Author Topic: Need tractor advice  (Read 17868 times)

Offline muddy

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #15 on: April 30, 2019, 07:53:53 PM »


So if I want a tractor just for pulling a trailer around when I’m cleaning up the property or using an implement requiring a 3 pt hitch, then a $1000 8N would do the trick?

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Yes an 8N would be right at home with a small wagon, brush hog or a 3 point tiller, even a blade (although they tent to be a bit light to really push anything.)

The fords steer fine, however only being power assist steering when you get the weight of a loader out front they are a handful to steer.


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Offline skfarmer

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #16 on: May 01, 2019, 10:50:57 AM »
i agree with muddy but i must add that when using the pto an overrunning clutch in line on the pto is highly recommended.

the pto on those early fords was directly coupled to the transmission "behind" the  clutch.   what does tha mean? that means that when using pto machines with a lot o fast spinning mass such as a mower, the rotating mass can "push" the tractor after the clutch is pushed in or the tractor cannot be shifted to another gear or direction until the pto stopped.  they got lots of new operators in trouble and even got some well seasoned operators in trouble on occasion.
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Offline coolmercury

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #17 on: May 01, 2019, 12:24:35 PM »
Over the years I have seen two 8N tractors on top of people, one of whom died.  They have a tendency to flip over backwards if something they are pulling catches.  No roll over protection, so you take the chance.

Offline skfarmer

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #18 on: May 01, 2019, 02:55:08 PM »
Over the years I have seen two 8N tractors on top of people, one of whom died.  They have a tendency to flip over backwards if something they are pulling catches.  No roll over protection, so you take the chance.

I had forgotten that lovely feature and agree totally. While no older tractors have rops and most have not flipped or tipped.......many have. I  helped pull a dead man out from under 2-85 white tractor. His head was smashed like a pumpkin.
« Last Edit: May 01, 2019, 03:25:39 PM by skfarmer »
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Offline highland512

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #19 on: May 02, 2019, 07:45:53 AM »
I you need to reshape your pond I would would just watch the weather and go rent a back hoe or mini excavator for a weekend. I have never seen a backhoe attachment worth having and they have hardly any reach. A mini hoe would out work one 3 fold. If you need a tractor for 3 point and pto work thats cheep, try to find a grey market tractor. There is nothing illegal about them, they are just little tractors (kabota, mitsubishi, yammar) that where sold new over seas then imported for resale here.


Offline m_fumich

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #20 on: May 02, 2019, 07:52:44 AM »
I you need to reshape your pond I would would just watch the weather and go rent a back hoe or mini excavator for a weekend.

That would be too expensive in the long run. Not only do I need to reshape and deepen one pond, I need to deepen a second pond and put in about 500’ of French drain. I only have a couple hours each day I could work on a project like that. If I have to, I’ll spend the money on a tractor with a proper backhoe then sell it when I’m done.


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Offline highland512

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #21 on: May 02, 2019, 08:12:19 AM »
I you need to reshape your pond I would would just watch the weather and go rent a back hoe or mini excavator for a weekend.

That would be too expensive in the long run. Not only do I need to reshape and deepen one pond, I need to deepen a second pond and put in about 500’ of French drain. I only have a couple hours each day I could work on a project like that. If I have to, I’ll spend the money on a tractor with a proper backhoe then sell it when I’m done.


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I think you would be MUCH better off to do that. An excavator would be your best bet but most likely out of budget, from my experience a backhoe could get hung up in a asphalt parking lot.

Offline skfarmer

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #22 on: May 02, 2019, 09:31:52 AM »
you contradict yourself all over. the ball keeps moving. you need a back hoe, you don't, you need a tractor with a back hoe and then you just need one to pull a trailer. you don't want to spend more than 1000 dollars but you will spend enough to get a "proper" back hoe.

since you are all over the board and don't know what you want i will give an honest reality check. you made a mistake when you bought your lawn mower. it is too small and incapable of anything but cutting grass. you really need a utility tractor with features like live pto, 3pt. hydraulics and a loader yet can accept a belly or finish mower.  digging and cleaning  2 ponds  and 500 feet of drain is probably too much for  smaller tractor and hoe anyway, so find a guy who knows how to run a proper excavator on tracks. he can probably do the major digging and trenching in a day or two and use  your tractor to level and finish the project when done.

some projects are best done and cheapest when done by a pro who has the knowledge, the ability and most of all pays for the repairs on his own equipment.
from the ashes shall rise a phoenix

i was here when the hangout turned into mexican food site!

