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Most unique sounding tractor

N

NY 986

Well-known Member
My vote is the JD 3020 (along with the 3010) diesel. I can't think of anything that sounds similar. Everything else other than the 2 cylinders including other makes can be described as somewhat generic. Just a thought on an early December day when the weather is keeping me inside.
 
Dad had 7 gas powered tractors over the years, red, blue, dark green. Could tell each one as it fired up, each had its own sound...

Paul
 
I agree with the 3020D. But the 3020 gasser has a rather unique exhaust note too.

Neglecting "oddball" tractors like the Lanz Bulldog, Bungartz and Porsche air-cooled diesels, etc. here are my votes for several others:

- Minnie Mo U and G series - especially running at idle.

- Massey 44-Six. The Continental flathead with its odd, assymetric exhaust manifold also has unique sound.

- Oliver 1600/1650 gasser. Wound up to PTO speed (2,400 RPM) the 16xx have a distinct smooth, even exhaust note harmonizing with a loud whining cooling fan.
 
The best sounding tractor ever was the 350 HP Woods Copeland with a 903 Cummins which was a V8. It had a straight 5" pipe coming directly off the turbo coming out from under the hood and then curving up and then curving out away from the tractor and it could be heard two miles away gurgling. I don't know how else to describe the sound it made. It was and still is the best tractor I've ever owned for all the reasons you buy a tractor. It would pull anything you put behind it, with it's duel 30.5x38 rice and cane tires and six speed Allison automatic tranny. It held 200 gallons of fuel that would run it for two days depending on what you were doing with it. It was a hoss.
a175694.jpg
 
Even the Perkins in the 1850 Oliver has a sound of its own. I remember when I bought mine,I had a 4040 Deere at the time. The oldest boy came home from school,got on the 1850,started it and just sat there shaking his head and grinning,although he was trying not to. He said "Why can't that John Deere sound like that?".
 
The various two cylinders had their own tone. The Dubuques, B/50/520/530, the D, the gasser 60/620/630/70/720/720 and then the diesel two cylinders. With the 80/820/830/840 with a little more ringing thump than the 70/720/730.
I am partial to the 2-53 Detroit Diesel with the N series pistons, a real JD oval muffler and good ear plugs.
A S series detroit with the basic round phart can muffler has a much different note.
 

The quietness and smoothness of the old Case 500-600 diesels was as pleasing a sound as you can get IMHO Even the 30 series had their own long stroke big bore distinctive sound. Like other things, beauty is in the eye/ear of beholder.
 
My neighbour broke two quarters with an ENGLISH FIELD MARSHAL. Single cylinder....pulled an 18 inch breaker in willows....Once the engine was up to temperature he ran a mix of Diesel, and used engine oil This picture is from the Internet....Neighbour's is under snow.
a175702.jpg
 
i'd have to agree that each individual machine is unique. 3 806 diesels on the place and i can tell without looking which one it is driving by.
 
Don't know about the most unique, but the best 'sounding' tractors we ever owned were a couple of 4620s, way back when.......can you say SMOOTH!
 

Allis Chalmers D19 turbo diesel....first farm tractor with a turbo. Besides the sound, it will give some nice smoke, too!
 
I always wanted a 630 John Deere and I finally
got one. When I bought it it had a straight pipe. What an awful noise. I bought the proper muffler for it and what a GREAT SOUND I just love to take it for a ride just to hear it.
.
 
Yeah, I want a 630 before I get too old. Also, I am on a corn picker fancy as of late. Mounted two row picker with an appropriate same make approximately 60 HP diesel tractor from the 1960's for each make.
 
Ever had 2 tractors plowing close to each other and get a unique sound like the other tractor's engine was missing? Something odd about the way the two mixed.
 
Loved my Oliver 1550 diesel when it was pulling hard- you just can't beat those 6 cylinders for smoooooth. Regret now that I didn't wear ear plugs, but I just loved that sound.

Could tell by sound when the hay was getting too tough in the evening when baling with my Oliver 550 diesel- would start "chug-chug"-ing against the governor. Time to quit!

550 used to have this annoying metallic rattling at combat speed- figured out that it was the exhaust flapper. So backed off the mounting bolt until it was a press fit by hand, and would take it off while operating, put it back on at night. Much nicer sound, then.

Thanks for jogging some memories.
 
I love the sound of a Murphy diesel in a machine. They got used a lot in Northwest cranes as they had a lot of torque, at a low RPM, and were great for duty cycle work like running a dragline.
 
I wouldn't necessarily call it unique, but I do like the sound oh a well tuned Farmall H with a correct muffler. They just purr.
 
Not a tractor, but a 1980 Chevy C30 crew cab dually with a 454 engine, headers, glasspack mufflers, turning about 3,000 rpm and pulling a light to medium load.

You've probably guessed by now I had one. Prettiest sound on earth.
 
JD 4440 (and its kin) on start up. Quite the authoratative bark when the rack goes to full fuel then settles back.
 
