I will only be using it to brushog a small ditch and move some dirt around occasionally. I need to know what type of tractor would I need, horsepower, gas or diesel? New diesel or old yesterday's tractors? Where is the best place to not get ripped off? I am not rich! Just saying! New or old? Do I buy at a tractor auction, craigslist, etc.? How would I fi d s private owner or retirement auction? All answers helpful! Thank you very much! God bless!
- Thread starter rickeyha
- Start date
Farm tractors don't make good utility tractors and utility tractors don't usually make good farm tractors. I have both and each have their own strengths and weeknesses. If you want to putt around the yard and mow a little grass and do loader and snow work the utility tractor is a good bet. If want to do brushogging in ditches or any kind of field work I would probably go with a lower center of gravity and wider farm tractor like a older Ford or Massey Ferguson. If you're on a budget get the older farm tractor. Diesel utility tractors cost a pretty good chunk of $$$ for a toy to frog around with. And they tend to blow stinky diesel smell right in your face where a gas tractor is pretty good if it has the rear exhaust and much less $$$.
caterpillar guy
Well-known Member
Watch you paper for the auctions or on line at the auctioneers site. Tractor house has anything you would be looking at. Some times way over priced. Then they are all buyer beware.
The new fancy things will be in the junk before your 50 something year old one will be. The new ones look good and sounds good to not need to fix it for a year or 2. All the fancy electrical gadgets will give the most problems. The MFWD (mechanical front wheel drive)is good for a loader.
The new fancy things will be in the junk before your 50 something year old one will be. The new ones look good and sounds good to not need to fix it for a year or 2. All the fancy electrical gadgets will give the most problems. The MFWD (mechanical front wheel drive)is good for a loader.
Billy Shafer
Well-known Member
I agree. Two guys were killed in this county. In the last three years from roll overs. No protection.
Pair-a-dice farm
Well-known Member
Your question will have many opinions. Personally I wouldn't want a gas tractor for occasional use. In my area the E10 or more gas won't store longer than a few weeks so you would need to drain the gas after use. A new diesel is an animal that I'm not familiar with since the new EPA rules are in effect. For light rotary cutter use I would prefer a 3910 Ford diesel or something similar. I saw one for sale locally for $5K that looks pretty good with 1500 hours showing.
Hay hay hay
Well-known Member
Old Massey Ferguson live PTO gas tractors like a 35 or 50 or 135 or 150, are simple, parts available and reliable.
I have 2 and they work every day, mowing, pulling a wagon or spreading manure. Search Massey on Craigslist and read the articles on this site about what to check for when buying a used tractor. Cost $3000 + or -. Fancy paint raises the price a lot but does not mow grass.
I have 2 and they work every day, mowing, pulling a wagon or spreading manure. Search Massey on Craigslist and read the articles on this site about what to check for when buying a used tractor. Cost $3000 + or -. Fancy paint raises the price a lot but does not mow grass.
Dave H (MI)
Well-known Member
I am going to take exception to one comment. I would tend to agree that farm tractors (row crop) are not the best choice for all around use. Utility tractors, however, are a lot more versatile. I was more than a little surprised last year when I hooked the IH 300U to a 500 gallon sprayer with 40' of boom. It did an excellent job. Modern diesels are expensive but very reliable and versatile. Older gas tractors have less safety equipment so you need to be smart. They are easier to repair in most cases. If you want to mow ditches and move some material a modern diesel with ROPS and a loader is your best option if you can come up with the coin. You will be surprised at all the things it will do for you. I call mine "the son I never had" or "the boy" for short. If you cannot afford that, then you need a medium sized utility type with a loader. Must be designed to be used with a loader. The 300U for example, has a loader available but is not designed to move a lot of weight on the front end...so not a good choice. You will want power steering for loader operations. ROPS may not be practical, so a brain must be standard equipment on the operator. Color makes little difference. How it suits your needs is everything that matters. They are for sale everywhere. Educate yourself and look around a lot. Usually, a little extra money spent at purchase on a honest, working tractor is cash well spent. Rusted, broken, worn tires or other parts, "ran when parked"...look elsewhere.
If you go to your local grain eleveator, Farm Implement Dealer, some restaurants, grocery store bulletin board like here all have auction posters that auctioneers put up to promote their auctions. At least that's what they do here in Illinois, I'm sure it's like that nation wide. Then also you could talk to anyone at a dealership and they could steer you in the right direction or who may have a tractor to fit your need.
If not here is a link and all you have to do is put in your zip code and pull up auctions in your area.
