790

[HRS]

Well, we have had a rather soggy morning here, so I took a little ride instead of sitting in front of the T.V. There's this new Deere dealer about 10 miles away, and I kind of wanted to take a look at the 790. Prior to today, I'd given them a passing glance but had never crawled around one.

Overall, I was very impressed. This tractor has a quality feel about it. You sit at a nice height. the hood has a length and width to it reminisce of sturdy ag tractors of old, and the engine produced a throaty purr of strength. Revving it to around 2500 rpm was all it took to convince me that it could easily handle a five-foot mower.

Yet, the most surprising characteristic for me was the ease involved in changing gears. Changing from one gear to the next was quite effortless. Though mechanical at heart, there is no doubt that the parts involved in this transmission are machined to perfection.

Additionally, I found the simplicity of its design very charming, and the look is so very classic.

Needless to say, I enjoyed the ride. This one is a serious contender in my book.

 

[RoyJackson]

I've had a 790 for about two years now...and you're right on all your observations.
These are nice tractors...quite robust and simple to work on.

As far as the transmission...one thing you cannot do is shift on the go. The collarshift transmission has to be stopped to shift up or down. This never bothered me, even though I mow with this tractor (although I must admit, I recently priced a 3320 with Power Reverser...but going in debt for another 5 years...I'll stick with the 790).
Another thing...reverse gear is either way too slow (in low range) or way too fast (in high) if you intend to use a rear snow blower (which I'm not...).

If you buy a 790 with loader, get those tires loaded and make sure the dealer includes a ballast box with the deal. The loaded tires help with stability, the ballast box helps with loader work (increased traction as well as stability). I got a ballast box recently and is does make quite a difference when you drive into a pile of clumpy material.

As far as the rear mower...I use a 5' unit. I'd love a 6' mower (tractor can easily handle a 6' mower...I just don't want to spend the money).
If you're going to get a rotary cutter, a 5' unit works quite well.

Other implements? Well, I don't have any experience (other then a rear blade for snow plowing) but the 790 is a light weight...take that in account if you're considering a tiller or other implement. Now, I bought the 790 to run a chipper (which I've not purchased yet), but a smaller Valby or Woods should work fine.

Nice tractor...I'm sure you'll really enjoy one, if you buy it.

 

[HRS]

Thanks for the input. I agree that stopping to shift is no big deal, as once you are in gear you usually stay there, mowing or tilling purposes. The weight of the 790 is actually appealing to me. The book says something like 2100 lbs. I have intentions of trailering my next tractor a good bit. Boy have I gone full circle here. When I first started looking, I did not think I wanted anything under 3500 lbs. But after gaining some real towing experience once I got into camping last year, I quickly learned the complexities involved with driving with a heavy load on the hitch. This prompted me to start considering tractors less than 3000 lbs. Most trailers are near or a little over 2000, and once you start adding tractor, implements and other junk, the weight quickly becomes something to be concerned with.

Now if I were interested in a loader, how do R1's fair with it. All Cuts seem to come equipped with R4's, but I think I want the extra bite. I've read some here about the extra ply of the R4 making it a better loader tire, and I have also seen pictures of some tractors set up with R4 on the front and R1 on the back. Anybody have any experience with the R1 or a mix?

 

[Gunfighter]

I really don't know how much difference there is between the tires
when operating on a hard surface like a well developed lawn or
packed driveway.

The agricultural tires do best for field work or any place the lugs can
sink in and get a good bit in the soil. If you plan on doing field work
go with ag tires..

The industrial tires are probably the most resistant to puncture as they
seem to put the must rubber in the tread. If your going to operate
the tractor in areas where there's a lot of sharp object then Industrials
would probably work best...

I have a early 790 with turf tires, I've not had any problems with traction..
I use it for mowing the lawn, bushhoging in the woods, rototilling and
plowing snow...

No matter what tires you get I highly recommend having them loaded
with Rim Guard. The stuff is 10 1/2 lbs to the gallon and non corrosive.

Attached is a picture of my 790 rigged for snow plowing. Note the turf
tires and no chains... On a hard surface weight matters more then tread
..

Richard
West Michigan

 

[HRS]

Look at that snow! Gee, we would have to get out and scrape up a five-mile stretch after one of our slight dustings to get a pile like that. I did see some of the white stuff today. It was more like fine hail and lasted all of five minutes. Still, I got excited!

Concerning your tiller, what size is it? Salesman had a time finding his literature on tillers this morning. Unfortunately, this one was not well stocked in implements. About 4 or 5 tractors and lawn mowers were all he had.

Actually, I just watched a video that compared using a tiller to a turn and disc plow for preparing seedbeds. Quite interesting. The tiller accomplished a much nicer job in about half the time as conventional plowing. I've got to get one.

 

[Gunfighter]

Best advise would be to ask your dealer for what he recommends for your
soil conditions.. Here in my part of Michigan we have sandy soil, you may
have heavy clay soil which may require more power or smaller tiller...

Also check the engine size on the 790 your buying, I have a 91 cu in diesel
but I've seen some 790's lately with a 81 cu in engine...

The tiller I have is a 60 inch King Kutter I picked up at TSC. I tilled about a
acre of lawn last year for reseeding to a depth of about 4 to 5 inches. There
was no noticeable strain to the tractor but again I stress we have sandy soil..

Doing PTO work the 790 will hold it's own against any tractor in it's HP class
but If you intend to do a lot of work that requires traction then a heaver tractor
would be recommended...

Attached is a picture of the 790 carrying a 65 foot tree, that's a Woods chipper
on the 3 pt...

Richard
West Michigan

 

[HRS]

Thanks. nice looking picture. I pulled up John Deere last night. Info I was asking dealer for was right there. Five foot was recommended, so that is good.

 

[FordTruckGuy]

I've had my 790 for about 10 months. I love it. Great little tractor, and has suited my needs to a "T." I've run a Jinma chipper off the PTO for the last 3 months, and it has had no problems. I was a little worried since the Jinma is about 900 pounds. I have also had no problems with the weight; I've just used common sense. The only instance when I noticed it possibly becoming a problem was skidding heavy trees up a hill over wet, muddy soil. I started to spin out, but with the diff lock was able to work my way through it.

I must agree with you that the simplicity of the design is a very attractive feature. It's just a nice little ride, and having been around so some time, it is well tuned to its capabilities and purpose as a C.U.T.

 

[thatguy]

My father and I have co-owned (he has custody and I have visitation/usage rights) a 790 (30 HP, 4x4, FEL) since late 2001 and it is a great tractor.. It is used primarily for plowing, clearing snow, rough cut mowing - although I have used it to help friends put in a patio and a walk way/sidewalk... It replaced a 1949 8N - boy was the 790 a step up in comfort and efficiency...

The gear transmission does not bother me at all, but if i was going to be doing a lot of loader work (or anything requiring frequent direction changes) it would get old pretty quick..

Since my dad is 75 I am not going to take it away from him, I am looking to buy a 2305 in the near future for me to have custody and usage of.. LOL

thanks
brian

 

[HRS]

Nice to know that it can actually handle 900 lbs. Lets see, that is at worst about 400 lbs more than what I have planned for the lift. What type of tire are you running?