How far would you drive a tractor home vs a trailer?

[TheBartman47]

I drove a John Deere 730 about 35 miles to get it home, with 4-row cultivators mounted. I stayed on the plenty wide shoulder, but I got side-swiped by a woman driving a minivan who tried to pass a pickup truck making a left turn ahead of her and she veered right into the cultivator main support bar, ripping a long hole in the side door like a can opener.

 

[paul]

I have drove a Farmall H and a JD A 140 miles in a day for rides, weather wasn't bad even with a heat houser, this was in the last 5 years, I am 54. Dad said once that they drove a 60 or 630 Deere 20 miles home in the dead of winter, trading off every mile to keep warm.

I bought my ford 5200 open station tractor at an auction 60 miles away. Along with some other stuff.

Went back the next day with pickup and trailer, used the 5200 to back stuff onto the trailer, (got a corn sheller and I forget the other small item) and drove the tractor home the 60 miles. The temp was in the 50s which is a nice enough day for me when the sun is out I was dressed in layers with coveralls, but it was a 30+ mph wind day all day long, and I was driving into the wind 90% of the time.

That was a long 3 hours drive. I was mighty stiff when I got home, but it worked out fine. But that was cold, that wind flapped everything it could and blew in every seam.

Got home about the time wife got off work, she took me back up and I drove the pickup and trailer load home. With the heat on high most of the way!

Paul

 

[Floopy]

I'd like to thank you all. I enjoyed reading all your stories and stuff! I grew up in a swamp and we didn't have tractors. I bought the MF35 with loader a couple years ago for $2800. It started but barely. I changed the gas, fixed the hydraulics(new pump, but it was just a c clip that broke on the old one), and fixed a bunch of other delayed maintenance. He delivered it for me. I can haul about 6klb or so on a trailer that I can rent but I don't own a equipment trailer and I don't know anyone because I'm kind of a hermit since I'm north of Knoxville now and I didn't grow up here.

I love my MF35 but not having power steering really requires some arm power when the loader is being used. So, I'm trying to find something a little beefier to do loader work.

You all made me feel more comfortable driving one home. I'm not scared to do it, I just legitimately wasn't sure if there was special considerations doing it.

Once again, thank you all!

 

[Caryc]

I have an MF202. It's the industrial version of the MF35. It has three speeds plus reverse. It also has a high/low range lever so you have 6 forward and 2 reverse speeds. It also has power steering. It has everything I need.

 

[Steven Allen]

It was not a long drive, but I drove our '49 JD A home from the used equipment dealer where we bought it in temps hovering near freezing with pelting icy mix coming down. It was Christmas Eve, and the tractor was Mom's present to Dad. Hardly a severe hardship but not a drive I'd care to repeat all these years later.

 

[rustred]

few years ago i bought a massey 44 on auction. gave a few bids then shook my head no. then the auctioneer points at me and says sold. i thought w t heck ? ooh well ok its 400.00. tractor had not run in a few years. got it running and drove it home about 60 miles. so driving a tractor 10 miles is no different than walking 10 miles only faster. i used to drive mine to the tractor show 17 miles. no big deal. 10 miles is only over 1/2 hr. of driving time. sit on one for all day long in a field going round and round.

 

[Bill in Colo]

Twenty miles field to field.

 

[Floopy]

I ended up buying a 255. I drove it a couple miles and it was going alright. I passed a tow company a couple miles in and asked and they said they'd take it home for $150. I wasn't hating life and the tractor was running good but the price seemed right to me just for peace of mind.

 

[tractorford]

trailer, what i find, usually aint in no safe condition, falls apart just even looking at the thing for more than a wink and a blink or two, let alone operate among functioning machines

 

[Floopy]

trailer, what i find, usually aint in no safe condition, falls apart just even looking at the thing for more than a wink and a blink or two, let alone operate among functioning machines

lol. That is what I was concerned of. It did good the couple miles I drove it before I pulled into the tow truck company. If the steering wasn't a little sloppy I'd have kept going but I figured the small amount I paid them was worth not breaking down on a rural road in nowhereville.