What is the best tractor ever made?

Mtx

In terms of reliability, providing the owner knows to look after it.
My vote would be a John Deere 3050.

emaherx

Mtx wrote: »

In terms of reliability, providing the owner knows to look after it.
My vote would be a John Deere 3050.

In terms of reliability, even if the multiple owners hadn't a Barney how to look after it .
My vote would be the old reliable MF 135.

Limestone Cowboy

10 series deeres would be my pick.

White Clover

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

10 series deeres would be my pick.

I would have to agree. Drove a 6910 for a summer and it impressed me every day.

emaherx

There needs to be categories in this question.

Many will claim they were overated but the MF 300 series were fantastic stockman tractors.

Or Fiat 110-90 for someone spending a bit more time at field work.

Panch18

I would say that a JD 7810 would have to be high up on the list if not at the very top

Tractors like MF 135/165 and Ford 4000 did serious amounts of work in their time

Cran

135 purely on reliability and work done, father who worked from horse’s up to early 00’s tractors said 1000 series fords were the ones that worked far beyond expectations

Nekarsulm

Deere 4020 Powershift.


Followed by a Deere 6800 or 6900

blue5000

This could be a long one:eek:

whisky_galore

In terms of worldwide success and longevity, I would go for the humble Fergie 20.

Displaced the horse and a lot of drudgery from many an Irish farm. Hated by salesmen of Ford and David Brown, they called them 'the grey menace' as they appeared like mushrooms in farms all over the uk and Irl.

Popularised the hydraulic 3 point hitch and designed by an Irishman, what's not to like? Set the standard for tractors that followed. Many still earning their keep to this day or as collectors' items. Approx 1 million (including derivatives) rolled off the production lines.

They even went to the Antarctic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_Trans-Antarctic_Expedition#/media/File:Tractors_in_Antarctica_(1957).JPG

twin_beacon

its hard to pick just one, as every few years the demands put on a machine increases. mine would be
1950s - 1960s: MF 35
1970s: MF 100 series
1980s: Fiat 90 series (mainly the 110-90)
1990s: John Deere 6010 series
2000+ unsure....maybe Armatrac :P

Peatys

The break shoes were changed for the first time on my great uncles t20 last summer.

Doing the gearbox oil this summer. That was done before though........ about 25 years ago.

on the river

100 series MF

My 135 is 60 years old full of determination. As I drive it along the countryside and push its strength in carrying round bales. I know I have more then just a tractor. To me it’s a reliable friend. God bless Ferguson Harris

greysides

I've fond memories of a certain MF 65 and driving hell for leather turning hay with a Vicon Lely. Doors off the cab for the summer heat. Compared to modern tractors it would be like comparing a Willys Jeep to LandCruiser.

larthehar

twin_beacon wrote: »

its hard to pick just one, as every few years the demands put on a machine increases. mine would be
1950s - 1960s: MF 35
1970s: MF 100 series
1980s: Fiat 90 series (mainly the 110-90)
1990s: John Deere 6010 series
2000+ unsure....maybe Armatrac :P

I would largely agree with this, maybe Valmet's 8050 would have a place.. serious hrs put up on them and commanding great money today.

MF300 series is over rated and over priced in my opinion..

emaherx

larthehar wrote: »

MF300 series is over rated and over priced in my opinion..

They have certainly been overpriced over the years. But there is a reason they held their value for so long.

_Brian

In fairness most of us will refer back to tractors we’ve grown up with and are used to.
Individual poor examples will taint us.

We had a Ford 3000 here in the early 70’s and it was pure scrap.

The David Brown 880 Selectamatic that followed it was pure gold and we’ve had a David Brown on the farm since.

Personally. David Brown 996 4wd was a top class tractor but relatively few were sold here. Big enough to do a lot of work yet tidy enough to be handy round the yard.

Here’s no tillage near us so great hulks of tractors were never a thing in this area until contractors got large.

