New,Need help deciding on tractor.

fencepost · May 17, 2010

Hello everybody. I don't currently own a tractor but have been around some in my life. I'm looking for a tractor (loosly) would have to be a steal of a deal with my finances. I found a 460 Long but don't really know anything about them or where to find parts in my area, northwest AL. I also looked at a Yanmar 2000 green tractor that looks pretty good but have gotten scared by some of the posts on here about vn recons. How do I identify the Yanmar the number under the starter is 2TR20-03188. Any help on the Long would be great to. It has a bucket on the front and power steering, looks good has no grill, but other than that looks good. Not very educated on off brand tractors so any help would be great. The school here also has a 1715 Ford that looks good and a car dealer has a 600 Ford. I have 40 acres and need to bushhog and want a bucket to do some defferent stuff around the house.

kenmac · May 17, 2010

If I'm not mistaken Long ,Ford, New Holland = the same tractor

There is someone in the private party sales section that has a J D with loader for 10,500. Don't know if that's in your price range or not.
He's in No. Al. Click on the link below

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/private-party-ads/171083-jd-4110-loader-north-al.html

Smoody · May 17, 2010

I have had bad experiences with LONG brand tractors, stayed in the shop more then in the field. The fords you named are good machines with the 600 being pretty old but a workhorse. Some yanmars were a puke green I think before they were red, paint doesn't determine if its a VN or not, the most obvious signs of a vn recon are hour meters that are extremely low (8-10hrs) or the brand loader (V2 or Bulldog), even then that doesn't make it an VN, with that said if you are interested in a yanmar (since you posted in the yanmar section) with that many acres I would suggest the larger machines 2600 series and up.

clemsonfor · May 17, 2010

a 600 ford and 2000 yanmar will only pull a 4 ft bushhog, the ford will pull a 5 fter, but if all 40 acres are in pasture it will take you forever with those size tractors. That 17 series fords are nice smaller tractors similar in size to yanmars larger series. They are capable tractors but again will pull a 5ft bughhog.

Tractordata.com says long started in the late 40's and went banckrupt in 1985 and then reammerged by 1987, then the name was dropped when Long agribusiness was purchased by escort group from india. The name was replaced with farmtrac which you may have heard of. Some of the older longs were imported from Romania.

Farmtrac made copies of the older fords like the 3000 and 4000 tractors. Ford in no way was affiliated with them i think they eith bought the patents of the older fords or the rights to them were expired and Farmtrac produced new tractors that looked like fords from the 60's to 70's. They were good tractors but Farmtrac went bankrupped in 06 or so. The name no longer exists but the Escort company does it produces Montana tractors and maybe branson ones as well (not sure on the later). Montana also has copies of the older fords, and it as a compay is an Indian made tractor. I have read where you can buy a new or rebuilt ford motor to go into your farmtrac but thats about as close as it gets to a ford being involved wich really isnt involved at all. They do look like fords though change the decals and you might not know the difference.

-nate

California · May 17, 2010

There's a huge Farmtrac thread on here. To summarize that soap opera, Farmtrac's latest owners went home to India leaving the dealers and customers with nothing but unsalable tractors (no warranty repair available - and many states' laws require it, for the dealer to sell the tractor) and huge debt obligations by everybody for the unsalable tractors they didn't even order, or unrepairable tractors. The parts inventories got auctioned so there are some parts out there somewhere - but no more coming in. You need to read that thread before considering the Long.

fencepost · May 17, 2010

Wow big eye opener thanks for the help!! I guess I will stay away from the Long. The Yanmar looks good but it only has about 750 hrs $4000.00 for it and a 4' bushhog. Haven't called on the 1715 Ford yet, but would need to add a loader to it. It has a finishing mower that goes with it. Would love to own the JD but it is out of my range $6000.00 tops

The 600 Ford has 2-3 implements and is 3-3500.00. The hole 40 is'nt pasture only about 1/2 with about 1/2 of that needing cleaned up, some brush burnt and stumps removed. Was a pine thicket but I had it cut and burned the piles the other day will have to burn again I really wasn't ready but my neighbor set the woods on fire and I talked the forestry guy into doing the lane on the outskirts of my property so the piles could burn.

fencepost · May 17, 2010

Posted the same paragraph in some defferent places on here, didn't really know where to put it. Could I add a loader to the 1715 or the 600? Does the 600 have the same PTO as the 8n's? I don't think I want the live PTO, where it turns all the time.

rmully · May 17, 2010

I owned a Ford 600 (1955-56) until it got stolen. It took me a year to find a good one and then replaced a lot of little stuff to get it into shape. The carb on them gives problems but the rebuild is simple. I pulled a 5ft box scraper with no problem. I used it to tear down part of a house with a chain and it did that with no problem. It loves gasoline so maybe a different carb would improve that. I was told that I could not put a loader on it so I never did... sure miss that 600. They sell around here for about 2500 to 3500, Parts are easy to find.
Good luck ... buying a tractor that is older takes lots of patience and considerations.

Car Doc · May 17, 2010

Make sure whatever you get has either very low gears or a high and low range for pulling anything that actually takes power like a plow or tiller.

Also a dif lock is very handy on a 2wd and just icing on the cake for a 4wd.

Steve