Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

Best 70-100 HP tractor & advise needed

Sligh1

Sligh1

Administrator
Staff member
I meant "ADVICE" not advise, sorry. :)

OK, so is this kind of like the Chevy VS Ford thing OR are there really some far superior tractors in this category? And, is there brands that are supposed to be more reliable but more $ VS others that are cheaper & have more problems?

How would you rate these in regards to reliability, power/usefullness, quality, effectiveness on the farm, ability for parts/service/repairs, etc.....

Kubota
New Holland
John Deere
Massey Furgeson
Case
Others?

Are there any above I should steer clear of because of problems? That's my biggest thing, I don't want a cheap one that breaks down, which of those is the most reliable? Like, if we were talking about vehicles, I'd want a Toyota OR a simple & time tested Chevy. On the contrary, I'd ALWAYS stay away from Dawoo, Kia, Geo, etc- you see my point. I do NOT want an old tractor, I don't have time for the headaches, even if a 4020 is a great tractor, I just don't have the time to tinker around. I want new & reliable full power with top quality and no monkey-ing around all the time.


I have a 50 hp John Deer 5103 4x4 right now, 2 years old. I LOVE IT but I wish it was about 85 hp or maybe even 100. No problems with it, it's solid. I want to pull a bat-wing & I don't dare put anything on it past my 7 foot rotary mower. I also want more power for pulling fertilizer carts and disks. What do you think- do I need 70, 80, 90, 100 hp????? The 6 series John Deere seem like a good Deere to get OR maybe a big one of the 5 series (like I have) but with a lot more hp engine which IS available. Can I get as good of tractor with other brands? I MUST have 4x4 on my tractor- MUST!

Now, I am nervous with how much spraying I do that I'm getting my self killed with all the chemicals I'm putting on. Should I seriously consider an enclosed cab?

Thanks guys!!!!
 
Last edited:
I would say get whatever tractor has a dealership close to you so that you can have work done on it or go get a part quick. The worst thing for us as farmers is having to go an hour somewhere to get a 20 cent part. Our combines are new holland and we must drive over an hour for parts. Talk about frustrating in the middle of harvest. We have John Deere tractors and they are very nice, and very reliable but like everything you will have your problems. Hope that helps a little.
 
Keep in mind if its green it will cost more, all kidding aside go with a close dealership, no matter what you buy it will break.
 
I have been doing a little looking into this too. The 6 series is less expensive on a dollar per hp ratio than the 5 series, or so I've been told. The two things I MUST HAVE are wet clutches and an electro/hydro power reverser and you can't get one without the other. I have looked (browsed the net) at New Holland and JD. Both have what I want, I have not done any serious pricing but I think I can save on the color blue. On the other hand, the closest New Holland dealer is about 40 miles away and JD is 6 miles. So like others have said, and the way I break stuff, I may be willing to pay more for the convenience.

As far as cab, I think in the summer it makes it harder to get in and out on and off but in the winter, and it will be my snow removal plan, you can't beat a cab. But again, I can't decide whether to save a dollar or be comfortable.

One of my life lessons has always been better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Such is the same with horse power. Of course the more power the more you pay. Along the same line, if you get 100hp your implements will need to be able to handle the hp which in turn makes them more expensive.

How much is your time worth? The more HP the bigger the implement the less time you spend working.

I didn't answer any of your questions but I have spent many an hour this winter pondering the very same things you are. I too would like some advice. Otherwise I'll end up playing spin the empty Makers bottle and that hasn't worked out so well in the past.
 
Really is about TIME mainly for me. For example, I have a 50 hp MFWD 5103 JD, it's SWEET!!! 250 hours with a loader. BUT, the other day I'm looking at a 150 acre field that needs to be mowed with my SEVEN foot Rhino Rotary mower. You know how long that's going to take me?!?!?!!? I'm just overwhelmed. SO- to really do this right consistently, I need a bat-wing. I also want to be able to pull fertilizer carts with ease on some hilly areas. My 5103 does it BUT I get a little nervous. Then I have DISKS that get quite big and can really need some bigger power at times. Maybe I just need to say: "Well, I have to spend 4 times as long mowing & go lighter on fertilizer carts & put in a lower gear with disks and just take longer" - if I did that, I'd save $10-20k in all likelihood BUT long term I need to weigh this out & see if it's worth it. I'm also overwhelmed with some new projects, so these sweet big old tractors look so tempting!!!
My other options are hiring some mowing out, etc. LASTLY, my CAB concern really is ONLY based on spraying. I do a LOT of spraying, a lot of folks overlook this BUT I don't want to be the guy that spent 10, 20 or 30 years COVERED in Atrazine, 2,4-D, Round-up, Oust, Tordon, Dual, Clethodim, Panoramic, pesticides, etc, etc, etc. I have family who grew up on farms- have cancer and some of the best cancer minds in our country are very suspicious OR accusatory towards all these chemicals. Just a random thought BUT if $5-8k would keep me safer for my family, I sure wouldn't mind considering it if this really would help.

If I can find a dealer that carries above brands, you all think I'll be happy with any of these?
 
In all reality most of the tractors now days are equally good. Personally I would get a case. Your location says your from Des Moines so your best bet would be sticking with Case, John Deere, or a Cat (if they make anything that small im not sure). I would stay away from anything agco just for the fact that its hard to get parts sometime.( we have a bunch of Masseys and everytime one breaks down we always have to wait awhile to get a part). Good luck and Im sure what ever you end up deciding you will be happy with it.
 
Once you get a tractor with a cab, you'll never want to get another without. There's just something to be said about getting done with field work and not being covered in dust and chemicals. Plus the a/c and heat are great....and you can hear the radio...
 
Your post says that you want something 70-100 hp. Might I suggest something a little bigger. You may find that something in the low 100's for hp can be cheaper than the little duty tractors. I have a CIH 1086, its a '79 but has about 130 hp. Its the right balance to do clean up work, manage foodplots and move snow, dirt, gravel. The tractor, Westendorf loader and a set of grapple forks cost me <15k and it is very easy to work on and find parts for.

Just my 2 cents, but you'll ifnd similar situations with JD too. But in the DSM area I would stick with one of those two brands, good luck.
 
7040 kubota

i love mine pulls up to 14ft disc, fertizer cart no problem, 7 ft rotory piece of cake could pull bigger on all these inplements, kubota is very very good
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom