Tractors for Sell 4WD or 4x4 "Not Working"?

[Hexa Fox]

Hey guys so every now and then I will look at tractors online. I'm guessing you guys also see them advertised as being 4x4 but "the 4WD is not working". So as usual I just thought I would ask. Is it worth buying a tractor at a discount or low balling one where the 4x4 is not working? I understand that a lot of it depends on various factors but is it worth looking into? Surprisingly for all the tractors with 4x4 not working there is not a lot of videos or forums out there on the topic.

 

[CliffordK]

Do you need a 2WD or a 4WD tractor? How handy are you? Is it a common enough tractor that you have a chance to find the parts? We've got a large tractor wrecking yard (Farmland Tractor) in Tangent, OR, but their parts are a bit hit and miss. I assume other wrecking yards are scattered across the country.

If it was a tractor I was interested in, I'd have a look. At least try to determine where the problem lies. Front differential, drive shaft, or somewhere in the middle of the transmission.

Perhaps try to figure out what is wrong, then hunt for the most likely parts, then if you think you can get the parts you think you'll need, take the plunge.

 

[Hexa Fox]

Do you need a 2WD or a 4WD tractor? How handy are you? Is it a common enough tractor that you have a chance to find the parts? We've got a large tractor wrecking yard (Farmland Tractor) in Tangent, OR, but their parts are a bit hit and miss. I assume other wrecking yards are scattered across the country.

If it was a tractor I was interested in, I'd have a look. At least try to determine where the problem lies. Front differential, drive shaft, or somewhere in the middle of the transmission.

Perhaps try to figure out what is wrong, then hunt for the most likely parts, then if you think you can get the parts you think you'll need, take the plunge.

Thanks for the reply. I have another forum where I was discussing purchasing a 2WD tractor. I got a lot of great comments but several users mentioned that I will probably miss not having a loader or 4WD and I agree.

Is there a guide or forum for desirable tractors? For instance, ones that have good access to replacement parts or modern counterparts with interchangeable ones? For instance, people on here keep telling me how great the Shibaura engines are on the old Ford/New Hollands but they are greatly disadvantaged when it comes to replacement parts.

 

[MTGreen]

Thanks for the reply. I have another forum where I was discussing purchasing a 2WD tractor. I got a lot of great comments but several users mentioned that I will probably miss not having a loader or 4WD and I agree.

Is there a guide or forum for desirable tractors? For instance, ones that have good access to replacement parts or modern counterparts with interchangeable ones? For instance, people on here keep telling me how great the Shibaura engines are on the old Ford/New Hollands but they are greatly disadvantaged when it comes to replacement parts.

My observations on parts availability (in the US), YMMV:
Parts availability tends to be decent for old (60s-70s) high volume sales American made tractors (check the Steiner catalog for examples), but the downside is most all are 2wd and not too many have loaders. The grey market import tractors of the 70s-80s has a few gem models but mostly poor parts availability. 80s-90s tractors tend to be made all over the world and may or may not have parts availability dependent largely on manufacturer, length (time) & volume of production, and whether the components were also used in other tractor makes/models worldwide. 2000s tractors tend to have spotty parts availability as it seems many manufacturers are only supporting their products with parts for 10-15 years or so, but the same principle of volume production applies. 2010+ usually has good parts availability for most manufacturers with some oddball exceptions. Certain brands tend to support their products with parts for a longer length of time (e.g. Deere/Kubota) and other manufacturers tend towards the other end of the spectrum with little to no support (e.g. chi-com brands). I have little experience with the European manufacturers so maybe others can chime in here

I'm thinking you may be better off asking the forum either "I'm considering make/model X for $y but has z wrong with it -opinions?"; or stating what you need a tractor for, what kind of terrain/soil you want to use it on, what your budget is, what you're realistically able/willing to repair, etc. and ask for guidance as what to look for.

 

[oosik]

OH - to live in the land where there are used tractors and implements. At least the size most of us would find useful. Don't get me wrong. There are lots of used tractors and compatible implements around these parts. As long as you need something in the 350 hp and up range.

I've had two tractors. Both were purchased brand new. Ford 1700 4WD in 1982 when we moved onto this property. And now - Kubota M6040 - purchased in 2009. I traded the Ford in when the Kubota was purchased.

One of the prime reasons for the larger Kubota. I needed more weight to maintain my mile long gravel driveway. I also had completed all the smaller projects and wanted to move on to the larger ones.

Both tractor were/are four wheel drive and have/had the FEL attachment. Right now I have a very HD grapple on the Kubota FEL. It was installed - along with the WR Long third function - by the dealer. That was nine years ago and I've not had a reason to remove it.

I have 80 acres. If my tractors did not have 4WD - they would just be a more or less useless lump - sitting in my yard. So...... the M6040 has a grapple on the FEL and a very heavy Rhino rear blade on the 3-point.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Personally, I would not be interested in any tractor without a FEL or 4wd, *FOR A FIRST TRACTOR*. Maybe if I already had one or two tractors with FEL's, I would consider it, IF I NEEDED ONE.

But for a primary tractor? Nope. No reason on earth to limit yourself in such a way. You're buying someone else's troubles by buying a tractor with a broken driveline issue. If it was "easy" or "cheap" to fix, the current owner would have fixed it.

