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"Utility" Size Tractors Comparable to Ford Late 50s/60s Size

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Tom R

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I have learned a lot about the Ford 8N and the later 600/601/800/801/2000/4000 series tractors. There are many of them and they are very "visible" to a new guy.

Question...what OTHER "utility" size tractors are there that sb considered when looking for a useable but older tractor...NOT full size frame...ala 8N and later Fords.

Likes...

1) 2wd appears to be only choice in what I have targeted?

2) Live PTO would be nice

3) Power steering would be great

4) Live hydraulics...nice but not likely?

5) Key is "medium" frame size

6) HP limitations of period is OK...25HP+?

7) Parts availability is necessary

8) Price range...let's say less than $10K if features/condition warrant...with goal of $5K or less as features/condition decline.

9) FEL availability would be a plus

Essentially, are there some Ford midsize frame competitors that sb looked at?...up to the $10K range if warranted...I guess you should probably be getting 4wd at the $10K level?

BTW...120 acres of land but only 3-4 acres of field...brush mowing...trail building and maintenance...tree farming on small scale...driveway maintenance...maybe a little field restoration. I know I would likely evolve into something newer with 4wd and more power...but I have never owned a tractor (other than 25hp Sears lawn tractor that I have "abused") and believe the 50/60 midsize comparables might be the best place to start.

So far...all I am aware of is the Fords...Thanks...Tom R

Thanks...Tom R
 
#2 ·
I'll toss my hat in the ring and say a 2020 is a nice sized machine. i have seen them in the 5000 buck range. most parts walk into JD and buy em.. It will meet your requirements also.. Toss chains on it and you may not need 4wd...
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
Team_Green said:
I'll toss my hat in the ring and say a 2020 is a nice sized machine. i have seen them in the 5000 buck range. most parts walk into JD and buy em.. It will meet your requirements also.. Toss chains on it and you may not need 4wd...
Click to expand...
Thanks Team Green...looks a lot larger than the Utility Fords...weight 5770-7000+ according to tractordata. Wheelbase 86" It does have much of desired features...including 12v.

What about the 1020... a few less HP but weight "down" to 4730-6000 and wheelbase 74". Appears to have most of the same features...just a bit smaller frame and less HP...still nearly 40HP at PTO...sb plenty.

A good part of my use will be on my trails in the woods...is the 1020 "much" larger to operate on trails in the woods...say than a Ford 2000?

What is the "rep" of the 1020?

Thanks...Tom R
 
#4 ·
Just about every AG tractor manfacturer made machines in said size/HP range, to me it boils down to what still can be had for parts and if your not a "wrench guy", service. No sense buyin a machine if there are no "local" dealers around or it's one with limited parts availability.
 
#5 ·
If you're not in a hurry you should be able to find something under $5,000. The way I scrounge I would have at least four tractors for that kind of money. You can't have too many tractors. If one is down, while looking for parts you still have three running.

For what you are talking about doing, 4,000lbs sounds better than 6,000lbs. Think about how much more trailer and truck you need to move it.

4wd is over rated to me. I had a 24 hp Kubota that wouldn't pull as much as my 24 hp Leyland. The Leyland has wheel weights and loaded tires. I looked at 4wd as more things to go wrong, more expensive to fix and not needed. The Kubota wasn't as heavy duty as the Leyland so it went by by.

At the moment I haven't found a use for a fel. If I want to move dirt I have a scoop to put on the back. It will dig dirt pulling forward and can back into a pile of loose dirt backward. A fel won't dig dirt. If I want to lift something I have a stinger for the 3pt. It doesn't hang out the front in the way when not in use. It also doesn't make the tractor top heavy.

I started working a vineyard on a sidehill when I was 12. The 2N was great until dad got an 8N. When dad got a Massey Ferguson 25 diesel I had no use for the N series.

At the moment I have two running 154 Leyland diesels, one L345 Kubota and one B6100E Kubota. I have less then $2500 total in all four. I have an M5400 Kubota that I paid $2300 for. It needs a hydraulic pump. One year later I found a running parts tractor for $850. I have a running International 706 diesel I bought for $1,000 and a running 1466 for $500. The only thing I have found wrong with the 1466 is the shifter and is stuck in high range. I haven't needed it yet so haven't gotten into it.

I am lucky to be able to fix or build things that I need. Thanks to tractor forums I can find out things that I don't know about and help people with what I can.

Good luck on finding what you need. Remember, what you want and what you need might be two different things and might cost thousands more than what you need. It is always better for someone else to wear and scratch the paint so you can get the good "used" part for a lot less money.
 
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#9 ·
Wow, your description of your land and trails sounds just like my hunting camp. I have a Ford 860, 5 speed, live PTO, with no power steering, and I do all my trails through the woods with a 5 foot Howse brush hog. Also have a 2 bottom plow, 8 foot disk, and 6 ft. box blade to take care of everything else, including food plots for my deer. Parts are available online and locally. I put chains on in the fall and take them off in the spring. Have never gotten stuck and it maneuvers through the woods with ease. The whole shootin' match with all the attachments has set me back about $2800, and that was with a new short block I put in it. Now have just 220 hours on it. I feel it was a very good choice for my needs.
Duane
 
#10 ·
I would suggest either a massey ferguson 35 (diesel perferrably) or a 135 massey ferguson. They are excellent little tractors with live pto. The 35 does not have power steering but the 135 does. You can get real nice 35's in canada for $3500. The 135 might be a little more, not much. They are tough little tractors, twice the tractor of Ford 8n's.
 
#14 ·
kentucky wildcat said:
MF 135, Ford 2000, Oliver 550(lowest to the ground of any mentioned), my favorite is IH 424, it has live PTO, power steering, and can be found with an under-tractor rear exhaust that's really handy working around trees.
Click to expand...
The 3 cylinder Ford 2000's had all of those features available, live PTO, power steering, and horizontal exhaust out the rear. They even had an "orchard" model that had shorter axles for a narrower wheel base to fit better between the trees.
 
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#15 ·
Nouveau Redneck said:
The 3 cylinder Ford 2000's had all of those features available, live PTO, power steering, and horizontal exhaust out the rear. They even had an "orchard" model that had shorter axles for a narrower wheel base to fit better between the trees.
Click to expand...
That 2000 is an outstanding tractor, and much easier to find than the 424. The IH stuff was more expensive, I think, than the competition at the time so there seems to be far fewer around. In lieu of the 424 the 2000 would be my choice.

We had the Oliver 550 for several years. A solid tractor, just not quite as nimble to operate. It does take some practice getting use to the shift on the left side.
 
#16 ·
Before we got our 640 last spring I was looking at a real low hour, like new 504, the squatty one, not a row crop. It was a one owner, shed stored tractor with 800 hours, power steering live power and hydraulics and they wanted $4500. Instead we bought a 640 Ford with some attachments for $2500. I would have preferred an older 3000 or 4000 Ford but they are like gold around here.
To me an 8N is barely a tractor and the 640 is just a little better. First gear is way too fast in them and the wheel driven PTO is just a pain in the rear, even with the over running clutch. I tried mowing some heavy alfalfa with the 7 foot mower and it was way too fast in first and underpowered, same with the 5 foot rotary mower but at least I can half lap my last pass in the heavier stuff.
I haven't stopped looking for a 4000, my dad had one of the early ones and it was a great tractor.
The John Deeres are a cut above for parts ect but expect to pay a premium. Our 3020 has been duting faithful service since it was new in the mid 60s. You might find you can go up a size or two and pay less money. The estate sized tractors bring a premium while the ones a little bigger can often be a real bargain.
 
#17 ·
Pretty happy with my ford 3000 for the uses you described. Easy on fuel, runs a 5 foot hog well in the heaviest of brush, exhaust exits in the rear of the tractor (very nice in the woods) and its pretty decent in tight areas as well. Combined with live pto and hydo's its a pretty good machine for what you want to do.

As a bonus it is light enough and small enough that I can haul it on a standard car trailer with a half ton pickup if need be although I usually haul it on a goose neck equipment trailer with my one ton.

