recommend an old tractor for me

[Ted Hoppe]

Perhaps you just need a second woman...

AB675461-D88F-4711-82C6-CCD9CD28AF5C.jpg

Vincent's little known work.

[Andrew2]

Cruelty to animals, they could have a least shamfered off the fronts of the two logs forming the 'sledge' runners.

Just been fettling my little Energic 511. Not quite in Pauls list. Only 11hp, no PTO or hydraulics. It does win on the electrics, non at all, hand cranked. Magneto for the single pot side-valve petrol (gas) donk.

Fabbed up a little fat wheeled trailer to haul logs out of the woods, gotta keep warm..
But no snow, so don't need the blower. Next thing is a front end loader with 'small' bucket.

[Ted Hoppe]

Serious question - Can you not rent or borrow a tractor when needed? In more rural areas, hiring a guy with a tractor would be cheaper and require less fuss.

[Paul Pless]

if it were just a landscaping project or tilling a garden once a year then renting would make sense.

but, rent a tractor every time it snows? or, every time you need to move a log or firewood? or, each time you need to mow a pasture?

[SaltyD from BC]

Serious question - Can you not rent or borrow a tractor when needed? In more rural areas, hiring a guy with a tractor would be cheaper and require less fuss.

Holy buzz kill. Perish the thought

[George Jung]

Rent as needed? I'd expect that, when it's needed, everyone is looking for one. Might have to wait a bit.

Besides - Paul 'needs' a tractor!

[SaltyD from BC]

I wouldn't rule this guy out, always nice to have a cab..

[Jimmy W]

logging is a winter time sport for me

cooler, no bugs, no briars, no noxious shrubbery, less friction. . .

alas my logging and sawmilling and firewood cutting and splitting days may be over, though

What happens to your briars in winter? I had to clear out dead blackberry vines the other day to work on a project. Also the mosquitos were bad here yesterday afternoon in sheltered places.

[Garret]

I wouldn't rule this guy out, always nice to have a cab..

Not when working in the woods - unless it's a skidder style that will protect you instead of crushing you. They're also a PITA when you're on & off the tractor a lot.

That being said, a cab is nice when snowblowing.

Plus - that guy needs to haul more bales!

[Ted Hoppe]

if it were just a landscaping project or tilling a garden once a year then renting would make sense.

but, rent a tractor every time it snows? or, every time you need to move a log or firewood? or, each time you need to mow a pasture?

I really believe in your dog training business. I would love to see you really expand on that.

Maybe you said but I missed it. how big a spread are you working?

You have a beat up explorer - except for mowing - it can do it all. A few cows or horses can keep a pasture low. Add a goat if you think you need dirt.

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[Yeadon]

Ted has two sailboats, two motorcycles, two cars, but suggests Paul should not have a single tractor.

[Paul Pless]

post of the day tim

[Ted Hoppe]

Ted has two sailboats, two motorcycles, two cars, but suggests Paul should not have a single tractor.

Paul can have one of my sailboats - gratis!

[Paul Pless]

I wondered the same thing myself when the op said it Jimmy. Do they freeze up north and explode?

they become less vibrant, brittle even

[Nicholas Scheuer]

Why not be the only one around, with an Oliver? I once saw a single green Oliver at a show of farm machinery parked next to a long line of green John Deere, so I asked the owner what advantage the Oliver might have? He immediatey replied that his eight-cyl engine ran a LOT smoother than those single-cyl John Deeres, and when one spent a whole day driving one in the field, that was a major advantage. Minneapolis Moline is another brand that would set you apart from the masses of JD and IH.

[SaltyD from BC]

Paul can have one of my sailboats - gratis!

Would it take a front end loader? I suppose a PTO offa the stuffing box would be doable

[Nicholas Scheuer]

Ya'but, isn't every guy just looking for an excuse to buy an old tractor? We have a pair of Case displayed for sale just a mile from here and I'd sure like to have a reason to own one.

Serious question - Can you not rent or borrow a tractor when needed? In more rural areas, hiring a guy with a tractor would be cheaper and require less fuss.

