In the market for a new tractor and would like some opinions.

[ChidJ]

I've come to learn that @Robert28 is right. No matter what color tractor you end up with, you'll have to get parts or repairs done with some level of regularity (depending on how much you run it) and driving an hour there and back to get said parts or repairs, especially if you have to hook up the trailer and haul, gets old really quick.

 

[Bucaramus]

I've come to learn that @Robert28 is right. No matter what color tractor you end up with, you'll have to get parts or repairs done with some level of regularity (depending on how much you run it) and driving an hour there and back to get said parts or repairs, especially if you have to hook up the trailer and haul, gets old really quick.

My nearest dealer is only about 6 miles. Still have to hook up and haul though.

 

[elfiii]

Some have a sort of cruise control setting

My New Holland has cruise control that works great except it's broke right now. Keeping my foot on the pedal isn't a problem. Maintaining a constant speed is. I replaced the cruise control switch but that didn't solve the problem. I got to take it to the tractor repair man. Imma live without that a little while longer. He's a doggone good mechanic and he's always done me right but he ain't cheap.

 

[elfiii]

My nearest dealer is only about 6 miles. Still have to hook up and haul though.

Same. I'm OK with it.

 

[ucfireman]

I’m used to bigger tractors,and older tractors..so not much experience with HST. Will a hydrostatic trans hold up to the same level of abuse that a gear driven trans. will ?? Say..working 2-3 hours pulling a Harrow,or brush mowing for hours & hours.?

I believe most heavy equipment is HST.
Bobcat skidsteers are, all zero turns are and run hours without issues.
I wouldnt have a second thought. just me.

 

[sleepr71]

Ran a 6 ft tiller 10 hrs straight this past week behind my 1968 Ford 4000 diesel.

If I was going to spend 30 k on a tractor I would buy a worn older tractor and have it rebuilt. No emissions.

Massey Ferguson or Ford.

Funny you say that. The best/most reliable tractor we have EVER owned is a 1980 Ford 2600 diesel. Other than changing the oil once a year,replacing the fan belt + air filter about every 10 years..and replacing the tires(due to dry rotting)..in 40 years..I think we have put one(1) alternator on it.!That is it.! If it has fuel,and a good battery…it will crank & run..until it runs out of fuel I highly doubt a 2024 will give that kind of service

 

[earlthegoat2]

You are buying a dealer not a tractor.

This point cannot be overemphasize. Do the homework and research on the dealer first.

Unfortunately, you can’t just go to a dealer and ask them how good they are.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Funny you say that. The best/most reliable tractor we have EVER owned is a 1980 Ford 2600 diesel. Other than changing the oil once a year,replacing the fan belt + air filter about every 10 years..and replacing the tires(due to dry rotting)..in 40 years..I think we have put one(1) alternator on it.!That is it.! If it has fuel,and a good battery…it will crank & run..until it runs out of fuel I highly doubt a 2024 will give that kind of service

There are untold thousands of stories of old 80s tractors just working when more modern ones are stuck in limp mode because your poor operator skipped the last 12 regens. (Or some similar nonsense) Or a sensor went bad.


If I was going to buy a personal tractor I would only buy pre-2011. If I was buying for a business then I would plan on shorter service lives and higher maintenance costs for new ones. I am confident the technology will become more reliable in the next ten years. The main problem is acquiring scan tools and software for each individual manufacture. If it was like OBD2 on vehicles, newer diesel equipment would be much more tolerable.

 

[WishboneW]

Funny you say that. The best/most reliable tractor we have EVER owned is a 1980 Ford 2600 diesel. Other than changing the oil once a year,replacing the fan belt + air filter about every 10 years..and replacing the tires(due to dry rotting)..in 40 years..I think we have put one(1) alternator on it.!That is it.! If it has fuel,and a good battery…it will crank & run..until it runs out of fuel I highly doubt a 2024 will give that kind of service

My tractors are 1968 models. 56 years and still running well. I would invest 30 k in the acquisition and rehab of something that will last another 50 years relatively trouble free rather than a limited life electronic and emissions mess.

