Best Ford Tractor?

[MOMule]

If you had to choose one, and only one Ford tractor to own, What would it be? By own I also mean to use for your hobby or daily farming needs. I am leaning toward either the 5000 or the 7000. Enough power for all my needs yet small enough to get into most tight spaces. How bout you?

 

[Anonymous-0]

861 Powermaster, gas, w/power steering. Yeah I know they are hard on fuel, BUT... they got alot of balls for the size of them. You put 13.6x28's on the back, add your favorite ballast (I preferred pie weights), and you got one mean, snort'in, little S.O.B.!!

 

[Matt from Oz]

I would have to go with a 5000. Independant PTO, power assist steering and a great selection of gears. It doesn't have the turbo to worry about on the 7000. These are great tractors.

 

[Roel.belgium]

TW-35 Gen II

the sound, the smoke, the looks, the raw power...awesome tractor !!

 

[Dustin Hill]

Im gonna have to go with a 5000. A neighbor of mine has one that has over 17,000 hours and still going strong! They are practically indestructible.

 

[Brian in MA]

A friend of mine has a 4630 MFWD with loader which seems to be a great compromise of power, size and utility. He has had some issues with it and I am not a huge fan of the 3 cylinder, the four cylinder is smoother to run, so I'm not sure it would fit "best" category. That said, if I can only pick one, it would need to be MFWD and have a loader, which eliminates the 5000 or 5600, which would be high on the list. My final answer is that I need at least two tractors, I can't settle on one.

 

[souNdguy]

I'd have to go with a 5000. Though i like the 7610s.. it's a wee bit bigger and harder to maneuver.. the 5000 is a tad big for small work.. but decent for most tasks a utility tractor does. Pulls a 10' mower well too.

soundguy

 

[Rst277]

I second the 861. Lots of power, live PTO and I love the shift of the 5 speed from 3rd gear to reverse, a real time saver when going back and forth with the blade or snowblower.

 

[Balaton17]

I would have to say my Ford 4000 Diesel with the SOS trans. Rear blade and old ford trip loader on the front, its one heck of a snow moving machine.

 

[Fordfarmer]

No possable way to get by with just one (Ever try filling silo with 1 tractor? Can't. 2 is minimum, 3 needed if you're going to do it at a reasonable rate.)... 7000 or 7600 would probably be the best all-around for me, but not my first pick for some jobs.

 

[Mr. Bob]

Your choice would be exactly the same as mine with the exception I'd have 14.9x28 rears, loaded, and pie weights. I used to work for a farmer who used one for over 25 years thusly equipped. That was one, compact, snortin' but kickin' little critter. Its power and weight seemed perfectly matched.
Mr. Bob

 

[Brian Allen]

MOMule
Ford 5000 wins in my books.
4x4 would be the only improvement for me.
Brian

 

[Larry NCKS]

Genesis 8670 or 8770.

 

[bjr]

The last Ford I had was the early 4000D LCG with the SOS transmission and 12.4x24 rear tires set to the narrowest width. It was a great little garden tilling tractor with a slow 1st gear for tilling and it had power assist steering. It smoked a little at idle but had all the power I ever needed. bjr

 

[paul]

I have a 960 gas that has done a _lot_ of work around this farm. Has most of the good features, and few of the bad ones, to make it a long lasting, solid, dependable, useful thing.

If a person needs more tractor than that, the 5000 I just got seems pretty good. But then so does the 7700 I've had for a few decades. Both of them have more hyd controls (pto, hi/lo, etc.) which make them possibly more useful, but also more issues & more down time.

Not knowing how to rate the useful vs downtime, I think I'll stick with the dependable 960 for 'best'. It's big enough for serious work, small enough to be a smaller utility type, live pto with a real tranny. Gets my vote.

--->Paul

 

[karl f]

5000 also.
will pull a 16 foot tandem disk harrow with 20 inch diameter blades at full angle cut in plowed sod.

karl f

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have a Jub and a 5000. I don't know wich one I like best, kind of like wich one of my grand kids I like better. What the little one can't do the bigger one will. I bought the 5000 after souNdguy and others said they liked the ones they had. I love them both.

 

[richardp3]

Never done much work other than move round bails, mow, and some light loader work. Any of my Fords will handle it (loader exception), but I like my 1955 850 with p/s and loader the best. Never owned one of the bigger ones, but I'm sure I might change my mind if I did.

 

[RodinNS]

I don't think there's any one way to answer that question.
If you want stone cold reliable in a smaller utility tractor then the later 4000 or 5000 would both fit the bill once you fix their electrical systems.

If you want more from the tractor in terms of hydraulics, FWD and transmission options, then a 3930/4630/5030 would fit the bill. They have more features and thus have the potential for more problems, but I think it's worth the tradeoff.

If you're looking for something larger then the 7710 is the ticket. The work those tractors will do and the abuse they will take is rather astonishing.
There again you could argue the same tradeoff with the 7000 vs the 7710 on the features/repair debate but I'd take the 7710 myself.

If you're looking for a large row crop tractor, then I've got to agree, Genesis is the way to go. Those tractors were laid down in the early 90's, and you know what? Their design is still current today, nearly 15 years later. The rest are just catching up.
To be technical, the Genesis series is not a Ford tho. It was the first all NewHolland designed tractor... and the first tractor design in 40 years that was not done at either Basildon or Troy.

Rod

 

[Anonymous-0]

Mr. Bob, This one had a spot in my barn at one time. About a year ago "Life" threw me a curve ball and one of my tractors had to go. My 2n has more sentimental value than you could imagine, so it stayed and this old boy found a new home. I keep telling myself "some day" I will find another one.

 

[Larry NCKS]

(quoted from post at 21:54:53 01/28/09)
To be technical, the Genesis series is not a Ford tho. It was the first all NewHolland designed tractor... and the first tractor design in 40 years that was not done at either Basildon or Troy.

Rod

Good synopsis, Rod, Are you sure, however, that Genesis was not a Ford design? I'm under the impression that it was designed by Ford, but not introduced until after the company became NH. The first 8670 I had still had the Ford oval on the the front of the hood. The ones I have now have the NH emblem but still have Ford in block letters.

You are certainly correct. After 15 years, the others have a long, long way to go to catch up.

 

[RodinNS]

Larry, from what I've read in 'The Ford Tractor Story', the Genesis project was actually proposed by management to Ford's board before the merger and was rejected. The same proposal was then re-submitted to Fiat's board not long after the merger and was then approved, so it was technically considered a NewHolland design. The actual design work was also done in NewHolland rather than Troy as well.
You are correct that the early models did have the Ford name on them, but I think that was simply to do with the fact that they didn't change the decals and paint scheme until 1995 and the Genesis tractors were introduced in 1994.

On the othe hand, the engine project went back to 1987 and was clearly a Ford design. The transmission was another adaptation of the Funk they were already using in the 'big' 30 series... so some of those components were certainly proven before Genesis came along, but the cab and rear half along with Super Steer were certainly all new.
The thing that really impressed me with those tractors was the hydraulic systems and the use of some very standard industrial Rexroth pumps instead of the proprietary Plessy/Sundstrand/Danfoss stuff that they had always used. When I look at pricing on those things compared to their competition, it's impressive. Alas, that way of thinking was short lived.
Mabey someday I'll own one if I have enough use for a tractor that large.

Rod