Anyone Clued up on Tractors?

[Don_P]

When I was in high school juniors and seniors drove the busses. We had very few with power steering. One of the girls was thrown out of her seat when she hooked the wheel. After that we were reassigned busses with the guys getting the older busses. We also had to leave the lot with our door open to show the vice principal that we had our seatbelt on.

[Alasdair]

Wow! What a can of worms to have opened - I am begining to appreciate that tractors are up there with politics, religion and football ("soccer" in the third world of sports that is North America   ) as a conversation starter!

We are considering ourselves past the dreaming and onto the serious research stage of tractor ownership now.

It's pretty easy to sort out what we want harder to figure out what we actually need.

At first I was thinking of a compact with loader and snowblower but at present I'm veering towards a grown up tractor with the same implements. What do you think?

Seems the majority here play for the green team (at least the ones with cameras!) - From the little research I have done so far Muldoon seems to have a fair point that you can't go far wrong with green, blue or orange but I wonder if there are any "colours" you should definately give a wide berth?

I can't add much to the steering discussion but I saw a few good involuntary acrobatics done by helmsmen on boats (myself included) and heard a few good tales about broken bones from ship's wheels - especially of those foolish enough to reach through a wheel to  put her into astern...

[glenn kangiser]

I think if you can afford it, 4 wheel drive is necessary in your area.  

I am more for a machine like my tracked Bobcat but if farming is a consideration, then I think a bigger tractor is a better choice.  Also you are more likely to find something used for a reasonable price in a bigger model.  Big also makes things get done much faster.  

I have a Ford Industrial tractor that has a box scraper with rippers and a loader bucket on the front.  It is only 2 wheel drive but pretty useful yet.  Still - even though old, I gave $8000 for it and equivalent tractors from dealers around here were going for around $15000.   The good stuff holds value pretty well.

I think most major names are pretty reliable though some may not be as desirable..... Like.... OMG, look at Al..... poor fellow is driving a Case....

.....though my BIL got a gigantic Case backhoe/skiploader for a song but he had to locate and repair a major boo-boo someone had done while repairing it.  

Know any good songs, Al?  

A knowledgeable friend agrees that the loader on the smaller tractors makes them a bit hard to steer.  I rebuilt an old MF40 for a guy.  It had to have been worked on by a tweaker as so many things were don to it that made no sense, yet when we put it back together it ran and worked great.  He wanted to add a loader to it, but we  recommended against it due to the steering and small front wheel problem.

[Alasdair]

A few ... I know a lot more bad ones

[glenn kangiser]

Me too...

[poppy]

Don_P

If you haven't found out yet Squirl, never hook your thumb in the steering wheel to turn it, always keep your hands on the outer rim. The steering wheel can about take your thumb off.

It's hard to tell from my pic., but the steering wheel on my JD has a spinner knob.  It works great when you are sure of being on flat ground, but it can break your wrist if you hit something wrong.

[Alasdair]

Found one!

Paid a fair price for a good macine, a mere 30 years young (a teenager in tractor years!) with loader, ice chains, new rubber, low hours and two previous owners the most recent of which, at least, was a thoroughly decent and honest chap. Needs nothing doing to it and will likely outlast us!
The search for a snowblower begins. Can't wait to get the new addition back home and start playing!

[glenn kangiser]

Wow... That is a beauty, Al.   Nice shopping.

Depending on your SN, this could be useful.

http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/7835656-massey-ferguson-mf-245-tractor-after-sn

[Alasdair]

Thanks Glenn - I was looking for one of those!

Hope I don't need it for a loooong time 

[glenn kangiser]

I sometimes find the whole manuals online too.

That's a good looking tractor.  Likely you won't have much problem.  MF's are pretty reliable.