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Do not buy compact n subcompact tractors...

AJ Drew

AJ Drew

Someone mentioned wanting to buy a small tractor and PTO tiller.  If you are thinking tractor, have some advice.  Buy a name brand older small tractor, not a compact or subcompact.  Have a compact New Holland and oh damn it is hard to find parts.  Talked to a buddy who has a subcompact, forget brand, he said the same thing. 
 
Seems that the compact and subcompact market is so consumer based that they keep improving and changing year after year.  So parts for a particular year are different than the previous year.  Very hard to find.
 
Worked for a Hay farm that had older tractors, small but not compact.  We could replace most things by going to a tractor grave yard.  Parts were more interchangeable.

 
 
ajdrew said:
Someone mentioned wanting to buy a small tractor and PTO tiller.  If you are thinking tractor, have some advice.  Buy a name brand older small tractor, not a compact or subcompact.  Have a compact New Holland and oh damn it is hard to find parts.  Talked to a buddy who has a subcompact, forget brand, he said the same thing. 
 
Seems that the compact and subcompact market is so consumer based that they keep improving and changing year after year.  So parts for a particular year are different than the previous year.  Very hard to find.
 
Worked for a Hay farm that had older tractors, small but not compact.  We could replace most things by going to a tractor grave yard.  Parts were more interchangeable.

 
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I hear ya. I am looking for an older more durable small model. Most everything built recently is junk in my opinion. I am all about quality and buying something that lasts for years, which is why I buy the older Snap On tools. I hate cheap crap, and somehow I bet the quality has gone down with tractors as well. Thanks for the info.
 
Btw, what do you think of Kubotas? Good  quality and easy to find parts? I see a few of these used for a good price, but I need to do more research in general.
 
Aaron Kubotas are good,.I have one.I would check online reviews and forums for problems with the different models.They have problems with some lawnmowers too. :drunk: Guess how I know.Yep I got one of them too.$1600.00 dollars to fix it. :onfire:  :censored:  I should have looked online reviews first.It does cut good,you just can't mow any type of hill with it. :drunk: Ford,M.F,Kubotas,John Deere are all a good start.I would have a tractor to big then to small. :lol:  
 
Aaron, have heard good things about Kubotas but all new.  No clue about older models, how long the new ones hold up, or how easy it is to get parts.  Most of the old tractors I see still running are Ford and John Deer.  Probably Fords are most common but am thinking just most common in the smaller tractors. 

 
 
Vex, when folk say 'garden tractor' I think of my lawn mower.  Folk put front end loaders on the things.  Confuses the hell out of me cause what you gonna lift other than mulch.  I think it is a combination of what a person can afford new and a fear of shifting gears is what drives the garden tractor thing.  A person can find an old Ford and attachments for much less money, but most of the urban flight types want something easy to use out of the box.

This is what I have my eyes on for my next tractor.  Figure buy old work horse that looks none too good and straighten the paint as I go.

http://www.oldfordtractors.com/

BTW: Last job, when it was hot n heavy would spend 12 hours in a tractor whose mortgage was more than my employer's house.  John Deer, step ladder on side to get in, enclosed cab, air conditioning, heat, CD player.  On the road, the cab was higher than a semi tractor.  Tires cost more than my truck.  My boss called it a 'medium tractor'.  Punch line, it was a hay farm so basically I was driving a giant lawn mower.
 
AJ your wanting something like a 8N or 9N. Those are tough as nails.I had my eyes on an old Case. Those fork in the front can pick up bales of hay.I have buried animal with one,they can also move trucks and cars out of the way. :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl: I have done that before too,also forklift work for that too. :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl: I seen a really nice MF the other day.They want like 3,000 for it. The tractor had everything with it.Bush hog,drag blade,Box blade,tiller,plows.Just was a little to small for me. :mope:  :mope:   
 
I know someone in MI who offered me an old 8N something for free, but getting it from there to here would cost a fortune.  Sure he would sell it cheap to someone I mention to him, doubt free but probably low dollar.  If you have a trailer, time, and gas might be able to hook you up.
 
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