Tractor Selection?

[Erie eye]

I had a Ford 1600 that I mowed 10 acres with for 20 years and the only thing I did to it was replace the water pump and I have had a New Holland TC 30 for the last 5 years also mowing 10 acres and I have hod no problems at all with it.

[artcarney_agr]

I had a Ford 1600 that I mowed 10 acres with for 20 years and the only thing I did to it was replace the water pump and I have had a New Holland TC 30 for the last 5 years also mowing 10 acres and I have hod no problems at all with it.

That TC 30 is a good looking tractor and has a 1.5L 3-cylinder, there's a really nice one not too far from me, but it's a little over my budget...

http://bgky.craigslist.org/grd/5879375210.html

[geobass]

Nothing runs like a Deere. I have a smaller one a 1026 and love it.

[grout-scout]

Nothing runs like a Deere. I have a smaller one a 1026 and love it.

Except that not many of the compacts are really "Deeres".

[cubswin]

Went by a huge tractor parts and sales place the other day, but is fairly far north in Indiana. They had a ton of things for sale, and two other dealers 4 miles from it.

[jigman51]

We had a Case with a front end loader on the farm and it cleaned out chicken houses for 13 years till we sold the place. I have no idea how many hours were on it but it started and worked hard year after year.

[artcarney_agr]

If you see anything in SW Indiana or SE Illinois you want checked out, let me know can try to take enough of a look you'd know whether it was worth the trip yourself.

I tractor shopped for close to a year. Auctionzip.com, Searchtempest, Tractorhouse and eBay. Ended up buying on eBay.

Your mailbox is full and I can't reply to anything you've sent me!

[milligjg]

Just keep in mind Kubota is the only manufacturer that builds their own sub and compact tractors. JD=Yanmar, newer New Hollands and Case's are LS, older Ford's were Shibuara, etc, etc. Been down this road

[lgividen]

Another consideration for your bush hogging pleasure is tire size. Weight makes them ride better, but tire diameter is as important to ride as length is to a boat. A 48" tire rides more than twice as good as a 24" tire. Usually tractor size is proportional also. On my utility tractors, the 34" rides noticeably better than 30" tires.

[milligjg]

http://columbiamo.craigslist.org/grd/5946338444.html


$16950

[artcarney_agr]

Just keep in mind Kubota is the only manufacturer that builds their own sub and compact tractors. JD=Yanmar, newer New Hollands and Case's are LS, older Ford's were Shibuara, etc, etc. Been down this road

New Holland still uses Shibaura. I've taken an interest in the T1510 and the TC30, both of which have great reviews and use the 1.5L 3-cylinder Shibaura 30 hp

[artcarney_agr]

http://columbiamo.craigslist.org/grd/5946338444.html

$16950

Nice setup but it's about 80 miles to get it serviced at the nearest LS dealer.

[p1capt]

I'd jump on that Kubota, with the Deere a close 2nd

+1

[BoatBuggy]

I'm a big fan of tractor threads.....

I wish I had one but I really have no use for one.

[milligjg]

Art, jump over to tractorbynet.com, it's the BBC of tractors. It's a wealth of information.

[JER-1 BIG BASS]

Brother in law, has the kubota , can't even in 4x4 go up wet hill no traction, said he's gonna buy chains for
the rear wheels this year , and try clear driveway snow with it.

[Rangerdawg]

I enjoy this thred too, that new holland loks like a no brainer

[Bamaman]

Just keep in mind Kubota is the only manufacturer that builds their own sub and compact tractors. JD=Yanmar, newer New Hollands and Case's are LS, older Ford's were Shibuara, etc, etc. Been down this road

John, you're exactly right. Right now, who knows who's building what? That's why someone that's in the market for a tractor would do best to buy one of the last New Hollands made by Shibuaru while you can find one with low hours. They're made of much heavier components like gears, axles, etc. And their motor is far less troublesome than other compact tractor brands--including Kubota. I've seen tugs of war between them and other comparable brands, and they're just a fine performing and somewhat heavier compact tractor.

But don't put any compact up against a 6000 pound cast iron old generation tractor in a tug of war. They're outweighed by 100% in most cases.
Everyone brags about their Kubotas, and they certainly have a right to. New Holland switched over to Kubota engines for a while after 1/3 of the Perkins engines they were using wouldn't start at the end of their assembly line. They got tired of having to use a crane to snatch the skidsteers off the conveyor. After the switch to Kubota, customers were complaining about all the diesel fuel the Kubotas used. And they were having problems with the machining on the top of the block being flat--head gasket problems. New Holland eventually went to Shibaru motors, and they're now in a horsepower race on skidsteers--approaching 100 hp on the larger sizes.

[lgividen]

Bamaman, my guess is you have never owned a Kubota. You keep touting old technology. I have a 1961 John Deere and a 1974 Massey Ferguson, both under 70 h.p. for hay. I have a 110 h.p. Kubota that when worked on a hay rake uses about the same fuel as the 60 h.p. John Deere. It is the 4th Kubota I have had. The 60 & 70 h.p. models would run a rake all day on a little over 5 gallon. Now if it is just a toy for a hobby farm, most will suffice. If you are trying to be profitable, that is a different game and different players shine.

[darryl1966]

for loader use , get front wheel drive(4x4) , weight is very important, rear end weight , the kobota will be light , get as much tractor as you can afford, HP and weight will determine your satisfaction with the tractor.