Bass Reeves

What the best tractor is selective. None of us would go back to floor shift gears and electric back lifts are a gift. Often tractors got a bad name for changing with the times. Everyone gave out about the MF 3 series shuttle because if it went spitting a tractor was an expensive business, the spitter on the case 42 series (4230 etc) seemed a big issue 10-15 years ago but now is not seen as the same issue. The ford 10 series spindle into the pressure plate was a bogey but again the 10 series were one of the first contracting tractors the last of them had a porous block.

It was no fun starting a 1 series or any of the older tractor back in the 70's if the starter was begining to go dodgy. None of those tractors have done the work of tractors, that tractors in the 80's and 90's and the more modern tractors are doing. Lots of the smaller tractors spend half there time ticking over.

Birdnuts

Leyland 262 - my first;)

Rave.ef

County;):pac:

tanko

MF 590, cant bring myself to get rid of it. I love the misery too much.

Ferguson 20,

or

Massey Ferguson 165

(in the west anyway)

lab man

My first tractor I bought was a DB 1410 never gave an ounce of trouble followed that with a 3 110/90 now have a tm 125 classic great tool and a fiat f 140 bought at handy money good tractor too I've also a massey 5465 don't rate her at all some difference from her to the tm

emaherx

Bass Reeves wrote: »

It was no fun starting a 1 series or any of the older tractor back in the 70's if the starter was begining to go dodgy. None of those tractors have done the work of tractors, that tractors in the 80's and 90's and the more modern tractors are doing. Lots of the smaller tractors spend half there time ticking over.

On the contrary a lot of 70-90HP tractors on farms these days doing little more than yard work where farmers have contracted out everything else. Back in the 70's/80's more farmers would have been making all their own fodder with 50 to 70 HP tractors.

topnotch

John Deere 7810

Grueller

twin_beacon wrote: »

its hard to pick just one, as every few years the demands put on a machine increases. mine would be
1950s - 1960s: MF 35
1970s: MF 100 series
1980s: Fiat 90 series (mainly the 110-90)
1990s: John Deere 6010 series
2000+ unsure....maybe Armatrac :P

Form my money the mf 100 series were a mile behind the ford 1000 series

HughCassidy

My father cut a lot of silage and contract work he had a ford 5000 changed it to a Leyland 285 which lasted a month everything went wrong with it the garage replaced it he kept it for a year broke his heart bought a Zetor crystal never had an ounce of trouble with it. The tractor is parked in a shed at home, with a massey Ferguson 135, and a Nuffield 1060, He reckoned the ford were the best tractor to bail hay straw.All tractors he had nearly did close on a 1000 a year were changed every four years.

Burning Tires

tanko wrote: »

MF 590, cant bring myself to get rid of it. I love the misery too much.

Oh Jesus. The 500 series. The hardship.

My vote would go with the MF100 series, 1000s of them still earning their keep, and easy to keep going

K.G.

Had a 165 back in the day and she put up with some abuse but abit limited.on my second tl new holland and they are some girls to work and very little trouble

Doctors room ghost

David brown 995.an absolute dinger.plenty able for leaving in bales and not shy in the bog she wouldn’t see you stuck

patsy_mccabe

David Brown 995. I'll be buried in it.

Doctors room ghost

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

David Brown 995. I'll be buried in it.

Abhoy patsy.thats the style of it.

Doctors room ghost

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

David Brown 995. I'll be buried in it.

I seen 2 cracking looking 995s hidden in a field in mayo last week patsy.fully restored.they had them hidden in behind a lock of furzy bushes but I spotted them when I was having a sneaky look over the ditch.

the_pen_turner

it has to be the mf 135,. very little to go wrong and was the workhorse for many farms. decades later and most are still going strong. all th eparts are still available and they are still as great as ever

Jimmy Dags

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

I seen 2 cracking looking 995s hidden in a field in mayo last week patsy.fully restored.they had them hidden in behind a lock of furzy bushes but I spotted them when I was having a sneaky look over the ditch.

