Tractor Help

BelgianBlue13

Wel lads, we have an ursus c-385 doing the job at home,all its doing is putting in 4 bales a day into the cattle,once every week we would have a small bit of work with it,its 2wd,nearly 30 years old i'd say,and its starting to give a LOT of trouble.
So we are thinking about buying a new tractor,
we dont have any machinery only an abbey topper,MF fertiliser,haybob,powerbox .
So we were thinking about buying a small tractor preferably 4wd.
Zetor Proxima came into mind as a neighbour has had good success with his.
But from the cost of feeding the cattle it will have to wait untill 2014 or that.
A good old neighbour is selling a MF 390 2wd,never done any work,1996,extremely well kept,looking spotless.
He is prob going to sell it in the spring.
He has a twin axle nugent cattle trailer along with it.20,000 is the price.
We dont know whether to wait and spend money on a decent zetor or slpash the cash this spring!
What I am asking you guys is what you make of the tractors(all 3 i mentioned) and what sort of machinery would a 2wd 390 work,instead we might take the 390 on its own at 14k and get a mower and a 1300gallon tanker.
Give me your thoughts on this please!
BB13

Conor556

BelgianBlue13 wrote: »

Wel lads, we have an ursus c-385 doing the job at home,all its doing is putting in 4 bales a day into the cattle,once every week we would have a small bit of work with it,its 2wd,nearly 30 years old i'd say,and its starting to give a LOT of trouble.
So we are thinking about buying a new tractor,
we dont have any machinery only an abbey topper,MF fertiliser,haybob,powerbox .
So we were thinking about buying a small tractor preferably 4wd.
Zetor Proxima came into mind as a neighbour has had good success with his.
But from the cost of feeding the cattle it will have to wait untill 2014 or that.
A good old neighbour is selling a MF 390 2wd,never done any work,1996,extremely well kept,looking spotless.
He is prob going to sell it in the spring.
He has a twin axle nugent cattle trailer along with it.20,000 is the price.
We dont know whether to wait and spend money on a decent zetor or slpash the cash this spring!
What I am asking you guys is what you make of the tractors(all 3 i mentioned) and what sort of machinery would a 2wd 390 work,instead we might take the 390 on its own at 14k and get a mower and a 1300gallon tanker.
Give me your thoughts on this please!
BB13

My gran uncle bought a new zetor proxima 90 with a rossmore FL60 loader in september, so far its good, very basic all manual controls so not much to go wrong.

mikefoxo

The question is what sort of a tractor do you need?

Do you currently feed bales with a loader? If so then 4WD would be advisable.

Can you justify the expense of buying a new tractor or paying €14000 PLUS VAT for a 390?

What sort of horsepower do you need? Could you get away with something around 70-80 hp?

If it were me I'd consider both MF 200 and 600 series. They're both basically the same type tractor - same engines, same 12 speed synchro gearbox, I assume the same backend.

Take your time and shop around. It's a big wad of money to spend. And let us know how you get on

BelgianBlue13

no we dont use a loader, we feed bales with the bale fork.
70-80hp maybe so, if it would work a 1300 gallon tanker?

simx

BelgianBlue13 wrote: »

no we dont use a loader, we feed bales with the bale fork.
70-80hp maybe so, if it would work a 1300 gallon tanker?

Unless you have serious ly hilly ground that hp be grand with 1300 gallon tank

mikefoxo

Don't forget about parts and backup. Make a note of the dealerships in your area and the franchises they hold. You don't want to have to travel 50 miles for parts like us

crackcrack30

You'll find plenty of zetors scrapped in ditches all over the country ....but very few masseys....I'd stick with the massey.

Also....keep fuel consumption as one of your guide sticks, thinking into the future......I think the 4wd's use upto 20% more....

BelgianBlue13

thanks lads you helping alot,
if i do go for that massey,mightnt get the cattle trailer,instead a mower and a tanker

jobseek

mikefoxo wrote: »

The question is what sort of a tractor do you need?

Do you currently feed bales with a loader? If so then 4WD would be advisable.

