Worst tractor ever

[3Lfarms]

The favorite tractor thread got me thinking...What is the worst tractor? It could have been the most unreliable or just least convenient to operate. What tractor should no one ever have to endure?

My dad’s first tractor was a 1935 McCormick F12 he bought about 1977. While it was a pretty good old machine, my old man was not very mechanically inclined. There were days when we spent hours just trying to get it started. It wasn’t fun having to hand crank that beast when it died in the field. I used to curse that machine something fierce.

 

[TheMadOne]

Alis WDs had a hand clutch, hand throttle, split brakes, hand hydraulics, and a gear shift.

I've heard them described as needing to be an octopus to operate.

That said, as far as actual junk...Massey 240 always felt like it was short a cylinder and was a ***** to cold start.

 

[bcp]

I must be lucky. Never had or operated a bad tractor when used within their size, weight, and power limitations. Some were too large or small for a certain job, but that wasn't a tractor fault.

Bruce

 

[LouNY]

Alis WDs had a hand clutch, hand throttle, split brakes, hand hydraulics, and a gear shift.

I've heard them described as needing to be an octopus to operate.

That said, as far as actual junk...Massey 240 always felt like it was short a cylinder and was a ***** to cold start.

What tractor before the hydros became popular didn't have a hand throttle, split brakes and a gear shift, the Wd's also had a foot clutch.
The hand clutch was very handy in that you could stop the tractor but still have the pto and hydraulics operating, the foot clutch would disengage every thing.
My 2014 model tractor has spilt brakes, a gear shift (actually two), a hand throttle, and a hand clutch in the form of a power shuttle (forward/reverse). :confused3:

 

[deserteagle71]

Worst tractor ever? No such thing. Never met a tractor I didn't like!

 

[Creamer]

The 30 series Deere was the one for me. Although it was the first with a nice cab I have always thought it was a very poorly designed tractor. Our 4230 had a heating problem, the hydraulic couplings couldn't hold the hoses and about once every three weeks I got a bath from one popping out, it was very hard on batteries as the RosaMaster pump did not achieve fuel pressure quickly, the engine seemed weak and maybe just didn't match the drive train well, the round windows were great when clean but what working tractor ever had clean windows, the door opened the wrong way. Maybe it was just because the 4020 was such a great tractor for its time and didn't have any of these faults (except a much noisier cab) that the 4230 was such a come down.

The 40 series Deeres were much better although the cabs had the same problems.

 

[KennyG]

Alis WDs had a hand clutch, hand throttle, split brakes, hand hydraulics, and a gear shift.

I've heard them described as needing to be an octopus to operate.

That said, as far as actual junk...Massey 240 always felt like it was short a cylinder and was a ***** to cold start.

WD and WD 45 were the best tractors of their day. What tractors didn't have hand throttle, hydraulics, and gear shift. It had both hand and foot clutch which gave you easily used live PTO.

 

[Thomas]

Worse tractor/tractors were the ones were abuse.

 

[jeff9366]

A better title would be: WORST TRACTOR OPERATORS EVER. It is rarely the mainline tractor brands at fault.

 

[smstonypoint]

WD and WD 45 were the best tractors of their day. What tractors didn't have hand throttle, hydraulics, and gear shift. It had both hand and foot clutch which gave you easily used live PTO.

I can't go that far because my experience back in the day was with an 8n, H and M Farmalls, a MF (35?) and my Dad's AC G and WD 45. The WD 45 was a fine tractor, but driving the MF seemed more fun to drive when I was a kid -- it was new.

Steve