[Paul Pless]

Why not be the only one around, with an Oliver? I once saw a single green Oliver at a show of farm machinery parked next to a long line of green John Deere, so I asked the owner what advantage the Oliver might have? He immediatey replied that his eight-cyl engine ran a LOT smoother than those single-cyl John Deeres, and when one spent a whole day driving one in the field, that was a major advantage. Minneapolis Moline is another brand that would set you apart from the masses of JD and IH.

beautiful tractors
have become collectors items and command high prices
not built for loaders in mind

[Garret]

Those who have not lived in a northern rural location may not understand - but if you have some property, a tractor is an extremely useful tool. Can you plow snow with a truck/suv? Sure - but it you get lots, or don't have enough room for the piles left from plowing, you may well need a front loader or snowblower. In addition:

• Mow fields (not lawn, but meadow that gets mowed a couple/3 times a year
• Bushhogging brush/berries, etc.
• Hauling wood/logs
• Moving gravel, hay, dirt, compost, fertilizer, etc. etc.
• Lifting heavy stuff - I use the hooks on the bucket & a chain as much as I use the bucket itself
• Grading a dirt/gravel driveway (needs to be done at least 2 times/year if not more - especially if any slopes in the road). Then you need to add gravel every few years & this has to be spread/graded. A grader blade is also angled to dig/clean out drainage alongside the drive.
• Plowing fields - if planting crops
• Pulling cars/trucks out of ditches
• Construction - moving dirt (again) hauling materials where a truck won't fit, lifting heavy stuff up, etc.
• Snow again - a neighbor's well pump quit. The well is 150 ft from the driveway & there was 18" of snow on the ground. I used my bucket to clear a path for the well truck - as there's no way a plow could move that much snow.

This is an off-the-cuff list - there are plenty more things. Yes a tractor & operator can be hired - but they're not cheap & there are few doing it, so you'll have to wait - often over a month.

A tractor is a tool - plain & simple. Is it also a great escape from work/argument/etc. to go out & mow a field or grade a driveway? Heck yeah.

ETA: a 4WD tractor with a factory bucket will do 3x the work of a classic. I've owned examples of both.

[Paul Pless]

a compact tractor rental is about $300 for eight hours

[hawkeye54]

^ ^ ^ Garret, that's why I was so thrilled to be gifted the Kubota by my wife on my birthday - I had been mowing 7 of my 10 acres with a 24" walk-behind rotary mower . . . and clearing a 900 foot hillside gravel driveway with a 42 inch walk-behind snowblower. What a difference !!

[Paul Pless]

^ and clearing a 900 foot hillside gravel driveway with a 42 inch walk-behind snowblower.

jesus!

[John B]

I can't plow snow with my baby tractor. I felt yawl should know that.

[Garret]

^ ^ ^ Garret, that's why I was so thrilled to be gifted the Kubota by my wife on my birthday - I had been mowing 7 of my 10 acres with a 24" walk-behind rotary mower . . . and clearing a 900 foot hillside gravel driveway with a 42 inch walk-behind snowblower. What a difference !!

Tell me you didn't have arms that looked like Popeye's!

[Garret]

I can't plow snow with my baby tractor. I felt yawl should know that.

That's 'cause you don't have snow.

I know - details...

[JayInOz]

^ ^ ^ - I had been mowing 7 of my 10 acres with a 24" walk-behind rotary mower . .

Mowing it to serve what purpose Hawkeye? Run livestock, rent it to a neighbour to grow a crop of something or run their livestock- anything but just mowing to make it look mowed. Used to be a small block- few acres- across the road from a farmhouse I rented. The owners would come up for a weekend from the city once a month. Mow Saturday, sleep in their trailer. Mow Sunday then pack up and drive four hours back to the city. That's all they ever did with their land. Maybe I'm missing something

[L.W. Baxter]

seven acres with a push mower? what is that, about thirty hours?

[AnalogKid]

Those who have not lived in a northern rural location may not understand - but if you have some property, a tractor is an extremely useful tool. Can you plow snow with a truck/suv? Sure - but it you get lots, or don't have enough room for the piles left from plowing, you may well need a front loader or snowblower. In addition:

• Mow fields (not lawn, but meadow that gets mowed a couple/3 times a year
• Bushhogging brush/berries, etc.
• Hauling wood/logs
• Moving gravel, hay, dirt, compost, fertilizer, etc. etc.
• Lifting heavy stuff - I use the hooks on the bucket & a chain as much as I use the bucket itself
• Grading a dirt/gravel driveway (needs to be done at least 2 times/year if not more - especially if any slopes in the road). Then you need to add gravel every few years & this has to be spread/graded. A grader blade is also angled to dig/clean out drainage alongside the drive.
• Plowing fields - if planting crops
• Pulling cars/trucks out of ditches
• Construction - moving dirt (again) hauling materials where a truck won't fit, lifting heavy stuff up, etc.
• Snow again - a neighbor's well pump quit. The well is 150 ft from the driveway & there was 18" of snow on the ground. I used my bucket to clear a path for the well truck - as there's no way a plow could move that much snow.

This is an off-the-cuff list - there are plenty more things. Yes a tractor & operator can be hired - but they're not cheap & there are few doing it, so you'll have to wait - often over a month.

