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Thoughts on buying used tractors

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Evans

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100 to 140 pto hp would be about right for me but it seems like bigger 160 to 180 hp example case 2590 or ford tw35 seem to actually sell for less money.
My baler is a br7090. Doing straw with a smaller tractor you can feel how tough the straw is or a problem by how much your engine lugs or works. To big a tractor I'm thinking I won't be able to feel anything.
I like old JD 40,50 or 55 series but wow they are selling for more than those same tractor's with less hours sold for 15 years ago. Sappose they are worth it?
 
The used tractor market is crazy.
Takes 6 to 8 months to get a new one.
I like our bigger tractor on the baler, it roads nicer and rolls through the hay. My smaller one would heat on hot days working hard on the baler.
 
What PTO HP is your tractor? What kind of baler? Example my old JD 535 took less HP to run than the new Holland but the 535 couldn't really bale barley greenfeed or deffinately not straw behind a rotary combine. Couldn't but the same amount through it in the same time.
 
If buying used and they dont have service records then I'm thinking its just best to assume 5000 hours on meter means 15000? Any other way to tell hours? Do you guys like ford or case?
I see people buying at auctions but the power shifts are huge money if anything goes wrong and at these auctions you can't really drive anything so hoiw can yo know about transmission?
I'm seeing a lot of 8000 plus hour equipment offered for sale. Wouldn't it be houred out?
 
We run a Vermeer N seems a lot heavier then our old 664 NH. I was running a 7420Deere about 130 hp it was also our winter feeding tractor so even with w good wash it still might not of had full Rad capacity but it never was the tractor I thought it should be. Now we have a 7230R Deere at 230hp on the baler. Sure handles it well. Next year it will probably be on w 6155M Deere at 155hp. We use the 7230R as our main farming tractor for seeding and spraying. The 6155M will be the winter feed tractor, baler and bale loader tractor.
I guess it depends on the hours you will put on a tractor.
Have you checked out Joe's?
 
I have a 1979 JD 4040 we bought new. Bought it to pull a NH 16x18 small baler, we ended up later with 2 NH 1285 self-propelled balers, so the tractor did some tillage work in spring and fall for years. When I traded the super 1049 stack liner for a round balers, it got brought back out for haying season. Have since sold that baler and had a NH7070 for 7-8 years now, was making 5x4 now making 6x4. Found it bales better at a slower rpm usually around 1,500 . still under 4,000 hours on that tractor.
 
The tractors I'm finding seem to be a bit to small or a bit to big. 80 to 85 PTO HP or 160 to 180
two of the small tractors are a jd2955 fwa or a two wheel drive JD 6310.
Both about same hours and price. All things equal what which is better?
 
If your moving big rounds in the winter the 2955 fwa would be my pick.
I think they were good tractors but the clutch was dry I think so it did wear. or it was wet. one or the other they did go through clutches more then the other one.
 
Its flat where I'm at. I do plow a lot of snow. But I know I can get by with 2wd. Less to go wrong with 2 WD. Course thats what we used to say about pick up trucks years ago but now most people have 4 WD trucks.
The front wheel assist with front traction tires would throw up more rocks at tractor cab glass traveling fast on gravel roads.
The 2955 supposedly has 5000 hours and i think is an 84. The newer 7600 I think is a 1994 with 4000 hours.
There is a ford tw35 but its way up north.
 
I just checked. The JD 6310 is sold to someone else.
Has anybody noticed that the new JD chore tractors or smaller ones are now mostly made in india?
That 6310 was German made but the really new JD tractors. They say made in the USA but the components like the engine are made in India
 
Looking at a case 1494 fwa. 5000 hours. Only 75 PTO HP. I have a br7090 baler and a nh1475 haybind with 16 foot header.
I'm thinking just to small??
It looks well cared for and has loader with bucket and a hay fork. Good heavy duty homemade
looking fork.
 
Was bidding on a 1980s international 3488 today. It looked really good but I had some concerns about it. I figured 20,000 would be tops but I bid up to 25000 but others went to 27500 plus a 4 percent buyers fee.
I initially hoped to buy it for 15000
I just can't see how it makes sense to spend that much on a used tractor that the auction mart won't let you drive or even talk to the owner. No paper work and you couldn't even open the hood to look at motor because of the loader being in the way because IH had the swing out hood on those models. PTO was even noisy on it. Nuts people are or I'm to dumb to see whatever they were seeing to make it worth that much.
 

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