$5000, what is the best used?

[thesmackdown]

I have been given $5k to spend on a tractor by some family members.

I have 40 acres and currently have 13 acres in woods and the rest in pasture.

It's pretty flat ground...except the driveway

I would use it for wood cutting and eventually bale moving (we plan on adding beef next year).

I would use it for various other jobs. Driveway maintenance, post holes, wood chipping for bedding, etc.

Loader would be great also.

Friend of mine has an 8N on a similar situation and that seems to work well for them.

Any chance of finding 4WD at this price?

Thanks!

Evan

 

[Verticaltrx]

For that kind of money you'll be looking at older 2wd tractors, or maybe the occasional 4wd compact from the 80's-90's. Doubt you'll find much with a loader that would be worthwhile.

I'd look for something from the 60's-70's in the 40 PTO hp range, 2wd utility tractor. Deere, IH, Ford, Allis-chalmers, Case, etc If you know what to look for (have someone with plenty of tractor/mechanical knowledge go with you), you can often find something pretty decent for that price range. The Deeres of that vintage will often be fairly expensive, but also look for an IH or Ford, they were great tractors without as high of resale value. You want something with power steering, live PTO, decent hydraulics and preferably a synchronized transmission.

If you don't mind a smaller tractor, then there are some 25-35hp 4wd compacts for sale that are from the late 80's to early 90's in that price range. With that said, you'll probably only find ones without loaders for that price. Not having a loader really brings the resale value down on compact tractors. Most won't be nearly as powerful as the modern compact tractors, but should handle a 4-5' bush hog fairly well. I just saw a L2550 4wd Kubota for sale for $4500, low hours, about early 90's vintage. They were about 27hp IIRC and 4wd.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I'm a bargain hunter if there ever was one.... When I think of SPENDING $5000, I'm hoping to find a "$6000+ tractor" for 5 grand. And I also don't want a tractor under 40hp (pto....the only REAL way to rate hp)

So....following my criteria..........no 4wd's....Nothing "new"....Unless it's slap worn out....

Gotta go back in time a bit. IMHO, tractors from the 60's 70's and even early 80's are a better choice as an older used tractor than the newer (but still well used) models. Less "technology" to go wrong.....Plus, from my experience, tractors of ALL brands from mid 80's through late 90's had "quality issues" as the production shifted overseas. Once they got a handle on building tractors in the Orient, quality improved a bit. But in general, 80's and 90's weren't the "glory years" for imports. (There are a few exceptions, albeit rare)

For $5000, you can get a number of tractors that'll work an 8N into the ground....Not that N's were "bad tractors", they're not. Just a little under powered, out dated, and less than capable compared to many other possibilities. N's sell in the $1800 and under range around here. You get what you pay for....

So.....With your budget balanced against "what's out there"..... I'd suggest looking for the best example of a handful of these models.

My personal favorite(s) commonly found $5000 and under;

Massey Ferguson 35/50/65/135/150/165/240/245/250/255

Ford 3000/3600/4000/4600

John Deere 820/830/1020/1520/1530/2020 (Not many JD's under $5000 without going WAY back in time)

IH 444/454/574

I've owned just about all of those on my list at one point or another. Without question, the most reliable, best all around tractor I've ever been on (regardless of size/cost/year) has been my Massey Ferguson 150. The Perkins AD3-152 diesel is a frugal with fuel as any tractor I know of to this day. Good power, good balance, handy size, and rugged reliability, it's been the single best piece of equipment I've ever owned. They'll sell for under $4000 in average condition, and I've seen some mint 150's in the $5000 to $5500 range. At one point, I owned a Ford 3000 and an IH 454 at the same time as my MF150. The Massey would work circles around either and do it on less fuel. The 150 is everything good about a MF135 and a bunch more. After 40+ years of service, my 150 is STILL my "go to" tractor, even with 16 other tractors in my inventory. (13 of those are NEWER tractors too)

Of course, you could go with a much smaller tractor of newer age....Just NOT something I'd be interested in. BTDT...Got a little Kubota that I find just about useless.

 

[TripleR]

Pretty much what Verticaltrx said, you can get some decent prices on the Fords, Massey Fergusons, Case in 2WD. We bought a 60's Case 995 years ago and my brothers are still using it. I see MF 135-165 occasionally as well as Ford 3000-4000-5000 Series.

You just about have to get someone to check it out to keep from getting stuck with someone else s problems. My brother started out as a tractor mechanic the cars/trucks now industrial, so we have bought them with problems and fixed them up.

Of course you will need to factor in the cost of equipment, but it can be done. They may not look pretty, but you can always paint them later if that's important to you. We have brown primer on one of our Ford 600s; kinda getting use to it.

 

[flusher]

I have been given $5k to spend on a tractor by some family members.

I have 40 acres and currently have 13 acres in woods and the rest in pasture.

It's pretty flat ground...except the driveway

I would use it for wood cutting and eventually bale moving (we plan on adding beef next year).

I would use it for various other jobs. Driveway maintenance, post holes, wood chipping for bedding, etc.

Loader would be great also.

Friend of mine has an 8N on a similar situation and that seems to work well for them.

Any chance of finding 4WD at this price?

Thanks!

Evan

I bought a 1964 MF135 diesel deluxe with multipower in July06 for $3600 (no FEL). It's a 2WD tractor, 45 hp engine, 37 hp pto with the Perkins diesel, an engine with a very good reputation. About 4600 hours showing on the meter.

