Opinion

Baling Hay · Sep 18, 2013

Ok so here's our story:

We bought a 95 white roof 7740 SL DP in 2001 with 4500 hours and it served uss very very well until the final 2 years were we ended up spending 7-8k on it. 4 months later it went on fire when on the slurry pump and was a write off.

We then bought another 7740 SLE just before xmas 2012 because we had such good service from the previous one. What a disaster! The guy sold us a piece of scrap, the front wheels fell off, pick up hitch broke, endless electrical problems, hydraulic pump went etc. Then 6 weeks ago the engine dropped a valve and it is wrecked after we had spent a fortune on it previously! We are seriously fed up and are trying to decide whether we should just bite the bullet and buy a new one on finance.

What would be a good value 100-115 hp loader tractor for a dairy farm be? Maybe we should just buy another second hand tractor? Opinions please?

RDL · Sep 18, 2013

We have a 6640 with 15000 hours on it that dad only drives and likes. Thought about replacing it with something a bit fresher for him, but the problem I see is every 40 series we looked at they had 5 or 6000 hours, but everyone that I know with a 15 to 20 year 40 series has 10000 hours plus on the clock. Leading me to think the hours on some second hand dealers tractors may not be true. So with this in mind we will probably be better off the Devil we know, and give her a major over haul sometime soon,or retire my father.

multi power · Sep 18, 2013

a tidy late model mf 399 might do your job, if you a bit more luxury then a jd 6600

Baling Hay · Sep 18, 2013

Rickland said:
We have a 6640 with 15000 hours on it that dad only drives and likes. Thought about replacing it with something a bit fresher for him, but the problem I see is every 40 series we looked at they had 5 or 6000 hours, but everyone that I know with a 15 to 20 year 40 series has 10000 hours plus on the clock. Leading me to think the hours on some second hand dealers tractors may not be true. So with this in mind we will probably be better off the Devil we know, and give her a major over haul sometime soon,or retire my father.

I reckon by the trouble we have had with this one the hours may have been wind back. We bought it with 5500 hours, no way a machine of that hours gave as much trouble. The one we had previous we bought with 4500 hours and at the end had over 11000 hours, it wasn't an easy life for it either with my dad driving!

multi power · Sep 18, 2013

Steakeater said:
I reckon by the trouble we have had with this one the hours may have been wind back. We bought it with 5500 hours, no way a machine of that hours gave as much trouble. The one we had previous we bought with 4500 hours and at the end had over 11000 hours, it wasn't an easy life for it either with my dad driving!

i know a 40 series backend is a heap of crap but its very unusual to have any engine trouble with them

Baling Hay · Sep 18, 2013

multi power said:
i know a 40 series backend is a heap of crap but its very unusual to have any engine trouble with them

I forgot to mention the crankshaft broke on it 6 months ago as well! We fixed that and then the valve dropped and has wrecked the whole thing.

RDL · Sep 18, 2013

Steakeater said:
I reckon by the trouble we have had with this one the hours may have been wind back. We bought it with 5500 hours, no way a machine of that hours gave as much trouble. The one we had previous we bought with 4500 hours and at the end had over 11000 hours, it wasn't an easy life for it either with my dad driving!

I thought you say it had the magical 5 to 6000 hours on it,dealers know they can sell tractors at this figure, new tyres respray and a few new parts makes the dealers a tidy profit.That's about 300 hours per year,tractors like that are few and far between. It's illegal to clock a car but with a tractor there doesn't seem to be any repercussions, just advertise them as recorded hours and people still buy them.

B&B Pig Man · Sep 18, 2013

Steakeater said:
Ok so here's our story:

We bought a 95 white roof 7740 SL DP in 2001 with 4500 hours and it served uss very very well until the final 2 years were we ended up spending 7-8k on it. 4 months later it went on fire when on the slurry pump and was a write off.

