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Which tractor for a kid to learn on

B

Bob in SD

Member
Hello all,

We have a JD 3020 and a Ford 4000 (4 cylinder, older 4000) and a 13 year old boy. Tractor uses are mowing a little w/ a brush hog, moving snow with a snow blower and a little clean up w/ the loader. Moving firewood with the loader in the winter (when the snow is too deep to use the truck), maybe spreading some gravel (blade, loader) or digging some post holes.

There's no real need right now, but I was wanting to get the 13 year old a little seat time. I don't think I'd let him mow or move snow by himself, but thought I'd start the learning process this summer (I realize that he's old my many people's standards, we don't really farm and I grew up in the suburbs. ).

I'm probably transitioning to the JD, but am keeping the Ford around until I decide for sure (and it's a neat little tractor, probably perfect size for mowing. The jury is still out on the JD, it's more tractor than I really need). I have a loader on the JD, and can't easily put one on the Ford.

I'm thinking the JD is maybe "safer", in that it's a synchro-range with "Park" position and has good fenders for a dad to ride along and coach a little. On the other size, it's stinking BIG, especially w/ the loader sticking out the front. I'd expect more damage to gates and barns and such w/ the JD.

Any thoughts? Any other advice?
 
I would recommend you find something much smaller. Think Ford 8N, JD B, Farmall B. Anything bigger would be dangerous if he has never driven before. An added benefit to the 8N (maybe the 4000 has the same feature, not sure how big this model is) is you press down on the clutch and brakes. If he were to get into trouble all he needs to do is stand up on the petals to stop. Also the clutch on an 8N is light and easy to disengage. Smaller tractors would have the benefit of letting you see and possibly take control of the steering and ignition should something go awry especially if you are working along side. The 3020 has way too much power/speed/ and height (think rollover) for learning safely esp considering you don't farm regularly.
 
i learned on an older ford 5000 when i was 8. grandpa took me for a tour around the farm a couple times so that i got use to how everything worked and he made sure i could push all the pedals, knew how to shut it off, clutch control, then we went back up to the shed, hooked onto the square baler and wagon, and we went baling with me driving and him on the wagon.
 
If it were my son I would use both, the controls are basicly(sp) the same. They are both there and he will soon choose his favorite you get what is left! I have started maybe 50 or more boys & girls on tractors and the most trouble is speed or the wrong gear. Never leave 2 boys together alone with tractors something will get broken! You both will remember those days!
 
my son started when he was 10 on a 4610 ford. he is now 16 and driving 250hp brand new new hollands and other larger ford tractors. fords are all i got so i dont really know anything about greens ones. i guess its up to you to make the descicion.
 
It sounds as though he's old enough. Spend some time with him on each and see which he prefers. He is only going to be as good and as safe as he is taught. Kids at that age also learn alot by watching (not just t.v.). I grew up on both these models and they were both good tractors. Also you have to be ready to do a little fixing. My very first lesson on the Ford was the fact that it doesn't have park and I learned to fix shed doors. That is still a point that I reitterate to my kids. Also you might want to send momm school shopping on the first go round.
 
I don"t know that one would be better than another as long as they are modern enough to have the proper safety features. More importantly would be the one that you (as his teacher) are most familiar with in order to show him how to operate it properly and safely.
I put my son on my 202 Massey Ferguson when he was 9 last summer/fall and he drove it around in 1st gear low which was slow enough that I could walk beside it at a very slow walk. Over the winter we tried him moving some snow but he hit one of the fence posts and loosened it a bit so maybe that was premature.
This summer I put him on the backhoe and that seemed to go pretty well (he"s 10 now)
Here is a video of that from yesterday.
Untitled URL Link
 
(quoted from post at 13:40:40 07/19/11) Hello all,

We have a JD 3020 and a Ford 4000 (4 cylinder, older 4000) and a 13 year old boy. Tractor uses are mowing a little w/ a brush hog, moving snow with a snow blower and a little clean up w/ the loader. Moving firewood with the loader in the winter (when the snow is too deep to use the truck), maybe spreading some gravel (blade, loader) or digging some post holes.

There's no real need right now, but I was wanting to get the 13 year old a little seat time. I don't think I'd let him mow or move snow by himself, but thought I'd start the learning process this summer (I realize that he's old my many people's standards, we don't really farm and I grew up in the suburbs. ).

