Tractor opinions

bigmacca, May 12, 1:17am
looking at buying a replacement ramming tractor for my fencing business. I will have up to 25k to spend . top of my list is the same explorer 80hp, also considering the case cx80 . have had isekis but have found that parts are becoming a real issue to source. any major issues with the same and case tractors.? not interested in any of the kubotas or crap like that.
budgel, May 12, 1:40am
I think you will find opinions are as varied as the number of brands.

To a large extent your enquiry should take into account the strength of whatever dealer support is in your area.
brapbrap8, May 12, 2:17am
Might want to ask in Farming for more opinions.
I have not had much luck with Same/Deutz Fahr tractors in the past, although the more basic models like the Explorer probably are not too bad.

You are looking at fairly big tractors for thumping, all of the fencers in my area use 60hp tractors for their rammers, this means the tractors are much cheaper (or newer for your money) as dairy farmers don't really want 60hp tractors any more.
Also they are lighter, more compact and transportable than an 80hp, you can put them on a smaller truck to get them places for jobs further from home.

All depends what sort of rammer you are using though, and what other jobs you expect to use the tractor for.
bigmacca, May 12, 4:23am
running a series 3 kinghitter rammer tho will be upgrading later in the year to a series 2 with sideshift base. had both 65 hp and 95 hp iseki. great tractors , just getting to hard to keep reliable. mainly after opinions on the same explorer . they have 4 wheel brakes and great hydraulics so top of my list. just seeing if anyone has had/got one and what if any faults they have .
flossy64, May 12, 4:49am
We have an Explorer on the farm here. Its a pig of a machine compared to the John Deere and newer Case. The controls for the hydraulic controls are terribly placed (RH side, mounted on wall behind the seat), the forward/reverse shuttle, when it is working correctly is placed so close to the seat it makes it hard to use as it rubs against your leg. The electrics (being Italian) have long failed. And most importantly for your application the 3 point linkage is useless, with a mind of its own, raising and lowering when it wants etc. We only use ours for towing and loading feedout trailers which its great at but useful at the wrong end for you. Also the gearbox is/has been weak, we really baby at as the farm owner does not want it to crap out as the last time the box was dropped and split for repairs and cost in the 8k region.
bigmacca, May 12, 6:32am
cheers flossy that's all good info. what sort of hours has your one done? what ever I buy will be strictly ramming only so wont be doing hard work. id love to buy one of the newer jd 70/80hp tractors but still above my budget.lol. id love to stick to my isekis but the parts are just getting to hard to source.
flossy64, May 12, 6:37am
TBH I could not tell you as nothing on it works right lol. It would be heaps tho. No gear gets replaced until its a liability. Was due for a new tractor this season but with the payout drops thats been put on the not bloody likely list.
xacoon, May 12, 8:11am
Look at what the cropping guys are driving, their gear gets a much harder workout than the dairy boys, and you will be hard pushed to find many if any Same. What you will see is quite a few Case, the cx80 is a good wee tractor. The other side of the coin is the service network and perhaps that is a major part of the reason the bigger names like Case, Massey, New Holland etc (will leave deere johns out here have heard nothing but horror stories recently. ) are the more common choices, nothing worse than having to hunt or wait for parts.
I think if you are going to a sideshift 80hp should be your minimum target, if for no other reason than the weight factor, nothing worse than a big driver pushing a small tractor round a hillside. And on that weight note, have you looked at any Masseys? That extra weight does make them sit much nicer.
wind.turbine, May 12, 8:20am
we use a Deutz agritron 105 with a field master side shift with the longer boom.

It seems to handle well, only thing that has caused an issue is that its a bit light at the front so not fun climbing up steep country but could be easily fixed with front weights.

on the reliability side we have had no issues with it, has awesome visibility compared to most other cabbed tractors.

probably could do with the ECU being re tuned as the revs to tend to drop off fast once climbing a hill on the road.

but other wise it does what ever we throw at it
jeff1234, May 12, 8:51am
used a same 95 at a farm in Taranaki, was new 18 months before we got there, cabless, no electrics was awesome, pulled 3m mowers over rolling country, 7000l slurry tanker and no issues with drivetrain. Was maintained meticulously, but worked hard. excellent on hills as low COG.
serf407, May 12, 9:15am
If you can find another $5k for a $30K budget you move into a better range of tractors unless you are lucky to find a $30k for $25K which can happen.
There are not many Case CX80 4wd and fel around for $25K.
4wd Massey Fergusons were made by Landini at times so watch out for those, but there are some plodder MFs that should do the job.
What ever you get;probably put an auxilarly hydraulic system on, it might be easier for you to do the maintance rather dealer techs etc dealing with the internal hydraulics of the tractor.
Have a look on the bareco and vapormatic parts etc websites to see which models have aftermarket parts, it gives an indication of what models sold in good numbers for the aftermarket and brands to keep the spare parts made.
For what the series2 and base costs you might consider other rammers that might be more suited to your terrain.
paul861, May 12, 5:17pm
don't get a brazillian made fergy
merv4, May 12, 8:48pm
If you are leaving the tractor out in the weather, get a make with few electronic features, stay away from power shifts , in my experience they give trouble after about three years if not kept in a shed, if non cab
bigmacca, Jan 31, 6:49pm
cheers guys for info. have found a number of cx70/80 for 25k or less with 4/5000hours. will still check out the sames as want to compare them . the less computers and electrics the better as I tend to do my own servicing and repairs , also easier to repair in the field. I do have a soft spot for the fergies so will be looking at them aswell. the thing is since the dairy market has slowed down there are a lot of the smaller tractors just sitting and not selling.not interested in changing rammer brands as the fairbrother rammers are perfect for where I fence.