Re: Why would folks even consider buying a compact tractor?

Posted by Redstick on February 22, 2002 at 22:56:45 from (216.93.56.158):

In Reply to: Why would folks even consider buying a compact tractor? posted by ShepFL on February 21, 2002 at 11:37:20:

I don't knock the old tractors. They were good for their time and still are. Modern compact tractors are smaller, usually 4WD, lighter, typically have reliable fuel efficient diesel engines, factory 3 point hitches, independent pto, higher pressure/more efficient hydraulics and more available remotes for accessories, power steering, reliable engines, parts availability, hydrostatic transmissions, ect.

I see that many posts claim that older tractors may out pull many of the newer compact tractors, but a compact tractor is capable of many more utilitarian tasks for non-farming but large acreage households. My JD 730 diesel will walk my New Holland TN65D utility tractor all over the farm if both tractors were hitched drawbar to drawbar, but the NH is much more maneuverable than the 730 and it's 25' turnaround diameter.

Try blowing snow with my 730 and the 84" 3 point mounted snowblower, shifting from forward to reverse, using the hand clutch, rockshaft control lever and remote levers. I have to be an octopus to manipulate everything on the 730 verses the independent pto and shuttle shift transmission of the NH.

When it comes to tillage, the 730 will out perform the NH because of horsepower and weight but that's what the 730 was built for. The NH may not have the power of my 730, but the NH is so much more versatile and has so many newer and convenient features that takes less time for setup. Can anyone say "Quick-Attach"? All the attachments are easy to install and use so it doesn't take another person to help with the lifting & wrestling of aligning heavy equipment. Plus, the NH will start easier in cold weather than the 730 diesel.

I still shudder at the work I used to do of removing the fenders from the Farmall H in the fall of the year, bolting on the support and mounting brackets, then mounting that obscenely cumbersome and heavy Horn-Dragon loader and blade for plowing snow in the winter. It typically took 4 hours to get the Farmall ready for winter. No power steering either. Now, it's simply two pins and four hydraulic hookups after driving the tractor into the loader frame. 15 minutes tops.

With independent pto, mowing with a MMM or a rear mount rotary cutter is a breeze. Try doing that with a Farmall H sans an overrunning clutch near a fence line or under low hanging tree branches. See if you don't nearly put the tractor through the fence or knock the muffler off. Plus, on some of the old tractors, when the clutch is depressed, everything stops: pto, tractor, and hydraulics. I learned to work around most of those things but I've never had more fun baling hay with the modern NH. I know that the cost of a new compact/utility tractor is a steep investment, but consider that a new Farmall in the 40's cost $1,500.00 new for the base tractor. The JD 730 diesel cost nearly $4,000.00 new in 1958. Accessories cost even more. Considering that a new house in the late 40's and early 50's cost nearly $6,000.00, the old tractors when sold brand new probably seemed like a fortune to the people who bought them, and they don't have half the features and capabilities, and versatility of today's modern compact/utility tractors...even the grey market tractors.

Safety: My son, when he was 13 years old, accidentally started the 730 diesel. I had the tractor in gear with the hand clutch engaged. It was carelessness on my part, I confess, despite my constant warnings to my son about keeping away from the tractors. The tractor lumbered forward, the rear axle passed over my son, thank God, and the rear tires missed squashing him. The 730 rolled right through the wall of my storage building.

I'm not knocking the old tractors at all. I love them. I love tinkering and working on them. I love driving and working them too, but I have found that I can get much more utility work accomplished in much less time with much less effort on a modern compact/utility tractor.

Been there. Done that.

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