Which Tractor????

[SwampDonkey]

On the farm we used a John Deere 3950 to load logs and 100 inch poplar onto straight truck. Never took a tractor in the woods much, cause we never had a winch, just chains. We had an old 60's tree farmer for yardin woods, before that 'black beauty'. ;)

[woodmills1]

I have a Kioti 3054 and it has taken every bit of abuse I have given it.  I pull a metavic forwarding trailer behind it, and if you want a versitile piece of equipment check them out a payeur.com.  I have been in the woods on my main trail as well as off the trail, and the smaller size makes it less likely to get stuck between trees in tight areas.  I also travel over the road doing yard cleanups or small logging or demolition jobs around my neighborhood.  This tractor has spent most of its 1600 or so hours reved up to 2600 rpm and working hard.  It has shuttle shift and I would not get a manual trans without one.  Complaints? the seat area around the foot pedals is a bit tight and I have to be careful getting off.  The new series Kiotis have the flat wide open floor.

[Scott]

The New NH TN-A tractors are beautiful. Take a look!
http://www.newholland.com/h4/products/products_series_detail.asp?Reg=NA&RL=ENNA&NavID=000001277003&series=000005286911

[Typhoon]

And add this to what I posted earlier... I highly recommend Corriher Implements as well. They beat my local dealer by $3,500.00 and they included shipping in the deal. Talk to Brandon. He will fix you up.
He is their internet salesman, and goes by the prices that they list on Ebay. 9 out of 10 guys that have New Hollands that I know went through Corrihers. Good luck!

[arj]

GAV64
        Check out Mahindra Tractors real nice machines
             http://www.newenglandtractor.com/

[whitepe]

Yes... the Mahindra tractors are nice.
They can sure sell them inexpensively when
workers in India get paid approximately
$100-$125 per month and they work in
squalid conditions.  :-/

[ksu_chainsaw]

I have an older farmall 706 diesel, which is around 100 hp, and right now, they are selling for around the same price as a new John Deere.  I have dealt with tractors with the hydro tranny, and I prefer a shuttle shift transmission for lots of loader work.  We also have a 60hp IMT, which is an imported tractor made of Massey parts.  It was made in Yugoslavia, and we have had nothing but problems with it.  Not that import tractors are all bad, but you need to look ahead and see if you will be able to get parts for that tractor in the future.  For a inexpensive tractor, I would look for an older John Deere, Farmall, or Case.  I say this because parts are cheaper and are easier to find without having to go to the dealer.  Also, the mechanics that work on them are cheaper to go to.
Just my thoughts

Charles

[whitepe]

Can anyone spell  BELARUS ?   ;D

[Mark M]

You could get one of these John Deere 59 7/8's.

The hat's optional.  ;)

[slowzuki]

Beware of some older tractors that weren't as popular, a friend had a 40 hp Case / IH that he sold.  Just on a whim he checked what a replacement injection pump would run and a rebuilt one was 5000$.  Apparently there were not many made of the particular model.

Any tractor part is generally expensive, the input flange on front axle for the tractor I use was 600$ new or 250$ from a yard.  Took a month to find one in a yard.

 For a inexpensive tractor, I would look for an older John Deere, Farmall, or Case.  I say this because parts are cheaper and are easier to find without having to go to the dealer.  

[Dom]

Can anyone spell  BELARUS ?   ;D

My father had a 825 4wd for the farm quite a few years ago. The engine was great, the rest for horrible!    :D  I remember riding in it on the road with a load of hay behind (8 6'x6' round bails) and all of a sudden the front wheel locked up while going downhill! Now that was scary!

[yieldmap]

I'll be the oddball.

For yardwork, I use a 1960's Oliver 1750 Diesel.  It's a full size tractor, about 90 HP, Diesel for good lugging, strong hydraulics, rear weights.  I've got a 30-year-old Stan-Hoist loader with a Westendorf quick-tach, for the bucket, forklift forks, and boom.  This tractor is the best for moving logs, with the forks.  I unloaded 22 logs off the trailer the other day in just a few minutes, 2 at a time! (OK, small logs).

For heavy fork work, I use a Woods 3 point hitch forklift.  It will lift 3500 pounds with ease, and still get around outside.

Fork work inside the shed (moving pallets, stacking wood on shelving for final drying, etc) is done with a 1960-something Allis Chalmers forklift.  I got for $100 and a little welding work.  Leaks oil, smokes, but will not quit!

The "skidder" is a 1957 Cat D2.  Now, that's a tractor!!  It'll pull whatever you put the chain on.  Just don't get it in the sand  :...it can get stuck.

[D._Frederick]

Yield-,

A 1957 D-2 is about the last year that Cat. made that model, is yours a direct electric start? I just hate that pony engine for starting, but around here the direct start crawlers go for close to $10K if the under carriage is good. I have a 22 Cat that My dad bought in 37. I can plow a 1/2 acre while the guy with a D- 2 is trying to get that cranky pony engine started.

[yieldmap]

Off the top of my head, I think they made D2's for a few more years.  The s/n is 5u16000-ish.  I think they went past 18,000.

No direct electric start.  The pony does have an electric start, though.  Dad wouldn't have gotten it without it.  It's got the 2A blade, with manual tilt and angle.  Front hook, belly skid plate, PTO, drawbar, 1 extra Hyd remote.  Just about all the options.

There's a technique to starting the pony and engine.  We've got it down pretty good, so it starts well.  Just takes a whiff of ether and she's ready to go!

[ScottAR]

'57 was the last year for D2's.  That's a nice one!

[D._Frederick]

Its even got the seat tank with it! The D-2's are in demand out here to use in grapes and berries. It was the last small crawler that was built to last.

[Corley5]

Saw a D-2 sell yesterday for 750.00.  No blade didn't look like it ever had one.  Sprokets weren't too bad and the tracks looked good.  Engine ran good but smoked, steered good and sounded good.  The pony however didn't appear to run as the plug wires weren't even hooked up.  I have no idea what year it was but a pretty good looking machine overall

[whitepe]

When I first started to work at CAT back in
1976,   They sent all new hires to two weeks
of machine operations at our Proving Grounds.
It was quite fun and we got to operated nearly
every machine that CAT made at that time.
During one of those weeks,  one of the guys
got a CAT wheel loader to heavily loaded and
the bucket too high.  It rolled over on it's side
into the pile of dirt.  No one got hurt but for
weeks whenever that guy left his desk and
came back,  his office chair was laying on it's side.
He also acquired the nickname of "Side Dump"

[beenthere]

I was at a John Deere 'proving' (or 'playing') field day a couple times (a few years ago), and they had all the 'other' brands there to drive and put through their paces as well as Deere. Great fun. The work came after, when reporting on each feature on each tractor driven.  But these things, if done honestly, help them make their decisions.

Whitpe  
How do you get your posts to be 'left justified' ?  

[Egon]

The fact you must trailer the tractor may be the deciding point. Pick the largest that you can comfortably trailer and be legal. Four wheel drive and a loader should be must's. For me HST would be a benefit others will prefer different transmissions. This can be hotly debated but comes down to personel choice. Chains may also be considered.

Egon ???