Tractor Woes

[Ted]

I thought about resurrecting my "Thinking about a Tractor" thread:

https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/thinking-about-a-tractor.84148/

But with the last post being made in 2016, and this having a different theme, I decided to start over.

So for a brief refresher: I have 4 tractors. A Massey Ferguson 165, Allis Chalmers D17 with a good-sized front end loader, a Farmall H, and a Ford 9N. All but the Farmall have 3-points on them, and they are all gasoline powered. The tractor fleet has been consistent for the past... 7 years or so. The 9N I rebuilt the engine on at some point; it and the Farmall have basically been used for fun driving around the property. The Allis is extremely useful with the bucket on front. The Massey is basically used for powering the finish mower and (this is the big thing) the brush hog. I have done very little maintenance to these tractors on the whole.

Over the weekend I went to go get the Massey stared or at least attempt to and found that the block had cracked at some point, filling the crankcase with coolant. End result, the engine is seized.

The Allis Chalmers has never been a great starting tractor. I suspect this is mostly due to a weak ignition system (something I've never bothered trying to improve), but it also only runs on 2 or 3 cylinders when it first starts and then the others kick in. I haven't diagnosed this at all. However at least when I tried cranking it the other day it was cranking freely and was not seized.

I'm trying to figure out what the best course of action is. The reality is the past couple of years we haven't used any of the big tractors all that much. The kids have taken over the job of mowing, and we have three riding mowers that they are able to ride. With 11 acres we do still have some need for brush hogging. The front end loader is something that is just incredibly useful when it's needed. It was especially useful with some of the construction we were doing in 2020-2021 but that is behind us and I don't see us doing much more with that.

I'm trying to figure out the best course of action going forward. I would honestly like to thin the herd at least somewhat, and I really have no desire to rebuild or do an engine swap on the Massey. My inclination is to sell it. It's in decent shape overall for a 50 year old tractor, but it's a 50 year old tractor. The brakes have never worked well (barely worked at all). We put new tires on it not too long after getting it, and the fronts are foam filled (we had a lot of issues with flat tires for a while due to the trees from the 7th circle of Hell that are around our property:

(Google-sourced photos - our trees have even worse spikes)

The simple answer would be to attach the brush hog to the Allis, sell the Massey. I could do this. Right now it has a hydraulic pump on the PTO which drives the hydraulics for the bucket, etc. I think I would need a PTO extension to basically go through the hydraulic pump and then provide enough PTO shaft to attach the driveshaft from the brush hog attachment. I'm a bit concerned about the condition of the Allis's engine, but it's not seized.

I suppose I could try attaching the brush hog to the Farmall, and set it up to just get dragged along rather than modulated with the 3-point, but I feel like that would probably limit what I could do with it. I definitely would not want it powered by the 9N. When you have it going down over stuff, sometimes it will throw things out, and the 9N would have your legs in-line with that stuff that gets thrown.

The 9N has had an issue ever since rebuild the engine where it loses oil pressure once the oil gets warm. That appears to be an issue with the oil pickup, which I pulled and am going to replace with a new one and new gasket.

I am thinking that the Farmall or 9N could get the finish mower attached to it and that could be fine for that use, which has been not very much, but will probably be used more once the boy gets big enough that we'd be comfortable with him driving the tractor. The Farmall is lower horsepower than the Massey, but really that should be just fine at a lower speed, and with 84" width, going slow still cuts a lot of grass fast.

Definitely do not want to buy a new tractor with how expensive the things are.

So, farmers/tractor folks, what say you for this city boy out in the country?

 

[ElPaso Pilot]

Here's a Ford (Festiva) with JD green paint for you...

 

[PaulS]

I'm not a farm tractor guy, but my son is looking for his little homestead, I think you are too far away though to consider yours. As far as the kids mowing, that's great, but in reality it's a short term solution as they will sooner than later start forging out their own lives and not have time for dad's grass. So keep that in mind as you do the tractor thing and think about keeping a high capacity mower around.

 

[rwellner98]

Yeah, they are expensive. I bought a new New Holland TC40D 20+ years ago and it's been consistently great for our needs (which are similar to yours). A unit of that age on the used market is pretty affordable.

Pro-tip: Don't rent an excavator, as I did last week. They are entirely too much fun and you'll be thinking you need to buy one to have around on a permanent basis...

 

[rwellner98]

 

[Zeldman]

Over the weekend I went to go get the Massey stared or at least attempt to and found that the block had cracked at some point, filling the crankcase with coolant. End result, the engine is seized.

I gots an idear on what to do....

 

[Ted]

I gots an idear on what to do....

Funny, that. When I did the engine on the 9N I was thinking I should’ve done a flathead V8 instead of rebuilding the stock 4-cylinder (I’ve always loved the aesthetics of those, plus more power). And a friend of mine is giving me a 454 out of a Suburban.

 

[R.L.Mauzy]

The D17 and the 165 both being gas powered should theoretically have the same or near the same PTO shaft HP so anything you did with the Massey you should be able to do with the Allis ...

The big question is having the PTO mounted pump for the lift and how much HP that steals even when your not using the lift actively. Depending on what series (needs to be series IV I believe) the tractor is you could swap out the valve stack to add remotes and re-pipe the lift into a remote for a better PTO friendly solution. Either way your converting that PTO pump deal to work differently. If you do swap the valve stack to install remotes don't use threaded rod (all thread) it wont hold up to the pressures in the stack and you'll pop the o-rings, use the proper bolts and at least a grade 5 or better. The up side is most of the stuff can be bought used/2nd hand saving money. the down side is redoing a hydraulic line or two.

Another option is if the lift is "removable" it may behoove you to pull it off whilst your not using it to run the PTO unencumbered.

 

[SoonerAviator]

The MF165 really is the best tool for the job of brush hog work. Fix it and use it, or sell it and the Allis and find another tractor suited for brush hog duty (maybe another MF165 or 245 with a loader). You can usually find them for under $7K, so you might be able to get at least half of that by selling the current 165 and the Allis.

 

[CJones]

The MF165 really is the best tool for the job of brush hog work. Fix it and use it, or sell it and the Allis and find another tractor suited for brush hog duty (maybe another MF165 or 245 with a loader). You can usually find them for under $7K, so you might be able to get at least half of that by selling the current 165 and the Allis.

^^ This would be my vote as well. Instead of having 2-3 tractors that 'sort of' do the job and require compromises to do the job you need them to do, (and have issues of their own), get rid of them and get a single tractor that doesn't have as many (critical) squawks and fits the mission fully.

 

[Albany Tom]

I know almost nothing about tractors. But from your various projects, my suggestion would be to lean toward a smaller number of tractors that you can work on, as compared to either a larger number of more miserable ones, or introducing something new and more difficult to repair. Because projects, and the time sink in starting and maintaining them.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

The oil pump housing on the 9N - is it steel or aluminum?

 

[Country Flier]

For years (decades actually) I fiddled and farted around with old tractors...mainly 8n's, 9n's, and one old Kubota...they ALWAYS leaked, brakes never seemed to work right, all but the Kubota were gas and 2wd, and all needed constant tending to be useful...batteries would quit due to generators quitting due to belts breaking due to pulleys being damaged due to this or that ad nauseum.
Then (que the peaceful music and the birds chirping), I bought a brand new 4 wheel drive front loading diesel tractor. Going on 600 hours and 6 years. Not.One.Single.Problem. This thing is a tank, and I've used the crap out of it, both personally and with a business. Yes, it was (and is) expensive, but your time is valuable too, and for me tractors are to get work done, not to constantly fiddle with...at least now they are, LOL.

 

[Tools]

What is wrong with you people? Substitute different planes for tractors and consider what you’d say… keep’em all and upgrade to Garmin suites! Ha! (Gonna need a STC for that big block upgrade)

I’m an Allis guy, I’d keep the D-17 and trade the others for a CA. Brush hog on the D-17, finish mower under the belly of the CA. Also considering you have a loader on the -17, not TOTALLY unfairly biased.

If all are gas burners, you need to rebuild the carbs, maybe rebuild mags (or new points/condensers) and they’ll start easy and run fine.

I GUESS it would be ok to go with another color… don’t tell my orange tractors I said so! Somewhat seriously, I love the fords, but awful big and heavy for what the flat heads can do… the little CA is very capable for a 20hp but does really great for a yard tractor. A “b” would do as well. The other three tractors will easily fund the repairs and trades.

Funny post years ago on a tractor forum, how many tractors you got? Very common response: when I ran a 1000 acres I had two… now I’m retired and live on 5 acres, I got 25!!

What was said about a mini ex… ITS TRUE, beware!

 

[Ted]

A lot of good points above. And yes, I definitely can agree that a single, good tractor would be the best solution, it's just not something I have any interest in spending the money on. Yes, my time is valuable, and tractors are not what I want to spend my time working on. The smart thing to do would've been to buy a new tractor the 7-8 years ago. But, I am not at a point where I am driving a tractor 100 hours a year, or even 50. Last year we didn't start the MF once. I actually think I might not have started the Allis once either. Realistically, other than trying to brush hog some sections of the property that got overgrown and I need to try to get taken care of, I don't otherwise have a need to start either this year.

Both are about 60-65 HP according to the interweb, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're still making that horsepower.

I also agree that the MF 165 is the best tractor out of the bunch for brush hogging, period. The Allis has never really been great. It's older, doesn't drive as well, and the bucket on it (while enormously useful and effective) has never been a great design. The MF's brakes have never worked hardly at all, and so that's something that weighs on me.

Both the Massey and the Allis are pretty heavy tractors. The Allis has fluid-filled rear tires and weights on the rear wheels. The Massey has weights on the rear wheels. For the Allis, that extra rear weight is more necessary given the bucket. Less so with the Massey. I don't know how much they weigh for sure, but if I had to guess, the Allis is probably something around 8k lbs with the extra weight and the bucket, and the Massey 5500 with the extra wheel weights. The front end loader is theoretically removeable from the Allis. The reality is it's a lot of work to do that.

So with that, I'm not even sure what I would want if I went with a new tractor. I don't feel like that 65 HP range is a requirement, I think half that would be fine. But even then, that looks to be a significant investment regardless of brand.

I may think on this some more.

 

[Ted]

Also considering you have a loader on the -17, not TOTALLY unfairly biased.

This is the big thing. That front end loader has been worth its weight in gold on more than one occasion. And while most of those occasions I think are done at this point for the foreseeable future, there will undoubtedly be more.

But, I really would like to consolidate the fleet.

 

[Country Flier]

This is the big thing. That front end loader has been worth its weight in gold on more than one occasion. And while most of those occasions I think are done at this point for the foreseeable future, there will undoubtedly be more.

But, I really would like to consolidate the fleet.

I can understand not wanting to spend "new tractor money", but another nice feature of my new tractor, vs my old ones: the loader can be removed, without a single tool, in about 90 seconds, tops. Add the live PTO, roll bar protection, diesel engine...I think its worth my money.

Have you priced out new ones? Although my Kubota L1 is 6 years old, its only 25hp (but its actually a detuned 30 hp motor for emissions) and new it was sub 16k out the door. I notice used its going for about the same price now ($16k), so maybe $25k new now??? I notice it seems to have about twice the working ability of the old 8/9n's...what were those, 23 hp if running right?

 

[Ted]

I can understand not wanting to spend "new tractor money", but another nice feature of my new tractor, vs my old ones: the loader can be removed, without a single tool, in about 90 seconds, tops. Add the live PTO, roll bar protection, diesel engine...I think its worth my money.

Have you priced out new ones? Although my Kubota L1 is 6 years old, its only 25hp (but its actually a detuned 30 hp motor for emissions) and new it was sub 16k out the door. I notice used its going for about the same price now ($16k), so maybe $25k new now??? I notice it seems to have about twice the working ability of the old 8/9ns...what were those, 23 hp if running right?

I agree the new tractors have all kinds of benefits to them. But to your second question, no, I haven't priced a new tractor. I know Kubotas, but the reality is I also probably don't need that high end of a brand. I'm sure that a proper diesel tractor would have way more working ability than the same horsepower of one of the older gas tractors I have, and that's part of why I don't think I truly would need 60 HP like what I've theoretically got in the Allis and the Massey if I went that route.

$15k I could probably be ok with spending if that truly got me what I was looking for in a new unit. $25k gets a lot harder to accept.

 

[CJones]

I don't necessarily think you need a 'new' tractor - just an old one that doesn't require so much TLC to keep operational. Find a solid MF 165 with the Perkins. I can't remember if the 165's have the spin-out wheels - that's handy if you're row-cropping, but also nice if you're bush-hogging on any kind of side-hill. And you can narrow it back up relatively easily if needed. I do agree that brakes are a required safety item - especially if you intend for the kiddos to learn to operate it more than cruising around the yard.

 

[SoonerAviator]

I can understand not wanting to spend "new tractor money", but another nice feature of my new tractor, vs my old ones: the loader can be removed, without a single tool, in about 90 seconds, tops. Add the live PTO, roll bar protection, diesel engine...I think its worth my money.

Have you priced out new ones? Although my Kubota L1 is 6 years old, its only 25hp (but its actually a detuned 30 hp motor for emissions) and new it was sub 16k out the door. I notice used its going for about the same price now ($16k), so maybe $25k new now??? I notice it seems to have about twice the working ability of the old 8/9n's...what were those, 23 hp if running right?

I think the 90s tractors are where the value is at the moment. Lots of quality stuff from Kubota/Mahindra/JD/FordNH that has good controls and solid engines/support. I like the old stuff (1940s-1970s) for brute strength and simplicity but our various orange tractors have all been very solid (all diesels). 4WD is handy to have, and they start easily/run smoothly every time. Our current 90's B-series doesn't have the quick detach loader like yours, but the bucket comes off quickly enough if we need it to. We don't have much cause to remove the entire loader anyway. Our larger 2000 L-series was a heck of a machine (L3130), but it was really just too big for the couple of acres we had. Having front/mid PTOs, high/med/low Hydrostatic transmissions makes it dead simple to operate and creep up to things. It's nice not having all of the emissions of the newest stuff as well.

All of the controls/ergonomic improvements with newer (1990s+) tractors are nice, but if we're just doing brushhog work and occasional front loader use I still say finding another older MF165 is the best bet/value per dollar.

 

[R.L.Mauzy]

Just as an added data point - I bought my 1991 MF 375 last year for 12k with only 1k hours on it. I ordered a quick disconnect set up for it and a set of new forks. I cut off the old pin on ears from the bucket and welded on a QD attach plate. The conversion cost about 1100 and the forks were 750 or 800 I can't recall at the moment. So all in I have a very low hour very powerful diesel tractor for approx 14k ... it'll probably outlive me. And the bonus is a 375 is a whacking big brute of a machine that I'm under-working lol. It's not a terrible idea to sell the others and buy a newer better condition one ... And @SoonerAviator has a really good point about ergonomics, my 91 is really nice and easy to run. Not as cream puff sexy as a new one but it cost me about 40k less so there is that and all the controls and levers etc are nearly the same set up as a brand new one so no loss really.

 

[kmacht]

I’m in a similar situation and am seriously considering buying a newer tractor. I have a 63 Ford 4000 2nd gas tractor with loader as well as a smaller 85 Ford 1710 4wd diesel. The 4000 gets used for jobs requiring more horsepower or brute strength and the 1710 gets used for just about everything else. The problem is that I spend almost as much time working on them as using them. Just this afternoon the 1710 blew an o ring in the hydraulic priority valve. It’s only a $5 part but took 3 hours to disassemble, go get the part from the dealer, and get it all back together. It gets old after a while.

