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if you could have a 65-75 hp tractor 1965-1975

O

olliekid

Member
I did this with the 90-100 hp tractors and it seemed to be a fun conversation so lets do it again with the 70 hp class.

Up front i have to go with the oliver 1655. Lots of ppl dont like the waukeshua engine but the 283 was solid. the 3 speed in it allows for a lot of gears and makes it great in the field. I think the 3 speed gives it an edge over its biggest rival the 3020 which didnt have any way to shift up or down.
The 5000 row crop is my choice for third and i think it is a very solid tractor. Ive drove one a couple times and would like to use one in the field.

Now lets all remember this is for fun
1. oliver 1655/white 2-70
2. john deere 3020
3. ford 5000
4. farmall 756/706
5. minneapolis moline M670
6. massey ferguson 180
7. allis chalmers 180
 
have you ever drove a 1655 or a 3020?? im not saying you are wrong im just asking? i know the 5000 was very highly regarded. did you like the select-o-speed?
 
The guy we work with has 3 5000 Fords, none are select-o-speed. What do you mean you can't downshift a Deere?
We have a 4020 sycro, very very few power shift Deere models around here. If you are going with the IH go with the German engine ones.
 
There lots of good ones out there,I like 'em all.FARMALL 656,IH hydro70,Jd 3020 Ford 5000,AC185,and of course my trusty 706german diesel(my favorite)to name a few.I do not care for massey or case
 
Gotta say the mm super 670, closed center hydralics,lot of luggin power, and very efficient on diesel. just my thought. Toby
 
Amen on the 1655. Great tractor. Comfortable, solid, reliable. The 3 speed over/under is perfect for mowing and baling. Sure footed on the side hills. The tilting/telescopic wheel makes it comfortable to operate either standing or sitting even when the day gets long.

I spent most of today on our 1655D and 1650G baling & wrapping rounds and still have the desire to sing them praise at this hour.....

It's funny, we were brought up on Deeres and were taught to look down on the Olivers. For all those years, we never knew what we were missing!
 
"its biggest rival the 3020 which didnt have any way to shift up or down."

Yes, you forgot the 3020 Powershift and two of my favorites in the horsepower range.2030 & 2630 ,both available with a HI Lo transmission.
 
I am not very up on AC but the 180 diesel is highly regarded by a lot of people. 3020 had an 8 speed full range powershift. The JD 2630 falls into your time frame and had a lot of fans. Really a lot of good tractors regardless of make. I guess this was one size the manufacturers felt they had to get right.
 
A CASE 870 Power Shift would show all of them the way up the hill. The 1655 was a very respectble tractor but lacked the get down and pull of the 336 in. Case engine and Its balance and handling.I out performed 4020s MF1080s and AC190s with a properly weighted 870 and 5x16 plow on demonstrations. The 3 speed PS trans and nimble handling made it a real pleasure to cut hay and run a baler, and with the reverse shuttle in the PS trans it was an unbeatable loader tractor.
 
Got 14tractors...have to go with the ford.. The post 1965 SOS tranny are bullet proof.. The 68 horses were usually under rated.
 
Belarus MTZ 500 (just kidding) I like both my Ford 5000 and my JD 3020. Dont care so much for the IH 656 or Allis 175 I've had the opportunity to run, but they are way ahead of the David Brown 1200 and the Belarus. Neighbor has an Oliver 1655 that he seems to like, but he has spent quite a bit of money on the engine.
 
Sure like the Ford 5000 (5200) with 16 speed tranny. Hard to beat.

Haven't owned an Ollie with more than 2 digits, they made good machines too.

--->Paul
 
Ford 5000.Good power and handles really well.Farmer down the road has 3 of them.

Vito
 
In Iowa corn country:

Oliver/White: what's that? I guess there were some Oliver 77's way back when

Massey: Maybe 10 dealers in the entire state. "no one" had them, then they went broke in the 80's and everyone ended up glad the didn't have one

Ford: Never have seen a ford newer than a gray one. Don't they sell them out east, maybe?

Minneapolis Moline: Are those they guys that made the tractor that was also supposed to be a car? Never saw a MM as new as 1965. Were they still in business then?