A tractor is a tool - plain & simple. Is it also a great escape from work/argument/etc. to go out & mow a field or grade a driveway? Heck yeah.

ETA: a 4WD tractor with a factory bucket will do 3x the work of a classic. I've owned examples of both.

Talk about packing the list of excuses, if you graded the driveway right, you wouldn't have to go pulling cars out of ditches. Maybe put a sturdy fence along the drive to keep the cars out of the ditch - you could get a PTO post hole borer for that...

[hawkeye54]

seven acres with a push mower? what is that, about thirty hours?

About right - I was working 4 10 hour days , working on the acreage the rest - tried to keep the grass down to control ticks, etc. on our dogs. Kept me busy, and fit !!

[L.W. Baxter]

as a person who has done some crazy **** in overly laborious ways, i have to respect that hawkeye.

[hawkeye54]

jesus!

^ ^ ^ ( Paul's post # 97 ) Hated it when it was sub-zero - and especially hated when a high wind would drift it over right behind me ! ! ! ! !

[Landrith]

I had a gas Allis WD, then one of the Ferguson TO-20's it never seemed to have enough umph. But I did some of my most successful plowing attempts. I sold it and got a sight unseen $3000 diesel at the beginning of the COVID craziness being sold by a Norwegian elderly guy that had sold his hobby farm. it was an Argentinian FIAT copy, Agripower 4000. I love that tractor. Parts give out and it just continues to run, the other FIAT copies from Europe aren't the same. I thought I could get parts in Argentina, but it seems like the tractor works is closed and the electrical starter and solenoid company makes modern parts for VW models only. A close relative envied the joys of never overheating diesel brush hogging and got an old Yanmar 4wd with a loader. It does not have the weight so it does not plow as great as the FIAT but the loader is handy. It had sat forever and the hydraulic lift cylinders were leaking. The neighborhood tractor repair shop was prebooked into the next century but suggested taking them off and getting the hydraulic cylinders rebuilt in the city at a specialist. 3 times later they still leak , but function.

[Paul Pless]

Agripower 4000. I love that tractor.

i've never heard of these
interesting tractor
you are very very correct about how having a little bit of weight matters
what do you do about the parts situation?

[Landrith]

i've never heard of these
interesting tractor
you are very very correct about how having a little bit of weight matters
what do you do about the parts situation?

Menards imported them and painted them. https://tractors.fandom.com/wiki/Agri-Power ,. I think Zetor and the other licensed FIAT copies and Belarus still have parts available.

I don't know. I was complaining when I could not get a solenoid or get mine rebuilt. Then someone explained that farmers make stuff run. It can be true. I just pull the plunger with pliers and jump the current to the starter and fires in a second, every time. My gas tractors would have problems starting after sitting long periods. Carbs usually. Diesels in tractors and trucks have been been nothing like yacht engines, they always start for me every time. on a job site, the emergency diesel mechanic once explained to my foreman, its usually getting enough current to the starter to spin the engine quickly and if that fails, its priming the fuel filter reservoir so the engine is actually getting fuel. So far my only diesel fails have been on my ancient semi truck. I thought the batteries were bad but it was the terminal connections , and I had the filter primed thinking I run it out of fuel. Instead, I did not have the tank spigot turned on for the second tank and once the fuel was available from the tank it started easily.

[heimlaga]

One can do a lot without four wheel drive.

Here are two pictures of my 1971 model Massey-Ferguson 165. One shows the tractor without the detachable front loader and with the logging with on the three point hitch. The home made grill guard fits the front weight mount and the toolbox for the chainsaw fits the front loader mount. The home made bottom armour under the motor is there all the time and protects the steering mechanism and the oil sump from being damaged by sharp stones when working in the woods. The 6 ton boggi log trailer is suitable size for the tractor. When fully extended it can take logs up to 9 metres (30feet) long. The winch cannot load anything longer than 7 metres though. I use 8mm spiked tyre chains on the rear wheels all winter. I always detach the front loader when I go logging because it extends the turning cirkle andputs too much weight on the front wheel so they don't climb over stones and tree stumps. The heavy winch on the three point hitch puts even more weight on the rear wheels ad less on the front wheels which improves the terrain capabilities.
When the timber is home I can remove the winch and attach the front loader on my own in just under one hour without any heavy lifting.
The other picture showing the concrete counterweight I put on the tree point hitch when using the front loader. Without the counterweight the tractor is pretty much stuck and cannot be steered and goes neither forward nor backward as soon as I have any load at all on the front loader. With the counterweight is handles quite well enough for any normal use.

I have pictures of the front loader as well but they are not on this computer.