 

[shdw633]

Pulled the trigger on a 2024 40 hp LS, 4wd with fel, grapple, 3rd function hydraulic valve kit and canopy, just under 30k with 0% interest for 96 months. Went to several dealers, to include LS, TYM/Bad Boy/Kioti, Mahindra, Massey Ferguson. Of the dealers I went to, LS and TYM/Kioti/Bad Boy were the only ones that gave me the time of day. Had the TYM dealer tell me that they are thinking of dropping the whole line because of TYM's customer service being so bad, (at least the guy was honest), but he was significantly higher on price for a Kioti than the LS and LS had better financing and warranty. One of the factors that went into my decision to buy the LS is that when I went on marketplace and looked for used tractors there were very, very few used LS tractors for sale. I thank you all and appreciate all the input and I know there will be those out there that like the decision and those that don't but it's a done deal, the cards have been played and now we'll just have to see whether I made the right decision or not....time will tell.

 

[Bucaramus]

Enjoy your new tractor. No judgement here! I liked the LS too just wasn't a dealer near me. Of course my dealer isn't all that. Sharpened bushhog blades and put one on upside down. Then when buying a grapple, they didn't latch the SSQA Levers Ave didn't put one bit of grease in the grapple. They are a very large dealer with many stores. Maybe some are ok but not this one!

 

[Jim Boyd]

Pulled the trigger on a 2024 40 hp LS, 4wd with fel, grapple, 3rd function hydraulic valve kit and canopy, just under 30k with 0% interest for 96 months. Went to several dealers, to include LS, TYM/Bad Boy/Kioti, Mahindra, Massey Ferguson. Of the dealers I went to, LS and TYM/Kioti/Bad Boy were the only ones that gave me the time of day. Had the TYM dealer tell me that they are thinking of dropping the whole line because of TYM's customer service being so bad, (at least the guy was honest), but he was significantly higher on price for a Kioti than the LS and LS had better financing and warranty. One of the factors that went into my decision to buy the LS is that when I went on marketplace and looked for used tractors there were very, very few used LS tractors for sale. I thank you all and appreciate all the input and I know there will be those out there that like the decision and those that don't but it's a done deal, the cards have been played and now we'll just have to see whether I made the right decision or not....time will tell.

Good luck and enjoy.

Is this unit DPF equipped and no SCR?

We have a ton of people who cry about the newer technology, when in fact, they really don’t understand it. They would not know what the DOC does nor what the DPF does and could not understand selective catalytic reduction if somebody tried to explain it to them.

The best advice I can give you is two pieces: don’t let it idle and run it as hard as you can. It relies on heat to get rid of soot.

I have an older tractor and I have a newer one that has after treatment. I will let the old one idle and loaf because it won’t hurt it. The new one I never let it idle and I run it at rated RPM no matter what I’m doing.

I have not had the ECM read, but my guess is it is probably about 98% at rated RPM.

The reason the ECM has not been read is because it hasn’t needed any service. it is either four or five years old now I do not recall. You will need to understand what a regen is also and if you can - when it goes into regen - keep it running and pulling as hard as you can keep keep it going. It needs heat to cook the soot out of the DPF.

One last thought is to make sure you use the properly rated engine oil. That engine needs low ash engine oil because that is the one thing you cannot cook out of the DPF.

Remember, heat is your friend!

Enjoy the new toy!

 

[shdw633]

Good luck and enjoy.

Is this unit DPF equipped and no SCR?

We have a ton of people who cry about the newer technology, when in fact, they really don’t understand it. They would not know what the DOC does nor what the DPF does and could not understand selective catalytic reduction if somebody tried to explain it to them.

The best advice I can give you is two pieces: don’t let it idle and run it as hard as you can. It relies on heat to get rid of soot.

I have an older tractor and I have a newer one that has after treatment. I will let the old one idle and loaf because it won’t hurt it. The new one I never let it idle and I run it at rated RPM no matter what I’m doing.

I have not had the ECM read, but my guess is it is probably about 98% at rated RPM.

The reason the ECM has not been read is because it hasn’t needed any service. it is either four or five years old now I do not recall. You will need to understand what a regen is also and if you can - when it goes into regen - keep it running and pulling as hard as you can keep keep it going. It needs heat to cook the soot out of the DPF.

One last thought is to make sure you use the properly rated engine oil. That engine needs low ash engine oil because that is the one thing you cannot cook out of the DPF.

Remember, heat is your friend!

Enjoy the new toy!

