robpm
Silver Member
This whole thread is a very interesting read. I am like the one who posted about his JD 790 and that he owns 2 of them, unless the one he loaned out gets squatters rights! I own a JD 990 with a 300CX FEL and an 8B BH. Of course this tractor is 100% Yanmar. The 8B BH is 100% US made and the 300CX is 100% made in China. I grew up with my dad's Massey Ferguson and his Industrial IH 300 we bought used. They were all collar shift so that is what I was used to. We even changed the clutch on the IH 300 ourselves.
Talk about bullet proof. My 990 is bullet proof. I second the point of the person with the 790 who posted about about not needing dealer help. At least at this time. I bought the 990 used with 75 hours on it back in 2012. It was bought new by the original owner in 2005. When I bought it, it cost me $25k. If I would have bought it new then as configured it would have been $35k. Then JD changed the model # of the 990 to 4005 and the 790 to 3005. I once stopped into a Kubota dealer several years before me buying the 990 and he said he wished that Kubota would use Yanmar diesel engines because they just sip fuel. That is the truth with my 990. I like that it is simple and straight forward and it is easy to work on. I do all my own maintenance. The bucket on the FEL is 72" wide and the tractor is just under that for its width. It has plenty of power and if it could keep traction I think it would climb a tree. In first gear Low the thing just creaps and you cant stop it. The 4WD is superb when you need the traction.
So I echo what many have said, older tractors without computers and without the communistic EPA regulations on them would be my go to for a forever tractor. by the way I am in my 64th year. The ability to get parts is important if you need them because if they no longer produce them then that forever tractor becomes a huge paperweight. If you need to have it worked on because it is outside your scope of capabilities when it comes to some specific repair then I can see where a good dealer would be important. However I would ask if you know a good mechanic who with the ability to get parts and a complete service and parts manual would be able to work on the tractor for you. In that case you do not need a dealer, just some mechanic who knows what they are doing and knows their way around a diesel engine and hydraulics.
As a final note the things I wish my 990 had or could do better are the following:
A better lift capability on the FEL. It only has a lift of around 1600 lbs. I would love it if it could handle over 2000 lbs. I would love it if it had a 12 speed shuttle shift transmission. I am not a lover of a hydrostatic drive. My neighbor has a Kubota BX and I can hear the thing coming a mile away. I would rather have gears. I also wish my 8B BH had more hydraulic power as well. We have some pretty big bolders where I live and it can be real challenging at times to move these out of the way when digging. In addition I wish I could still get certain parts for 8B which they made. They are no longer made for it. So in that case I wish the manufacturer would at least sell me the original drawings so that I could have certain parts made.
Besides these points I am very thankful for my bullet proof 990. It runs like a top and starts every time even in the coldest of temps in the middle of winter!
Talk about bullet proof. My 990 is bullet proof. I second the point of the person with the 790 who posted about about not needing dealer help. At least at this time. I bought the 990 used with 75 hours on it back in 2012. It was bought new by the original owner in 2005. When I bought it, it cost me $25k. If I would have bought it new then as configured it would have been $35k. Then JD changed the model # of the 990 to 4005 and the 790 to 3005. I once stopped into a Kubota dealer several years before me buying the 990 and he said he wished that Kubota would use Yanmar diesel engines because they just sip fuel. That is the truth with my 990. I like that it is simple and straight forward and it is easy to work on. I do all my own maintenance. The bucket on the FEL is 72" wide and the tractor is just under that for its width. It has plenty of power and if it could keep traction I think it would climb a tree. In first gear Low the thing just creaps and you cant stop it. The 4WD is superb when you need the traction.
So I echo what many have said, older tractors without computers and without the communistic EPA regulations on them would be my go to for a forever tractor. by the way I am in my 64th year. The ability to get parts is important if you need them because if they no longer produce them then that forever tractor becomes a huge paperweight. If you need to have it worked on because it is outside your scope of capabilities when it comes to some specific repair then I can see where a good dealer would be important. However I would ask if you know a good mechanic who with the ability to get parts and a complete service and parts manual would be able to work on the tractor for you. In that case you do not need a dealer, just some mechanic who knows what they are doing and knows their way around a diesel engine and hydraulics.
As a final note the things I wish my 990 had or could do better are the following:
A better lift capability on the FEL. It only has a lift of around 1600 lbs. I would love it if it could handle over 2000 lbs. I would love it if it had a 12 speed shuttle shift transmission. I am not a lover of a hydrostatic drive. My neighbor has a Kubota BX and I can hear the thing coming a mile away. I would rather have gears. I also wish my 8B BH had more hydraulic power as well. We have some pretty big bolders where I live and it can be real challenging at times to move these out of the way when digging. In addition I wish I could still get certain parts for 8B which they made. They are no longer made for it. So in that case I wish the manufacturer would at least sell me the original drawings so that I could have certain parts made.
Besides these points I am very thankful for my bullet proof 990. It runs like a top and starts every time even in the coldest of temps in the middle of winter!