Have you looked to see what your 4 tractors might be worth if you sold them? Yes the new tractor market has gotten pricey but that also means the used market has gone up too. I can get around 15k for my two tractors and a mid 2000 John Deere 3000 series diesel with 4wd a loader and a hydrostatic transmission is going for just a little over 20k. Spending that 5-6k difference seems untenable until the next time you are working under one of the old tractors getting covered in hydraulic fluid and have a job that needs to get done before it starts raining.

 

[SoonerAviator]

Just as an added data point - I bought my 1991 MF 375 last year for 12k with only 1k hours on it. I ordered a quick disconnect set up for it and a set of new forks. I cut off the old pin on ears from the bucket and welded on a QD attach plate. The conversion cost about 1100 and the forks were 750 or 800 I can't recall at the moment. So all in I have a very low hour very powerful diesel tractor for approx 14k ... it'll probably outlive me. And the bonus is a 375 is a whacking big brute of a machine that I'm under-working lol. It's not a terrible idea to sell the others and buy a newer better condition one ... And @SoonerAviator has a really good point about ergonomics, my 91 is really nice and easy to run. Not as cream puff sexy as a new one but it cost me about 40k less so there is that and all the controls and levers etc are nearly the same set up as a brand new one so no loss really.

I mostly like flat-floor for the operator station on modern tractors, which makes it easier to get on/off the tractor when you need to. No frame/transmission hump to step over, or a gear shift lever to catch a leg on. The L3130 was nice and open, even with the FEL frame attached.

 

[R.L.Mauzy]

I mostly like flat-floor for the operator station on modern tractors, which makes it easier to get on/off the tractor when you need to. No frame/transmission hump to step over, or a gear shift lever to catch a leg on. The L3130 was nice and open, even with the FEL frame attached.

I agree, I really like the new style flat floors as well ... I don't $40,000 like it so I got my 1991 MF 375 and live with a small hump.

 

[SoonerAviator]

I agree, I really like the new style flat floors as well ... I don't $40,000 like it so I got my 1991 MF 375 and live with a small hump.

I think we got that one for around $15K used from the neighbor across the street back in 2018. Complete with a 7' brush hog, 6' finish mower, two box blades, a 6' disc, 3-row plow, and a PTO-driven fertilizer spreader. Neighbor bought it all brand new a few years prior to that for his 5 acre plot and the thing never amassed more than 150 hours, mostly dragging the finish mower across his golf-course yard.

 

[Bell206]

So, farmers/tractor folks, what say you for this city boy out in the country?

In similar situation 10 years ago. To me it boiled down to how much usage per year to justify one newer tractor. Have two 8N, Ford 3000, and L210 Kubota which are used about 12-14 days per year each. Narrowed search to the used Kubota L3000 series. In the end, I spent the time and money to get all 4 tractors up to a reasonable spec and applied my savings to other projects. Plus I wasn't a fan of the Kubota construction from the mx end.

If I had your tractors and situation, I'd pick 2 and sell 2 and get those selected up to spec. If I was using a tractor daily or weekly then I'd go the used JD route and select the model carefully. I never had a reason for a bucket on a tractor. While you have more projects than me, the time spent on my tractors was not long (head gaskets, clutches, new Zenith carbs on the Fords, etc), and once I did that the yearly upkeep was minimal as I only run the tractors about 9 months a year. Plus if your kids get involved in the field work, there's nothing like building character on the 9N in the summer. My early model 8N is my favorite and the 1st type tractor I learned to drive and split.

we had a lot of issues with flat tires for a while due to the trees from the 7th circle of Hell that are around our property

Look into Tire Gards or similar products. Or fabricate your own. Handled the thorns of south TX. Not a fan of foam fill plus its expense.

 

[FancyG]

For once or twice a year bush-hogging, rent one or hire it out.

