Here On The Farm, We Consider Our Tractors Tools,

[Drilling Man]

  And they are a VERY handy "tool" to own!

 Today i decided to go pick up a "running gear" i bought some time ago a few miles from here...  You can see it sitting on this hay wagon.  I got it cheap and it isn't going to need too much work to back put it together...
 

 
  anyway, while on the way there with the loader tractor, i saw a "big" rock sitting by the side of the road my neighbor pulled out of his field.  So on the way home i stopped and loaded it onto the wagon.  As you can see, it's a BIG rock..
 

 
  once home, i took it off the wagon and headed to put it with the "other" rocks along my drive,
 

 
  and here it is, in place...
 

 
  Now to deal with that running gear!!

  DM

[DalesCarpentry]

Now that's a big rock!!!!!!!!  I need about 6 or 8 of those myself. I live on what they call dead mans curve. I end up with at least 5 or 6 people in my yard every year. It is usually young kids out drinking and driving. Some times they hit the stop sign. Some times the hit the telephone pole. Things usually aren't that pretty if they hit the pole. Then alot of times they don't hit anything but tear my grass up good trying to stop. I would like to put some of them up at the point of my property. I saw some Jersy barriers for sale in the paper I have been giving them a thought.

[Drilling Man]

  Problem is, if they hit a rock that big, they will be going to the H or the morgue!  Then you just may get sued???

  It's going to be pretty funny when my neighbor goes to move that rock and it's gone....  ha ha ha  I bet he will be wondering what could have happened to it???   

  DM

[DalesCarpentry]

Yea I know what what you mean. I have kicked that idea around that someone might get killed from it. I really do not want that I just want them to stop running in my yard. I even mentioned it to my wife about someone being killed and she said the idiot should not be driving that fast. Go figure.

[goodwrench6710]

The farm I used to work on, the tools were all GREEN & YELLOW. That's what I grew up around. Sorry, guess I'm brain washed. LOL. I'm not 100% partial, it's hard to beat the orange ones too! Haven't done the farmhand thing since my late teens, but I have 2 Deere's for yard work & plowing snow. One is a 1969 112 with a 10 hp. Kohler with a 39" deck (inherited from my great grandfather), the other is a 1976 210 with a 10 hp. Kohler with a 39" deck & a 42" plow & hydralift. Paid $300.00 for the 210, what a steal!!!!! These are tough as hell tractors. I wouldn't part with them for love nor money. Although I can say, none of the tractors are what they used to be!!!!!
Oh, buy the way I mow down 5 achers of grass on hilly terain.

[Drilling Man]

  Normally i have to work a bit for the rocks, i don't just fine them along the road.  I pretty much have the hay ground cleaned out now as when i find one i stab the forks under it, close the grabble and drag it out of the hole and load it on a wagon...



  This big blue stone was a big whopper!



  Any guess on what this wagon load weighs???



  I've put a bunch of them along my drive.... and there's a lot more since this pict was taken...



  As for John Deere:  I no longer buy them as Deere has pretty much become a lawn mower company...  That is unless you need a high HP tractor, as all of there mid HP tractors have really gone down hill!!    Sadly Deere just isn't the company it once was....

  Deere doesn't build a mid HP tractor in the U.S. and more and more of their "stuff" is coming out of China, just like this Deere loader!  They just bought a tractor mfg factory there, so you know what's in their future...



  Pretty darn sad....  So, i buy the best brand/model that will do the job for me that has a good reliability record, i don't buy a tractor for the paint...  My two AGCO's have been excelent and i'd buy another without hesitation.  There's quite a few good tractors build in the under 100hp class......

  DM

[SDS-GEN]

Nice AGCO Drilling. My dad worked the John Deere foundries for 30 years, He'd roll in his grave if he new some of the crap they were putting into tractors these days.  Now almost all the tractor factories around here are gone.  IH became Case became New Holland, their last factory around here closed a few years back, John Deere has a couple of factories left, most have closed, Minneapolis-Moline went out years ago.  

Here's some "Tired Iron" for ya.

[Drilling Man]

  Hi SDS,

  Good looking 190 you have there....  I like old tractors too, and here's a pict of my fav model of Allis tractor...



  I don't use it much, but i enjoy having it around...

  I usually make it to several antique tractor shows every year, and enjoy looking at old iron...  I pretty much like all colors of tractors, as NO one has the best tractor in every model...

  DM

[goodwrench6710]

Unfortunately we have become a consumer nation instead of an industrial nation. I believe that our own government with all the regulations & the greed of the American workers has forced companies out of business or to move out of our country to survive & make a profit. It's very sad! I'd never buy a new JD. To tell you the truth, for the quality it would be a Kubota.

[buffermop]

Wow!! The Allis-Chalmers bring back memories. I grew up with that line of tractors. Had a wd-45 and a D 17 diesel. Those old iron horses would not quit. Best tractor ever made. Had a few Ford 9N tractors. Good for cutting wood or hay. Thats about it.

[oldandslow]

My Dad bought one of the rear engined AC's (think it was a mod. G) when I was a kid and put me on it. Our fields were terraced and I plowed out corners and short rows and wide middles and everything I could get to. Sure was better than swinging a hoe all time. I still have a mod. CA he bought a year or so before the G and I'm going to restore some day.

[deerslayer79]

We run Blue paint on our farm,have had best of luck with Ford/New Holland brand,but we do also have a Allis Chalmer product though.A F2 Gleaner Combine with a freshly rebuilt Turbo Diesel,found this combine last year and it has been shed kept for the past 15yrs,mint I tell ya,it only has about 1000 hours on it.

[gypsyman]

4 years ago I was looking into buying a small compact diesel tractor, somewhere around 25-30hp. After looking around and trying to find out what I could, I ended up with a Yanmar. I found out that as early as the late '80's, John Deere had contracted with Yanmar to build their small diesel tractors. When I found a dealer, for what they call a ''grey market'' tractor, it saved me over $10,000 to buy the Yanmar. The same size JD tractor with the hitch attachments would have cost me well over $15,000.
I try to buy American when I can, but to put that much extra into somebody's pocket just for a green paint job, seemed pretty silly. gypsyman

[PartsMan]

I don't think anybody makes a small or mid range tractor in the US.
I work for a Case IH dealer and the two biggest series are the only ones made here.