Can you justify the expense of buying a new tractor or paying €14000 PLUS VAT for a 390?

What sort of horsepower do you need? Could you get away with something around 70-80 hp?

If it were me I'd consider both MF 200 and 600 series. They're both basically the same type tractor - same engines, same 12 speed synchro gearbox, I assume the same backend.

Take your time and shop around. It's a big wad of money to spend. And let us know how you get on

Id stay well away from a 600 series massey,very bad cabs,they do rusy very bad

loveta

14k for a 96 "TWO WHEEL DRIVE"
Maybe iam away with the fairys but that seems mad money for it IMO massey are a grand tractor but WAAAAAY over valued if your going to keep your next tractor as long as your last buya cheaper brand and get more bang for your buck!!

jimmy G M

Mf 390 is aprox 80hp and will pull a 1300 gal tanker no bother unless you have v hilly land. Will also lift round bales and handle other machinery you have listed no bother.

You will find it a hell of a lot more manoeuvrable, easier to drive and much better visibility than the old Ursus. Ok €14k is a strong price for one, but if the machine is well cared for with low hours and you know the history it's probably worth it to you. If you look after it you will get another 20 years out of it and still get a buyer for it at that stage if you want.

They are decent on fuel and spares are readily available relatively cheaply. They are a simple machine to work on, no electrics & generally reliable. There's a reason why they are popular, sought after and relatively dear!

sea12

14 k is a bit on the steep side. Average cost would be closer to 12k. However it might be worth a bit more with the low mileage. However I would look around before I would part with my 14k.

6480

you would buy a good 110-90 fiat tractor for around ten grand off donedeal and it would eat up that over rated 2 wd 390 massey

royalmeath

390s are overly priced. For all your at you would pick up a handy tractor like a case international 895
for around 8000 notes

Masseymad

mikefoxo wrote: »

The question is what sort of a tractor do you need?

Do you currently feed bales with a loader? If so then 4WD would be advisable.

Can you justify the expense of buying a new tractor or paying €14000 PLUS VAT for a 390?

What sort of horsepower do you need? Could you get away with something around 70-80 hp?

If it were me I'd consider both MF 200 and 600 series. They're both basically the same type tractor - same engines, same 12 speed synchro gearbox, I assume the same backend.

Take your time and shop around. It's a big wad of money to spend. And let us know how you get on

id shtick wit the massey..but id never buy a 390 i hate the sight of them!
the 600 nd 300 wold be a cheap alternative to a 390
also landinis ar good reliable wagons as they has perkins engines and ther geared very good so there great on the land

nashmach

6480 wrote: »

you would buy a good 110-90 fiat tractor for around ten grand off donedeal and it would eat up that over rated 2 wd 390 massey

Only 110 at kind of money will be eat put and worm out, been to see several and then got some sense!!

delaval

With such little word,do you need a tractor maybe a contractor could do your feeding just a thought

BelgianBlue13

The masseys are deer because they will hold their price,any thoughts on a same silver tractor?
Looking on donedeal and there are same silvers 130 HP for the same money as you would spend on a 390

pakalasa

Try and keep the horsepower down as low as possible. Higher HP tractors will use a lot more fuel over their lifetime. Parts and general upkeep will also be more expensive. There is a trend of going to bigger and bigger tractors, which is not necesarily the right thing.

yellow50HX

BelgianBlue13 wrote: »

The masseys are deer because they will hold their price,any thoughts on a same silver tractor?
Looking on donedeal and there are same silvers 130 HP for the same money as you would spend on a 390

That's a big machine for throwing in a few bales a week and pulling a 1300 gallon tanker. Contactor near me bought 2 sames new back in 99&00. We're grand when new but he compared them to fiat cars, Nuf said. He now has a JD and 2 new hollands bought 2nd hand.

All depends on what your going to be using them. No need for big power for general yard work. That said if get a 4wd you'll never go back. Personally I have decided that if I can enough money together I'll get a new holland (or case version of the NH ) when I change the tractor. But each to our own.