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Best sounding tractor

4

4 bottem

Member
We have had discussions on about every topic on this board so here is another one. What is the best sounding tractor. Lets keep it with stock mufflers etc. I myself am partial to 6 cylinder engines. Grew up with Olivers and Farmalls. Farmalls were the better tractor but the Olivers when under a load sounded the best and you could always light a cigar off the manifold. My favorite in later years was a 756 high revving German diesel. Depended on that tractor an awful lot to get my work done. Now the poor thing has only 10 acres to work on. But that's about all I want to do anyway. Loose a lot less money that way.
 
I like any one of them under a nice load.

My favorite engine sound (stock) is the turbo "Whistler" diesels in the old army Duece and a half.
 
All of them, from the smallest gasser idling and popping the rain cap up and down "ping, ping, ping" to the largest diesel under load.

Of course though, I hear there's a new solar charged battery powered job I hear someone is coming out with that makes no sound, so the cattle are going to look out so they don't get "whizzed" over and not even know it happened until after its happened. I don't think I'll care enough to buy one of those, or accept one as a gift. Grin.

Mark
 
G1000 diesel at normal load at 1700 rpm, hands down the best sounding tractor around.
plainsman1235.jpg
 
Hi 4 bottem: Good question. I have to explain my choice. On cold, below zero F mornings, I almost looked foward to starting out new(1953) Farmall Super MD. I almost always had a choice between hauling manure or grinding feed on Winter mornings. Below zero I would put a block of wood behind clutch petal so the stiff tranny lube would not load the starter. I'd stand on the ground close to the left side and with full choke I'd push the starter lever ahead to engage the starter with the ring gear and then a little farther to make electric contact. The engine was so cold at 10 to 20 below that the first several turns would slowly produce whiteish smoke rings each time a cylinder fired. After maybe 30 seconds it was running fast enough to release the starter. What great sound to hear that it was finally running without the starter helping. Got to remember in 1953 the multi grade oils were not as good as today so starting a minus 20 F engine was an event and to hear it finally running was a real good feeling. After quite a few minutes of running on gas, I would finall switch over to diesel. Boy would it rattle. That was another great sounding event. The "sounds" of starting the older style "gas and switch to diesel" Farmall at -20 F was great way to start the saturday work day. Contrast that sound to the same engine, on a hot Summer day, fully warmed up and under near full load was also great and much smoother. So I'll vote for the wide range of sounds from our Super MD many years ago... ag
 
Case Model "L", just as the log hits the blade on the sawmill... The only thing that sounds better is the laughter of my children...
 
A 1586 pulling hard late at night when the air is still and a bit humid. You can hear them a mile away and it just sounds like "power".
 
There is nothing comes anywhere even remotely close to the sound of a W9 (gasser) when it starts up (someone on the IH site has that on his home page). An 80, 820,or 830 JD recovering from a good lug down is also a great sound: especially from a half mile away on a cold May Manitoba morning. Midnight in October works, too.
 
An Oliver with a Detroit. If you want ear drum longevity, wear some ear plugs.
 
case 430 cackling contently , vac givin it hale , mufflered dc hummin along with the governor kicking in as needed , 800 case-o-matic straight pipe starting out in hi gear from dead stop with a gravity bed load , flipping the direct drive lever..........
 
Oliver with a GM or an 1850 with a Perkins. My oldest son was about 15 or so when I bought mine. He was really into the 4040 Deere that we had at the time,but he got on that 1850 when he got home from school and reved it up. He just had a big grin on his face that he couldn't wipe off,shook his head and said "why can't that John Deere sound like that?".
 
The one my wife is driving while I'm relaxing and sipping on some ice tea catching some rays. Sounds great to me.
 
I'd have to say my Allis D19TD is one of the coolest sounding tractors when I put it under load and the turbo starts screaming.....the cloud of smoke is an added plus! I just had it out yesterday pulling 4-18's 12" deep. Neighborhood kids loved the show!
 
Do not beleive you can beat a Oliver 1850 plowing under heavy load at night. Always seemed you could run up a gear higher.
gitrib
 
James, I kept waiting for it to DO something! Guess it couldn't very well hit a tree or anything, just sitting there like that ;>)

You've sure got a lot of videos on there.
 
Any of the old slow running two bangers. D,G,60. Not the fast running 50,530. I also liked listening to the neighbors M Farmall when he was pulling a load of corn past our place at about half throttle in road gear.
 
I would have said the G705 which is what we had with the sound coming through the 4 inch stack.

We had to removed the muffler to put the tractor in the old tractor garage and it was pretty throaty with it off. Also at extremely low idle after a governor rebuild before the idle was set higher and to proper speed.

G1000 and G705 are similar 6 cylinder kin so they would sound very much alike.
 
In my experience it's a "toss-up" between a Farmall M under load and a JD A under load. I do like to hear a Farmall H, M, Super H, Super M as the governor is opening up when the tractor is "getting down to business."
 
Funny that you mentioned hitting a tree.

Was mowing with "Big John" last Saturday with a Bush Hog 720 finishing mower.

You guessed it - tried to mow around a smaller oak tree and caught a very large cedar tree with the left tire/wheel.

Big tractor almost climbed the tree but stalled before I could pull the hand clutch.

No harm done except for hurt pride; glad no one witnessed that event.

Guess I'll either have to cut down more trees or not mow in wooded areas.

Glad you like the videos.
 
I have become partial to the sound of the single cylinder diesals. Volvo, Field Marshall, Eicher etc.
 
