parade choices---John Deere 60 or Farmall 300

[ssgshelton]

Hey all,
Well I have been asked to pull my church's float in a couple of Christmas parades this weekend and am still trying to decide which tractor to use. My 1957 John Deere 720 that I was planning on using crapped out on me yesterday with a bad switch. I ordered one but it won't be here until Monday at the earliest. So therefore I am forced to find another tractor to pull the float. The float is about a 10x20 hay rack with a John Deere W1 gear. I am estimating the hay rack at being around 2000lbs with approx 500 lbs of decorations and probably twenty people for approx 1500 lbs. that makes approx 4000 lbs to pull. The parade is a gradual uphill grade for approx 1/4 mile then flat to slight decline for approx 1/2 mile. So here are the two tractors I have to consider. First is a 1953 John Deere 60 all fuel with approx 30 hp. It is a tricycle type with one set of wheel weights and no fluid filled tires. I think it weights in around 5000 lbs. The next is a 1955 Farmall 300 with approx 33 hp. It has 3 sets of wheel weights and one set of front tire weights but no fluid in the tires. With all the weights I think it is around 6800 lbs. It pulled the same wagon about a month ago very well. I guess my question concerns more so the JD 60 and if it will pull it. They have asked me to try to bring a John Deere if possible for the looks and the sound and I would like to as well. Anyway what are your opinions? Thanks
 

[ssgshelton]

Also want to add the Farmall 300 is a wide front.
 

[TallPaulW]

The 60 will do very well I use my JD A to pull wagons for hay rides that size your not going that fast in a parade
 

[Dan in North Houston]

Which one has better brakes?
 

[ssgshelton]

Yeah i know. Both have good brakes, run good and look pretty nice. My darn 720 I have really spent some money getting it fixed up for the parade thing. The 60 has older paint and older tires, the 300 has newer paint, new tires, lights and all that. I just think that in my area of Western NC people like to see those rare narrow fronts.
 

[JD4440_K]

The 60 should not have any problems with that load even on a decent sized hill. To give you an idea 4,000 lbs is about 70 bushel of corn. We pull 300 bushel wagons full of corn out of the field with my JD 60. A lower gear will keep you from using the breaks. I think you will be just fine. Good Luck!
 

[Winchester1]

I'd use whichever tractor is more popular in the area. The IH red is more of a Christmas color.
Either will do a good job.
Make sure the gas tank is not full of junk, seems to cause problems for me on these occasions.
 

[CLW]

Either one would work. You should not be using high gear in a parade anyway I wouldn't think. 4th. on the Farmall and 5th. on the 60 would give you plenty of pulling power and engine breaking on the small grades going downhill.
 

[ben70b]

i would think the choice is crear, run the deere. but then again, i dont make a habit of running farmalls.
 

[tim s]

I know what my choice would be :^)

 

[Greenday]

I thought you said there was a choice? Its obviously the John Deere! lol
 

[deere430]

the john deere will stop THE farmall might not lol dont no why our farmall 350 D never had brakes and ih fixed them all new long ago
 

[deere430]

brakes will kill you quicker, on hill side farming any way they take of like a sleds, aways used low gear and the tractors weight to hold any thing back,
 

[deere430]

the 350 will stop maxed out all the way down
 

[Cooney Minnie]

Keep this in mind with the weighting... the 60 has more weight on the rear, where it counts. If the tractors weighed the same, the 60 would easily do more as a higher percentage is on the back end.

My grandfather had a 50 A and a Super MTA, and when it really got snowy, the A went on the manure spreader, dispite no live PTO. Why? The front wheels on the MTA carried too much weight, and would plow into the drifts and the tractor would spin out. The A, especially with the tongue weight of the spreader, would ride over the hard packed drifts much better.

The A is still here, with fluid in the tires. The MTA went to the junk a long time ago.