Which tractor?

Jason Salvo · May 3, 2009

Hello,

I own a small 6 acre vegetable farm and we are in need of a good, solid tractor that will work within our peculiar system. We use a 5-foot bed system, so our tractor must be only 5' wide. It also must have a tight turning radius - less than 10 feet.

We already have a modern Kubota L35, but because it has a backhoe and a loader, we don't want to burn it out doing hours of tilling and mowing. We need something in the 30-50 horsepower range to work with the implements we already own.

The ideal tractor for us might be the IH 274, if it didn't have an offset PTO. I'm looking at the Ford 9N and the JD 2040. Does anyone have any other ideas?

I need a handle · May 3, 2009

I don't think your going to "burn out" a tractor on a 6 acre place. All that use is actually good for a tractor. Sitting around doesn't do equipment any favors.

Stockdale Dave · May 3, 2009

You won't be able to till with a 9N without an aux transmission to SLOW the tiller and tractor speeds. My 9N is great for plowing and shredding but I would not try to rototill with it.

Anonymous-0 · May 3, 2009

that l35 will probably be great and the perfect tractor for what you are looking to do. it won't burn it out at all. odds are that if you buy another tractor, you'll wind up using that l35 more than that because its a better machine.

Jason Salvo · May 3, 2009

HI, I should have been more specific. We cultivate 6 acres, plus we have about 25 acres of pasture that we mow. My thinking is that the kubota is most valuable as a backhoe/loader, and that we need a backup tractor anyway, because if we can't till we can't plant, and then we don't make any money.

As far as the 9N goes, what do you mean when you say you wouldn't till with it? Could you explain further?

Assuming I am planning on buying an inexpensive, small-ish tractor primarily for tilling, spading, and mowing, what other models are there that I might look at?

Thanks!
Untitled URL Link

Stephen in SoKY · May 3, 2009

We have similar operations. My 2240 is great for primary tillage, but too heavy & wide for cultivation. Personally, I"d not consider the 2040 (Same size as mine) for cultivation. My rows are far too wide when using my 1 row transplanter with the 2240. The biggest limiting factor to my 2240 are the 16.9 X 28 rear tires. I"m looking for a 420 S as I like older equipment & it"s sized perfectly for me.

Lanse · May 3, 2009

you cant till with a 9N because you have to go extremially slow with a tiller, while at high RPMs. The 9N only has three speeds and first gear at the required RPMs is way too fast for a tiller.

Stephen in SoKY · May 3, 2009

The hay operation changes my thoughts for you. I was going to come back & suggest a JD 950 0r 1050 if you like newer equipment. Haying leaves those 2 out. A 135 or TO-35 might work well for the dual purposes you propose. I've eliminted any tractor without a conventional 3 pt hitch or a very easy conversion. The IH units can be converted, but will be useless in hay. Personally I'd not even consider a 8N/9N for either task.

Anonymous-0 · May 3, 2009

ford 3000 or 4000 would be perfect,

buickanddeere · May 3, 2009

If it doesn't have these features, walk away.

Live pto, power steering, hydraulic brakes, differential lock, high pressure/high volume hydraulics, live hydraulics, remote hydraulic connectors with scv, rops(roll over protection system), 12V factory electrics,three point hitch and a real bolted in place drawbar. A drawbar stuck through the three point hitch lower arms doesn't count.

just another old geezer · May 3, 2009

If a 274 would be perfect if it were not offset, consider the conventional verson of him. The 264, 284 0r the 285, IH also has a slightly larger verson of him the 364, 384 and 385

Mark · May 3, 2009

My first question is what does the offset PTO do to limit your uses? I have a pal that has a 274 and he uses a 5 foot tiller with it. Kubota made an offset...the L245.

Like one gentleman said, there are regular versions of the 274 and as for the 1050 JD, I had one. It was a nice little tractor, very handy in the garden for tillage and cultivating....I had a neighbor that used a 950 to pick corn with a NI picker and pulled a gravity wagon. That was sorta like the tail wagging the dog....but it can be done.

If I were you, I wouldn't worry myself about wearing your current machine out...use the it and get the good from it. That makes more sense than tying it up with a backhoe attached all the time.

Jason Salvo · May 3, 2009

The offset PTO on the 274 is worse for mowing and requires a different tiller than we already own. One of our requirements is that we get a tractor that can use all the implements we already own. One motivation for getting another tractor is simply to have a backup. Farming is our only source of income, so it's a bit like insurance.

That being said, the advice I've gotten here has been invaluable. My followup question to the problem with tilling with the 9N is - how can you make the tractor go slow enough to till? Is this a relatively simple process, or something more complicated? There is a very nice 9N nearby that I'm interested in and I'm looking for a good reason not to buy it. Being unable to till effectively with it is a very very good reason. So I'm curious to know whether this is an easy upgrade.

Anonymous-0 · May 3, 2009

Get something with a live power take off as the tiller will tend to drive the tractor. If you need to stop the tractor will try to keep moving.
Look at the specs on some web site for tractors with low speeds. My neighbors have an orchard and a tiller. They hava an offset tiller on a Kuboda. They do no farm work with it.

