Case 4230/4240 vs ford 6640/7740

ltec

We've come to the stage where we need a smallish 4wd. From the four tractors above which would you recommend is best and most reliable? Would the 6640 be underpowered for 4wd

Greengrass1

Had a 4240 for 14 yrs. Savage yoke imo. Racked up 20k hrs on her and only she broke on the front axle she'd prob still be her. Did have engine trouble when the head went but that was due to the copper inserts around the injectors going.
If I was looking for another 4wd tractor in the morning and found a good clean 4240 I'd buy it

Sugarbowl

Resurrecting this thread - anyone got any thoughts? Case v Ford? Finding it hard to decide which to go for.

TooOldBoots

Sugarbowl wrote: »

Resurrecting this thread - anyone got any thoughts? Case v Ford? Finding it hard to decide which to go for.

Can't speak for the ford but the case is a ball of shlt3. Horrible Gearing with 2 sticks. Thirsty enough on diesel for the bit of power it gives. Lift doesn't lift as high as a Massey (bales fall off the bale handler). Cab made from Soft brittle metal that rusts like fook. Pray you don't have to loosen a bolt or a screw anywhere on the case as you have a 50:50 chance of shearing it.

DaDerv

Sugarbowl wrote: »

Resurrecting this thread - anyone got any thoughts? Case v Ford? Finding it hard to decide which to go for.

Have a ford '93 7740 at home. Have it 13 years now. Rebuilt the engine 3 years ago at 8k hours after I left the service too long and oil ran out. I was driving a Case JX 90 at the weekend and there was no comparison, despite the difference in years I wouldn't trade the 7740 for it.

I find the 7740 extremely comfortable with a fairly spacious cab. Its well laid out and we have had little to no faults with it. (engine aside which was my own fault for not getting it serviced more regularly and just poor maintenance at the time.) Its weight is distributed very well and is tidy around a small yard with a loader.

hopeso

Sugarbowl wrote: »

Resurrecting this thread - anyone got any thoughts? Case v Ford? Finding it hard to decide which to go for.

What particular models are you considering?

Sugarbowl

hopeso wrote: »

What particular models are you considering?

I'm not sure to be honest - I'm very open minded and I would be willing to spend about 15k. Less of course if I could. I like the look of the 4wd Case and they seem to be that little bit cheaper. Just need a simple tractor to do the simple chores in a tidy sized farm without giving me trouble. Don't want to be buying a tractor that gives me problems just because I didn't have the knowledge to know better beforehand. Learning lots from reading other boards though. Any suggestions welcome of course!

Bass Reeves

Sugarbowl wrote: »

I'm not sure to be honest - I'm very open minded and I would be willing to spend about 15k. Less of course if I could. I like the look of the 4wd Case and they seem to be that little bit cheaper. Just need a simple tractor to do the simple chores in a tidy sized farm without giving me trouble. Don't want to be buying a tractor that gives me problems just because I didn't have the knowledge to know better beforehand. Learning lots from reading other boards though. Any suggestions welcome of course!

Buying a second hand tractor is more about the tractor than the make/model. The best thing is to priotise your requirement's in a tractor. For instance the lift on either of the Case's is only capable of lifting a single bale of silage. The 7740 would lift 2 while some models of the 6640 would as well.bafter that it is more about buying a clean enough tractor model. Is a loader a necessity as this will limit how far up the scale you can get in a tractor. For lads willing to live with a 2wd drive you will get a decent tractor for 8-12k

bogman_bass

TooOldBoots wrote: »

Can't speak for the ford but the case is a ball of shlt3. Horrible Gearing with 2 sticks. Thirsty enough on diesel for the bit of power it gives. Lift doesn't lift as high as a Massey (bales fall off the bale handler). Cab made from Soft brittle metal that rusts like fook. Pray you don't have to loosen a bolt or a screw anywhere on the case as you have a 50:50 chance of shearing it.

Much rather the two sticks than that horrible Massey style single stick. It’s a balls of a yoke

bogman_bass

ltec wrote: »

We've come to the stage where we need a smallish 4wd. From the four tractors above which would you recommend is best and most reliable? Would the 6640 be underpowered for 4wd

If you were looking at the case would you consider going up the years a little to something like a CX90. Only a couple of years older but a much more modern type of tractor.

older by the day

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Buying a second hand tractor is more about the tractor than the make/model. The best thing is to priotise your requirement's in a tractor. For instance the lift on either of the Case's is only capable of lifting a single bale of silage. The 7740 would lift 2 while some models of the 6640 would as well.bafter that it is more about buying a clean enough tractor model. Is a loader a necessity as this will limit how far up the scale you can get in a tractor. For lads willing to live with a 2wd drive you will get a decent tractor for 8-12k

Buying a second hand tractor is down to luck and hoping the farmer before you looked after it. 2 wheel drives are ok but bales are getting very heavy nowadays, especially with a double bale handler, plus they are useless on soft ground

Bass Reeves

older by the day wrote: »

Buying a second hand tractor is down to luck and hoping the farmer before you looked after it. 2 wheel drives are ok but bales are getting very heavy nowadays, especially with a double bale handler, plus they are useless on soft ground

If you need a 4wd on any land to travel it for handy day to day work you should not be traveling it. 50% of tractors out there sub 80-100HP are incapable of carry two bale's on a handler

older by the day

Bass Reeves wrote: »

If you need a 4wd on any land to travel it for handy day to day work you should not be traveling it. 50% of tractors out there sub 80-100HP are incapable of carry two bale's on a handler

Well if you have black land and wet years you need a four wheel drive to travel. I spent the first thirty years getting bogged and tearing every field every spring. A 2 wheel drive is ok in the summer and concrete the rest of the year. If you have marginal land

Mushy06

Have a 1997 4230xp with Pro cab with last 10 years here. i did head gasket after 6 months of getting it, (actually handy enough to do yourself). Never gave trouble since with engine. i did clutch about 2 years ago. Got someone else to do it as time was against me. Very happy with it as i did a lot of pulling and dragging with it, as well all my own agitating and spreading slurry. i got it at 4K hrs and have 8.5K up on it now. Very comfortable cab on inside as the ol fella would use it as well. But like the previous poster said it all depends on how previous owner looked after tractor.
Try and go for 4240 as that has turbo to bring it to 90hp..ish where as the 4230 is only at 84hp ... ish.