worst tractors?? x 2

Al Baker(pumpman) · Aug 4, 2021

After reading some posts for the worst tractors, who else but me will admit they not only own 2 that made the list, but maybe 3. I
have a D19 Allis, a Ford 6000 , and two more selectospeeds. No wonder my Farm never made it on the cover of any trade magazine!!

Bob Bancroft · Aug 4, 2021

What's worst about the D19? Is it a diesel?

rrlund · Aug 4, 2021

Mine weren't on the list, but I mentioned the 706 and 3010 that I had. I'm sure the majority of those two models were decent enough, but I think I had the worst ones built of each. I had a John Deere 730 diesel that made number three on my own personal list. They were, in my opinion, the nicest looking tractor Deere ever made. Looks don't get the job done though. I think they just held a place in market for a few years until the 3010 and 4010 came out. As a 'main, big tractor', they were less than ideal to put it mildly. No doubt why, in the late 60s, Yoder and Frey tried to sell more of those at every sale than Ford 8Ns and AC Roto Balers combined, and that was a lot.

You mention the Ford 6000. I loved those when I was little. I remember the Oliver dealer brought a new Oliver 1800 and 5 bottom semi mount plow and demonstrated it in the spring of 61. I still wanted Dad to buy a 6000. I rode with him plowing and he showed me how nice the headlands were with that semi mount plow. Some farm magazine came soon after and there was an ad for a 6000 showing it plowing. I can still remember him showing me that it was a fully mounted plow and all came out of the ground at once. He told me that if I wanted a 6000, I could buy a used one myself when I got older. It still hasn't happened. I'd like to find that 61 Oliver 1800 to ad to my collection though.

larry@stinescorner · Aug 4, 2021

You could say,,you know how to take lemons,,,and make lemonade!

fastfarmall · Aug 4, 2021

uhmm My dad bought a new 445 Minneapolis M, it had guts for its size,but that's all i can say for it, The PTO would not stop, and that's why my dad bought it for the live PTO, and try to sell a Lemon, when the reputation,is faster than the tractor, he had to about give it away !,My experience with a D-19 Diesel it could be running there half throttle,and jump on and pull the power director back, it would kill the motor, absolutely no torque, unless it was at 75% of rated RPM.

Bill(Wis) · Aug 4, 2021

I always considered the D19 a pretty good tractor but I don't know anything about the diesels. Never even saw one.

NY 986 · Aug 4, 2021

If its like around here you do NOT want to be on the trade magazine cover. A fair number that appeared on the cover of the fancy regional magazine here went broke after appearing on the cover. Kind of like the Sports Illustrated curse if you will.

big jt · Aug 4, 2021

Or hosting the Farm Progress show when it was on private farmers places. Lots of guys went under after hosting that show. Many times partially because outfits like Morton buildings and Harvestore would build showcase facilities on the farm and the host got them at cost which was still astronomical.

matthies · Aug 4, 2021

You must have had a bad 3010 or my cousin has the best 3010 ever built. They bought it used in the early 80's to pull a 7000 jd planter as their worn out 630 jd wouldn't handle it. He's a guy that can bust an anvil with a rubber mallet, go or blow. Brother did overhaul it in the early 90's. Can't even imagine the feed that was ground with that tractor. Rotary hoed with it when our 4020 injection pump was getting rebuilt. Ran on fumes as never took much for fuel and did 200 acres. Still on the farm working a feed wagon. This one is bullet proof. A lot of things have come and gone on his farm but that tractor will out last him, he is 51.

GreenEnvy · Aug 4, 2021

The worst tractor we ever had was a Ford Versatile 976 yet those have a highly regarded reputation overall. On the other hand we had a MF 1800 with the screaming V8 cat that other then a few electrical issues, it never gave us any problems including the engine despite the fact we abused it. Ask about the MF 15/1800 series and most will say it was was the worst 4x4 they ever owned.

Bruce from Can. · Aug 4, 2021

I think the worst tractor is the one that I want, but cant afford!!

37 chief · Aug 4, 2021

Sometimes it's not always the tractors fault. Stan

ss55 · Aug 4, 2021

Used tractor coming off some dairy farms can be well worn and pretty beat up.

rrlund · Aug 4, 2021

Or Farm Journal Media's whatever they call their farmer of the year every year. How many of those guys are in jail now?
Michigan Milk Producers had their Outstanding Young Dairy Couple Contest every year. The wife and I were in it in 1990. The couple who were the big winners every year quite often weren't farming anymore a few years after they won.

rrlund · Aug 4, 2021

I don't think that 3010 of mine ever ground a full load of feed. I tried several times. Half a load and it'd start to bog down and loose power so bad I'd have to quit. I never should have bought a tractor that looked that rough, but it was a John Deere so it always had good resale value, right?

jddrawbar · Aug 4, 2021

Seems like people will pile on to a bad comment about a particular model tractor and it multiplies. Then, thru time, it will be stuck with a bad reputation. Usually from people that have no real experience with the model. Case in point, the JD 2010, I've never owned one, but a neighbor has had one for 50 yrs. Couldn't even make a guess on how many hrs. are on it and neither could he. I haven't seen it in a few yrs., so maybe it has finally died.
I did have a 971 Ford with the SOS & that did not work out well. However, the diesel engine was great....powerful. I've been around tractors for many years and can find something good and bad about all of them.

