I was amused by the relative's statement that "any" gas tractor is
unreliable. That's like saying any particular brand of vehicle is
unreliable - there's a whole lot more that goes into the mix than merely one
variable. I think your relative just doesn't like gas tractors, and any
future "advice" from that individual should be viewed in that context.
When we were looking for tractors, we first looked to see what was
available 'round here. Lots and lots and lots of Farmalls, lots of Ford
N series, precious few John Deere's, the occasional other manufacturer (Massey
Ferguson, Oliver, Case, Allis Chalmers, etc). We also looked at who was
available to fix and maintain them. We found (not surprisingly) the same
distribution - IH/Farmall tractors were readily supported, but the John Deere
repair places had either closed shop or switched over to lawn tractors years
ago. The one typically goes hand in hand with the other.
During our search, we heard from folks who would only ever drive X brand,
because all the rest were "junk". The first few conversations along
those lines always unnerved us because they had so much more experience than
us. But it boiled down to this: whatever folks were raised with is often
what they stayed with. And all the other brands were labeled
"junk". So you inherit whatever their preferences are, regardless of how
well those preferences were formed. The best mentors we ever found were
those who had had multiple brands, and/or was open minded enough to see the
pro's and con's of any given machine.
My main tractor mentor is a big fan of the International
Harvester family, which includes the Farmall. He was raised with
Farmall's, still has an old M which has been retired, and his main workhorse
tractors now are two IH tractors from the '70's. He had worked with a
variety of other brands, including the Ford N series and newer. He
encouraged us to get something relatively newer, say 1970's vintage, but those
were priced beyond our means. Yet the Farmalls were plentiful and
affordable in this area. Given those conditions, of the Farmall series,
his favorite was the C and super C, because they were a good combination
of size and horsepower, good tillage tools available, not as big and
thirsty for gas as the M, but much more powerful than the Cub, the A and the
H. His first tractor was an H and he says affectionately that
he loved that old machine "but it didn't have enough horsepower to pull
the hat off my head". We have settled on the C/Super C because of those
"Goldilocks" just-right features, and we've found the one we'll probably
buy. We settled on that particular one because it comes with a full set
of implements for cultivation, but also a sickle bar mower and a front end
loader which will help us with haymaking and manure handling. It's been
maintained in field-ready condition, and the man selling it is well
regarded in the area as a willing and able equipment tutor for newbie growers
like us. That's the kind of relationship which we very much wanted
to find. We're saving up the $$ for that purchase and we hope to make
that purchase before the end of the year. With that tractor and all
those implements, all of our present and foreseeable future tractor needs will
have been met. There's cheaper tractors out there which we've
considered, but none of them come with all those nice features.
Look around at what's available in your area, and why, and try to find
folks who are heavily motivated not only for you to succeed, but also willing
to consider that there are LOTS of good solid machines still available of
various vintages out there. You may find yourself gravitating towards a
brand simply because of the people available to back it up and answer your
questions; that becomes more important than the ultimate sales price because
that's what you'll take with you as you bring it home. Best of luck with
your search; hopefully you'll find some good quality iron, and new mentors, of
your very own.
Kathryn Kerby
frogchorusfarm.com
Snohomish, WA
ruminations - essays on the farming life at
frogchorusfarm.com/weblog.html
In a message dated 7/15/2011 8:18:37 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
barkingcatfarm AT mindspring.com writes:
I suggest asking him what in particular he finds unreliable about gas
tractors in general. I think as long as they are maintained properly, they
will work just fine. Proper winterization, for instance, is a must, as well
as regular oil changes, proper greasing, etc. As an owner of two
"vintage" Ford gassers from the 1950s, I must say the best advice I have
received is to work them regularly to keep them in good working order. Both
of our old gals run and work great well into their 60's.
Laurie
Hi all,
I have trouble finding efficient and reliable
employées for cultivation tasks so I am eyeing for an offset tractor.
Since money is tight I was looking at farmall super A or Cubs. However, a
relative of mine told me I should forget any gas tractor because they are
not reliable at all. I am pretty sûre many of you guys own them so I would
like to hear from you. How unreliable are they? I guess I would put about
8 hours a week on mine during summer and no use in winter.
What
would be thé low priced alternatives?
Regards,
Lova
Andriamanjay
=
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