How things have changed

[SkipperII]

Recently I have seen many comments of how useless a loader tractor is, without 4 wheel drive. Frankly, I don't believe I ever saw a 4 wheel drive, farm loader tractor, prior to about 1975. I saw a lot of N series Fords, TO series Fergusons, H&M Farmalls, many with what I call waterpipe manure loaders. They dug ponds, dug out for house foundations, loaded gravel, lifted engines out of cars and trucks, plowed snow, hung animals for butchering. Many, like my dad, and I'm sure many senior members on here, were absolute magicians, with what they could do with those old two wheel drive loaders. It just took a little longer, and a lot more thought. Now; I have to agree, if I needed a loader tractor, it would be 4 wheel drive

 

[TheBartman47]

They say you don't miss what you never had... my loader is a trip-lever bucket so the only hydraulic is the main lift, and is on a 1959 JD 730. I have thought about trying to convert it to having a hydraulic dump bucket, but so far nothing I've done with it ever absolutely needed it. At least with the trip-lever, that leaves the secondary hydraulic coupler available for other implements.

 

[Fred Werring]

I have a Massey 398 4WD that is my hay feeding tractor. I can haul hay....and leave the ruts to prove it... where I wouldn't begin to take a 2wd.
It also has one of the worst turning radii ever.

Also have a Ford 5000 2WD with a loader, back tires are loaded. It really amazes me sometimes just what I can do with it. Way more nimble than the Massey, I prefer using it as a loader tractor unless I just have to have the bigger tractor or 4wd.

They both have their place. That said, if I could only have one, it would be 4wd.

 

[Hayfarmer]

I finally have a loader tractor with power steering, that is pretty neat compared to the old JD 430 with #35 loader I inherited from my uncle. 4 wd on loader tractor looks pretty neat but I have seen them get stuck too, especially the small ones. We tend to use what we have to it's limit then pull it out and try to remember how far we can go.

 

[rrlund]

I hear you. Here's my 4 wheel drive and 2 wheel drive doing the same job. I hate it when I have to take that 2 wheel drive out in the mud. I tried to back the cultipacker back I where it had been sitting yesterday after I got the oats in Saturday. All it did was sit there spinning. I remember my first loader utility loader tractor, a Deere 1020. Had two wheel drive, but power steering and hydraulic bucket. I was in seventh heaven. It amazes me now that I did as much as I did with that tractor.

 

[paul]

Dad did a lot with the Farmall H, narrow front, no live hyd, no power steering, rope trip, one way hyd lift loader.

Manure teeth bucket, heavy plate pinned over it for dirt and snow work, was maybe half the width of the tractor?

That thing loaded a lot of manure in its day, dad had up to 60 steers back in the day, the bed pack pile was pretty big by august when the neighborhood manure week came around, 4 neighbors would haul manure pack at each farm.

I ran it quite a bit myself.

Two concrete home made wheel weights, and a framework that slipped over the hitch and held another cement wheel weight and 2 typical IHC wheel weights cantilevered out back.

Loader tractors were longer wheel base for their capacity back then, and we weighted them much better.

I bought a NH 1720 to replace it, very nimble and the 4wd is great, but it came used without any rear weight it wasn’t stable with an empty loader it scared the heck out of me until I got the rear tires loaded. Don’t know how folk can use the newer small loaders without proper ballast. The old H even as a narrow front was very stable, longer wheel base and weighted right.

Paul

 

[Russ from MN]

When I was young, in the 50's my dad bought a Farmall M with Johnson loader for loading pulpwood, and since most logging was done in the winter it had chains on it and a big weight box on the back. The landings were usually packed snow or ice, so it was always slippery. Then in the 60's he bought his first hydraulic pulpwood loader, and ended up using it to load manure with, as it worked much better than a front-end loader in a muddy barnyard. He kept the Farmall and loader for the rest of his life, 30 more years, it was a handy machine

 

[maqbill]

They say you don't miss what you never had... my loader is a trip-lever bucket so the only hydraulic is the main lift, and is on a 1959 JD 730. I have thought about trying to convert it to having a hydraulic dump bucket, but so far nothing I've done with it ever absolutely needed it. At least with the trip-lever, that leaves the secondary hydraulic coupler available for other implements.

Wow, that fancy new stuff, mine was on an A.

 

[37chief]

Recently I have seen many comments of how useless a loader tractor is, without 4 wheel drive. Frankly, I don't believe I ever saw a 4 wheel drive, farm loader tractor, prior to about 1975. I saw a lot of N series Fords, TO series Fergusons, H&M Farmalls, many with what I call waterpipe manure loaders. They dug ponds, dug out for house foundations, loaded gravel, lifted engines out of cars and trucks, plowed snow, hung animals for butchering. Many, like my dad, and I'm sure many senior members on here, were absolute magicians, with what they could do with those old two wheel drive loaders. It just took a little longer, and a lot more thought. Now; I have to agree, if I needed a loader tractor, it would be 4 wheel drive

One tractor that was never on the place. I guess There was never a good deal on one, or we would have had one. As for lifting I have a forklift. Stan

 

[Wdj]

Sure, 4 wd is the best. But I went most of my life without any loader. Used to come up with all kinds of ways to lift and load. Became a world class shovel and pitchfork man. Finally got a loader on the mf165 a few years ago. My life is SO much better. Thankful every time I use it! Maybe someday I'll be able to swing a 4wd but in the meantime I'm quite satisfied. Downside is, if something weighs more than 80 lbs or so I'll fire up the tractor so I think it's probably making me weak...