Anonymous-0 · May 3, 2009

I can't think of a more usless tractor for your application than a 9N ford.Small pto shaft requires a spacer ,no live pto so you need an overrunning adapter.low gear is much to fast for tilling, low power Now for the good thing they are easy to get off and on

Stephen in SoKY · May 3, 2009

Goodness, you've got a G, you don't need much else for cultivation. Great website BTW. Seriously, with the G do you think you need an additional cultivation tractor? My G handles cultivation beautifully:
<a href="http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x105/StepheninSOKY/?action=view¤t=PotaoGmodel004.jpg" target="_blank">

PotaoGmodel004.jpg" border="0" alt="AC G Model

</a>
<a href="http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x105/StepheninSOKY/?action=view¤t=PotaoGmodel007.jpg" target="_blank">

PotaoGmodel007.jpg" border="0" alt="Row view on G

</a>

But I need a one row tractor with 3 pt hitch & PTO for laying plastic, using a one row setter & running a tiller. What is your primary use for the new tractor?

Jason Salvo · May 3, 2009

We use our G for seeding (with planet junior seeders) and for cultivation. It doesn't have a PTO so we can't use it for tillage. What we are worried about is that if the Kubota goes down, we'll be sunk. So we are looking for a tractor primarily to use for tilling, spading, and some mowing. Plus, it has to be exactly 5' wide...

Jason Salvo · May 3, 2009

And another question.... would the Ford 8N - because it has 4 forward gears instead of 3 - be more appropriate for tillage? Does anyone know whether its lowest gear is slow enough?

buickanddeere · May 3, 2009

2.75MPH in 1st. Too fast for a roto-tiller and not enough power.
Hydraulics and pto are NOT not live.

Mike M · May 3, 2009

Why would you not get another Kubota ?

They also make special narrow versions too.

Lanse · May 3, 2009

better, but still not good enough.

Like its said, theres no live power.

Without live hydrolics, you cant use anything hydrolic with the cluch down. Without live pto, if you were using an implement that spins and you pushed the clutch, then the engine wouldnt power the wheels, but the momentum from the spinning implement would make them spin foward

Mathias NY · May 3, 2009

John Deere 900HC. They were only made for a few years, back in the late 80's. They are basically a John Deere 850 (made by Yanmar), only its high clearance and off-set. They are about 23 PTO HP, which is similar in size to the 9n you mentioned. They have live hydraulics and 2-stage clutch, the Ford does not. They are also geared slower than the Ford. We were planting in 1st gear with ours today, ~.3mph at an idle. They were designed for cultivating, ours is setup for 5' rows. It works great.

Incidentally, Kubota also made a tractor with this same setup, but I don't know enough about them to know what model it would have been.

Mark · May 3, 2009

Jason,

I think I see the dilemma here. You have found a 9N that you want and you"re looking for reasons to justify buying it. The folks have done their best to tell you to forget it. I"ll tell you the same. A 9N Ford is about as useless as teats on a boar hog...and especially for what you need. Walk away and forget you ever found it.

Spend some time shopping around...you may have to drive some distance to find the machine you NEED.

B&D gave you the straight poop on mechanical requirements....heed that advice to the letter.

I have searched for years to find a JD 900HC. I was thinking they were more on the lines of an offset 950 instead of the 850. Regardless of which, they"d be my first choice, based on my prior experience with the 1050. Had JD built an offset on the 1050, it would have been the ne plus ultra of one row cultivating tractors.

Although it hasn"t been mentioned, it appears that cash outlay is of a concern. I think for what you need.....you can expect to spend $5,000 and from there, the sky is the limit. The 9N is not a bargain for your uses at $500.

Mathias NY · May 3, 2009

I have owned a 3000 (w/ a 4600 engine) for 2 years and can't recommend it to anyone. They are cheap horsepower, but are just as crude and imprecise as an 8n. For mowing or general field work they are ok. If you are looking do anything precise, like working in a barn or loading a truck, you will be sorely disapointed.

I'm sure this tractor is worse than most, but my background has been with Deere's and Kubota's, and this it the only tractor I regret owning.

caterpillar guy · May 3, 2009

Go get an old IHC hydro it will fit your bill perfectly as it is hydrostatic drive so infinite speed and live power and hydraulics. The 5ft thing is just a matter of adjusting the wheels on most tractors. I can get a 4960 JD to fit 5ft if I adjust the tire tread width and that is over 200HP So there are lots of options just not the one you want to hear.

prawnfarmer · May 3, 2009

I have used a 12 gear (9 forward) Allis 5040 with a 66" Howard Rotovator, a Holland transplanter with mounted liquid fertilizer tank and a 5ft plastic mulch layer with great success. I also have used(since sold) a JD 2840 with our 84" Rotovator that was plenty slow enough to till and could handle the weight of the transplanter at a mere idle. 8N or 9N is not much use to you. Not trashing the N's - I have 3 of them.

a.rothermel · May 3, 2009

i think a massey ferguson 135 would be a good fit.

just another old geezer · May 3, 2009

Ih 385 for sale in the photo adds. you can get a look at one

buickanddeere · May 3, 2009

The N series tractors were ok for some chores. Checking pastures, getting the mail and gathering eggs.

Mike (WA) · May 4, 2009

If you don't have too much mail.

Mark · May 4, 2009

or eggs

Which tractor?

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