[AT] John Deer B

[Mike Sloane]

I will weigh with on two of my favorite chore tractors: my Ford 860 and 
IH 340. Both of them have independent hydraulics and independent PTOs, 
plenty of power, the ability to handle Cat I implements, a wide range of 
gears, and are easy to drive. The 340, being newer, has remote 
hydraulics and more speed choices, but they are both strong machines 
with plenty of parts available. My 340 is a Farmall row crop, but the 
utility model would be equally as nice (and a little easier to get on 
and off of as once gets a little older!).

On the other hand, if your interest is in doing a restoration project 
and then taking it to shows and parades, a Johnny Popper of almost any 
letter series is as good a choice as any. One advantage of the JDs, IHs, 
and Fords is that used and new parts are plentiful. For whatever reason, 
JD's seem to demand higher prices. One advantage of a Ford or IH is that 
the engine layouts are pretty much "conventional" (i.e. straight line 4 
cylinder, just like an older car or truck).
<http://public.fotki.com/mikesloane/other_machinery/ford.html> and
<http://public.fotki.com/mikesloane/farmall_340/340wfrontpiece.html>

One thing to keep in mind is the difficulty or ease of finding parts. 
While all of the various makes have their supporters and are nice 
machines, the rarer the model, the harder it will be to find the parts 
you need. That can make the process very frustrating to a first time 
restorer or for someone who just wants a machine to handle chores. That 
is the only reason I advise sticking to a model that was 1. made in 
large numbers and 2. was relatively popular in your area. For example, I 
have a very nice Case 430, that works great, but I dread the day I need 
to find any mechanical parts for it.

There are several excellent books available (including those by the 
famed Spencer Yost) that can help the novice with the entire restoration 
process. And I always recommend reading "Old Tractors and the Men Who 
Love Them" and "Busted Knuckles and Rusty Tractors" by Roger Welsch to 
anyone who is thinking about getting started in farm tractor 
restoration. :-)

Mike

charliehill wrote:
> John I have to agree with you.  While I bleed persian orange the TO 35 Delux 
> is one of my all time favorite tractors.    I'm not that big on the Ford N's 
> styles but they hold their value well and have a lot of the features that 
> showed up on JD, AC, and IH a quarter century later.
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "John Wilkens" <jwilkens at eoni.com>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 6:49 PM
> Subject: Re: [AT] John Deer B
> 
> 
>> Guess I'd recommend a late model Ford 8 N, or better yet an NAA to
>> preserve value.  But if you want something definitely more
>> interesting and better-made I'd consider   a Ferguson TO 35 delux
>> with power steering (that's my personal favorite).  'Course we all
>> have our favorites!    Good luck.    John W.
>>