You ever try to buy a tractor ?

[moandrich]

Ever consider a skid steer?

[Al_Smith]

I remember when the first series of JD tractors came out that had more than two cylinders .It was a novelty seeing a green tractor that didn't go putt ,putt ,putt .

As far as loaders on tractors I personally do not trust one on a tricycle front end tractor .I know 40 people will come on and say they've used them for years but I've seen them tip ,front end falls in a hole and a number of things .To each their own on that .

[beenthere]

Al
Relax.
It doesn't really happen that way. ;)

[bama20a]

Sure thank you fellows for the replies,I did go get the 150 massey,Got to play with it  ;D.when I got it home,I know it's not the most powerful thing,But it will do for now,Also got me a new camera,So now maybe I can get some pic's,As they say"It didn't happen without pic's  :D
Mark,,,,

[Indiana Robinson]

Sure thank you fellows for the replies,I did go get the 150 massey,Got to play with it  ;D.when I got it home,I know it's not the most powerful thing,But it will do for now,Also got me a new camera,So now maybe I can get some pic's,As they say"It didn't happen without pic's  :D
Mark,,,,

I suspect that you will find that it will serve you very well. As long as you are not pushing for all out super volume production there are many ways to work that do not need massive amounts of excessive power to accomplish. It can also be nice to be able to load a log without using a gallon of fuel for each one...  ;D  My old 4020 was a little like that. It would deep till a field at an amazingly efficient rate while just loafing along. Trouble was it used the same amount of fuel moving stuff around.  ;D  Since we had a herd of smaller tractors from 10 (Farmall CUB) to 50+ HP for smaller jobs we just used the 4020 for the bigger jobs and left it in the shed the rest of the time. It and my son's 1755 Oliver. They were both cab tractors which can be nice in bad weather but are also more effort to keep climbing in and out of a lot on little jobs.


.

[Handy Andy]

  I have a 4020 that I bought used about 35 years ago.  Have spent very little on repairs on it.  But as for lifting, my Case 60 xt will lift more.  Hydraulics are 3000 psi on the case, and not so much on the deere.  As for ballast, you need the 3 point so you can add a blade or something heavy on the rear to balance the heavy load on the front, especially if you don't have front wheel drive. I had a Ford industrial tractor for years, and it was a hog on ice. Small rear tires and without a blade on the back, there was no weight on the rear tires when lifting with the fel.

[wdtik]

Something worth pointing out in regards to farm tractors with a fel is
the front axle is kinda light for loader duty.  After reading this thread I
took a pic of one I have yet to weld.  This is off a 50hp IH with a fel, 4th
break in 4k hrs.  Two were like this one, failed in the haz, one was the
spindle and the other was the main axle right through the weld.  I
just weld them back up and go the rewelds have been 100% good.
Better lucky than good.
The loader is used for chores such as snow plowing, pen cleaning ect.

My neighbor broke an older 4020 ft axle last fall. I've also seen the trunions on the
high hp 4x4 snap when trying to carry too much hay. Metal fatigue==widowmaker.

 

[jpmorris98]

Gr owning up on my grandpa's farm with 5 Massey Fergusons, 75 through 110 HP, I'd say you can't go wrong.  Properly maintained Perkins diesels have been bullet proof on that farm.  Even the one that caught fire under the mounted corn picker and had to be rebuilt... think it has past 5000 hours on the hr meter.

Thoughts front end loaders -- based on my experience w/ a MF 275 - two wheel drive.
-Get a quick-tatch model.  Loaders are quite handy to have, but can be equally frustrating when you are performing other tasks with them on the tractor.  Also, removing the loader will eliminate undue stress on the front spindles. 
-Go up one wheel / tire size to provide better stability and load carrying capacity.
-Dittos on the counter weight requirement.  If you don't want to buy one, build a rock box out of scrap steal or but your heaviest implement on the 3-point.  Just be mindful of your back side when backing up.
Don't lift logs with the bucket!! Get pallet forks or a grapple device.  We don't want to read your obituary.

