1 tractor rest of forever -- what brand?

[rScotty]

To last forever, it has to be simple but convenient. Simple things last, but there is no since in having one so simple it is a pain to operate - or so complex that a failure cannot be fixed by any mechanic.

So I'd say my forever tractor is any well known make & mode with these check offs:
30 to 60 hp, independent injection diesel, power shift "clutchless" transmission, Cat 1/II 3pt with draft control, open center hydraulics, power steering, 2 or 4wd is OK, no special emissions equipment, adjustable rear wheel width, nicely sized SSQA loader, independent PTO. There were a lot like that.

Things I would like to see, but don't expect: remote hydrauics, creeper gears, and an air suspension seat.
A cab or canopy.. or not... is personal preference.

Just about any utility tractor from 1980 to 2012/14 (pre-Tier IV emissions control) willnall fit that list of things I want. Some were more popular than others, but that was a time when they tended to be made to last and be serviceable. Tractors of that era were not aimed at homeowers, competition between brands was based around how long they lasted in the hands of people who made their living with them everyday.

rScotty

 

[WranglerX]

One WITHOUT a computer.....

 

[Yander]

Yanmar YT359

Hey everyone. I’m new to the forum but have been lurking for a while. I recently purchased a YT359 and now I want to sell it. It is a GREAT tractor. However, the dealer I purchased from (ARDCO Equipment in New Iberia, LA) is no longer a Yanmar dealer. They helped me out with a little issue I had...

www.tractorbynet.com

Looks you are in Louisiana and this tractor is also. This is what you need!

 

[rScotty]

One WITHOUT a computer.....

If I was forced to just draw one line, that would be it.

But that line is for a tractor to last forever, because tractors computers do run pretty well - just not forever.
We have two tractors with computers. We like them both, and have only had to replace the computer in one of them.

 

[ultrarunner]

Some of the big operations around here no longer buy tractors and have found advantageous to lease... this way it's someone else's issue...

 

[Sid Post]

JD & Kubota make great compacts, but I’d take a look at Massey Ferguson before you sign on the dotted line.

The Massey's are often overlooked. My new tractor is a Massey and I am super pleased with it. A 260x series Massey is a ton of tractor for small operations at a good price with proven tech.

Personally, I would avoid John Deere today. They have gone all corporate and don't support small operators very well today IMHO. Locally, the JD conglomerate goes from mediocre to terrible support depending on the branch.

I was burned pretty hard by Kubota during COVID so, I'm not buying any more of their tractors. $642 shipping for a $63 part for my L-4600. My last trip for parts was for a PTO shaft for the mid-mount mower deck of my B-2601. The quote was over $2,000 for the PTO shaft alone while an entire mower was only $3200!

I was in the market for a Kubota M5-111 but, bought my nicer Massey with a superior loader and transmission for $20K less. Having owned it for nearly a year, I am tickled to be in a RED tractor today and away from the Kubota dealer for this Ag tractor.

 

[Sid Post]

Your local situation is really important.

Our nearest JD dealer is worthless. The Kubota, a little less so. Part of it is they rest on their laurels because so many people think they are better. Customer service is non-existent for small operations.

Remember, the high prices you pay up front are going to apply to parts and repairs, too. That's great if money isn't an issue.

If everything, except tractor features and quality were equal, I would get Yanmar. Their biggest HP is 59, so that may not work.

TYM makes a lot of tractor for the money and they are built really well for the price. I'd take a TYM over JD or Kubota in a mid-size tractor today. Branson/TYM/Kukje all merged together today so, future dealer support should be pretty strong overall into the future.

Yanmar is fairly attractive to me but, the nearest volume dealer is ~300 miles away. An hour drive each way is pretty much my limit for dealer support so, it would have to be something special to get me to 2 hours or more each way.

 

[sd455dan]

TYM makes a lot of tractor for the money and they are built really well for the price. I'd take a TYM over JD or Kubota in a mid-size tractor today. Branson/TYM/Kukje all merged together today so, future dealer support should be pretty strong overall into the future.

Yanmar is fairly attractive to me but, the nearest volume dealer is ~300 miles away. An hour drive each way is pretty much my limit for dealer support so, it would have to be something special to get me to 2 hours or more each way.

I doubt Flyinghigh or his dad feels that way concerning the TYM they bought, in fact I bet he wishes they could have the decade old Branson back that was traded in.

 

[billknecht]

The Massey's are often overlooked. My new tractor is a Massey and I am super pleased with it. A 260x series Massey is a ton of tractor for small operations at a good price with proven tech.

Personally, I would avoid John Deere today. They have gone all corporate and don't support small operators very well today IMHO. Locally, the JD conglomerate goes from mediocre to terrible support depending on the branch.

I was burned pretty hard by Kubota during COVID so, I'm not buying any more of their tractors. $642 shipping for a $63 part for my L-4600. My last trip for parts was for a PTO shaft for the mid-mount mower deck of my B-2601. The quote was over $2,000 for the PTO shaft alone while an entire mower was only $3200!

I was in the market for a Kubota M5-111 but, bought my nicer Massey with a superior loader and transmission for $20K less. Having owned it for nearly a year, I am tickled to be in a RED tractor today and away from the Kubota dealer for this Ag tractor.

That's astonishing ! Any more of that, and their sales are going to crash, fast and hard. That's highway robbery, no other way to put it.

(Disclaimer: I still use a 1971 MF135 for most of my work, mowing and brushhogging).

 

[Sid Post]

I doubt Flyinghigh or his dad feels that way concerning the TYM they bought, in fact I bet he wishes they could have the decade old Branson back that was traded in.

The only issue I am aware of around here locally is emissions related with people not allowing the Regen to happen and clogging up the works. Take the regen canister out, let it soak in a bucket of gasoline for a couple of days, blow it out, and do a Regen and things went back to normal.

Their unbranded Cummins engines are really good too.

TYM and similar tractors bought by people who don't know how to run or maintain them reasonably are the biggest black eye with them. Just because you have a lot of money doesn't mean you have a clue about running or maintaining a tractor.

Tractors treated like a Microwave or Toaster are going to have problems that are really beyond the manufacturer's control. If you prevent the Regen until the exhaust is blocked by carbon and the tractor breaks the starter motor due to stress (better a starter then piston rings or the valvetrain), how is that the tractor fault?

Or putting motor oil in the hydraulic system or using 0W-20W for your car in the engine?