I gave 5000 for mine with a heated cab, loader, bale spear, and chains.
 
#18 ·
Tom R said:
Question...what OTHER "utility" size tractors are there that sb considered when looking for a useable but older tractor...NOT full size frame...ala 8N and later Fords.
Click to expand...
There are many low-sitting 30 horse tractors from the 60s that fit the bill perfectly. Much depends on how you plan on fixing them. If you can't fix yourself, and don't know somebody who can -reasonably, it might be a huge money pit. Note that many so-called "repair shops" now adays send many repairs off to get done elsewhere which adds to the price.

A 30 horse tractor with a live PTO, live hydraulics, and a low-high range trans is pretty much essential to be truely useful. Power steering and power brakes nice to have, but NOT essential.

Many small tractor even up to the mid-60s are way too fast in 1st gear and reverse for cetrain jobs. Thus the need for a low-hi range trans, or at least a tractor with a very low 1st gears.

A 30 horse tractor with these attributes will handle a 5 foot brush cutter, pull two 14" or 16" plows in tough soil, run a 5 foot PTO rototiller and a 6 foot PTO snow-blower.

A Ford 2000 or 3000 (new generation) with three cylinder engine, live PTO and hi-low trans.

A Ford old generation number series with live PTO and 5 speed trans, e.g. 600, 800, old-style 2000 with four-cylinder engine, etc.

Ferguson TO35 Deluxe, or Massey Ferguson 35 or 135 with live PTO. All have hi-low trans and some have Multi-power.

John Deere 820, 830, 1020, 300 Industrial. Or if you want more power, a 2020 or 400 Industrial. All available with the correct features but NOT all have them. Do not confuse a 1020 and 2020 with a previous 1010 and 2010. They share nothing.

International Harvester B-275 or B-414. Very rugged tractor. All have high-low range trans, live hydraulics and I assume all have live PTOs. I've never seen one yet that didn't. These tractors were made again new with revisions by Mahindra a few years ago. So parts availability is very good.

When it comes to something with great parts availability and cheap? Ferguson and Massey Ferguson is the best, in my opinion. Ford not far behind it. I do NOT like the way Ferguson and MF have the hydraulic pump sitting at the bottom of the trans. If it gets water in it (many do), and freezes, the pump blows to pieces.

Deere is also very good but . . . many Deere parts are proprietary. Some are remade aftermarket, but some are not. Deere 1020 and 2020 has power brakes that beat just about anything else at the time. 300 is the industrial version of the 1020 and often has better and bigger hydraulics. Same when you get a 400 industrial instead of an ag-2020. 1020 is my favorite of them all, except for the high price it usually brings.

IH B-275 and B-414 are my favorites when it comes to price and being rugged. They are basically British designed tractors but sold all over the world. All have hi-low range trans and live hydraulics. All I've seen have live PTOs. Some B-414s have power steering. Industrial equivalent is the 3414. All come in gas and diesel. Note that IH made several other similar models with the same basic power and size. E.g., the 424, 444, 434, etc. Good aftermarket parts support and also many new parts still available from Case-IH and Mahindra. In fact, many parts you buy from Case-IH come in Mahindra boxes. These tractors are very solid and can handle a lot of weight in the back.
 
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#19 ·
Manufactures and their dealers have been campaigning for years now pushing 4 wheel drive tractors. Farmers who pull heavy machines and need every ounce of power and footing they can get, benefit tremendously out of all wheel drive tractors, even the track conversions. But, everyone does not need a 4 wheel drive machine! It's an expense that is not needed by most. If your using a front attachment that over powers the rear wheel grip, such as a front loader, 4 wheel drive is a plus, even so, not necessarily needed. If you work in mud and soft soil, it can be a plus also getting you un stuck. Wheel weights work most of the time and a non freezing liquid in the tires. 4 wheel drive has become almost like a status symbol for the home owner type tractor owner on these, what I call, little toy tractors. Two wheel drive tractors have been around forever and will continue to do so. I have both, but I would rather run the two wheel drives than the fours any day.
Just a dollar saving thought for the younger set! PJ
 
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farmtechdave
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