Auction Site
If not here is a link and all you have to do is put in your zip code and pull up auctions in your area.
Auction Site
My thoughts: if you get an older gas job I hope you are somewhat mechanical inclined they can be touchy (more so if only run once-twice yearly). A diesel generally either runs or not and when not ouch!!! I agree with others some older row crops were made for farming (corn potatoes etc.) and may not be the best choice. The fords, oliver 550 are great light utility tractors (3 point hitch will be a must) as you ad implements. BEWARE OF AUCTIONS as you can get some one else's problem child!!!
Go to auction zip and find auctions in your area. You should be cautioned that tractors sold at auction have no warranty and you buy at your own risk. Most of the so called "retirement auctions" are really someone's way of getting rid of their junk stuff and in my experience the prices are usually way to high. CL may help locate the tractor that you want but you should have someone who knows tractors help you do the pre-purchase inspection. Also you need to consider the cost of hauling your purchase to your home.
If I knew your location I might be able to help find a dealer that you can trust. Happy farming.
If I knew your location I might be able to help find a dealer that you can trust. Happy farming.
I can tell you what not to get (from personal experience) 2n-9n-8n ford most useless things that had 4 rubber tires attached, If you look on the n forum you will see hundreds of non start problems which is typical of them. brakes are usually bad, even after replacement. You can find the 3000-4000 ford utilitys for a good price along with the 135 Massy Ferg. Look for a 3 point hitch, live PTO, good tires, and no smoke from the engine. Best if you can talk to the owner. Good Luck Tom
I do not agree that with that assement of the Ford 9N, 2N & 8N. They are good tractors for what they are designed for. If taken care of as should be same as all the others, it is just a maintainence issue that a lot of the owners do not pay attention samw with all makes and models. As for starting problems more having them true because for every one of a IHC 300U there are a thousand Fords in that cattagorie so you have to remember porportion as to numbers out there on that. The Ford in those models is not one for the mower as they do not have enough power. A Ford like that is only 23 max pto hp and a 5 foot mower will kill a tractor that is putting out 60 horse on the pto as I have done it many a time. I only have a 2N now but have had bigger and newer. And I will not own any diesel ever. Do not offer one to me for free. Would not take it.
Buying a used tractor is like buying a usedcar.Do your 'homework' on it .inspect it.....If you dont know how,get a friend who know tractors or have a professional inspect.Talk to a dealer'.They are not all 'shiesters'.Estate/retire ment sales are good as is local papers,craigs list has some good ones,too. A 'consignment sale' is a 'crapshoot',although there are some good tractors sold at them.Dont just go on auction day and buy. Go ahead of time(several days),look carefully,find out who owned it,why it is there. Then if possible,call the owner and find out.Look at a diesel utility from the 1960s.Ford 3000/4000;MF 135/150,or the 2x5 series. JohnDeere made several models of 30/40 horse tractors in those days. Consider who your local dealer is.Someday you will need parts or service.Or just plain advice.Doesnt matter if it's cheap,or perfect condition,if the nearest dealer is 500 miles away,yiu're S.O.L.Plan on spending 3-5 (or more)thousand dollars,but you will get a nice tractor that will serve you well for years.Sure,you can buy a worn out (junk) 1000dollar tractor,but you will be fixing,and probably wont be happy with the 'nonlive' pto/hydralics;no power steering......For an 'old hand' those things probably not matter. But,for you as a 'newby',get something modern that you wont have to work on that is easy to operate.