 

[LouNY]

Repairing a broken 4wd tractor is going to be a hit or miss proposition. Of course I will also disagree with many on here a mid sized 2 wd tractor can do much of what may be needed.
Our first tractor with a loader was a 2wd Farmall 400 with a John Deere trip loader adapted to iit, a narrow manure tine bucket with a slide on pan to make it a scoop bucket, single acting lift cylinders and you pulled a lever to trip and dump the bucket, at times you could relatch the bucket as it swung back otherwise you lowered it while backing up to latch the bucket and go again.
My first tractor on my current driveway was an Oliver 1550 2wd with a hydraulic loader. With chains and ballast she could do what I needed to as far as grading the driveway you did have to work it downhill as at 14-16 degree of slope you couldn't move much material up hill. It did take a while to get things done that a 4wd of the same size would have breezed through and I did borrow or rent 4wd's a few times to get a project done. And when the 2wd got stuck it was a bear to recover, especially if the front tire or tires had gotten over the edge of the driveway and it had to be pulled back and up.

At this time I do have 4wd tractors for most of my work as it is usually easier and faster. That said a 2wd with chains can be a very capable tractor.

Gone now,

Still here and usable,

What replaced the Oliver 1550,

ready to assit when needed,

and the latest acquisition, for the little jobs.

But I would not be afraid of an older 60-100 hp 2wd tractor with good ballast and chains to do a lot of snow removal and gravel grading. Much less money and easier to work on and repair.

 

[CliffordK]

A lot depends on what you're doing with your tractor. I don't deal with tractors and snow, but around here I have mud and hills that 4x4 helps with. A couple of weeks ago we had a pretty hard freeze which was nice. Enough to make the ground not sink in, but not enough to be slippery. But we do get winter mud. In the summer, it dries out enough that a 2 wheel drive would be fine for a lot of work.

You'll be able to find slightly larger, older tough 2WD drive tractors, often for a good price.

Finding one that is broken? Again, it may well depend on a lot of factors, but as mentioned it could be an expensive fix. Or maybe not. Not everyone wants to work on their own tractors.

Unique items can pop up at estate sales. often at good prices. Keep your eyes open. I just went to one where the husband died about 15 years ago. The wife recently died, and the children don't want to mess with equipment that has largely been sitting for the last 20 years.

 

[mo1]

Hey guys so every now and then I will look at tractors online. I'm guessing you guys also see them advertised as being 4x4 but "the 4WD is not working". So as usual I just thought I would ask. Is it worth buying a tractor at a discount or low balling one where the 4x4 is not working? I understand that a lot of it depends on various factors but is it worth looking into? Surprisingly for all the tractors with 4x4 not working there is not a lot of videos or forums out there on the topic.

Fixing a broken MFWD is usually an expensive proposition if it can even be done. There are lots of things to break and sometimes more than one thing breaks. Some things result in a tractor that can still be used if the MFWD is never engaged, some breaks (like a broken hub or axle housing) must be fixed or the tractor isn't usable. The best candidates for a broken MFWD to be fixable is on a full-sized utility tractor with a planetary hub MFWD as those generally have the best parts availability- the same basic model of tractor is often made for decades and there are a lot of parts out there. Compacts with bevel gear MFWD are much less robust and more likely to break, and the parts availability is usually nowhere near as good either.

Almost always a tractor of a given model with a known to be broken MFWD is going to sell for noticeably less than the 2WD version. I would personally avoid a tractor with a broken MFWD unless I got it for free or at most scrap price.

Thanks for the reply. I have another forum where I was discussing purchasing a 2WD tractor. I got a lot of great comments but several users mentioned that I will probably miss not having a loader or 4WD and I agree.

Is there a guide or forum for desirable tractors? For instance, ones that have good access to replacement parts or modern counterparts with interchangeable ones? For instance, people on here keep telling me how great the Shibaura engines are on the old Ford/New Hollands but they are greatly disadvantaged when it comes to replacement parts.

You would be much more likely to miss not having a loader on a utility tractor than you would miss not having MFWD. You can certainly put a loader on a 2WD tractor, basically every tractor that had a loader up until the '90s was 2WD. The only real difference with using a loader on a 2WD tractor is that the rear ballast required to not overload your front axle is enforced by physics and is quickly apparent to the operator. You can't just engage MFWD and drive around on an overloaded front axle. That is not a bad thing as overloading the front axle with a loader is how a lot of broken MFWDs got broken.

I would suspect Kubota probably has the best compact tractor parts availability for old tractors, followed by Deere. But even with Deere they changed from having Yanmar make their entire tractors to just having them make the engines for tractors that Deere now makes themselves, and the parts for the old Yanmar-made units are sometimes no longer available. CNH and Massey-Ferguson have changed suppliers for their compacts over the years so the old ones are very hard to impossible to get parts for. However, if you really want good parts availability, you are going to be looking at some of the classic ag tractors made in huge numbers like New Generation Deeres, N series Fords, IH lettered Farmalls, and the 100 series Massey-Fergusons. Ironically the very few of these that weren't 2WD (the tiny number of HFWD Deeres) have FWD axle parts that are basically unobtainable.

 

[sandman2234]

The guy who picked up the 1210 for me has a Ford sitting in his shop taking up space because the parts needed to put it back together are not to be found.
You are better off not trying to fix a front axle and just run it as a 2wd. However that is what he tried to do, and a front hub part sheared, which made it a hanger queen.
David from jax