[AT] NorTrack tractors

[Cecil R Bearden]

I don't know what your son needs a tractor for, so it is rather hard to 
suggest a make or style. However, I have had very good service from my 
Belarus tractors. They do not cost a lot to begin with.  I would stay 
away from the air cooled ones.  I cannot say enough good about mine.   I 
found my 1996 822 4wd with a loader for $6500, and my 2006 8345 w/ 
loader for $12000. I ahve spent a total of $250 in the last 3 years on 
both of them including filters.  Parts are readily available and service 
is simple....  I thought long and hard before buying my first one, my 
822.  I had heard all kinds of bad things about Russian tractors, the 
balls were flat in the bearings, gears were out of round, no bushings 
where there should be, etc.etc.etc......   The only complaint I have is 
on the Air conditioning and that was installed in the USA!!!  I will get 
the A/C fixed this year for sure.  It will be the only thing I have had 
to repair.... It was not working when I bought it....

That said, I would rather buy an old Ford, IH, Deere, Case, or Allis 
than buy one of those Korean or Indian or Chinese made ones.   Montana 
is Korean, Mahindra is Indian, and I thought it was a copy of the MF 
135, 150, and 165 series..  The 50XX series Allis Chalmers were made in 
Japan and parts are nearly unobtainable, so you have to do some 
research.  With all the outsourcing that was done since the 80's you can 
get stuck pretty easily...

A study of the tractor manufacturers can explain why the country is in 
the shape it is now......

Just my $0.02

Cecil in OKla

On 6/7/2013 9:42 PM, jtchall at nc.rr.com wrote:
> I've very little experience with newer tractors so all I can offer is an
> opinion. There seem to be a lot of fly by night utility tractor companies
> out there. Where will you go for parts in 10 years for these? Tech support?
> I would much rather have a 20 year old Deere or Ford that has a proven
> dealer network and will hold resale value. I might also consider Mahindra,
> they started as copycat IH tractors from the 60's and have developed a
> pretty decent dealer network. Some Kubotas are pretty good but don't get a
> really old or grey market one. Kioti seems to be making a big splash around
> here lately. Regardless of the name on it, find out if a Major manufacturer
> built it or if they had it built by a no-name company. I know Deere sold a
> gazillion small Yanmars in the 80's, but those are darn good tractors with
> good part and dealer support.
>
> I've only ran one tractor with a 2 stage clutch, a 670 Yanmar built Deere.
> You mashed the pedal halfway and it would stop ground travel and permit
> shifting gears. Depressing it all the way would stop the PTO. It worked
> great and didn't take much learning curve to get used to it.
>
> My $.02 worth.
> John Hall
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dick Day
> Sent: Friday, June 07, 2013 9:16 PM
> To: atis
> Subject: [AT] NorTrack tractors
>
> My son is looking at the 35hp Nortrack from Northern Tools.
>
> Besides having a "parts-only" warranty and no source for local service (he
> knows very little about cars/trucks/tractors) are there any other compelling
> reasons to look at other brands?  I remember a few years ago, there was a
> discussion about the tractors from Northern Tools and I don't remember
> reading many good things.
>
> They have a 2-stage clutch. Can someone tell me how that is different than
> the clutch on my Boomer?
>
> Thanks
>
> Dick Day
>
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