New Tractor 45 to 50 HP ....... What would you buy?

[Left Coast Chris]

Well, my Massey Ferguson 135 is getting pretty tired and blew the power steering pump last weekend.   You never realize how important they are until they are down.  I needed to spray the walnut orchard and missed a blight spraying so that will cost several hundred in crop loss along with a new pump or repair if I can get the parts.   Couldnt get the parts on line so went to the local Ford New Holland store and they are trying to order them for me.    The MF 135 is 45 hp at the engine and 38 PTO hp (3 cyl Perkins).  It is big enough to shove most logs on the mill with a rear brush rake.

I looked around to consider replacing it and I found that you really have to sit on the tractor to gauge a fit.    I liked the Branson 4720i.  It has 47 HP engine (Cummins) and 42 HP PTO with the front end loader and 4wd.  It is $19k (ouch).   It is really hard to find a good old bullet proof 2wd manual tranny.  The only 2wd I found was the Mahindra 4525.  It has the highest three point lift capacity at 3527lbs and FEL capacity of 2980.  The price is only $11k but only a 3 yr waranty and it is made in India.  It sits very high though and a lowering kit by the shop was $3k.

All the new tractors are either Japanese, Korean or Indian it seems.   I saw a newer Korean (Mahindra) that was for sale used saying it had 700 hrs and a new clutch.  Heck, the Massey went 4000 hours of hard use before needing a clutch.  Makes you wonder.

Any one have alot of hours on a newer tractor and how has it held up?

[scsmith42]

I have an '03 Kioti DK 65 that I bought new, and put over 1K hours on.  No maintenance issues other than oil changes.  It is 4WD with a loader (a "must" for around the mill IMO), and was my primary support tractor for the sawmill until I bought a backhoe and skid steer.

When I bought the Kioti, I looked at every major brand available in the US (I did not have a brand preference), and decided that it was the best compromise for my needs.  For strickly Ag use, I prefer some of the New Holland or John Deere products; however the Kioti provided a good balance between Ag and Construction features, which is what I needed at the time.

It was 35K new (with the air conditioned Cab and some attachments), as I recall the base price was around 23K.

For a tractor with a FEL, I prefer 4WD, as the front axle is much heavier.  I also prefer the "industrial R4" tires in stead of ag tires, as they are better suited for FEL applications and also don't dig into the ground as much around the mill.

Kioti's are made in S. Korea, and are a division of a very large industrial company (Dae Dong).  Kioti has a major support system in the US; basically they are committed to the US market. 

[Left Coast Chris]

One of the considerations is local dealer support and we do have a local tractor dealer that sells Kioti and New Holland.   The salesman is a true salesman though and trys to say anything you want to hear.  He just does not come accross as genuine (honest).  I will pick up a brochure and check out the Kioti based on your experience.  --thanks--

[RSteiner]

My neighbor has a Branson some where around the 50 hp range with a FEL and BH.  He has owned it for about 4 years and to my knowledge has had no problems.

I have a 30 hp. Kubota that I bought new 8 years ago it now has just over 600 hours on it, not a lot.  I know that would be a little small for your needs, it is some times not as big as I would like. 

Horse power and size are way different today than they were 10 or 15 years ago.  I have heard good and bad opinions for every brand out there.  Dealer support is a consideration, what you feel comfortable with is also important.  Mahindra has been making tractors and trucks for around 60 years, if they held up to the use the people in India put them through they should be good here too.  The Kioti and Mahindra tractors I think have the most weight per horse power which is helpful when you want to use all the power at the wheels.

Randy

[Brad_bb]

Boy, I still use tractors from the 50's.  You can rebuild them over and over.  Just finished the compete resto on my 55 Ford(except rear wheels-next winter), 44HP at the PTO.  New tractors are so expensive these days.  You can buy a good running 50's tractor for around 2500-4000.  Mine cost $3000, I mowed with it for 5 years, and decided there was enough that needed done that I'd restore it.  Spent $8K not including my labor, and it's a new tractor now.  An option.