Having a sneaky look at the neighbors knickers also.

Kevhog1988

I learned to drive on a 135 at 8 years old. I used to have to  standon the clutch or brake as i was so light.  22 years later i have.... a 135 . They are the ultimate tractor for anyone just fluting about.

I says

The one that the repayments are finished with is good enough for me.

Wildsurfer

Has anyone mentioned Fendt? Never owned one but I would have presumed they deserve to be in the title race.

HughCassidy

Wildsurfer wrote: »

Has anyone mentioned Fendt? Never owned one but I would have presumed they deserve to be in the title race.

They are a good tractor but for a small tractor the ferguson 20,35, 135, for what work they did on farms had to be the best they were put through they brought farming to where it is to day.

whisky_galore

theemigrant wrote: »

I learned to drive on a 135 at 8 years old. I used to have to standon the clutch or brake as i was so light. 22 years later i have.... a 135 . They are the ultimate tractor for anyone just fluting about.

It'll be still going when all the electronic gimcracks of the modern tractor have stopped working.

keepalive213

100 series massey are hard beat, still loads of them in use here in deepest darkest Mayo. Take just about any torture, easy to fix.
In fairness im biased, there is a 1976 mf165 here with 34 uears and the engine has never been touched. It cut plenty silage back in the day and negotiated many a wet bog.

kevthegaff

charolais0153 wrote:

I have a shoite memory but compared to last year. Lost less lambs to hypothermia this year. Cows were out later tgan thet were this year. Lambs have done better this year. Because of cold weather, no worms in lambs till may at least. It has been more challenging spreading manure and slurry but for me, its not that bad

Fiat 110-90
Bro and I have One each father bought 20 yrs ago. Main tractors on busy dairy farms, savage tractor

yellow50HX

A right can of worms opened with that one.

Have to agree with some of the previous posts
The 90 series fiats were great machines, crap cabs but great engines and gear boxes
The 10 series John deeres were and still are very good, espically the 6610 and 6910.
The 10 series fords are under rated TBH, the 1st series had issues with the block and gear box but series II and III were much better. Most contractors and tillage lads round here had a 7810. Lots of them with dairy and stock lads now. The SQ cab was a big change for long working days
Going back further the 5000 & 7000 were game changers, as were the JD 50 series.
The Massey 35 and its followers have worked all over the world for years in all kind of conditions.

TGJD

Case MX series for my money. Massively under rated. Huge pulling power beyond what you'd expect. Extremely reliable and enough comfort to make long days not feel as long without being overly complicated. Have driven 3 different ones. One of which has over 20k hours closer to 30k and still runs like clockwork and can outpull tractors which should have a fair bit more power.

twin_beacon

I was going to mention the Case MX series, but myself personally have no experience with them. There were 8 MX series located within a few miles of us, the 2 contractors we get had them, one had 3 MX 135s and a 170.
The cummins engine had a very unique sound, you could hear them coming a mile down the road!

endainoz

My guess has to be the original Zetor crystal. So far ahead of its time in its day. The 8011 was the first to use the safety cab which is taken for granted now. It also had power steering and this machine was first released way back in 1968!

Of course I might be a bit biased as we had one at home when I was growing up but it was hard to beat throughout the 80s in our area.

jimmycrackcorm

When I was young visiting my uncle's farm I saw him haull an overloaded rear fork of silage to the pit on his Massey 135. Every time he touched the accelerator the tractor did a wheelie.

Massey 135 ftw.

White Clover

The case had that legendary Cummins engine but that's where the good bits ended! They had a horrible clunky gearbox and chocolate for brakes.

Patslaterry123

Deutz or Fendt

flossy1

the massy 35x

Patslaterry123

I remember the Fendt 308 311 four wheel drive,the Deutz 6.05 and 6.30 and a international 1055 four wheel drive all working in a 600 acre field all in the Eightys

All new at the time