My rant for the day

[SmokinM]

I really like Massey Ferguson and New Holland when I hear things like this. Especially the ones that are old enough to repair on the farm.

Seriously, buying green tractors is like paying a premium for black hides. There is no functional difference in the field or in the freezer.

Obviously you have never run a green one, huge difference when you really spend a lot of time on one…… and I was a die hard IH man til I ran a few. Also I promise you Massey and NH service is not cheaper when it comes to repairing the new stuff and getting parts for their older stuff is a crap shoot. Reputations are earned, marketing only gets you so far.

 

[Travlr]

Obviously you have never run a green one, huge difference when you really spend a lot of time on one…… and I was a die hard IH man til I ran a few. Also I promise you Massey and NH service is not cheaper when it comes to repairing the new stuff and getting parts for their older stuff is a crap shoot. Reputations are earned, marketing only gets you so far.

There are a lot of tools with great reputations, and many that I've found to be over rated...

Snap-on tools are as good as they get and when you do have to warranty them they replace the tool with an excellent tool. Over priced? Maybe, but it's a once in a lifetime buy if you aren't in the habit of losing tools.

Dewalt? Over priced and heavier than they need to be for no reason. I've used less expensive brands that perform better, weigh less, and are longer lasting. The weight really gets under my skin because I've taken Dewalts apart to see where the extra weight is and it's in the body of the tool, not the mechanical parts. I think they do it because people like to believe a heavier tool is a better tool. The only tool brand I've seen that was worse than a Dewalt is a Ryobi.

You can have your green tractor and I sincerely wish you all the luck in the world. I'll take my Massey and find the trade-offs in my favor.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Have a Massey in the shop for a customer. Parts availability and pricing is awful, some of the worst I've seen (and I work on them all). I can get parts for my 1965 Ford easier than this mid 90s Massey.

I would never own a Green tractor, but at least their parts availability is great.

 

[jltrent]

I live so far back even the Swan's man would not come out, forget ice cream man. If you get bored get some 2-cycles to work on. You can kill 5 hours (seems like an hour), not look up, not accomplish a dam thing and then frustrated all to heck. Go lookup some parts prices and then get more frustrated. At the end of the day you can only focus about 2 feet in front of you.

I wouldn't have a life, if I advertised. I could work on these 24 hours a day. The local tree company dumped some mechanic specials off yesterday. A couple smashed I will have to pull a rabbit out of the hat to fix and several others.

Worked on one of the saws that got a tree on it and they got lucky as those cased are pretty easy to crack under a tree load. I tested it MS660 and all you do is hold on and it will slick through a log.

 

[greybeard]

jltrent...At some point, you cross a line between hobby, obsession and fetish....

 

[Ky hills]

Thing that I see about tractor brands is that parts availability and dealership service is a priority.
For years, I said I'd never have a John Deere. Had and still use a Ford 3000 some. Those models have been good machines. The Ford 7710 that we got practically new with just a few hours on it was never anything but junk. I crippled along for years with it but could have bought something else for what I put into it.
From what I understand from several folks the New Hollands are absolute junk.
The New Holland dealership is a cesspool and in recent years they added Massey Ferguson. I would not deal with them for anything. From what I hear from those who have bought tractors from them it's been a regret.
I had a Case, parts for it were just as outrageous as JD in my opinion.
I do like Case but we don't have a dealership with 60 or seventy miles.
When I got a new tractor a few years ago, my preferences were John Deere and Kubota. I believe both are decent machines, but the John Deere won out, because they seemed more professional at the dealership and I thought that might be the best as far as getting parts and service.
I bought just a small JD 5055, the man that does our hay has a couple 5065 tractors and a 5075. It seem so far to be good machine.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

New Hollands are no more "absolute junk" than any of the others. I run a fleet of blue equipment and have no more or less troubles than any of the other brands.

As for your Ford 7710 that is regarded as one of the best small tractors produced. A good clean unit still brings great money on the used market even 40 years later. I maintain one for a neighbor with 16k hours with nothing more than a motor rebuilt and a few clutches along the way.

 

[jltrent]

Got to work on one of the saws this evening and they dodged a bullet. Repla

New Hollands are no more "absolute junk" than any of the others. I run a fleet of blue equipment and have no more or less troubles than any of the other brands.

As for your Ford 7710 that is regarded as one of the best small tractors produced. A good clean unit still brings great money on the used market even 40 years later. I maintain one for a neighbor with 16k hours with nothing more than a motor rebuilt and a few clutches along the way.

Neighbor has one with cab/ loader and he has had good luck.

 

[Ky hills]

New Hollands are no more "absolute junk" than any of the others. I run a fleet of blue equipment and have no more or less troubles than any of the other brands.

As for your Ford 7710 that is regarded as one of the best small tractors produced. A good clean unit still brings great money on the used market even 40 years later. I maintain one for a neighbor with 16k hours with nothing more than a motor rebuilt and a few clutches along the way.