To get a tractor with a loader for $5K you'll have to drop down to the 15-25 hp range and get something like a 1980s vintage Yanmar. That's a little small for your needs IMHO.

Good luck

 

[foreman Etexas]

1978 MASSEY-FERGUSON 265 US $4,950 MI
Stk #: 6212; 999 Hours; 60 hp; 2WD Drive; Massey Ferguson 265,3 pt,pto,p/s.,starts and runs good,Perkins A4236 Diesel;


My pick!!!

 

[thesmackdown]

I'm a bargain hunter if there ever was one.... When I think of SPENDING $5000, I'm hoping to find a "$6000+ tractor" for 5 grand. And I also don't want a tractor under 40hp (pto....the only REAL way to rate hp)

So....following my criteria..........no 4wd's....Nothing "new"....Unless it's slap worn out....

Gotta go back in time a bit. IMHO, tractors from the 60's 70's and even early 80's are a better choice as an older used tractor than the newer (but still well used) models. Less "technology" to go wrong.....Plus, from my experience, tractors of ALL brands from mid 80's through late 90's had "quality issues" as the production shifted overseas. Once they got a handle on building tractors in the Orient, quality improved a bit. But in general, 80's and 90's weren't the "glory years" for imports. (There are a few exceptions, albeit rare)

For $5000, you can get a number of tractors that'll work an 8N into the ground....Not that N's were "bad tractors", they're not. Just a little under powered, out dated, and less than capable compared to many other possibilities. N's sell in the $1800 and under range around here. You get what you pay for....

So.....With your budget balanced against "what's out there"..... I'd suggest looking for the best example of a handful of these models.

My personal favorite(s) commonly found $5000 and under;

Massey Ferguson 35/50/65/135/150/165/240/245/250/255

Ford 3000/3600/4000/4600

John Deere 820/830/1020/1520/1530/2020 (Not many JD's under $5000 without going WAY back in time)

IH 444/454/574

I've owned just about all of those on my list at one point or another. Without question, the most reliable, best all around tractor I've ever been on (regardless of size/cost/year) has been my Massey Ferguson 150. The Perkins AD3-152 diesel is a frugal with fuel as any tractor I know of to this day. Good power, good balance, handy size, and rugged reliability, it's been the single best piece of equipment I've ever owned. They'll sell for under $4000 in average condition, and I've seen some mint 150's in the $5000 to $5500 range. At one point, I owned a Ford 3000 and an IH 454 at the same time as my MF150. The Massey would work circles around either and do it on less fuel. The 150 is everything good about a MF135 and a bunch more. After 40+ years of service, my 150 is STILL my "go to" tractor, even with 16 other tractors in my inventory. (13 of those are NEWER tractors too)

Of course, you could go with a much smaller tractor of newer age....Just NOT something I'd be interested in. BTDT...Got a little Kubota that I find just about useless.

Exactly what I was looking for. I do like old equipment...I am rocking a 1979 GMC pickup still. Easy to repair.

 

[Soundguy]

4wd on a 5K budget? Yes.. if you get a jap or chinese SCUT... which I would not reccomend for that size property.. at least not as my only tractor.

If I could only buy 1 tractor and 5K$ was my budget.. I'd get a older ford.. say an 860/860 / 4000 any of the 4 cyl iterations of the 8XX and up.. or any of the 3 cyl models up to a 4600 will likely be availoable running for 5000$.. the later models can get you into a diffy lock for the rear..etc.

If this is your entire budget for mower and items.. stick to the prior ford models or lower models.. like 8xx thru 3XXX and grab a 5 or 6' mower to go with it.

ps.. I'm mostly a ford guy.. so yeah.. I'm reccomending ford. There are near identical 'ferguson' and MF models to the ones I'm mentioning that will serve well to.. 35/135/150 etc..

soundguy

I have been given $5k to spend on a tractor by some family members.

I have 40 acres and currently have 13 acres in woods and the rest in pasture.

It's pretty flat ground...except the driveway

I would use it for wood cutting and eventually bale moving (we plan on adding beef next year).

I would use it for various other jobs. Driveway maintenance, post holes, wood chipping for bedding, etc.

Loader would be great also.

Friend of mine has an 8N on a similar situation and that seems to work well for them.

Any chance of finding 4WD at this price?

Thanks!

Evan

 

[Khiggins]

Farmwithjunk, I am also in mount washington and am probably going to purchase a new John Deere but I have found a 1982 ford 2610 with a bushhog with about 1800 hours here local, any thought on what would be a good price on that? In other words what are they going for and what would be a good deal and i guess for that matter is that a good model? Thanks

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Farmwithjunk, I am also in mount washington and am probably going to purchase a new John Deere but I have found a 1982 ford 2610 with a bushhog with about 1800 hours here local, any thought on what would be a good price on that? In other words what are they going for and what would be a good deal and i guess for that matter is that a good model? Thanks

Howdy neighbor!


I saw a VERY rough one sell a few months ago (at a consignment sale) It brought $2900. It ran, but had to be winched on to the trailer. They seem to be a fairly popular tractor.

By the way, you don't happen to do scale farm toys do you? Seems like I heard of someone from Mt Washington by the name of Higgins who does them.