fine.

But between the two, I'd go with the Ford- probably a little better constructed rig (because its older), only enough hours to break it in, and 2/3 the money.

Somebody below wondered why someone was getting rid of such a low hour tractor (for its age)- Actually, that's not really "low hour", for that type of tractor. Lots of guys (like me) buy a new compact utility when we're middle aged because we've always wanted a new tractor, and can now finally afford it- not because we've got a lot of real work to use it for. We have horses- manure, pasture harrow, and general maintenance around the farm, and have only put a couple hundred hours on a JD 4010 (no, not THAT 4010) in 5 years. It sits in the barn all week in the winter, waiting for the spreader to fill up- then gets used all of 10 minutes to spread on Saturday.

And it gets sold 10 or 15 years later or so, with low hours, because we have eased on into geezerhood. Or possibly, into the lovely Shady Oaks Memorial Gardens.

I bought my Wife a new 1920 in 1997, that little tractor has been a work horse and hands down the most dependable piece of machinery I have ever owned. I paid around $12,000 when new for a 2 wheel drive, no loader, so $10,000 don"t sound bad for what you described.

Hi Ron,
I have the T1510, bought it about two years ago as a lease return, with the loader and the shuttle shift. I like it, especially with the shifter when I"m using the loader, and the power steering. The fuel usage is almost non-existent. But it is kinda lightweight, especially when I"m carrying a load..Traction can be an issue. That"s when I put it in 4WD.
I use my TO35 for heavier work, discing, etc.

If you had to choose just one, I"d probably guess the Ford would be a better choice.

I would ask about the 1920 over on the Ford Board.
I know that parts support for some of those Shibaru built Fords is getting pretty thin. Not sure if yours fits that category but worth checking.
And as far as your intended use for it I'd really like to know why some people think it's their business how and why you use your tractor.
If you want to use it for deer plots what is that to them?

Yes, I know i can probably get by with a smaller tractor, but I'm sure that we will find additional work for the tractor, building ATV trains, moving rock to reinforce a stream bank, pulling stumps, clearing ground for pole barn.... also want a tractor at won't struggle going up the side of the mountain in the snow, and will plow/disc on the side of a fairly steep mountain side... I want something reliable, so that after driving 4 hrs to the camp when i hit the key it will start. I have an old 2N now that is in the fix-a-little, work-a-little,..... mode.
Thanks for the input!

For $5-$8K you could buy a real nice Ford 3600 diesel. Probably have all the right stuff on it except for FWA. Pretty well indestructable 37 hp machine with good track record plus good dealer and aftermarket parts support. Not a whole lot larger and not unfamiliar if you've had an N.
Do a search for Ford 3600 or 3600 Ford on searchtempest.com and set the miles to 500 or whatever you're willing to drive. You wont find more than a couple of them for sale. People keep them - for the very uses you speak of.