Used tractors

[moonlitoaksranch]

What’s your favorite make and model? We have some hilly pastures so we don’t want the really old tractors that you have to turn to stop. Brakes are nice, lol. I have a lead on an Oliver with a cab (thinking winter and plowing snow off the driveway). The bad news is that the company went out of business years ago, but the good news is that tractor enthusiasts have kept up the demand for parts.

Our previous tractor was a wedding gift (thanks, Dad!). John Deere 2305. Barely qualified as a tractor, but I could mow 34 acres with it over a couple of days using a four foot brush hog. This Oliver pulls a six foot brush hog.

[frugalannie]

Kubota L2850, 4WD. Bought this orange beast used 32 years ago. It did everything we needed on our little 6 acre farm, and then graduated to our next 100 acre place. We get offers on it all the time, and the guys at the Kubota dealership where we go for parts (still available!) get that look in their eyes when we give them the model number: “Oh THAT was a great tractor”. We still have the first brush hog we bought for it and lots of other toys. Only think I wish we had been able to get is a cab.

[walkinthewalk]

Whelll —— I really love my ‘69 Ford 3000 but, as you say, I not only have to turn the steering wheel, I have to drop the bush hog to the ground to stop it, lollollol. The hill in the main pasture is so steep I have to stand up going down hill, elst my 5’2” self will slide off the seat, lollollol.

We have bought outdated parts from the Steiner catalogue, if that helps with your Oliver decision:)

https://www.steinertractor.com/requestacatalog

[moonlitoaksranch]

Thanks!

I wish my Godfather was still alive. He was a real tractor enthusiast. I didn’t appreciate his hobby as much as I do now. He helped us with our first baby tractor. And had the decency not to tease us about its size. He passed away last February. I miss him.

[eightpondfarm]

i’ve had a 1996 Kubota 2350 (bought new) and a bought used 1997 Kubota M5400. also a little JD bellymower w/a frontloader. Traded them in for a 2020 JD 5075.
We are very hilly here. Gotta say, i feel much more secure on the bigger JD. If i’m hefting anything with any weight at all in the front loader, i know/feel the machine under my seat is stable. Cannot say the same for any of the lesser tractors.

[candyappy]

We have old tractors but not so old that they don’t have brakes!!

Ford, Allis Chalmers and Internationals are what we have. All good tractors and easily found used and you can still get parts.

[Bluey]

Our old 1956 730 JD on propane, “Popping Johnny”, didn’t have brakes.
You pulled back on the bar on the gear drum and that slowed and stopped the gears to stop.
When the gears were wearing out, we put new ones in.
You always sneaked up to any stop, giving yourself plenty of room.
Once the gears would not stop and tractor, oneway plow and I plowed right thru the fence.

[moonlitoaksranch]

Those old tractors without brakes were fine on farm fields or our flattish pastures, but we do have a hilly trail to maintain through the woods by the creek. I don’t want to get wet! Lol.

[Mango20]

I’ve been keeping an eye out for a Kubota L2850! I got an L2350 new in 1995, and while it’s done the job, what I really need is something with just a little more weight and horsepower. I only have 6 acres, but some extreme hills, and a very difficult driveway to plow in the winter (steep, with banks on the sides).

[JB]

We have a ‘75 Ford 4000 that is just perfect - double brake pedals for left and right wheels, or use them together. It’s not so huge it’s too big for a small farm, but I it’s 65hp or something like that which is MORE than enough for a 500lb capacity spreader, and a 6’ finish mower, as well as a box blade with teeth on a gravel driveway, and also still manageable enough for the 200lb drag in the arena.

[B_and_B]

Well…the 1946 Massey Ferguson T-20 is our brush hog tractor. Yes the brakes are interesting, but they do ‘work’ you really rely more on the transmission, engine drag, and clutch, and sensible driving. The 20 is a fast machine, so it is great for pasture cutting, manure spreading, that sort of thing. The 1961 Massey Ferguson T-35 is better as a woods tractor, it is running our forwarding log arch at the moment (long story as to why horses aren’t) and is also used for other sorts of things, such as spot spraying invasives, since its lowest gear is slower than the 20’s.
Both of those have no front hydraulics of course! That is left of the little 2012 Massey Ferguson to deal with!

[Bluey]

@B_and_B

Well…the 1946 Massey Ferguson T-20 is our brush hog tractor. Yes the brakes are interesting, but they do ‘work’ you really rely more on the transmission, engine drag, and clutch, and sensible driving. The 20 is a fast machine, so it is great for pasture cutting, manure spreading, that sort of thing. The 1961 Massey Ferguson T-35 is better as a woods tractor, it is running our forwarding log arch at the moment (long story as to why horses aren’t) and is also used for other sorts of things, such as spot spraying invasives, since its lowest gear is slower than the 20’s.
Both of those have no front hydraulics of course! That is left of the little 2012 Massey Ferguson to deal with!

Our real old Ford was red and had a bucket in front.
To dump the bucket you pulled a lever and to hook the bucket back up so it didn’t dump you lowered into the ground until it hooked itself back up, ready to load dirt and travel to dump it again by pulling the lever.

Not much finesse to it, but it got the dirt moved.

[moonlitoaksranch]

Sounds a bit tedious.

[OnAMission]

We just got a 58 Fordson. It’s probably a good thing DH is a mechanic though it’s running perfectly now. It’s a nice size for our smaller place, fits in the barn and is strong enough to do what we need done and it’s pretty basic to run. And it was cheap lol We can deal with the old parts and the fixing parts and all that; didn’t want to spend a lot of money so $2000 for a tough old tractor suits us fine. Has brakes, no cab though we could probably rig something up. Dh’s dad has the same tractor so we’re already set for attachments.

[AwiUsdi]

‘86 26hp Ford 1710. Perfect for our needs (hilly, about 7ac pasture, small manure composting operation, one mile unimproved driveway, and another ~100ac mowed riding paths, firewood collection, etc.) It can be cantankerous but DH does a good job to keep it going, and completes all services on schedule.

Edit to add that out of curiosity I googled our model, came upon an auction site that has several 1710s currently sitting between 3k-10k. We got ours for 8k, very good condition, came with a 770A front loader, forks, and bush hog.

[Equibrit]

I live on top of a steep hill. The pastures are arranged around the home/barn and are also steep (good for horse butts!) I sold my Kubota L2850 in favour of more HP with a Grand L3240 4WD with a manual shift.
It’s great, can run a 6ft bush hog. The best thing about it is the 3 point hitch.