We then bought another 7740 SLE just before xmas 2012 because we had such good service from the previous one. What a disaster! The guy sold us a piece of scrap, the front wheels fell off, pick up hitch broke, endless electrical problems, hydraulic pump went etc. Then 6 weeks ago the engine dropped a valve and it is wrecked after we had spent a fortune on it previously! We are seriously fed up and are trying to decide whether we should just bite the bullet and buy a new one on finance.

What would be a good value 100-115 hp loader tractor for a dairy farm be? Maybe we should just buy another second hand tractor? Opinions please?

Definitely recommend a NH T5 with loader - more than happy with ours.
Superbly manouverable, and caries over a ton on the loader no problem!

Robt · Sep 18, 2013

Who is the technician looking after the tractor? Have you questioned him why it's so in reliable?

Walterp · Sep 18, 2013

With dealer financing never being quite so available and so generous. it's hard to see why you'd want to risk buying a used tractor for a livestock unit. But you'll need it, 'cos they are all prohibitively expensive.

But not, of course, as expensive as buying a problem tractor.

Proposals? The loader defines the choices, but if you've already got a spare loader/brackets then - Congratulations! - you've already saved £6,000. Look! You're ahead of the game already....that only leaves you the tractor to buy.

Best buy is probably a Case, because they're building market share and they have three different models/transmissions in the 100hp ish bracket, so picking the synchro will get you a decent tractor at the best price available.

Best tractor is, however, the last of the MF5455's now coming out of Beauvais; a modern classic. That'll be £38,000 on full spec, please, sir...

Yale · Sep 18, 2013

I swore after our Ford 4610 i'd never buy another blue one.I engine build and a short motor and eventually scrapped all in little hours.

multi power · Sep 18, 2013

Yale said:
I swore after our Ford 4610 i'd never buy another blue one.I engine build and a short motor and eventually scrapped all in little hours.

out of intrest what did you buy instead ?

Baling Hay · Sep 18, 2013

Robt said:
Who is the technician looking after the tractor? Have you questioned him why it's so in reliable?

basically the tractor is more or less just welded together and never should have been sold, it is scrap. We bought it from Gordon Agri in Scotland and after 2 days it started giving trouble but they will have nothing to do with it!

spanners · Sep 18, 2013

Get a Same explorer 90

Shep · Sep 18, 2013

After seeing dad giving thousands of pounds over the years to mechanics, to keep heaps of scrap going

He used to shell out what would have paid the finance on a new one

I vowed to never get into the same situation, I'd rather pay finance than mechanics.
Get a new one, good deals to be had and cheap finance too and in 5 years it'll still be worth something and easy to move on..

Baling Hay · Sep 18, 2013

Shep said:
After seeing dad giving thousands of pounds over the years to mechanics, to keep heaps of scrap going He used to shell out what would have paid the finance on a new one I vowed to never get into the same situation, I'd rather pay finance than mechanics.
Get a new one, good deals to be had and cheap finance too and in 5 years it'll still be worth something and easy to move on..

The money we have spent fixing tractors would easily pay a new tractor. What are the best deals on a 4 cylinder tractor these days? At least 100hp.

Blue. · Sep 18, 2013

Shep said:
After seeing dad giving thousands of pounds over the years to mechanics, to keep heaps of scrap going He used to shell out what would have paid the finance on a new one I vowed to never get into the same situation, I'd rather pay finance than mechanics.
Get a new one, good deals to be had and cheap finance too and in 5 years it'll still be worth something and easy to move on..

My neighbour paid £30k in tractor repairs last year,it did go against tax though.

spanners · Sep 18, 2013

Steakeater said:
The money we have spent fixing tractors would easily pay a new tractor. What are the best deals on a 4 cylinder tractor these days? At least 100hp.

Deutz

Baling Hay · Sep 18, 2013

spanners said:
Deutz

Not a fan of them, heard too many bad things.

Stoxs · Sep 18, 2013

valtra?

@Barleycorn

he has one think his is a 6 cylinder , must have ownded it for 6 months now .

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100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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