PS, It's not leaking oil, that cardboard is from something else.

[RSteiner]

Boy, I still use tractors from the 50's.  You can rebuild them over and over.  Just finished the compete resto on my 55 Ford(except rear wheels-next winter), 44HP at the PTO.  New tractors are so expensive these days.  You can buy a good running 50's tractor for around 2500-4000.  Mine cost $3000, I mowed with it for 5 years, and decided there was enough that needed done that I'd restore it.  Spent $8K not including my labor, and it's a new tractor now.  An option.

PS, It's not leaking oil, that cardboard is from something else.

Nice looking tractor!!  8)

I had a 1951 Ford 8N for over 20 years that I used to gather my firewood and other things.  It had a Wagner loader with a narrow trip bucket, good for moving manure.  With a full bucket and no power steering you had to work at turning sometimes.  It was a solid tractor, at times I wish I'd kept it.

However, I must admit 4WD, power steering and a full width bucket on front are realy nice features.

Randy

[ksu_chainsaw]

Not sure what you have available on the used side out there, but around here you can find JD 4010's and 4020's or Farmall 560's and 450's in good shape for under 10K.  These tractors are fairly bulletproof and can have loaders mounted on them easy, and are easy to find repair parts for. 

The neighbor just rebuilt his 560- he bought it new- for about 5K- and that was a ground up restro- it looks new now.

Just my 2 cents

Charles

[Dave Shepard]

I'm a big fan of Kubota. ;)

Last auction I went to had a Farmall 450 gas, wide front, fresh engine, new tires, fast hitch. $1650. I didn't have $16.50. :D Oh well.

[SPIKER]

IF you are looking new, there are some pretty good tractors coming out of =Korea, China and India that are just what you were looking for,
Personally I own a China JM284 it is a 2002 I have 400 hrs on her now. runs great but Ive abused it day one when I rolled it off the shipping container.   I broke a lot of parts using it as a bulldozer with maybe 60%f the 400hrs being bulldozer work and rest PTO mowing & trenching with backhoe.   They were bought out and are harder to get. next up is a newer name FOTON which is sold by many dealers RK (Rural King) sells them and my neighbor bought a 404 (40HP 4x4) it is very nice I think he paid under 10K for it.  no FEL but they are available many places.   I may try & find out what they will give me trade in for my JM284.

Mark

[fishpharmer]

Hard to beat an old John Deere for the money.  Finding parts isn't a problem.  It's worthwhile to get  a major brand if for no other reason, parts. 

[LOGDOG]

I have a Kioti DK45C. She's got about 600 hours on it now. Love it. It's a joy to run. Air conditioned cab with radio, remote hydraulic valves, front end loader, 4wd. Easy access around the engine compartment makes cleaning a breeze. My Kioti looks just like the Kubota but I bet mine cost a good bit less.

[chevytaHOE5674]

For the money its hard to beat a good piece of used older Iron.

Last fall my father was looking into buying a new 40-50hp NH or Kubota but after looking and them and then comparing to used prices/value he picked up a Case IH 695 MFWD with a loader for 12k. It is like 62 hp and is a real heavy duty built tractor and with only 2k hours on it he will get many more hours of use out of it. Its much more tractor than the 50hp new stuff and was less than half the price.

[bandmiller2]

A sawyer friend of mine was in your shoes he looked at them all and bought a Mahindra said its the most tractor for the money simple heavy duty like a new 50's tractor.Myself I'am still stuck with 2 cyl's and one case.Three pt. hitch ,power steering and live PTO you don't need anything else,of course a good loader. Frank C.

[Left Coast Chris]

Have not heard of the FOTON.  I will look that one up.

As for the older iron ....... I wish I had the time to rebuild my MF 135.  It probably would be in the $8k range to restore.   

One thing I notice about the newer tractors, many are pretty high off the ground with bigger and bigger tires as the HP increases.   Too bad they do not try to keep the center of gravity down for roll over issues and orchard use.   The two wheel drive Mahindra from India is supposedly a copy of the older international.  Some comments about not shifting too smoothly are common.   Not sure how I would lower it.   The dealer may be wiling to swap smaller tires from a couple sizes down in models.

