[Farmall] OT: Compact tractor needs

[Mark]

Great input by all, thanks! I know of course this is the IH list, but lets 
face it, it's also the most knowledgable :)
Is there are resource on the web that shows the features / specs for the 
various IH models? Would help me find / pick an IH model that fits my wish 
list.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <soffiler at myeastern.com>
To: "Farmall/IHC mailing list" <farmall at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2005 8:08 AM
Subject: Re: [Farmall] OT: Compact tractor needs


> From: "Mark" <mark at ironacres.com>
>
> ----- Original Message Follows -----
>> Sure. I live on 21 acres at the end of a dead end road.
>> About 12 of that is  woods, the rest pasture and yard.
>> Common tasks are all over the board.
>
>>  Anything from mowing
>> pasture...
>
> Bushhog.  Could be 3-pt mounted or with an older machine it
> could be drag-behind (has its own wheels and just needs PTO
> and drawbar on the tractor).  On many older tractors with
> non-live PTO, an overrunning coupler is mandatory to keep
> the bushhog's inertia from continuing to power the tractor
> when you push in the clutch and want to stop.
>
>
>>... moving snow,
>
> Depends on how much.  If you measure it in feet, then a
> snowblower is suggested.  3-pt mounted, they consume lots of
> HP and require a very slow (or ideally hydrostatic) reverse
> gear.
>
> Most people who move snow measured in inches get along fine
> with a 3-pt rear blade.  You can run either forward or
> reverse, depending on personal preference.  Forward requires
> you to drive thru unplowed snow and as you pull the snow
> forward it may tend to pile up under the rear of the
> tractor.  But it's more comfortable.  Reverse works more
> like a "real" snowplow in that you are pushing the virgin
> snow rather than driving thru it first, but it is literally
> a pain in the neck.
>
> I've seen lots of older farm tractors jury-rigged with
> pickup truck type snowplows out front.  That's an option if
> you are a real serious tinkerer.
>
>
>>... to light excavation,
>
> Depends what you mean by this.  Like, digging footings for
> outbuildings and the like?  Digging out stumps?  Digging
> cellar holes?  I would say that all of the above require a
> backhoe.  There is very little I'd label "excavation" that
> can be accomplished with a loader.  A loader can dig
> downward, to some degree, but they are really intended for
> moving piles of material at ground level.
>
> Most compact utility tractors will accept a small backhoe
> attachment.  I have a fair amount of seat-time operating two
> different machines, one a JD755 and the other an
> identical-sized but more powerful JD955.  These are older
> models from the late 1980's and early 1990's, incidentally.
> A brand-new backhoe attachment will run in the $6K
> neighborhood.  I've not looked into used ones but assume
> they exist, and also assume they're going to be pretty
> clapped-out.
>
>>... to
>> collecting maple sap in the woods, getting fire wood, etc.
>
> Simple.  You need a heavy cart or wagon of some sort, but
> almost any tractor will drag it.  I have an old Dearborn
> manure spreader for this purpose, whose gear is long-gone,
> and wood has been replaced multiple times.  They are built
> very stout.
>
> I'd say you are joining a club populated by thousands and
> thousands of like-minded folk.  We realize we need a tractor
> and like the idea of the older iron.  But as we really get
> into the details of the tasks that need to be accomplished
> we quickly (if we're pragmatic) or eventually (if we're
> stubborn) realize that the modern equipment evolved in
> technology for these exact reasons.
>
> You might find this link useful:
>
> http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/kb13/TF_home.htm
>
> Good luck!  I'd say "keep us posted" but this isn't much of
> a Farmall topic unless you end up with one of the 240's or
> 340's that Mike Sloane mentioned.  If you are leaning toward
> the Fords, we can move the discussion over to that board.
>
> Steve O.
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