I'll agree with you, that any of them can be good or junk. My 3000 Ford has been a great little tractor, and the Ford 5600 that we used to have was a good solid problem free tractor too, then it got sold to buy the 7710 the big blue lemon as I called it. From what several people have told me was that the newer Fords were not as good as the old one ( that could be said if any of them) and that the New Hollands are even worse.
I'm glad you've had a good experience with the blue tractors.
I'll stand by what I've said, I've talked to a friend that bought a 6610 and he was having some serious similar issues with it too.
Just recently another friend was telling me about the piece of junk New Holland that he had bought.
The man that does our hay runs several tractors and a few years ago had a smaller New Holland that they raked hay with. He didn't have it long because they were always having trouble with it.
Add in that the closest Ford now New Holland dealer does not have much of a good reputation among the areas farmers that have dealt with them.
When we first got our 7710, it was under warranty, and leaking fluid. The dealership refused to cover it. We wrote the Ford motor company about it and they made somewhat of a compromise.
Another friend bought a new Massie Ferguson from that same dealership as they now handle Massie Ferguson.
He had a problem with it and the driver that came to pick it up told him, off the record that he has to come back and get practically every tractor that they sell.
That friend caught them and called them on it, they were going to charge him a lot more extra for several more hours of labor but he had known one of the mechanics that told him how long he worked on it, and he stood up for it for him, knowing he could have lost his job over it.
Some people hate Angus, Hereford, Linousin etc, but they work for others and they swear by it. No difference with tractors.
Personal experience is different for everyone.

 

[Travlr]

Some people hate Angus, Hereford, Linousin etc, but they work for others and they swear by it. No difference with tractors.
Personal experience is different for everyone.

I like that analogy. And it goes right to the heart of why I would never buy a green tractor. They've been very successful cultivating their reputation regardless of their actual value. Buying a green tractor is like paying registered prices for a cow that's going to be used in a commercial herd. Whether the cow breeds and raises a calf or not is the same chance as with any other cow... but you still paid too much for her.

 

[Ky hills]

I like that analogy. And it goes right to the heart of why I would never buy a green tractor. They've been very successful cultivating their reputation regardless of their actual value. Buying a green tractor is like paying registered prices for a cow that's going to be used in a commercial herd. Whether the cow breeds and raises a calf or not is the same chance as with any other cow... but you still paid too much for her.

I'll agree with that assessment, and I've always thought that way about the Hohn Deeres too, but it was the best option out of a field of no so good ones.
If the Kubota dealer had of had anything at the time we were looking they would have been a serious consideration, as I've heard mostly positive things about them from local mechanics.
The dealership difference between John Deere and Kubota also made the final decision. Kubota said they had the tractors but they were still in the shipping crates and not assembled. They didn't seem to be as on the ball and wanting to make a sale as the John Deere, my thinking was if the sales end was that way what in the world would their service department be like.
We went with what we thought was the best option for us, their was like around $3000 difference in price between Kubota and John Deere.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I wrench on every color equipment that is out there for farm/construction/forestry. And I'm here to tell you that every single one of them breaks down and requires service. The key is good parts and dealer support.

My "local" New Holland dealer is amazing and will go to the ends of the earth on a Saturday night to find parts when needed.

The Massey dealer is being as helpful as can be but the parts just aren't available other than in Ireland, and getting them here hasn't been easy.

I dislike the "local" Deere dealer, but mother Deere has amazing parts availability.

 

[Ky hills]

I wrench on every color equipment that is out there for farm/construction/forestry. And I'm here to tell you that every single one of them breaks down and requires service. The key is good parts and dealer support.

My "local" New Holland dealer is amazing and will go to the ends of the earth on a Saturday night to find parts when needed.

The Massey dealer is being as helpful as can be but the parts just aren't available other than in Ireland, and getting them here hasn't been easy.

I dislike the "local" Deere dealer, but mother Deere has amazing parts availability.

That's a lot of what I was trying to say, there is work to be done on all of them, and parts availability and dealership competency is a major factor.
Our closest New Holland/Massey Ferguson dealer is a cesspool. The nearest Kubota dealer looks to be in disarray. The John Deere dealer seems to be the pick of the litter, at least here in this area.

 

[farmerjan]

We have a Ford 4600 and 6600... use the 4600 95% of the time to tedd and rake all the hay.... 6600 has a front end loader and move many many round bales and do lots of other stuff with it. 4600 has a slow leak in power steering, have to add hydraulic fluid some, easy to get to, but it just keeps on going... Bought from the friend's estate, he bought them new so got to be 40-50 yrs old? Both diesel, 2wd... both very maneuverable and easy to get on and off too.

 

[kenny thomas]

We have a Ford 4600 and 6600... use the 4600 95% of the time to tedd and rake all the hay.... 6600 has a front end loader and move many many round bales and do lots of other stuff with it. 4600 has a slow leak in power steering, have to add hydraulic fluid some, easy to get to, but it just keeps on going... Bought from the friend's estate, he bought them new so got to be 40-50 yrs old? Both diesel, 2wd... both very maneuverable and easy to get on and off too.

1975-1981 was when they were produced.