I'm probably transitioning to the JD, but am keeping the Ford around until I decide for sure (and it's a neat little tractor, probably perfect size for mowing. The jury is still out on the JD, it's more tractor than I really need). I have a loader on the JD, and can't easily put one on the Ford.

I'm thinking the JD is maybe "safer", in that it's a synchro-range with "Park" position and has good fenders for a dad to ride along and coach a little. On the other size, it's stinking BIG, especially w/ the loader sticking out the front. I'd expect more damage to gates and barns and such w/ the JD.

Any thoughts? Any other advice?
Click to expand...

I was raking hay with a Farmall H when I was just 10 years old. We also had a 4010 but it was usually tied up doing bigger work, but when we moved to a bigger farm, the same year that I turned 13, I graduated right on up to that 4010.

Put the boy on that 3020. It is easy to operate, stable enough to be safe, and the operator sits up high enough to easily observe everything. If he gets in trouble doing "boy" stuff, he would be in just as much if not more trouble on the Ford.
 
I learned on a 9N when I was 13, easy and safe to get on and off. I don't like kids, older or lame people on big tall jobs that are like getting out of an airplane, if you have nothing smaller or lower, the 4000 sounds alot better to start on...
 
I started out on a John Deere L about the time I started school. Dad put a 4" wooden block on the clutch so I could reach it to shift.
 
Dad did that for me on a Massey Harris Pony. Can't remember now if I drove that or the 8N Ford first though.
 
An average 13 year old boy is plenty old enough to drive just about anything you have, as long as he is taught correctly. You mentioned that you expect MORE damage to gates and barns with the JD. In my opinion, you should not expect any damage to anything. If you think your son is going to run the tractor into something, don't let him drive until he is more mature. However, I think he will do fine. Personally, I would start him out on the 4000 simply because it is lower to the ground. Don't worry about the Ford not having a "park", just make sure he leaves the tractor in gear when he stops.

SF
 
put him on the 3020, he will have better control. stay with him and teach him to respect it. And take the loader off at first. I always remember a neighbor who wanted to teach his son to drive and help out around the farm. started him out on an 8n ford. Then had him haul in 20 ft forage wagons loaded with haylage with it. The son was nearly killed when he couldn't stop a load on a hill. wrecked the tractor and tiped over the wagon.
 
has he driven a lawn tractor?
i started tall kid out on 1 when he was about 8
i think the next tractor he drove was a cockshutt 50.
at age 26 he has had enough misques with his and (dad"s)
pickup trucks to be a careful tractor driver as he knows fast accidents can happen.
my question is how does he do on the lawn tractor? does he hammer on it and bang it around or does he respect it?
if he doesn"t respect the lawn tractor he won"t be any better on a big one.
 
do any of them have rops??

that would be my deciding factor.

teach him the 10 or so ways to die fast on a tractor.. most kids dont know...

that if you fall off it runs over you.

if you start it from the ground, it runs over you..

if you get off with the engine running, it runs over you.

if you get near the pto shaft, it kills you..

if you let someone ride on it and they fall off, they are dead.

if you get on a slope, it flips over and kills you..

if you pull with a chain around the axle, it flips over and kills you.

if you raise up the loader on a slope, it flips over and kills you.

if you run over anyting, it will be dead.

if get your hand in the fan, it will be gone.

if you put your hand on a hydraulic or diesel leak, it will be injected into your skin and you will die of blood poisoning.

and on and on.. but tell him or her so they know how fast you can die.
 
if you had the money, i would buy a newer kubota, they are easy to use, have many saftey features (like if you have the tractor in gear when it is on it will shut off), very reliable, and if you have a bucket it is easy to install and remove.
 
Just a thought here, but has the kid used a riding lawn mower? I know that may sound a little dumb, but a riding lawn mower is a kind of like a really small tractor that has the same basic operating principles. Maybe he could learn the basics of machine operating and safety on the mower, and move up from there? Just a thought, hope this helps.
 
I go along with guys on start them out on a garden tractor and move up as there driving skills improve. If they hit something with garden tractor there's not the damage like large tractor.
 
forgot the part where the loader can drop and kill you

and my f in l lost his toes by riding on the 3 point lift and his brother raised it and cut his toes off.
 


My boys were riding itn the tractors and combines since they were two years old When I neeeded a tractor moved I put a boy in the cab to tell the wife how to move it in the field They could run every thing on the farm by age of eleven and running combine by thereselves at 14 You just have to spend time with them andteach them the right way
 
I vote for the Ford because they are very user friendly.

I would not recommend a loader tractor as a learner.