Thanks for the input........ keep the comments coming.

[Handy Andy]

  I'm sure the new tractors have a chart for switching to smaller diameter rims and tires and matching ones for the front.  And you should also be able to find a Massey mechanic, maybe somebody retired who could rebuild that.  Massey 135's were pretty bulletproof.  Don't know about parts availability, but probably available.
  The Case dealership here sells Mahindra, they look pretty sturdy, and they had some great prices while they were not selling recently.  That mechanical front drive is just really nice to have, and when I looked at my JD book, they have about twice as much load capacity as the 2wd models have on the front.

[Don_Papenburg]

Make time to fix what needs to get by with the MF . The perkins is one of the best little diesels around. very economical My brother uses his 135 gas as basic transportation around the farm.  The power stearing can't be that bad to fix .  then plan a time to rebuild the perk    You will regret if you sell that little guy.  They were made to work  not like the new stuff that is being built today . That stuff is made for gardens and light work around the suburban house.

[pineywoods]

Make time to fix what needs to get by with the MF . The perkins is one of the best little diesels around. very economical My brother uses his 135 gas as basic transportation around the farm.  The power stearing can't be that bad to fix .  then plan a time to rebuild the perk    You will regret if you sell that little guy.  They were made to work  not like the new stuff that is being built today . That stuff is made for gardens and light work around the suburban house.

Yeah, fix the 135. It will still be going strong when the others have been re-cycled into pots and pans. I have one that's 50 years old, 40 hp continental gas burner. Mine does not have power steering, wish it did. I had a local mechanic go completely through mine a couple of years ago. Around $1200 to make it like new, except for the appearance items. It looks rough but where it counts is good as new.

[roger 4400]

I just made a gift TO ME.... a new 1643 Massey Ferguson, Hst ...bla bla... a very nice toy, so smooth to drive ...as they say youre on clouds ten...they also make in this serie the 1652 , 52 Hp....I am shure you would be happy with that... Good thinking  have nice dreams... :D :D  Roger

[Jasperfield]

I'd look at the Kiota tractors from Payeur Distributions. They are set up for forestry.
Payeur.com

[Left Coast Chris]

Roger.......you are BAD.....   taunting us like that! 8) 8)

Congrats on the new Massey!    I REALLY wish we had a dealer near by.  If you don't mind telling, what is the PTO HP and at least a hint of the approximate cost.... ???

And...... I hear all you guys regarding rebuilding my 135.   Here is the deal, I have a crop in the trees and cannot miss much more timing related care.  I need the tractor now.   Also, the engine has been rebuilt once, the hydraulics twice and the brakes, cooling system, tires and body condition are not too good.   She owes me nothing and has given me 5 times her value in work.  But the cost and time are difficult to under take right now.

I really appreciate all the input and ....... excitement (Roger!) 8) 8)

[OneWithWood]

When I upgraded I looked at a number of compact tractors.  I settled on a John Deere 4520 (60hp) 4x4 with R4 tires, a CX FEL, mid mount PTO and a belly mower, and an i-match for the 3 point.  The FEL has a quick attach system and I got a bucket and a set of forks.  The whole thing came in just shy of $35K.  The tractor is very maneuverable in the woods.  The attaching systems make it a breaze to swap implements.  I made a 1500 pound weight for the back to assist with moving logs. 
I have been very happy with the tractor. 

[Holmes]

 I have a Kubota  B3030, 30 hp , with cab . Nice tractor 700 hrs on it no issues yet but it will not pick up with forks , a 14" log 12' long. It is low to the ground and easy to use in the woods, and does not feel tippy. The cab is great. I also have a Zetor 6441 ,64 hp with cab  a very strong tractor but it has a tall cab and seat. When you drive over any thing it feels like you are tipping over. I do not like it in the woods . It is  my 2nd Zetor and I had no major problems with either tractor. Both tractors are 4wd , they work well in mud and snow. Holmes