 

[RBnWA]

I grew up on a Oliver 77 with a new idea loader with a trip bucket and no power steering. The good ole days. RB

 

[Not db4600]

I grew up on an Oliver 77 with a new idea loader with a trip bucket and no power steering. The good ole days. RB

Started on a Super 55D w/ an all hydraulic loader Pa modified to fit. We graduated to a Ford 4600. The Ford fit in the steer barn to clean out. I don’t think there were many FWA in that size in any manufacturer’s line up. And if there was they were likely cost prohibitive.

The neighbor had a JD 60 w/ a trip bucket. WOW, you were busy on that platform. Another had a JD 1520 w/ 46. Another had an IH 460 with a Schwartz. What a contrast! Yet another neighbor went away from FEL because he had tried an IH utility, but had a propensity to break axles. He had a Bobcat. It had foot controls.

In those days I was happy to have a 2 wheel loader tractor to load out the back end because I forked enough out the front end.

 

[ss55]

Recently I have seen many comments of how useless a loader tractor is, without 4 wheel drive. Frankly, I don't believe I ever saw a 4 wheel drive, farm loader tractor, prior to about 1975. I saw a lot of N series Fords, TO series Fergusons, H&M Farmalls, many with what I call waterpipe manure loaders. They dug ponds, dug out for house foundations, loaded gravel, lifted engines out of cars and trucks, plowed snow, hung animals for butchering. Many, like my dad, and I'm sure many senior members on here, were absolute magicians, with what they could do with those old two wheel drive loaders. It just took a little longer, and a lot more thought. Now; I have to agree, if I needed a loader tractor, it would be 4 wheel drive

Its all a matter of what you are used to, what is available, and what you are willing to put up with. For thousands of years the only implements people had to farm with were sharp sticks. For hobbyists speed, efficiency, and economy of scale don't matter, for a business they do.

 

[John in MD]

In the late 60's I got a Farmall C with a trip bucket loader, thought I had it made "no more wheel barrel for me". Dad's big tractor was an AC WD45. He couldn't believe I had bought a C with a loader, why do you need a loader, never had one before. Two weeks later you couldn't keep him off it.

 

[showcrop]

It is amazing how quickly 2WD tractors became useless just a few years after FWA tractors gained a little popularity.

 

[Fred Werring]

It is amazing how quickly 2WD tractors became useless just a few years after FWA tractors gained a little popularity.

Kinda like pickup trucks.
50 years ago 4wd was not that common.
Now....

 

[Texasmark]

"........many with what I call waterpipe manure loaders."
They weren't "water pipe".....they were "hydraulic fluid storage" pipe manure loaders.....had a Ford 4 cyl 4000.

 

[Rich'sToys]

I still have a Minneapolis Moline UB with no cab, no power steering with a Freeman loader on it that has one way hydraulics and a manual trip bucket. I've posted pictures of it on here before. It's my main snow removal tool.

 

[stoughtonfarmboy]

Dad did a lot with the Farmall H, narrow front, no live hyd, no power steering, rope trip, one way hyd lift loader.

Manure teeth bucket, heavy plate pinned over it for dirt and snow work, was maybe half the width of the tractor?

That thing loaded a lot of manure in its day, dad had up to 60 steers back in the day, the bed pack pile was pretty big by august when the neighborhood manure week came around, 4 neighbors would haul manure pack at each farm.

I ran it quite a bit myself.

Two concrete home made wheel weights, and a framework that slipped over the hitch and held another cement wheel weight and 2 typical IHC wheel weights cantilevered out back.

Loader tractors were longer wheel base for their capacity back then, and we weighted them much better.

I bought a NH 1720 to replace it, very nimble and the 4wd is great, but it came used without any rear weight it wasn’t stable with an empty loader it scared the heck out of me until I got the rear tires loaded. Don’t know how folk can use the newer small loaders without proper ballast. The old H even as a narrow front was very stable, longer wheel base and weighted right.

Paul

The dairy farmer I worked for in high school had to take the muffler off the Allis Chalmers D14 I used to clean the manure/straw pack in the "old barn" where we housed the young stock. Couldn't fit through the door or under the beams with muffler on.
Of course, they hadn't invented ear protection yet back then.

Ken

 

[da.bees]

I've seen tractors set without selling until seller put a rotary cutter on it. Now buyers ask about fel before hours or if it smokes. From looking at a dealer lot one might think tractors these days are born with loaders.