Just as the title says what brand in Your Opinion is the best brand of tractors and why?
Let's say 120hp and under so most brands that have compacts but not big Ag tractors are still in the competition.
“Opinion” is certainly the key word here, because it eliminates all the wrong answers.
I can only comment on the brands that I have personal experience with, that being John Deere, Allis Chalmers, Ford, International Harvester, and Case. Since two of those (Allis Chalmers and Ford) have folded or been absorbed, I’ll take them out of the running.
That being said, a Ford was the first tractor I bought myself, I still have it and use it regularly, and it will likely outlast my grandkids. The first Allis (model D14) wasnt bad either, but I was happy to be rid of my last one (model C).
Case and IH are now combined so I’ll leave the pair in the running but my experience there has been mixed. I purchased a used Case 580C backhoe for my first employer and spent quite a few operating hours on it and have no complaints. I had my pick of (4) used ones and I picked the only one without a 4/1 bucket because the other three that had them were clearly much more worn down.
I’ve owned (2) IH tractors (both Cubs) and my experience with the first was poor, but that was mostly my own fault because it was very badly worn out when I bought it. The second one has been great so far.
I’ve logged more hours on Fords than all the others, because that was the preferred brand of my first employer, and including the two I have owned myself (model 8n & model 2110 diesel).
The first tractor I ever operated was my grandpa’s 1949 John Deere model M. That thing did an awful lot of work thru the years, and was the first tractor on our farm. Our kids are the 7th generation of our family to live here. I’m pretty sure it would still run if someone put a battery in it and tried it, but no one has in about 10 years. It’s under a tarp over at my parents place right now.
Grandpa bought it new, to replace his team of horses. In his later years he bought a used Allis D14. I remember him cutting hay and bailing hay with that, while I crimped and raked with the JD M.
When I saved up enough cash for a new tractor in 2005, I looked at John Deere, NH, and Kubota. I looked for something in the 40 hp range and found the best price on a NH, but not by much. JD and Kubota were about $ 400 more but had the edge in specs (hydraulic flow, lift capacity, etc). JD had a slight edge there and the closest dealer so that’s where I went. The American engine was another plus (other two were far eastern), as was my past history.
That JD (model 4120) has served me well the past 19 years, and certainly seems to have much more left in it. Maintenance on it (and the old JD M) seems a lot easier than all the Fords I’ve had, and the IH’s and Allis Chalmers.
I know my father in law seems very happy with the last two Kubotas that he’s had, but in my Opinion, John Deere is the best tractor with no real close competition. Even my little John Deere lawn tractor (15 hp LT155) has been great.