Allis 180: Didn't they have about ten different places to add different oil? Rear end, final drives, trans, hydraulic, etc, etc, and didn't they have that power director deal that was always going out or slipping?

706/756, 3020: About a "million" of them around here. A matter of personal preference, but no other color than red or green in most of the state. I guess a "million" guys couldn't all be wrong.
There were more 3020's, but lots of the red ones also. I have never even seen most of the others. Must be a regional thing. Here in wide-open corn country, they were all too small to be more than a chore or planter or baler tractor by then anyway.
 
For the price, an Oliver 1655 or 1755 would be a good choice, but finding parts might be a negative point. The 706/756 IH is good and still lots of dealers if needed. Don"t count out the 766 with the D360 engine either (80 hp which is over your range). It is basically the same as a 966 but with a smaller engine. If you have a good John Deere dealer close, they have several as mentioned. The JD seems to be a little higher priced around here compared to other brands.

One high priority when choosing a tractor would be a dealer close for parts or repairs if, or when, needed.
 
I don't even know where I could find a working, running Oliver 1655. I know of dozens of Ford 5000s that are working every day. My next door neighbor's main chore tractor is a Ford 5000. Sits outside 24/365. Tank heater plugged in during the winter. He says: "It was totally wore out 30 years ago but I've been using it every day since." I have nothing against Olivers. We had a '57 Super 88 that did its duty for sure but nothing in that class can beat a Ford 5000. Period.
 
You asked me a question way down below as to if I liked the Select-0-Speed. The only Ford I ever drove with SOS was a gold 1959 871 demonstrator that the local Ford dealer convinced my father to try out. Well....we really "tried it out". The dealer dropped it off and after an explanation and brief demo, left it with us until the next day. It was equipped with a three bottom plow, power steering and a full set of weights front and rear. That little thing was a real bulldog and pulled three plows through red clay alfalfa sod that would have grounded many other tractors. I LOVED THE SELECT-O-SPEED! So did my dad. Many local farmers showed up to watch and try it for a round or two. My dad wanted to go right in and order one. I talked him out of the Select-O-Speed because it was brand new, unproven and, I thought, possibly trouble prone. It took a lot of talking but he finally agreed. End result, not only my dad, but two uncles and one other neighbor bought 861s. One neighbor was sold on the Select-O-Speed and bought the gold demonstrator. Was he ever sorry. The rest of those Fords (all 861s) are still running and working. My dad thanked me for talking him out of the SOS for years afterward. Not bad though. That dealer sold five new tractors as a result of one demonstration. We plowed about ten acres with it while we had it although ordered new 861 with two 16s rather than three 14s. You brought back this old memory of what was to become the infamous SOS transmission. I did recommend one to an old fellow on this board who had knee and leg problems only on the condition that it worked properly and he would have to know someone who could do adjustments and repairs WHEN (not if) that became necessary. (;>))
 
Ive been around moline my whole life, and i would drive our 670 over a 4020 anyday. I dont know about awkaward, they did do some different things like slow turning engines but it gave them longer lifes also.
 
what i meant is the oliver 1655 or the white 2-70. they are the same tractor but white sold the 2-70 with different sheet metal.

and id agree there seems to be a million 706's and 3020's
 
in NE ohio there are 5-6 oliver 1655's in my county that are used daily or at least weekly.

and i think the 5000 is a great tractor. we almost bought one long ago but it had some governor issues.
 
not tryign to light a fire but a 4020 would outwork a case 870. it has more weight/torque and lug. You could easily make the argument that a 970 or 1070 would beat out a 4020. the facts show that they made tons of 4020's and they are almost all still around today. and this is coming from a guy who bleeds oliver green..
 
i was meaning it didnt have a shift on the go like the masseys olivers fords etc. Ive drove a powershift once and honestly id prefer the syncro tranny. but idk maybe that is just me.
 
(quoted from post at 20:07:27 07/28/10) i was meaning it didnt have a shift on the go like the masseys olivers fords etc. Ive drove a powershift once and honestly id prefer the syncro tranny. but idk maybe that is just me.
Click to expand...

We ran 2 4020's one with Powershift and one with Wondershift (It's a wonder you can shift it) The syncros are fine for working flat feilds. If you have hills then the power is great. Nothing suck worse than stopping to change ranges all the time while disking on the hils.
 
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