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Tractor Talk Discussion Board |
Re: Ford, Farmall or JD??? Which is the better buy???
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Posted by Woody on March 23, 1999 at 09:53:34:
In Reply to: Ford, Farmall or JD??? Which is the better buy??? posted by Lyn on March 23, 1999 at 07:53:47:
Never had a JD, so I will not comment on their merits and offend our Green Brethren with my ignorance. Fords and Farmalls are another story. First I would ask myself some questions: 1) Have you ever driven a real tractor? 2) Do you know anything about working on them (just the basics, no rebuilds)? 3) How hilly and sloped is the ground? 4) Here's the big one...how much do you want to pay? If you have never driven a real tractor, you might want to stick to a standard Ford (N Series, NAA, 600, 800 or such). Easy to drive for a beginner. In all cases, whichever you decide upon, if you are a beginner, MAKE SURE THE BRAKES WORK! If you are not a shade tree mechanic (or better), in my experience, Fords can be a bit more temperamental than a Farmall if you have to tinker with them. If you are a beginner, and you have better than average hills/slopes, look for a unit (even the Farmalls) with a wide front. Nothing scares a beginner worse than tipping or god forbid, flipping a tractor that's running. All the Fords mentioned have the wide front...not many 700 and 900's out there anymore with the tricycle. With the Farmalls, you'll need an A, a C with wide front, a standard utility or any other model with a wide front originally factory installed or as an aftermarket add on. Speaking of the hills, if you are a beginner, look for a unit with live power at the PTO...Fords and Farmalls without it do tend to 'push' the tractor down hills and ditches while mowing when you disengage the clutch (this is another reason for good brakes being a must). A couple of other things, for just mowing, the Fords are a bit better in that they all had the 3 point hitch standard. With Farmalls, you have add-on's for the letter series, fast hitches on some Supers (C's only? and a handfull of MTA's) but no three point until you get to the newer ones (unless you put on an aftermarket, which is no big thing either). And finally, the check book! If you've got plenty of dough...you'll have no problem! The Fords tend to be higher priced for the overall utility...wide front, three point hitch, city folks love 'em. The Farmalls tend to be more robust overall and will generally out work the Fords and overall you get much more bang for your buck...problem is they are a bit bulkier and more difficult for a beginner to handle (other than the A's and utilities). Well, got to go back to my real job now...hope this helps or at least confuses enough to spur discussion!
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