We tend to get so hung up on having to cover all contingencies with personally-owned equipment that we overlook renting/hiring out as an option.

 

[SoonerAviator]

For once or twice a year bush-hogging, rent one or hire it out.

We tend to get so hung up on having to cover all contingencies with personally-owned equipment that we overlook renting/hiring out as an option.

Where's the fun in that? Lol.

 

[kmacht]

For once or twice a year bush-hogging, rent one or hire it out.

We tend to get so hung up on having to cover all contingencies with personally-owned equipment that we overlook renting/hiring out as an option.

The problem with hiring it out is that the time of year you usually need a something brush hogged is the same time as everyone else. You either can’t get someone to come out or you are paying a fortune for them if they do. There is a lot of value in being able to set your own schedule and use a piece of equipment whenever you need it without the hassle of dealing with other people. I bought a mini excavator a few years back for a job at home clearing some woods for pasture. Sure, it would have been cheaper to hire someone to come do that one job but I have used it for dozens of others since then. Hitting a large rock while setting fence posts goes from a $500 expense and 2 week wait to have someone come dig the rock out to now a 10 minute job that lets me keep moving on the project. There is value in that even if it isn’t the cheapest option financially.

 

[Country Flier]

Where's the fun in that? Lol.

I bought my plane AND my tractor new, and I have to admit: I like my plane, but I LOVE my tractor. I have a smile on my face every time I hop on that thing. I even have a special "tractor hat"...its the only time I wear a cowboy hat...my country/conservative neighbors think its hilarious to see an Asian man on a tractor in a cowboy hat.

 

[Country Flier]

I mostly like flat-floor for the operator station on modern tractors, which makes it easier to get on/off the tractor when you need to. No frame/transmission hump to step over, or a gear shift lever to catch a leg on. The L3130 was nice and open, even with the FEL frame attached.

Love the tractor porn! What do you think about the R4s?

 

[SoonerAviator]

Love the tractor porn! What do you think about the R4s?

The R4s are a great tire for general use on the property. Aggressive enough to get good grip when it's muddy but not so aggressive that I'm tearing up the turf. They rode fairly smooth as well on hard surfaces. We had turf tires on a smaller Kubota tractor, and it had issues getting stuck on occassion (even in 4WD) if we got into the swampy areas after a rain. It had a belly mower, so that didn't help matters, but the turf tires killed it. If I were doing lots of mud work you might want ag tires, but the R4s are where it's at for us and general use.

 

[FancyG]

The problem with hiring it out is that the time of year you usually need a something brush hogged is the same time as everyone else. You either can’t get someone to come out or you are paying a fortune for them if they do. There is a lot of value in being able to set your own schedule and use a piece of equipment whenever you need it without the hassle of dealing with other people. I bought a mini excavator a few years back for a job at home clearing some woods for pasture. Sure, it would have been cheaper to hire someone to come do that one job but I have used it for dozens of others since then. Hitting a large rock while setting fence posts goes from a $500 expense and 2 week wait to have someone come dig the rock out to now a 10 minute job that lets me keep moving on the project. There is value in that even if it isn’t the cheapest option financially.

Correct.
Cutting a field isn't time-critical. Make an appointment and when the guy can get there, he does. A week or month really makes no difference.

I do want a mini-ex, and should have bought one a few year ago but have gotten by with renting when I had a solid list of projects and hitting them all at the same time. When I buy my next place and put in a strip, it absolutely will make sense to buy one.

 

[Racerx]

I picked up a Honda 6522 with bush hog, backhoe, front end loader, cultivator, tiller, log splitter, mid mount mower, seeder, disc and auger attachments for 4k.

Had no idea Honda even made tractors. 3 cylinder 22 hp Honda diesel with 9 speed transmission. It's a cute little thing that does what I need it to do. But if something breaks, parts are unobtainium.

