Buying Advice Bought a farm, looking for a tractor...and help choosing!

Soundguy · May 18, 2011

a tlb for 4500$ , if in good condition is a steal.. but you won't be mowing with it..

soundguy

Farmwithjunk · May 18, 2011

Soundguy said:
a tlb for 4500$ , if in good condition is a steal..

soundguy

9 times in 10 yes..... A friend (who doesn't have a lot of experience with tractors) bought a Cat back hoe last week, and called me to take a look at it and give my opinion.

Needless to say, my buddy wasn't too thrilled when I told him to NEVER buy a back hoe that's spent 10 years on a rental fleet w/a hoe ram on it....

There isn't a part on that thing that isn't slap worn out.

DAY · May 18, 2011

I agree with Farmwithjunk- since that's pretty much what I do!
My Yella Fella spent the last 25 years on the same farm (different owners) and it is great to "putter around the Ponderosa". But I would never put it through an 8 hour day digging trenches and filling dump trucks.

A well-used township 5 ton with plow may be retired from service, but it still can haul the occasional load of stone, and clear the driveway. Put your "Big Money" into a newer tractor.

Soundguy · May 18, 2011

yep.. that's what I said good condition.

every tlb I've looked at in the last few years that was under 10k$ was a worn out beater.

if you could find a 'sunday driver'

for 4500$ and not wore out.. it'd be good

soundguy

Farmwithjunk · May 18, 2011

Soundguy said:
yep.. that's what I said good condition.

every tlb I've looked at in the last few years that was under 10k$ was a worn out beater.

if you could find a 'sunday driver' for 4500$ and not wore out.. it'd be good

soundguy

I lucked into a deal on the Case 580Super M I have. The contractor I used to work for was trading in 5 of them. (on new Cats) The Cat dealer didn't want all 5 trades, and I knew one in particular never got used for any serious digging or hard work. I was allowed to buy one directly from my former employer @ the trade value, then take most of the cost out of my accumulated vacation time. Ended up I had to write a check for the balance, which was less than $2500.

So far, all I've done with it in a year is pushing some snow, and using the back hoe to shove t-post's in the ground when building a fence. Nice knowing it's sitting there if I need it though.

curdy · May 18, 2011

Any thoughts on the Deere 2040? Price looks decent in comparison to other machines listed online, but I rarely offer what people are asking. In the limited research I could do, seems that a '76 less desirable than the later years that had: more power ('80+), closed center hydraulic system ('77+), top shaft synchronized trans ('80+), independent PTO ('80+), 4x4 ('80+)

Can anyone help bring me up to speed quickly with what to look for in regards to any potential issues? Any thoughts on the closed vs open hydraulics?

Just got off the phone with the seller. It was originally owned by a property maintenance company. He is the 2nd owner and has had it for about 20 yrs. He had a landscaping business and said he used it to load mulch and salt during the winter. He said it hasn't had much use outside of clearing the driveway in the winter in the last 10 yrs due to some health conditions. There's a fuel line that needs to be replaced. He also made mention that it starts up no problem with a shot of ether. I inquired more about this and he said he would do that because it would sit so long between uses. I don't really like the sound of that personally.

He explained that he thought his price was well below what its worth and if he 'restored' it (clean, paint, fix fuel line) he could get $12k for it...but he needs money now. He did let me know he turned down an offer of $3500.

Thoughts?

Soundguy · May 18, 2011

Farmwithjunk said:
I lucked into a deal on the Case 580Super M I have. The contractor I used to work for was trading in 5 of them. (on new Cats) The Cat dealer didn't want all 5 trades, and I knew one in particular never got used for any serious digging or hard work. I was allowed to buy one directly from my former employer @ the trade value, then take most of the cost out of my accumulated vacation time. Ended up I had to write a check for the balance, which was less than $2500.

So far, all I've done with it in a year is pushing some snow, and using the back hoe to shove t-post's in the ground when building a fence. Nice knowing it's sitting there if I need it though.

super sweet deal!

for a backhoe I've only got this woods BH6500 3pt job that I made a subframe for mounted on a ford 850 with a ford 711 1-arm hyd laoder. works.. but it ain't a true TLB

soundguy

curdy · May 19, 2011

Went to look at the tractor today and agreed to buy it. I should be picking it up this weekend hopefully. I've waited a long time to have my own farm tractor. Thanks for all of the help everyone!

bigbull338 · May 20, 2011

tell us about the tractor your buying.

curdy · May 20, 2011

Needs some clean up, a fuel line replaced, and a new battery. There was a hole in the muffler, so maybe I would consider replacing that...or patching if that's an acceptable fix. Seat padding is gone, but for now suits my needs. 3pt lift worked good, but needs a top link as its missing. FEL worked well and the bucket was nice and solid with no thin spots. PTO looked to work well too. I ran it in every gear and each worked well. Power steering worked well also. Tires looked good. 3pt worked well also. Engine ran good. Brakes were good, but I didn't really test them that hard.

All in all, I think its going to be just what I need.