Thanks for the heads up Jim. I think I was fortunate when I got to the dealership because the sales persons wife had a daughter the day before and the mechanic was the one I spoke to about the tractor. We talked for awhile on the Regen and like you said speed is your friend and to not freak out the first time it happens and just let it run. I can bypass it if needed but if I do that more than a couple of times the tractor will start acting up. Lots to learn that's for sure but looking forward to doing just that.

 

[Robert28]

LS is a good choice. They made/still make tractors for New Holland actually. They used to make all the tractors 40hp and under for NH, I know they still build them for them now I just don’t know exactly which models. You get a ton for your money with them.

 

[Jim Boyd]

Thanks for the heads up Jim. I think I was fortunate when I got to the dealership because the sales persons wife had a daughter the day before and the mechanic was the one I spoke to about the tractor. We talked for awhile on the Regen and like you said speed is your friend and to not freak out the first time it happens and just let it run. I can bypass it if needed but if I do that more than a couple of times the tractor will start acting up. Lots to learn that's for sure but looking forward to doing just that.

RPM and heat are your friend - more so than speed.

I often find I travel in a lower gear than I would think appropriate just so I can keep RPM at rated speed and not bounce the tractor all over the place.

I would never postpone a regen unless I was in a dynamite factory!

What I REALLY want is to use heat to get rid of soot.

My regens have come on 100 hour intervals and I keep the machine in a hard pull while it is regen-ing.

I have never had an off schedule regen and I credit that to no idle and high % of rated rpm.

Good luck

 

[Bucaramus]

RPM and heat are your friend - more so than speed.

I often find I travel in a lower gear than I would think appropriate just so I can keep RPM at rated speed and not bounce the tractor all over the place.

I would never postpone a regen unless I was in a dynamite factory!

What I REALLY want is to use heat to get rid of soot.

My regens have come on 100 hour intervals and I keep the machine in a hard pull while it is regen-ing.

I have never had an off schedule regen and I credit that to no idle and high % of rated rpm.

Good luck

I didn't know all this regarding regen's. I don't think that I can cancel one on mine but I also don't let it bother me that it is in regen. I just keep on running it. Mine only idles if I get off for some reason but when I get back on it is right back up with the throttle. I've noticed from several other tractor forums I'm on is that people don't read their manuals. Lot's of good info in there!

Also, please don't bypass your safety switches. They're there for a reason. I can get off of mine while it's running, if it's in neutral, PTO disengaged and the brake is set. Seems right to me, but a lot of people bypass the seat switch which to me is just not smart.

ROP's are also there for a reason. I see a lot of people lower them and never put them back up. Mine is sporting a canopy and a handy little fan so mine stays up always.

Now I don't always wear the seatbelt when mowing but if I'm going anywhere that is in the least bit iffy, the seatbelt is on. I'd rather not be a statistic.

Enjoy your new tractor! Make sure to check torque on wheel and loader bolts for sure before use and again at maybe 10 then 50 hours. They can and will work loose. A wheel falling off while your mowing is no fun! Been there and don't want to go back.

 

[Jim Boyd]

I didn't know all this regarding regen's. I don't think that I can cancel one on mine but I also don't let it bother me that it is in regen. I just keep on running it. Mine only idles if I get off for some reason but when I get back on it is right back up with the throttle. I've noticed from several other tractor forums I'm on is that people don't read their manuals. Lot's of good info in there!

Also, please don't bypass your safety switches. They're there for a reason. I can get off of mine while it's running, if it's in neutral, PTO disengaged and the brake is set. Seems right to me, but a lot of people bypass the seat switch which to me is just not smart.

ROP's are also there for a reason. I see a lot of people lower them and never put them back up. Mine is sporting a canopy and a handy little fan so mine stays up always.

Now I don't always wear the seatbelt when mowing but if I'm going anywhere that is in the least bit iffy, the seatbelt is on. I'd rather not be a statistic.

Enjoy your new tractor! Make sure to check torque on wheel and loader bolts for sure before use and again at maybe 10 then 50 hours. They can and will work loose. A wheel falling off while your mowing is no fun! Been there and don't want to go back.

My guess is you CAN cancel one (like if in a dry pasture) but with a vertical exhaust I am not overly worried about setting the field on fire.

I agree with all your safety concerns even though I am guilty of breaking them.

Tractors can and do kill people ALL the time.