First time tractor buyer

[Ricky1]

Hey y’all! I’m looking to buy a tractor. It’ll be older, I don’t care how old and needs to have a loader. The main thing is dependability and power. Wanting at least 50 hp. I don’t have a farm but plan on doing things like lot clean up, bush hogging and putting in a road. What do y’all recommend? I’ve seen good things about IH and Fords in the older years. Any feedback is appreciated!!

 

[Frank(Mi.)]

Stay away from the Ford select o speed transmissions...

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

There are just so many good options out there, and even more so-so options that it's difficult to recommend a specific brand and/or model.

Your budget, location, and distance you're willing to travel, are major factors. The more you're willing to spend and the farther you're willing to travel opens up so many more choices.

 

[560Dennis]

Suggested reading in resources in YT header, here is the link for

Buying Your First Tractor: Choosing the Right One

forums.yesterdaystractors.com

 

[showcrop]

Once you get into the over 25 year old range the condition after its work life with good or indifferent service is what will determine the tractors usefullness much more than how it started out.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

I recommend that when looking for a tractor with a loader you determine what the hydraulic pump capacity of the tractor is. Early tractors could have very low capacity pumps. Tractors designed for field use operations that had loaders added to them can be disappointing. Because a hydraulic system with a 8-10 gallon per minute pump will be suitable to raise a hydraulic lift on a plough or cultivator, it will be very slow and weak on a front end loader. I recommend that the tractor you are looking for should have a hydraulic system with hydraulic capacity of 12-20 gallons per minute. Also keeping in mind most power steering is operated from the hydraulic system using a priority valve . So the power going to lift the loader is diminished if the steering is pulling 3 gallons per minute. That said if the tractor has a 9 gallon pump and the steering takes 3 gallons, the loader is now working off of 6 gallons. Just something to keep in mind. I see people jump in a stationary tractor and raise and lower the loader to demonstrate how fast it works. Better to try the loader with the tractor in motion and having the steering stealing power.

 

[grandpa Love]

I agree with Bruce. We tried 3-4 different old tractors with loaders ,very disappointed. We ended up buying new. Still have a dozen antique tractors,but for loader / pallet fork work it's hard to match a new , modern machine. Zero down,zero interest,low payments, and used for work it's a tax deduction. Only regret, should have bought bigger

 

[NoDakInMN]

"older" covers a lot of ground as a tractor made in 1950 is approaching nearly 75 years old and as others have noted, there have been a lot of advances made over the years. Since "older" also means lower cost, a rough idea of what price range you are looking at would help narrow things down. You also seem to have a rather large range of potential use, with brush hogging and putting in a road. A tractor small enough to be nimble at brush hogging may not be robust enough for road building unless we are talking something like a primitive trail. A regular 50 hp tractor is not going to have a loader that can handle moving much dirt at a time unless you go for some thing more in the industrial line of things, but then that might not be all that great at brush hogging.

 

[WNYBill]

You need 4wd for your FEL to work well. Weight is your friend. Nobody says, wish I'd bought smaller.

 

[Farmall m farmer]

I would recommend a John Deere 4020 4320 4620 they are good tractors with pretty good hydraulics are loader tractor is a 4320 it works good front wheel assist would be nice though

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Buy the tractor with a loader already installed. Don't buy a tractor and think, "I'll just find a loader to put on it." You aren't going to, unless you're willing to travel any distance and spend any amount.

Loader mounting is not universal. Every tractor brand, every series within each brand, and sometimes even from model to model in the same series, is different. Most loaders live and die with the tractors they were originally mounted on. The odds of finding loader X with the mounts for tractor Y locally are slim to none. You'll be in a never-ending loop of finding a random loader, asking "Will this loader fit my tractor?" and being told that with a torch and a welder, anything can be made to fit (in other words, NO).

 

[Blackhole49]

Hey y’all! I’m looking to buy a tractor. It’ll be older, I don’t care how old and needs to have a loader. The main thing is dependability and power. Wanting at least 50 hp. I don’t have a farm but plan on doing things like lot clean up, bush hogging and putting in a road. What do y’all recommend? I’ve seen good things about IH and Fords in the older years. Any feedback is appreciated!!

If it were me, I would be scouring Market Place and Craigslist for a used hydro diesel in the size and color you want. Then buy the best deal you can.

 

[used red MN]

I would recommend a John Deere 4020 4320 4620 they are good tractors with pretty good hydraulics are loader tractor is a 4320 it works good front wheel assist would be nice though

In my opinion recommending a JD4020 as an economical option for a first tractor is not really a number one in this situation. They are overpriced simply due to their popularity. The 43 & (45), 46 suggested are good recommendations.
Yes a 4020 is a great tractor, built solid, time proven and historically holds its value well just not one I would recommend in this situation due to overpricing.
Ricky1, welcome to YT!
Others may have also said this. To give you an answer that is pertinent to your situation you need to give us a budget number you are working within.