there many tractors out there that will do the job, but the first question i have is how steep and how deep is the ditch? a brush hog may or may not be the best mower for the job, they will do a good job on a moderate slope , but it means being able to keep the tractor stable while mowing it, driving on the bank if its not too steep or going in the bottom of the ditch and backing up the slope and mowing down, the reason this is done this way is the tractor pointed downhill, will loose traction and will not flip over,you can just go back down the hill, if you mow a steep hill headed uphill, the tractor can back flip, the usual result of that is death , roll protection is good, but not a sure thing by any means. if its a shallow steep ditch a side fail mower, with counter weight may be a better choice, the tractor stays up on the road, while you mow the weeds, as others have mentioned, you want live pto and hydraulics, life is much better with those, even though others will do the job with a experienced operator, you have to compensate for not having one or the other or both, and that takes a good operator, thousand series fords, number series ih, masseys, and newer john deeres all work, as well as used more modern compact diesels, just depends on what you want to spend mainly, dont buy any tractor that you havent seen in person and operated to make sure all its systems work as they should, and it doesnt have any unusual noises or large leaks, if you buy online, its worth it to go see the tractor, even if you cant haul it yourself, its a big investment, you dont need any expensive surprises
tracto-man
Member
Thank you Leroy. I was just going to say something like you have said. A friends jd has had more problems then I can count. He is also very against ford. He says the jd has problems because it got treated bad. Ford are just problem after problem. Well whatever. I personally would get a Ford hundred series or a newer 8n for that job
Case Nutty 1660
Well-known Member
sorry to disagree a bit with you but a 2n-9n units have no live hyd and no live pto,, for someone who runs and understands them you can run a mower ok,, BUT with out a over running clutch on the pto they will move until the mower stops turning if you do not know to shift to neutral when you want to stop or kick out the pto,,, this alone makes them very dangerous to a unskilled operator, I have seen them climb trees with the rotating mass pushing them,,, with no live Hyd you have to have the pto turning to raise the mower,,, that is not a great thing either,, yes they will do the job but for a novice that is the last unit I would recommend them to,, I have been around them all my life and other than resale I have and will never own one to use,,, a later FORD with live power and live hyd I would recommend all day long gas or dsl is fine but again you need to know how to maintain a dsl or they can cost you money but the same goes for a gas, also I recommend a ROPS or roll over protection system with seat belts if you are mowing a steep slope, again a novice may not have a clue when they are about to roll or rare over just my thoughts
cnt
cnt
buickanddeere
Well-known Member
I remember the old timers moaning and groaning about how the new fangled high speed engine 4020 would never work and last like a two cylinder diesel.
Ultradog MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Twin Cities
Make it simple.
Tell us how much you have to spend and we will steer you towards the best tractor for your budget.
If you tell us your zip code we could even send you some links to tractors in your area for your budget.
Whatever you buy make SURE you buy a tractor with FACTORY 3 point hitch.
Tell us how much you have to spend and we will steer you towards the best tractor for your budget.
If you tell us your zip code we could even send you some links to tractors in your area for your budget.
Whatever you buy make SURE you buy a tractor with FACTORY 3 point hitch.
Ultradog MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Twin Cities
This guy is just butt hurt about the Ford Ns.
Someone must have sold him a bad one at one time and he has a monomaniacal hatred for the things.
So he is well known for bad mouthing the Ns.
Pay him no heed.
Someone must have sold him a bad one at one time and he has a monomaniacal hatred for the things.
So he is well known for bad mouthing the Ns.
Pay him no heed.
What dealer for parts/service support is closest to you, and do they have a good reputation? Storing inside or outside? Are you located in colder climate and will you be using it to move snow? Some diesels not not like sitting outside, below zero, in 20 mph winds, even with a block heater. Some gassers do not like sitting outside if you have a wetter climate, where water may get at the ignition. Not only what you are going to use it for, but what you might use it for down the road. No matter what the color, I would recommend the following:Wide front, power steering, live hydraulics, live pto, and a 3-point.
Mike
Mike
Pair-a-dice farm
Well-known Member
Try reading my post, I never said TWO weeks. I said a few weeks. In the south ethanol absorbs a LOT of moisture. If you fill a tank in the early summer and don't use it up before the fall you are asking for problems. Most of the time a couple of months is max storage unless you pour a lot of stabilizer in the tank. We don't have that trouble with diesel.
495man
Well-known Member
Define "old" and what is the budget?
Personally if I wanted a tractor for light loader work, bush hogging AND I didn't want to spend a ton
MF 135 245 240 250 etc
IH 354 444(364 in US) 384 454 464 484
484 would be my pick of the above. Still 30 plus years old but diesel power, power steering, IPTO diff lock, 3pt, factory ROPS available and decent HYD for decent factory loader (2200)
Ultradog MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Twin Cities
Sure is hard to get any info out of you.
If you don't want to give out your zip code at least give out your closest craigslist.
As I said before, we could find you a tractor that would suit your needs.
Also, do you have a way to haul a tractor home?
How far are you willing to travel for one?
Here is a tractor that would suit your purposes to a tee. Belongs to a friend of mine.
I just listed it yesterday.
People here would vouch for me giving you the straight dope.
1955 Ford 640
If you don't want to give out your zip code at least give out your closest craigslist.
As I said before, we could find you a tractor that would suit your needs.
Also, do you have a way to haul a tractor home?
How far are you willing to travel for one?
Here is a tractor that would suit your purposes to a tee. Belongs to a friend of mine.
I just listed it yesterday.
People here would vouch for me giving you the straight dope.
1955 Ford 640
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