NY 986 · Aug 4, 2021

Just like most of the media the agricultural journalist can't see past the glitter. They always seem to get ahold of a subject just after they borrowed their way into an unescapable hole financially. They have the fanciest facilities and equipment plus milk, meat, crops whatever is at a 15-20 year high price wise. Things go back to normal price wise and have a couple of poor production years then these farmers go with hat in hand to the rich uncle or local banker. Maybe they get the help they need or maybe they do not. One guy had a backer who stayed in the background for the most part but then that backer started racking up personal problems that cost them big money then the farm operation unraveled. Another guy happened to catch lightning for a couple of years so he was doing very well then things fell back to earth then he was gone 10 years later.

GreenEnvy · Aug 4, 2021

There was a local here that bought a 2010 industrial with a loader and backhoe new back in the day. He used it for the next 40 years hiring out dirt work around the area. When he had his retirement auction, it had 8,000 hrs and ran and operated like a sewing machine. If it wasnt for the internet plus articles from 2 cylinder and Green Magazine, I wouldnt have guess the 2010 was one of the worst tractors JD ever made.

db4600 · Aug 4, 2021

When I was 7 or 8 Pa got rid of the MM picker and the 770 Oliver came to the farm. Then a NI mounted picker came to the farm. Pa had farmed with JD before and tried again. I believe Uncle Ed brought us a 3020 at this time as well. The 3020 was painted green but had the low utility stance. The 3020 was outmatched for our our farm and likely would have been all together different if it were a standard. On the other hand the 2010 was a dog. Pa was not impressed and when it puked out the second pto clutch on the mounted picker Pa cut his losses. The 2010 and the 3020 got traded off on a brand new 4600 Ford and a 2 year old 2-70 was acquired for the farm. A 702 NI Uni joined them and Pa smiled again. In hind sight we should have kept the 3020. 2 years later Pa bought a NH bale wagon from a divorce and struck a deal on a 1520 that the guy paired with the bale wagon. That 1520 performed admirably.

When youre young you believe in your parents and Pa musta been right on the 2010 but I do the general consensus on 2010s proved him right.

matthies · Aug 4, 2021

Ya his was never put in a shed before he had it, and didn't look like much! He did repaint it a few years ago since it deserved it.

rrlund · Aug 4, 2021

I don't know that you should ever give an award to anybody under 80. Lavish praise on somebody and true or not, they start to believe it.

504 · Aug 4, 2021

Not a bad tractor just the one we had,180 MF. Dad bought it in the fall. The Mason s had farm ground past our house and dad went down to plow with his (new) Massey. THe hitch came out from under the tractor(pull type)in front of a bunch of friends. The next spring the hydraulics quit,dealer repaired it. Then it was time to cultivate the corn,when he got to the end of the row the hyd quit again. Dad unhooked and told me to follow him in the car(I was 14 and dad didn't let me drive his car)When we stopped the tractor was setting on the sidewalk against the dealer's front door at his house. We owned that tractor two years and used it maybe 5 hours. At the auction it brought 500.00 less than dad paid for it. 10 years later I asked the guy who bought it how it had worked for him,other than putting a camshaft in it had never spent a dime on it.

rrlund · Aug 4, 2021

I figured I'd use this one, fix all the things that were wrong, paint it and have a nice tractor. I never ran out of things to fix on it though. I gave up and traded it off to a jockey who wanted it more than I did. He thought it was worth something because it was green too I guess.

SVcummins · Aug 4, 2021

The neighbor farmed 500 acres with a 3010 and a 706 farmall overhauled once on each we dont shed equipment here and they all look rough he finally retired the 706 about 10 years ago and the 3010 got retired last year and replaced with a 4230 . The 3010 ran the swather the sprayer the 1033 bale wagon and fed cows all winter never anything as far as trouble . Yes batteries wear out and starters and the oil should be changed every five or ten years whether it needs or not . 30 years ago 7500$ should have just about overhauled a 3010 from the hood ornament to the end of the draft links

JD Dave · Aug 4, 2021

I guess I'm more philosophical about this subject than many. Fear none, before tractors, those that beat their horses into submission were punished, kicked and got no work done. Those that groomed their horses, polished their harnesses and cared for and fed the animals were rewarded. To this day I think that way about my equipment. No matter what color or make it is, service it today and work with it tomorrow.

Traditional Farmer · Aug 4, 2021

We bought a D19 from the original owner in 1969 it did a whole lot of work for us no more problems than any other tractor.Sold it last year to a fellow that used to help us with hay years ago.He has totally restored it said it was always his favorite tractor.

Fritz Maurer · Aug 5, 2021

I once repaired a 2010 that had quite a bit wrong with it, the biggest complaint was that it had no steering power. The problem turned out to be a cup plug had been left out of the transmission front cover, which allowed air instead of oil to be sucked up by the hydraulic pump. It had the H-L-R trans with a front loader. I ran the thing around my farm doing light chores to make sure it was really fixed, and I loved it. I didnt want to give it back! I too was scratching my head at the comments in Green Magazine about the 2010.

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