Offline RustFarmer

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #23 on: May 02, 2019, 10:47:44 AM »
What are the ballpark costs for the following used equipment?  Lets limit it to equipment that has parts support and both supply and demand in the used market.  Not interested in buying a $10,000 orphan that no one else wants and has to be sold for scrap.

mid size rubber tire dedicated loader backhoe

utility tractor with loader and 3 point (use w/ 6 ft rotary brush cutter and post hole digger)

Skid steer (basic one, but still usable and in demand on used market)


Offline skfarmer

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #24 on: May 02, 2019, 11:28:50 AM »
i think an issue here is people do not understand the difference between a backhoe and excavator.

a hoe has the operator sitting stationary with a range limit  of  something less than 180 degrees, more like 150.  the boom generally does not have a lot of reach. the operator  has poor vision as the bucket is rarely in front of him. it is digging on one side and dumping on the other, it is ok for  digging shallow ditches or trenches and small holes. any hoe that fits on a compact or mid size  tractor is severely limited because they simply do not have enough reach to dig very far away, very deep and don't have the swing to get the dirt far enough away from the  project. these limitations are why a backhoe is constantly repositioning, the operator cannot see, cannot reach the job and when he can reach it he can't get the material far enough away.

an excavator, can rotate 360 degrees, digging and dumping at any place in the rotation. it will have a longer reach and most of all the operator always has the boom in front of him to see what he is doing without turning his head or body. it has better visibility, more reach and more swing.

don't get me wrong, a back hoe is a fine machine but they are far better suited for small, quick jobs.digging a shallow trench, cleaning around a culvert, installing a water hydrant and then quickly filling  the dirt back in  with the same machine. they are not the machine for digging long ditches or cleaning ponds.
from the ashes shall rise a phoenix

i was here when the hangout turned into mexican food site!

Offline m_fumich

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #25 on: May 02, 2019, 11:34:03 AM »
you contradict yourself all over. the ball keeps moving. you need a back hoe, you don't, you need a tractor with a back hoe and then you just need one to pull a trailer. you don't want to spend more than 1000 dollars but you will spend enough to get a "proper" back hoe.

since you are all over the board and don't know what you want i will give an honest reality check. you made a mistake when you bought your lawn mower. it is too small and incapable of anything but cutting grass. you really need a utility tractor with features like live pto, 3pt. hydraulics and a loader yet can accept a belly or finish mower.  digging and cleaning  2 ponds  and 500 feet of drain is probably too much for  smaller tractor and hoe anyway, so find a guy who knows how to run a proper excavator on tracks. he can probably do the major digging and trenching in a day or two and use  your tractor to level and finish the project when done.

some projects are best done and cheapest when done by a pro who has the knowledge, the ability and most of all pays for the repairs on his own equipment.

I’m not contradicting myself. There’s just a lot of flexibility in what I can do financially.

First, I had ZERO input on the lawn tractor I have now. It’s a great mower but there are mowers 1/3 the price that could do the same job and I would have been just as happy with a used mower with a 48” deck and I’d definitely have been happier if I had gotten a good used one for $500.

Having a good strong riding mower eliminated the need for a bush hog but since the previous owner left behind a JD 503, I might make use of it if I had a tractor that could handle it. There are two groves on my property that I will be cleaning up and the two ponds that need improvement so there will be many trees of various sizes coming down. There will be small logs to haul out and lots of fodder for a bonfire. Being able to pull the logs and to pull a trailer is my greatest need. When I go to deepen the ponds, I may be able to get that accomplished with a tiller attachment and a bucket. If there is an attachment that can cut a 2’ wide trench that’s 2’ deep then I’d have no need for a backhoe at all.


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Offline m_fumich

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #26 on: May 02, 2019, 11:39:30 AM »
My biggest problem is that when it comes to picking the right equipment for the job, I have no f-ing clue what the right equipment is, what the cost will be, or what problems I might be facing with one choice over another.


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Offline highland512

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #27 on: May 02, 2019, 12:51:48 PM »
It sounds like you dont want to spend the $$ (trust me I know the feeling) but like SK said you will be better off in the long run to hire out the pond digging and the drainage. You have to have the right tools and skills for drainage to be installed correctly, not just the right machine. You want a french drain, not a french influent.

Offline m_fumich

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #28 on: May 02, 2019, 07:12:22 PM »
You’re right about the money. I’d rather spend money on equipment than to pay someone to do the work. I can sell the equipment to recuperate my money if I have no further use for the equipment.

After reading SKFarmers explanation of backhoe vs excavator, I know a backhoe is not what I need. But I may not need and excavator for the pond work. I think a tiller attachment on a tractor would loosen the soil and I could remove it with the bucket. All things I would have future need of.

Of the two French drains, one would be across and down a slope so no chance of water flowing the wrong way. If I had to hire someone to do the other drain, that would just be one job I had to pay someone else to do. But the first drain would still require an implement that would let me dig a 2’ wide trench at a consistent depth.


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Offline coolmercury

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Re: Need tractor advice
« Reply #29 on: May 02, 2019, 07:16:45 PM »
Even used a shovel? :))