Acreage Tractor Recommendation

[Bruce from Can.]

I dont know your budget but if you are wanting a
loader tractor, to move snow and move bales, I would
be looking at a 4wd tractor. While there were some
4wd tractors available during the 1970s , they
became very common during the 80s . I have had 2wd
tractors with loaders, and yes you can get by with
them, but tire chains and rear weight on the 3pth is
necessary, or you will sit and spin, while being stuck
on nothing once you pick the loader up. Particularly
with a bale on the front end loader. Personally I would
stay away from gas tractors. They were all built for
gasoline that contained led, and not ethanol. If you
can plug in a diesel, they can start every bit as well as
a gas tractor will. I have owned several IH and CaseIH
tractors over the years. and I found the 584-585 684
685 and the 884 -885 tractors to be reasonable
tractors, but I would only buy one that has a shuttle
shift, as the dry clutch models will go through a clutch
every 1500-2000 hours. Biggest downside to the
IH/CaseIH tractors in this series is the fact they have
one common hydraulic fluid, for
transmission,hydraulic, and brakes. And brakes
particularly the parking brake as they wear, do put
particulate in Hydraulic fluid. And unless you use the
CaseIH Hytran or a similar high temperature hydraulic
oil, the brakes will deteriorate very quickly . I have no
experience with JD equipment, only to say if you do
look at JD, buy a tractor that was built in USA. Not one
from Mexico, or Germany. They are all the same
colour, but not all equal in quality. Engines,
transmissions and particularly hydraulic pumps
gallons per minute will not be the same. JD built in
USA tractors will be very good, and they will cost
more. You only get what you pay for

 

[Tony in SD]

Not sure what you are planning to do with it. In my case I have a JD 4700 Hydro I bought new about 20+ years ago with a JD 460 FEL. It has a 48HP engine. I use it to mow the 4 acre lawn with a 7 foot finish
mower, till the garden, move snow and general utility work around the farm. The hydro transmission makes it very handy for that type of work.

 

[Destroked 450]

JD 2630 is 72 pto hp same as my Ford 6610
IH 584 is 52 pto hp same as my Ford 4000

Depending on how far north you live effects the decision on gas or diesel model
All mine are diesel which operate on half the amount of fuel a equal size gas model would use, but in northern climates the gas tractor would be much easier to get started on a cold day

Of the 2 you mentioned I would go with the 2630, a friend has one that he has had very few issues with in 40+ years of owning it
IH is a good tractor but the side shift linkage wears out and gives problems

What size are those 1200 lb bales, my 4x5 baler is rated for 1000 lb bales but every grass bale I ve weighed has averaged around 750 lbs
I can move those with a 45 hp Ford 3930 putting one on the back and one on the loader

 

[the tractor vet]

Welp what you will learn real fast is that one tractor will NOT CUT IT . We tried playing that game and soon found out that OH wait i am STUCK and ever with a heavy 3/4 ton4x4 pick up even putting tire chains on and loading the truck down with extra weight your still stuck and you can either call in a big tow truck to drag your donkey out or hunt down someone who can. At first i was just doing the corn and bean thing with one old tractor and one old combine . Also the wise thing here is try and stay one color as when ya need parts ya go to one place for the parts . Yes a gas tractor will usually start easy in the cold BUT they are more problematic. A diesel that is kept in and has a block heater and a heavy power outlet close is not a problem , just keep good batterys in it and winter fuel and good clean fuel fliters . The other point is ya can NEVER have enough Horse power With one tractor in the 70 to 90 range and one at 65-80 range with the smaller one being the loader tractor and utility one for the chore work.

 

[I550]

How are your mechanical abilities? An
older tractor will have simpler systems to
maintain. But sometimes you need to be
creative to keep it operational. You
didn't say if you would need a loader, but
that is a very useful accessory. Sounds
like your usage would be less than 50
hours a year. I would go with a gas
tractor for that little use. Go with a
model that was made for a long time or was
updated from an earlier version for parts
in common. Your money your choice.

 

[Texasmark]

My current baler is a JD 375 putting out 5x4 bales. Loosing that outer 2' of diameter (of a 5x6 like a JD 530 would roll) costs me
half the weight of a 5x6. Last time I weighed one of my bales, baled during this past summer, haygrazer, was just shy of 800#
Volumetrically speaking your 4x5 will come out roughly 50# heavier than my 5x4. We all know that weight is a rubber number due
to several variables but I use the 5x6 as my starting point at 1600# and volumetrically go through the different smaller sizes.....and
per my mentioned measurement is pretty accurate considering.

 

[Bliske83]

We made a decision this weekend and went with the IH 574. The JD was more bang for the buck and more power, but the deal just didnt work out. I'm fine doing all of my own maintenance and have done fso for my personal vehicle for years, so I'm not afraid to hop into this. Hopefully I can lean some new stuff on this tractor, but not too much if you get my drift. I appreciate all the advice and I'm sure you will be answering my questions on the IH forums. Off to find a blade and some counter weights!

 

[ss55]

Congratulations on your new-to-you tractor.

An operators manual and a service manual will answer 75 percent of your questions and are a great way to get familiar with the tractor. A generic one book covers a dozen different models I & T service manual is better than nothing but can be vague compared to a factory service manual. https://www.amazon.com/Shop-Manual-IH-203-Harvester-International/dp/B01FR7ZFW8