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Tractor of choice for a small rancher in 1960?

1

1960 Ranch Tractor?

New User
I'm researching tractors for a book and would love some expert help.

First question: What would have been the tractor of choice for a small cattle rancher (300 head) back around 1960-1970? He'd have used it for haying and general all-purpose ranch work in Wyoming.

Second question: With this tractor, could he have towed junked vehicles and old tractors out of a field safely?

Any other thoughts on 1960s ranch tractors would be welcome. Thanks.
 
It's hard to give a straight answer there. I'd imagine the Ford 3000/4000, John Deere 3010/4010/3020/4020, IH x06/x56 series to name a few. Thats a pretty big range in years and tractors came a LONG way from 1960 to 1970. Deere for example quit with the 2 cyls in 1961 for the New Generation x010 series. Ford went from 4 cyl tractor to 3 cyl tractors and so on.
 
I traveled extensively in the 1960's across I 80 west and north to Canada in many states and my memory shows the Farmall Tractors were most prominent although a wide color scheme of tractors could be seen from one locale to another. The old IHC H's and M's along with the little Fords could be seen any where a haying operation was going on. An old F20-F30 with a Stacker attached running in reverse was the norm then. Closer to the 1970's self propelled bunchersa were starting to be seen in the mountain cattle country.Very seldom was a square baler seen as most prairie grass was stacked.
 
A rancher that size in the 60s was not a small rancher. But he probably still fed his cows with an old John Deere A and a Farmahand loader. He din't mess with junk cars. Hay was stacked loose and the stacks were loaded on low wagons (called hay sleds) for moving to feeding areas. If it snowed a lot the cows probably did not get all they wanted to eat. The rancher of that day was not afraid of using a pitchfork and a lot of hay was pitched on and pitched off.
 
Farmall M, timeless, never out of place(except at a green pride/klan rally I guess).

Yes it would be 10 years old or better at that time. Tractors don't get changed like worn out socks.
 
Many come to mind. I remember being on many a farm in NE back then and the ones I remember where ones like the Farmall H, Super H, M and Super M. Or the Allis D14 , D15, or D17. Those are two brands I remember being around back when I lived in Leigh NE as a kid growing up and being on farms in the area.
 
A rancher in the 60"s and 70"s was probably using equipment that was mid to early to md "50"s vintage or older, especially when haying. A lot of old buck rakes were home made affairs made out of model T"s.
 
That describes my grandad's farm pretty close. He had an SC Case and at the time a fairly new 300 roundnose Case. He baled hay with a AC rotobaler as well as a 1 row silage chopper. He also had a old Moline but I don't remember the model. My Dad worked for a larger cattle farm that had 7-800 head as well as a large row crop farm. They had their own AC dealership and used mostly D15 and D17 on the cattle farm.
 
Oliver , White comes to mind after did have on old neighbor bought a Dutz When I came back from the service prior to that was a lot of M's an MD JD A's and B's Ferguson's (the Grey ones)and Ford 8N's

And one other Farmer liked the Allis Chalmers His last one he bought was a WD 45.
 
1960 to 1970 was one of the biggest(if not the biggest) periods in tractor development. HP ratings literally doubled during this period. A big tractor in 1960 was small compared to a big tractor in 1970. Your range of years is as wide as the range of tractors for that area. Dave
 
If you are looking at the whole state of Wyoming two brands are prominent John Deere and International.....in SE WY (right before the goshen hole drop off) people ran cows and farmed so JD 820, 830 and 5020 were very common. IH wasn't as common but their are a still 806's around. Minneapolis Moline and Case were probably tied for third but not very new ones were sold between 1960-1970. There were very very few fords, Allis Chalmers, and Olivers. Like several others said most ranchers were feeding still with a JD A Farmall H or a team and a sled.
 
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