I cannot think of a better learner tractor than an 8N.

Dean
 
I say there is nothing wrong with a 3020. Just make sure it is working correctly and the saftey features are in place. Park gear,power steering and brakes,8 speeds I can manuver our 4020 with that large 158 loader in some really tight spots ! Very easy to control it and see what you are doing as you sit up with a good view.
I say an 8N is WAY more dangerous !!! Poor brakes,can't even work the LH brake if you push in the clutch. Anyone here have 2 left feet ? at least on the early ones.
 
I hope he has spent some time using a riding lawn mower. If you have a flat field or long drive without ditches or steep banks , either would a great spot to start. I think his greatest obstical will be learning to use a clutch. Start in a low gear and show hime how it should be done, A 13 year old will learn real fast. He needs to know what not to do, like someone else mentioned. He needs to know about the brakes and how to stop the engine before he even turns a wheel. Make sure he knows any "hot dogging" will not be tolerated.
 
I believe it all depends on the kid. I was a mere seven years old working our Ford 861 out in the watermelon fields. It wasn't much longer that I was working a loader, discing, using a brush cutter, etc.....Of course I was born and bred on a produce ranch. If this kid is your typical suburban type who wears tennis shoes and shorts when out working around the gentlemen's ranch then start him off with a lawn tractor. Otherwise either tractor should be fine. Also get him heavily involved in the repair of the tractors. That's where I'm lacking. We had a mechanic who never let me hang around and watch him repair the machines.
 

Be SURE to impress on him how to always hitch to the Drawbar and NO WHERE else...

Had to pull one fellow out from under a Ford 4000 once..the Hood had crushed his melon..

For more traction, he had hooked to the upper 3-point location, with the chain...

Ron..
 
(quoted from post at 01:03:59 07/20/11) if you had the money, i would buy a newer kubota, they are easy to use, have many saftey features (like if you have the tractor in gear when it is on it will shut off), very reliable, and if you have a bucket it is easy to install and remove.
Click to expand...

So basically you're saying he should go out and buy a toy specifically for the kid to play on? Wow I bet the old time farmers are rolling in their graves over this one.
 
I would puthim on the 3020. Id say I was steering a 3010 at the age of 8 and have been hooked on tractors ever since. If you can get him used to the main controls of the tractor; then work with him on transmission shift pattern. If he can drive it and know where the gears are without any trouble, he can drive and shift anything.
 
Farmall cub. Add kill switch and make sure it works. Explain why itis there and test it periodically. Dave
 
JD 3020. I learned on a JD 3020, JD 401, JD 2040, Ford 2000, Ford 841, MF 135, Long 445, 100 hp Deutz, and Farmall 504. The 3020 was my favorite.

CT
 
I would start him out on the Ford.Many years ago I learned to drive a tractor on an 1935 Oliver 18-28 on Steel wheels pulling a disc,not a wheel disc either.Then later i got some serious seat time on an Oliver Row Crop 77 and a Ford 9N with a Dearborn loader.
 
I'd put him on the Ford. It's safer & he'll have a lot harder time tearing it up. He needs to learn how to handle a tractor first & then add the various equipment so he can handle it safely. Save the loader for last.
 
Because they were trying to act like the Ford was a 100 HP 5 plow tractor with a wagon like that, anybody that would put a 20' loaded forage wagon behind a 8N is just plain stupid. An that goes for any type of ground.
 
That 4000 is just bacicly a newer version of the 8N with a few more ponies but very close to same size and style.
 
I would go for the Ford, Fact is I was a Deere man till they brought out the 3010-3020 and so on, I would not own any of them let alone teach a kid to drive one. I did drive my uncle's 3020 and that is what killed Deere for me. When bought tractors after the 2 cylinder models they were Ford up to the larger 5000. I started out on a 1944 Ford 2N that I still have. Can't tell you how old I was when I first learned to drive but I was born in sep of 43 and Dad bought the first JD (38 A) in jan of 57 so it was between those years. First year he had the Deere I drove the Ford, second year I took over the Deere as I like it better. When Deere went to the new generation I quit them for tractors. And as for how much of a Deere man I was I am now vice president of the area 2 cylinder club so you know I did like Deeres at one time. After 1960 they lost me for a tractor customer or user, I did when working at the fertilizer plant have to use the 2020 they had (same size and style of the 4000 Ford) but the Ford was light years ahead of that Deere in design or user freindly.
 