 

[caterpillar guy]

A lot will depend on the road building. If it is a from scratch driveway then hire it out for the one time deal and let them with the proper equipment do it and save your loader. If just back blading the rough spots off the top of a drive or trail then by all means it will work for that. We have dozers and a tractor with loader and doing much digging is abuse to a farm type loader dirt needs power and weight with the strength to handle the job which a loader on a farm tractor is not. Now for being able to get around in less than good conditions you will want and or need MFWD (mechanical front wheel drive) this will make the tractor a much more practical machine if wet and muddy or in snow. Nothing is good on ice. Older tractors older than the late 80's will find you not having much for MFWD on them. If you don't believe us got rent one then come back and tell us about it. My brother has a 2940 with the MFWD and a loader it is a nice unit. Dad has a 574 with 2WD and sucks if it is wet or deep snow. Some of this has been over come with a lot and I mean a lot of weight added to the rear for counter balance to hold the rear down and balance out the weight. So now 50 HP tractor is on the small side for much loader work and I never heard anybody say they wanted a smaller tractor thiers was to big. As for the bush hogging 50 will work fine. Go drive some around at dealers and see how they maneuver and handle in a tight place. Also Bruce is right about the lesser hydraulics on a lot of the older tractors. You will also find you will want power steering live or independent PTO Live hydraulics .Live meaning when you push the clutch this all stays working instead of stopping when the clutch is disengaged. Loader put a tremendous amount of load on the front end so power steering almost becomes a necessary thing to steer. Now if you can't spin a wrench on things go buy the new one and save the work and frustration till you get more friendly with equipment. IT is expensive to fix and is always in need of something.

 

[DeltaRed]

There are a multitude of good tractors out there. 40HP+/-would be perfect. Something from the late1960s/early '70s. They will have power steering,live hydralics and other modern features. Ford;Massey;International;JohnDeere,others all have good models that would serve you well.As said,find a tractor with the loader already mounted.Look at overall condition. And importantly,a local dealer. Wont do much good if your closest dealer is 300 miles away. As a 'newby',you WILL need them for parts,service. And advice.Look around.Find a tractor that will work and post back.Best of luck. Steve.

 

[jwal10]

A lot of good thoughts so far. What is your budget? How old do you want? You want a loader, I would go 1/2 the age and double the budget unless you ARE wanting a project to work on. I would suggest an industrial tractor with a loader on it. You also need PTO and 3pt for what you are wanting to do. Ford, Massey and IH made acceptable units but know some IHC made by Dresser, after being sold off, have NLA parts but than all OLD tractors do. We don't know how much work you have to do or how quick you want to do it. I had lots of time, wanted to spend time doing it so I got an 850 JD (Yanmar) 4x4. I have built ponds, dug house foundations, cleared land, planted hay fields and worked a lot of garden plots....James

 

[ss55]

Hey y’all! I’m looking to buy a tractor. It’ll be older, I don’t care how old and needs to have a loader. The main thing is dependability and power. Wanting at least 50 hp. I don’t have a farm but plan on doing things like lot clean up, bush hogging and putting in a road. What do y’all recommend? I’ve seen good things about IH and Fords in the older years. Any feedback is appreciated!!

Road building? Using a farm tractor with a loader as a bull dozer is a sure way to have expensive break downs, especially on older equipment. Consider hiring a road grader with an experienced operator to build driveways and field drives and other one time projects, that will have a better outcome and be less expensive in the long run.

Older units often split hydraulic hoses as soon as they are pushed to their capacity. Condition of the machine is important. I would budget at least $5,000 for any 60 year old ready to use tractor and loader combo and go up in price from there.

 

[Ricky1]

Stay away from the Ford select o speed

I recommend that when looking for a tractor with a loader you determine what the hydraulic pump capacity of the tractor is. Early tractors could have very low capacity pumps. Tractors designed for field use operations that had loaders added to them can be disappointing. Because a hydraulic system with a 8-10 gallon per minute pump will be suitable to raise a hydraulic lift on a plough or cultivator, it will be very slow and weak on a front end loader. I recommend that the tractor you are looking for should have a hydraulic system with hydraulic capacity of 12-20 gallons per minute. Also keeping in mind most power steering is operated from the hydraulic system using a priority valve . So the power going to lift the loader is diminished if the steering is pulling 3 gallons per minute. That said if the tractor has a 9 gallon pump and the steering takes 3 gallons, the loader is now working off of 6 gallons. Just something to keep in mind. I see people jump in a stationary tractor and raise and lower the loader to demonstrate how fast it works. Better to try the loader with the tractor in motion and having the steering stealing power.

Thanks man

 

[Ricky1]

Buy the tractor with a loader already installed. Don't buy a tractor and think, "I'll just find a loader to put on it." You aren't going to, unless you're willing to travel any distance and spend any amount.

Loader mounting is not universal. Every tractor brand, every series within each brand, and sometimes even from model to model in the same series, is different. Most loaders live and die with the tractors they were originally mounted on. The odds of finding loader X with the mounts for tractor Y locally are slim to none. You'll be in a never-ending loop of finding a random loader, asking "Will this loader fit my tractor?" and being told that with a torch and a welder, anything can be made to fit (in other words, NO).

Not to mention loaders cost as much as a tractor with a loader.

 

[Ricky1]

If it were me, I would be scouring Market Place and Craigslist for a used hydro diesel in the size and color you want. Then buy the best deal you can.

That’s what I been doing lol