 

[Country Flier]

The R4s are a great tire for general use on the property. Aggressive enough to get good grip when it's muddy but not so aggressive that I'm tearing up the turf. They rode fairly smooth as well on hard surfaces. We had turf tires on a smaller Kubota tractor, and it had issues getting stuck on occassion (even in 4WD) if we got into the swampy areas after a rain. It had a belly mower, so that didn't help matters, but the turf tires killed it. If I were doing lots of mud work you might want ag tires, but the R4s are where it's at for us and general use.

I ask because it was the one and only problem (if you even want to call it that) I've had with my tractor....the dealer was great, and when I mentioned I'd be using my tractor at home and construction sites, he recommended the R4s...within a week of use, I called him and he let me swap to the R1s I originally wanted. We must have different soils, as around here, clay gets packed into the R4s and then you are basically without any tread at all...I think even turf tires would be better here. It helps that my yard is a "country" yard, lots of grass/acreage, so you don't really see the grooves the R1s sometimes cause.

 

[SoonerAviator]

I ask because it was the one and only problem (if you even want to call it that) I've had with my tractor....the dealer was great, and when I mentioned I'd be using my tractor at home and construction sites, he recommended the R4s...within a week of use, I called him and he let me swap to the R1s I originally wanted. We must have different soils, as around here, clay gets packed into the R4s and then you are basically without any tread at all...I think even turf tires would be better here. It helps that my yard is a "country" yard, lots of grass/acreage, so you don't really see the grooves the R1s sometimes cause.

We don't have much clay around this part of the country, but our yard is much the same as yours "country", not finely manicured or golf course smooth. There is a hybrid option these days with the R14 tires which lots of people love, but I don't know that it would do much of anything once the tread gets packed with clay. That stuff is sticky and slick.

 

[CJones]

We don't have much clay around this part of the country, but our yard is much the same as yours "country", not finely manicured or golf course smooth. There is a hybrid option these days with the R14 tires which lots of people love, but I don't know that it would do much of anything once the tread gets packed with clay. That stuff is sticky and slick.

By 'slick sticky clay', you mean this kind of stuff? BTW - it got WAY worse after this pic.

 

[SoonerAviator]

By 'slick sticky clay', you mean this kind of stuff? BTW - it got WAY worse after this pic.
View attachment 117204

Lol, yeah I haven't had to deal with that. Ours mostly just gets soupy in the low spot on the land after a heavy rain and buries the wheels if you get to spinning. The smaller Kubota (B7100HST) just had the problem of normally having the 60" Mid-mount mower on, so if the wheels sank more than 2" or so, you've then caused the mower deck to dig-in which meant you were done with pure turf tires. Go grab the truck or bigger tractor and yank it out. Having R4's or R1's on the B7100 *may* have helped, but the mowing deck was the primary culprit. If we had been using a finish mower off of the rear-PTO, you could have lifted the 3-pt and crawled out just fine with 4WD and turf tires. At least the MF in your pic has the bucket on front and back to pull you out if you buried the wheels too much!

 

[CJones]

Lol, yeah I haven't had to deal with that. Ours mostly just gets soupy in the low spot on the land after a heavy rain and buries the wheels if you get to spinning. The smaller Kubota (B7100HST) just had the problem of normally having the 60" Mid-mount mower on, so if the wheels sank more than 2" or so, you've then caused the mower deck to dig-in which meant you were done with pure turf tires. Go grab the truck or bigger tractor and yank it out. Having R4's or R1's on the B7100 *may* have helped, but the mowing deck was the primary culprit. If we had been using a finish mower off of the rear-PTO, you could have lifted the 3-pt and crawled out just fine with 4WD and turf tires. At least the MF in your pic has the bucket on front and back to pull you out if you buried the wheels too much!

Yeah, that backhoe attachment got several 'get me out of this hole' workouts that weekend. This one has the R4 tires and they actually work pretty well - or at least as well as any tire could be expected when it's buried mid-wheel in red clay. It has the belly mower, but is easily removable for doing work like this, too. We have FAR exceeded the roles this thing was originally designed for. ha

 

[Spring Ford]

Ted's getting a new tractor? Gotta be a Lambo.