What are the most reliable tractors to own?

[JBF43]

Remember when you purchase one, no matter the name on the hood, it's the "apple of your eye" or you wouldn't have bought it. When it breaks it becomes a " lemon" that you own. If you have a dealer that can make a lemon into lemonade then that dealership becomes the best place to purchase a tractor from in your opinion.
Some people buy a brand name chainsaw and pay dealer price that covers warranty problems. Other purchase a "china knockoff" with no dealer support at about 1/3 of brandname price. If it breaks they order the parts and furnish the labor and hope they can make it run again.
What ever makes you sleep good at night is your most reliable tractor. Tractors are a lot like women, until you sleep with her you never really know!

I love my Kubota L3130, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna sleep with it.

 

[Jstpssng]

When/If you get back to it you'll probably find out more stuff has gone bad, simply because it's spent the last two years in the barn, unused.

Most definitely. I already have a new water pump and hoses, and everything needed for a complete fluid change. The real truth though is that those old tractors were never as reliable as we would like to think. They were just easier to work on.

 

[Torvy]

Here is such a list I would think... Chart: Which tractor brands are ranked the best...and worst? - Agriland.ie

With some interesting comment... "The big change – between 2016 and 2017 – was in Kubota’s ranking; it climbed significantly. Fendt showed the biggest decline – almost a reverse of Kubota’s rising fortunes in this category."

I'm not sure what you are reading. This is a dealer satisfaction survey. Using that logic, Branson is the best brand. They have won a similar survey 3 years running, iirc.

 

[Reddogs]

I'm 3 years older than that tractor, and it's put in more hours of work than I have. For several years, about half its life, it was the main tractor on the farm. If a tractor is used, things wear out, and this tractor has been used. Plenty.

The only way you'll have one that "stuff doesn't happen to" is to have it spend all its time in the barn - and even that will make it fall apart from NOT being used.

If you take care of the tractor, I dont think you would have to rebuild the engine that many times. Sure there would be wear and tear, and accidental damage, but not destructions of engine and drivetrain...

 

[Tx Jim]

If that's what is important to you... I prefer to start it and use it. When this tractor starts nickel and diming me in repairs, I will trade for a newer one. I also have my father's old TO35 which I plan to bring home someday. Right now it's in the barn where he left it, I was trying to get it usable but after replacing the fuel shutoff, lines, and carburetor I found out as I was dumping gas into it that the petcock didn't shut off and the float needs adjusting. I got so discouraged we dragged it back into the barn and it hasn't moved in 2 years.
If I wanted to rebuild a carb I would/should have done the old one.

I've owned this tractor since I purchased it used with 2847 hrs on speed/hour meter in Feb '93. It's been back to dealer twice since I've owned it. Once at 4500hrs of use for R&R of engine rear main seal covered by extended warranty that came with my tractor purchase price. I've replaced the AC evaporator & compressor that cost me about $1000. Last yr the o-rings on engine piston liners failed & JD technician installed new pistons/liners & brgs for $7800. This tractor has over 11,600 hrs showing on speed hr meter. I've installed 2 sets of rear tires. It's pulled a rd baler to bale over 100,000 rd bales plus plowed many unknown acres of soil. I'll call that good service money's worth not nickel & diming. I plan on it pulling my rd baler this yr if grass gets tall enough to bale.

 

[Jstpssng]

I've owned this tractor since I purchased it used with 2847 hrs on speed/hour meter in Feb '93. It's been back to dealer twice since I've owned it. Once at 4500hrs of use for R&R of engine rear main seal covered by extended warranty that came with my tractor purchase price. I've replaced the AC evaporator & compressor that cost me about $1000. Last yr the o-rings on engine piston liners failed & JD technician installed new pistons/liners & brgs for $7800. This tractor has over 11,600 hrs showing on speed hr meter. I've installed 2 sets of rear tires. It's pulled a rd baler to bale over 100,000 rd bales plus plowed many unknown acres of soil. I'll call that good service money's worth not nickel & diming. I plan on it pulling my rd baler this yr if grass gets tall enough to bale.

And that's certainly different than your previous comment which I replied to.

 

[Bluetopconstruction]

I think they started out making engines for another small time manufacturer.

John Deere run yanmars in their smaller equipment. Good motor

 

[Jstpssng]

Again; please read my comment in the context it was made.

John Deere run yanmars in their smaller equipment. Good motor

 

[rocco611]

all brands have had models with problems, do research on the model you are thinking about buying. which brand has the best dealer support in your area? I like Green but in my area the John Dear dealer is MSRP on everything including parts. I didnt have enough green for one of their tractors. I went to New Holland but all they had with FEL were manual transmissions. the salesman told me a hydrostatic transmission would be dead in year here in the California valley heat. I ended up buying a Kubota lease return 4wd with a hydrostat. couldnt imaging doing all that shifting using a FEL 18 years later its still working great with just maintenance , my local Kubota dealer no longer exists though.

 

[tjandrews]

If you take care of the tractor, I dont think you would have to rebuild the engine that many times. Sure there would be wear and tear, and accidental damage, but not destructions of engine and drivetrain...

I've been thinking back, and can only think of three sleeve kits for sure, so I may have been wrong when I wrote 4. But destruction of the engine before rebuilding it? No, we didn't wait that long.

My grandfather was the second owner of the tractor, so I don't know what kind of care it had before he got it. He put in the first aftermarket kit, partly to increase the bore from 3 1/2 inches to 3 5/8, which was supposed to add 7 drawbar HP. It also switched it to aluminum pistons, and he replaced the magneto with distributor ignition. I was too young to be paying attention at the time, so I'm not sure when that happened.

My Dad put in the second kit, some time in the late 70's as I recall. I helped with that one. Rings had worn out, and every time they did those aluminum pistons wore a little more, too, making it less time before it needed new rings again. With that tractor, at the time, the cost of replacing rings, pistons, wrist pins, and bushings was such that purchasing another sleeve kit was only a little more, and there was a better chance of lasting success, so he went that way.

I put in the last one, about 9 years ago. It probably should have been done sooner, but by then there were no sleeve kits around - you had to buy individual parts from a dealer - if you could find them. But then we spotted a New-Old-Stock aftermarket kit on eBay - and snatched it up. It's still in good shape, but then we don't use the tractor quite as much as we used to, so it hasn't had as much wear.

Personally, I don't think that 3, or even 4, rebuilds in 70 years for a tractor that has spent much of its life being used for hours on a daily basis is all that bad of a record. Thing is, even when it was so worn that it needed a rebuild, and didn't have full power, it still would start right up and run if needed. That makes it reliable in my book.