I would agree with the 4440 on startup. That 466 floored really takes off until the governor hits. There's no other tractor that starts like that. Every time I start it I think that it has to be hard on it to do that, but there are three Deeres around here with that engine and some have lots of hours. Still working away.

I have ways loved the sound of the 265(?) gas Chrysler in our Massey combine. Under an even heavy pull it really had an excellent note to it. Unfortunately, you could never enjoy it on the combine - you needed to be behind it.
 
Yes!

Also one time was planting away from home, and my little utility tractor on the planter sounded just awful

And me miles from home.

I felt really uneasy, just stopped the tractor, wondered what was going on.

Then I could hear the train growling by.......

Had to laugh at myself.

Paul
 
I would have to say several, Like IH 1468 and 1568 V8 has its own sound and when the gov opens up under a load. Oliver 77 with that quite smooth purr or a 63 Case 930 diesel with a 4 inch strait pipe under a load, Now that's a bark and bellow! A MH 44 diesel on a warm humid evening plowing with 4x14 with a strait pipe with frames 5 inches high, Sweet sound!!!!!! I could go on but I wont. So many sweet sounds. Bandit
 
I know that sound well, I had a 78 C30 dually 454 blackjack headers 3' 3" strait pipe 3" replacement side pipe mufflers (3' long) over the axel and out the sides. OH what a sweet sound, You could hear it for miles. In 24 miles pulling a 32'(+ 9' neck) goose neck with 400 bales of hay it would burn a tank of fuel no problem. Oh the good old days! Bandit
 
I vote for a V-4 Wisconsin under a medium load. I also agree on the 265 Chrysler. We had 2
co-op combines with about 8' of straight pipe. They really purred.
 
(quoted from post at 14:41:16 12/03/14) My vote is the JD 3020 (along with the 3010) diesel. I can't think of anything that sounds similar. Everything else other than the 2 cylinders including other makes can be described as somewhat generic. Just a thought on an early December day when the weather is keeping me inside.
Click to expand...
that would have to be the wd40, now thats unique.
 
MEl ,, we should mention the DC Strait-piped leaning into a hard pull and just hammering away and not laying down ,Governor hard back pulling its damdest,!!Also on Any day below freezing , the fast cranking sound of any diesel followed by the pik- pat- put-putter -putter -put -- runup to full throttle and the quik back off to half throttle ,, when you need a tractor in a hurry and don't have the blockheater plugged in ,,That is a Very Pleasant sound ...
 
Nothing sounds quite like an old JD D, pulling hard, carb wide open, making 42 horsepower & sucking up 4 gallons of gas an hour.
 
Grew up with my dad driving a C60 GMC. To this day there is no sound that brings me back more than a 366 with a 5+2. Don't shift till the mains rattle.
 
G706 - G1000 MM. There is just something about opening the throttle and hearing that 504 engine growl out the 4" exhaust.
 
I LIKE MY COCKSHUTT 570 DIESEL with or without muffler that 6 cyl. hercules is just so smooth.The jimmy diesel in the excavator is not bad but for a much shorter time period lol
 
You guys don'tknow what sounds good until you've heard an old Cummins 275 with an ironlung "blower" pulling a full load up Willamette pass on acold winters night.Many a driver has almost frost bitten his ears with the windows down a bit just to listen to that MUSIC.I realize this was suppose to be tractors but seems like it has strayed from that anyway.Ron
 
While I don't particularly care for the sound, the IH German diesels are very distinctive.
Good running 560 diesel, with AirResearch T-06, and straight pipe is my favorite!
 
Probably any 2 cylinder under a load can't be beat. I grew up listening to grandpa's farmall M with 4' straight pipe so nothing quite beats that sound in my mind. I still bale hay with that tractor with that same straight pipe and can't get enough of it. Any farmall smaller than an m with a straight pipe hurts my ears but dad had a ca allis with straight pipe and I don't remember it being near as bad.
 
(quoted from post at 20:31:45 12/03/14) I know that sound well, I had a 78 C30 dually 454 blackjack headers 3' 3" strait pipe 3" replacement side pipe mufflers (3' long) over the axel and out the sides. OH what a sweet sound, You could hear it for miles. In 24 miles pulling a 32'(+ 9' neck) goose neck with 400 bales of hay it would burn a tank of fuel no problem. Oh the good old days! Bandit
Click to expand...

May sound good to you but it's down right annoying to the rest of us. :evil:
 
If any of you have smart phones and don't already have it get Max Armstrongs, Max's tractor app it's interesting and he's got some tractor quizzes and a game called "name that tractor", it's fun to hear the tractor start up idle and shut off then make your guess of which tractor it is.
 
I grew up with farmalls and an Oliver 77. I have driven A C from B to 7080 Oliver from 60 to 1850 and poppers from D to 4455 and almost all of the farmalls from A to 4786 and some magnums . But the most unique sounding tractor that i ever heard was my grandfathers WD9 McCormick . I sure miss that thing
 
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