I grew up hearing our JD 4840 with a nice chrome straight pipe. It is music to my ears! Always loved the smell of the smoke at start up inside the shop as it loped at idle. Nothing better than hearing it on the chisel plow a mile away anytime of the day especially at night. I vividly remember going to the field and the exhaust manifold and turbo was glowing red hot. Now it is retired just for tractor pulling!
 
Best sounding motorcycle? Any Harley Davidson.

Best sounding tractor? Any John Deere 2 Cylinder.

Watch an antique tractor pull. When a JD G or similar two cylinder tractor under load goes by on the track, all heads automatically turn to watch it go by. This doesn't happen with any other number of cylinders in any other brand of tractor unless it is unusually loud. Only a JD 2 Cylinder is a guaranteed head turner.
 
Agree on the JDs. Had a 730 diesel while in high school. That was a very thereputic sound.

Disagree however on the Harleys. That used to be a great sound, but there are so many now that are rode by obnoxious jerks that they have ruined that. Too much of anything after a while becomes bad. Way too many of those darned things on the roads with straight pipes.
 
Case 600 diesel at 3/4 throttle pulling a Case 5x 16 plow in good Minn. soil.
JD beats a vodoo drum. Case plays the complete orchestra with grace and charm.
Don L.
a14025.jpg
 
I have liked the sound of the International W-9, the Fordson Major diesel, the 1971 JD 4020, Irrigation motors at nite, but presently I love the sound of my Oliver 77, with a short exhaust pipe (stock) going into a 6 inch Chrome stack. Even better when its under a load pulling the sled with the fromt wheels off the ground.

Love 'em ALL
 
when I was growing up Grandpa had a 99 Ollie(4-16)Uncle had an LA case(4-16)and Dad had 2 M's tandem hitched(5-16) when they all got together plowing it was music to your ears.
 
Well, actually, I was just giving you one last dig for the hay mowing incident last summer- where you nailed the tree with the sickle bar mower.

Always good to hear of your latest exploits!
 
Donl's got it right, nothing beats the sound of the big Case 6's smooth idling or working in the field, a little puff of smoke as the governor leans into it a bit, on through the tough spot while the rest of them are grabbing a lower gear, just hard to beat that long stroke big bore engine. MM's are good torquers also as they share many of Case's design features and bore/ stroke combinations. mEl
 
I bet Don L's CASE 600 is sweet to say the least' but I always liked the sound of aCASE 1370 chopping corn with a Hesston chopper, (quiet and powerful) Jim H , my 430 turbo sounds pretty cool too when it's pulling a load.
 
How fun to read of each of your favorites.

My favorite is our '51 DC CASE which Dad bought new. If any tractor has a living soul, that one does. For twenty years Birtha was in charge of all the heavy work on our Wisconsin dairy farm...plowing, pulling a 10' disc, chopping corn, etc. etc. For years and years it did the job of a 60 horsepower tractor without a complaint.

I think it's had about two mufflers in its entire life. The rest of the time a 3.5' (often cherry red) straight pipe.

My memory is hard wired with the sights/sound of that tractor under heavy load...4" pistons with high compression head...snappy governor...GOOD 13.6x38 fluid filled tires...front end bobbing in the air...and in later years, on the blower filling our 70 or 80' silos...rear wheels power hopping...that sweet DC CASE sound echoing off the silos....No better sound in the whole world!


Thank you for the memories....


Glenn F.
 
I dunno, I personally like to hear most any of 'em under load in full song but I get the most compliments on my John Deere G after I've had it running a thresher or sawmill or pulling...all kinds of people seem to just love the thing. Some of 'em might think different if they had to buy gas for it.
 
THERE YOU GO!!! Our neighbor had a '57 Super 88 and he'd put a straight pipe on it for plowing and chopping corn. In the evening, when the air was still, my cousin could hear him over in the next county. Pretty funny.
 
Used to run both of our M-M 706 diesels w/ a 4" x 5 foot tall pipe on them . Pipes were old drive shafts . That got the steady purr above the cab , Sounded about as good as a UTU under load w/ an original M-M muffler. oleclint
 
The neighbor had a 5020 John Deere with an aftermarket turbo. He pulled 7-16's with it. There was no mistaking that tractor. 192 PTO hp on the dyno.
 
allis 200 turned way up chrome straight pipe and pulling a 12 shank chisel plow at 2:30 in the morning when the air is still and NO CAB
 
I'm kinda partial to my 77 Oliver. That 4" straight pipe, thats 3' tall makes her hum pretty good. The 2nd best sounding one is an ole G John Deere, being pulled down!
 
Thanks - but pretty sure my Tinious (ear ringing) came from before as I only get to pull it 8 - 10 times a year.
Maybe it comes from my youth, work or caught it from "old" on YT!
 
Nothin' sounds as good as my old 48 JD D pullin' 3-16's on a quiet night. You can hear the gas burnin' in each cylinder when she's really gettin' into it.
 
I like me M Farmall workin hard. Started discing with my new(er) SMTA tonight, and just didn't get the same "feel" from her. If I had decent tires on the m M I'd be using it. Need to do some tweaking on the MTA to see if she's up to the chore...

Ben
 
It is always your own when the thing is running.. that is a plus, so it has to be the FMD, on another day it would be the FSM.
 
In stealing graygoat's words!! Any John Deere 2 cylinder pulling so hard that
it"s almost stalling ! I love that sound.
 
Two cylinder Deere of course. Even they have a distinct sound between them.
The Dubuque gassers, the b/50/520/530, the single carb A/G, the 60/620/630/70/720/730, the D, the Waterloo diesels and the 2-53 Detroit diesel.
 
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