Can't add much to what's already been said. If the kid's had some experience on a lawn tractor, that would be a plus. Also, I would agree not to start him out on anything with a loader on it.

The most important thing is SAFETY FIRST!! Make it CRYSTAL clear to him what the rules are---pay attention, don't leave the seat unless everything is out of gear and shut off, etc., etc., etc. And above all, NO SCREWING OFF!! And if you catch him screwing off, come down HARD on him!!

People have been learning to drive for years, and most of them never had any problems. They just need to know that this machine (like a car) can hurt you if you don't respect it, and treat it properly.

I learned on a Ford 8N, and a John Deere MT. Also, the first time I drove Dad's UB Moline I could not push in the clutch without getting off the seat. Dad came up from behind to put it in and out of gear!
 
The 3020. Great steering and brakes.Consider taking the loader off for the first few lessons.Kids learn fast. My youngest son started pulling in silage wagons at 8 years old with a 3020. We have two 3020's and he would bring in one and while mom unloaded take the other and an empty wagon back to the field for a full load. He only used 5th gear the first year.
 
Thanks to all

He has run a riding lawn mower for 4-5 years now. He understands the safety rules for that, and follows them (even when he doesn't know I'm looking). He goofs off as much or more than most kids, but he is also involved in shooting sports and runs a chipper w/ his grandpa. He knows when it's "serious business" and not a time to goof off. Given his druthers he'll wear those nylon shorts to town, but he knows to show up for chores w/ jeans/boots/gloves and with earplugs in his pocket (depending on the job). He has learned that it can be unpleasant to make Dad wait while you look for your gloves or boots, or go back in to change...

He's started to work on equipment, helped me put a new head gasket on the ford. Changes oil, rotates tires, helps w/ general fix-it stuff on cars and the house of course. He wouldn't dream of starting up the mower w/out checking the oil first (if only I could train his mom to do that..)

My comment about damage to barns and gates with the loader was a little tongue-in-cheek. I took a section of fence out w/ the loader this winter. I'd been snowblowing w/ the JD most of the winter, and finally got my loader installed in March. The bucket sticks out about a foot past the outside of the front wheel, and I forgot about the loader as I carefully backed the snowblower as close to the sidewalk as I could get it, just as I'd been doing all winter. Doh!

I can't make a long post for some reason, so I'll split this one.

bob
 
Taking the loader off if he uses the JD is a good idea. Neither tractor has a ROPS, but it can't get any flatter than where we live. The steepest thing around is the ditch out by the road (which would be worrisome), but outside of that, there simply isn't a hill around.

He still has issues using the clutch on the pickup truck, mainly trying to coordinate the gas and the clutch. Last summer he could get the truck moving 4 out of 5 times w/out bucking or stalling. I figure the tractor is easier, since the throttle is already on and he just has to concentrate on the clutch. He doesn't get a lot of practice on the truck, and wasn't all that motivated. I'm pretty sure he can get that straightened out this year.

Thanks again,

Bob
 
He still has issues using the clutch on the pickup truck, mainly trying to coordinate the gas and the clutch. Last summer he could get the truck moving 4 out of 5 times w/out bucking or stalling. I figure the tractor is easier, since the throttle is already on and he just has to concentrate on the clutch. He doesn't get a lot of practice on the truck, and wasn't all that motivated. I'm pretty sure he can get that straightened out this year.
 
Thanks for the list of 10 ways to die on a tractor, I will share that with him. Might even tack it up on the wall in the barn. He knows that the loader can drop, he's loaded his share of firewood into the bucket on our (just sold) Farmall M.
 
I wouldn't let him run a bush hog or snowblower at this point, just learning the controls, basically how to move the tractor from place to place, start it up, raise/lower implement, shut it down, etc. I think his first year on the riding mower I had a cart behind it and he didn't mow, but hauled tools/mulch/water in the cart.
 
Like Leroy said, I don't think my Ford is much bigger than an 8n. I've been told it's basically a 961 w/ different sheet metal? OTOH, I sure like the brakes on the JD. If he can handle those two shift patterns he'll be able to drive anything! If I buy another tractor, it'll be for me, not the kid.

Thanks again for the advise. I want him to learn, and do his share but certainly don't want him injured.
 
We were kept off tractors until we were 14 years old.It bothers me to see people putting 8 year olds on tractors.Friends and I worked on farms at an early age .we collected eggs , fed hens and cows.Spread bedding and lime on the center floor.Barn was cleaned with shovels in to a spreader.We took care of the milk room after school.
 
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