Ultra Reliable Tractor?

[Cab-over Pete]

Aye-up,

This could be the shortest thread ever and let’s not get into waffling on about preferred colours.

I might be looking for a tractor soon. 150-180 hp ish.

Maybe 5-10 years old, up to 5000 hrs. I know, they are rare.

More than the colour I’m interested in the reliability. I don’t care if you recommend a Fendt or a Zetor. I’m not fussed on technology. In fact the least the better. I don’t need CVT and I don’t need huge lift capacity. I don’t care about super climate control, AC is good enough.

We all hear about “bombproof “ tractors. Case 1455, JD 7810, etc etc but they are getting rare and even more rare in exceptional order with low hours.

Does any company still make them?

Cheers, Pete.

 

[Matthew Britton]

I am not sure that there is a particularly reliable or unreliable range of tractors any more? Engineering has come on so far in the last 20 years that most brands are now « generally » fairly reliable but with all makes and models having the odd lemon. I bought a new Massey 6480 tier 3 back in 2007, it had a few odd problems that back then ,ade me think it was unreliable. I sold it after about 3000 hours and bought a 5000 hour John Deere 6920s as I thought it would prove to be more reliable, (and at the time it was what I wanted) how wrong was I!! I do love the tractor still but I now have to keep it for as long as possible because I have spent so much on it to make it reliable, it got to the point that I didn’t know when I got in it in the morning wether I would be coming home in it in the evening. My point being that what I thought was a more reliable brand/model turned out to be a lemonJust my personal opinion and experience.

 

[nick...]

We in the uk have the mentality of moving on machines at 5/6000 hours fearing big bills.the Americans just put new motors and transmissions in them and keep running them.they love our old 7/8000 series deeres that they import back to USA and keep running them.john Deere offer remanufactured engines in their parts brochures but don’t know if anyone in uk does this.
nick...

 

[Kiwi Pete]

They're called "Valtra"

 

[KB6930]

JD 69/7530 end of discussion

 

[daveydiesel1]

Jd 6150m/r powerquad, 1 of the last mf 6480s, deutz mabe like a 150.7 or 640 with grarstick. Or other users of zf tranny likenew shape mccorrmick landini or kubota. Any of these should be ok

 

[Chae1]

FPT engine.

Powerquad gearbox.

Fastrac suspension. Ride comfort.

 

[Tomr10]

You haven't given a budget but all big players will have more hours, need tyres or be ££££

The xtx 165 we have is nice enough and is fairly simple

 

[Cab-over Pete]

JD 69/7530 end of discussion

Thats exactly what I’ve been considering.

Nice older Fendt Favorit with the Turbomatic and gearstick? Not sure I’ve got that right!

I want to avoid too much unreliable and troublesome electronic stuff. It’s all there to go wrong, and it will!

 

[KB6930]

Thats exactly what I’ve been considering.

Nice older Fendt Favorit with the Turbomatic and gearstick? Not sure I’ve got that right!

I want to avoid too much unreliable and troublesome electronic stuff. It’s all there to go wrong, and it will!

I can only speak from experience of JD from the 10 series in yr2000 right through to a 16 plate R series and we've had 1 iffy model and that was a 02 6820 basically never buy the first of a new range !!
We've 4 30 series and would have more if we could we've a 6930 from 2011 that's never seen a workshop at 7000 hrs we bought a 7530 last year at 6000 hrs and is going fine .

If you can find a good clean low hours one you'll need to pay up for it but it'll be good local contractors are running them as mainline tractors with 13000 hrs +

 

[Speedstar]

I can only speak from experience of JD from the 10 series in yr2000 right through to a 16 plate R series and we've had 1 iffy model and that was a 02 6820 basically never buy the first of a new range !!
We've 4 30 series and would have more if we could we've a 6930 from 2011 that's never seen a workshop at 7000 hrs we bought a 7530 last year at 6000 hrs and is going fine .

If you can find a good clean low hours one you'll need to pay up for it but it'll be good local contractors are running them as mainline tractors with 13000 hrs +

finding low houred tractors is not easy

 

[Chae1]

I can only speak from experience of JD from the 10 series in yr2000 right through to a 16 plate R series and we've had 1 iffy model and that was a 02 6820 basically never buy the first of a new range !!
We've 4 30 series and would have more if we could we've a 6930 from 2011 that's never seen a workshop at 7000 hrs we bought a 7530 last year at 6000 hrs and is going fine .

If you can find a good clean low hours one you'll need to pay up for it but it'll be good local contractors are running them as mainline tractors with 13000 hrs +

Are the engines more reliable now?

They seemed to gain a reputation for trouble with head gaskets, turbos, egr valves. All of these failed on our 7530. But it was electronically enhanced.

Many more standard ones seem to suffer same issues.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

No, it’s not easy to find them, very sought after.

It seems to me that tractors don’t behave like a good reliable truck. I know they’re different machines entirely, but I could show you several Volvo FM12 32 tonne tippers on the road that have been exceptional.

Two especially stand out. Both bought together on consecutive plates in 2002. They’ve both done over 1,000,000 Kms and neither has had any engine work except the routine service. Gearboxes have been just as good.

If I could find the equivalent tractor then I would buy one.

 

[KB6930]

finding low houred tractors is not easy

Are the engines more reliable now?

They seemed to gain a reputation for trouble with head gaskets, turbos, egr valves. All of these failed on our 7530. But it was electronically enhanced.

Many more standard ones seem to suffer same issues.

Out of 10 JD's over 20 yrs we've had 1 turbo and 1 head gasket both in the same 6930 I think it's turbo stuck full open so may have caused the gasket.
Local contractors will have around a dozen JD's in the shed and they have the odd head gasket but it's not like something that goes wrong every week

 

[Thomas5060]

NH T7000? Have never owned one but they seem to be pretty bombproof

 

[Chae1]

NH T7000? Have never owned one but they seem to be pretty bombproof

Power shift gear boxes can be expensive and prone to failure.

Ours was 6.5k if I remember correctly.

@PSQ Had a bad repair bill for his.

 

[PSQ]

NH T7000? Have never owned one but they seem to be pretty bombproof

I thought so too, until a month ago.

@Chae1, I'm still waiting for the bill, but Ive been given a ballpark figure that's about the price of a new pickup.

 

[Kevtherev]

A Belarus and some ear muffs

 

[J 1177]

Early puma 155?

 

[Thomas5060]

Power shift gear boxes can be expensive and prone to failure.

Ours was 6.5k if I remember correctly.

@PSQ Had a bad repair bill for his.

I thought so too, until a month ago.

@Chae1, I'm still waiting for the bill, but Ive been given a ballpark figure that's about the price of a new pickup.

View attachment 910380

Is that the power command box?