Stay safe and best wishes.
jpm

[bama20a]

Sure some more good advice.
Got to use it again today,But it ain't good :-\.That sucker uses oil bad.
The fellow pointed out afew small things,But failed to mention about the oil.
I did notice a little blow by,But it didn't seem like much.The longer I used it the more it smoked,
Any way, other than that it done a GOOD job,
I've got to leave out in alittle while (job),When I get back I'm going to see a fellow about building the motor,Even at that I still got a pretty good deal.Mark,,,,

[MHineman]

  My dad had a MF 265 with a FEL.  It always seemed underpowered.  He has a MF 271 now (about 12 years old) and seems much better.
  I have a Foton 404.  It is a 40 hp chinese made tractor with 4WD, FEL, and 3 point hitch.  I put my 900+ pound skidding winch on the 3 point hitch to balance out big logs.
  You not only want to keep the rear wheels on the ground, you also want to keep BOTH rear wheels firmly on the ground to avoid tipping sideways.
  Even a little off center with a log longer than 10 feet or on a slight hill side can get you going in a direction you won't like.
  I used to use an Allis-Chalmers WD45 for all my farm and log work.  Since I've used my 4WD with FEL and 2 way hydraulics, and 3 point hitch, I would never go back to the old tractor.
  I still use the old tractor for a few light uses like raking hay, but it uses a lot more fuel than my newer diesel tractor.

[stumpy]

I've been looking for a utility size tractor with a FEL.  The problem I have is I can never find out the lift capacity of the loaders.   I've checked Tratordata.com and other sites, but no lift capacity.  Is there a way to get an idea of lift capacity without actually lifting a load?  Is it determined by HP or PSI?

[SPD748]

I went through an exhausting search for a tractor with enough lift capacity for the heavier logs. I looked at Ford 4500's, 545's... a few John Deere's...etc. All that I could find were in the $10k+ range. I had almost given up and decided to try and get by with my little 30hp Kubota when I found this little number:



 

Its a 410 Deere, diesel. I know it looks rough however it runs very well. We had to fix a few hydraulic leaks and replace some hoses but the price was excellent and it's a DEERE! I think the loader will handle around 8K lbs. I'm having a set of forks made for it at the moment. The company says it will take another couple of weeks before they're ready.

-lee

[MHineman]

I've been looking for a utility size tractor with a FEL.  The problem I have is I can never find out the lift capacity of the loaders.   I've checked Tratordata.com and other sites, but no lift capacity.  Is there a way to get an idea of lift capacity without actually lifting a load?  Is it determined by HP or PSI?

It is not a factor of hp, but hp will give you a rough idea.  Generally the larger the hp, the heavier the front axle, therefore the more it can handle.  That leads to the size loader that should be on the tractor. 
  PSI strictly will determine the lift capacity when the size of the hydraulic cylinders for the lift arms are figured in, but most tractors produce about 2500 PSI, so the loader is the factor to look at.
  If you get too large a loader, you will either lift the rear wheels to the point you have no control, or break something like the front axle.
  Loader Manufacturer sites should give you a good idea which loader is suited for a given tractor, or call then as they would love to sell you a loader.  The lift capacity of the bucket may be available on those sites too.  With the bucket lift, you need to take into account whether the load is in the bucket, at the front of the bucket, or closer to the tractor.
  The closer you can get the load to the tractor, the more you can lift.  If you get a loader that you can easily disconnect the bucket, you can lift closer to the tractor AND you don't have the weight of the bucket.
  Most people take off the bucket and put on forks.  The forks weigh less than the bucket, slip under a log easily, hold the load closer to the tractor, and are stable at holding the log.
  My bucket does not come off and my forks are homemade and sit on the front of the bucket.  I could probably lift twice the load if I took off the bucket and had a lightweight attachment for the forks.