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Worst tractor you ever drove

K

Kow Farmer

Well-known Member
I was doing some skidloader work today, and since these machines ride so rough on all kinds of terrain, I had a crazy thought. What was the worst tractor you ever drove? Was it hard to get on or off? Poor operating controls? Just looking for some ideas from everyone. For me, the worst tractor was 560 Farmall. I didn't like the getting on or off part and the gear shifter was too close between your knees cause the steering wheel was just a few inches above all that. I used the 560 for baling hay one summer. Never again. I am not trying to start any tractor color wars here, for I have owned 4 different colors of tractors so far. I'm curious to see what everyone's responses will be. Thank you all.
Kow Farmer
 
It is a toss up between an F20 and a WD Allis, 12 hours of field work on either one will make you wish you had a 560 Farmall!
 
Dad bought an AC WD when I was in high school. In it's defense, it was the only narrow front tractor on the farm by the time I got to drive 'em regularly. That said, it would get stuck on a concrete parking lot. Never mind using it when it was muddy.

Most unreliable, biggest money pit I ever owned was an IH 574. I bought it real cheap and understand why. I've been around other 574's and they were good tractors. I'm just lucky that way.
 
Allis Chalmers "U". Big, clumsy, dangerous foot clutch (nothing between you and the ground except that clutch pedal), hard to shift (guess which gear you have it in!), won't turn easy with a heavy load, ETC., ETC.,
 
We never did have a big variety of tractors on this farm and I just can't come up with a 'worst' tractor as far as usable fairly modern ones goes. If we include ALL tractors, I'd have to say it was a Massey Harris four wheel drive that was made for a little while in the thirties. I only drove it in a few parades, so I didn't drive it much, but it had a horizontal left hand clutch that you pulled back to engage. It had steel wheels with lugs and it couldn't hardly pull itself when I turned sharp. Maneuvering while backing was next to impossible because it steered so hard it took two hands on the wheel but one hand had to be available for the clutch. It was a novel and advanced tractor for it's day but operator comfort and ease of operation wasn't it's greatest asset. Jim
 
I'm assuming with the WD you're talking about what it does to your body!
In the tractor-with-hand-clutch-conversation-below I was thinking of suggesting that my pick for being kid friendly(WD/WD45) I have found to not be friendly to my older body. After not being on one for decades, I recently bought a WD45 to dedicate to mowing around the farm. I can see why all the neighbors(except for my frugal family) back in the day traded up to the D17 ASAP!
 
Ivote for that,with those hand brakes,I was about 12.,a hard tractor for a small person to drive! Hard to reach the clutch,with short legs!!
 
JD B. Hand clutch, poor brakes with pedals on right and left, mechanical lift that only worked while tractor was moving - don't get caught up against a fence with the cultivators down like I did. Oh, and the migraine causing two cylinder popping.
 
Any JD with a hand clutch and a steering wheel at a 90 degree angle or any JD with syncro range and dash controls.
 
Bob, You are right, those were body destroyers both the A/C and F20. I will bet the fellow that started this thread could still get off that 560 and stand up straight after 10 hrs on it.
 
Any of the 86 series IH tractors.The cab door hits you in the face when you open it,then you climb a ladder to get in,the left handed shifters are junk and all grind gears,the TA's are usually bad,you can not see the drawbar from the seat,they are short coupled along with the seat in front of the rear axle so they ride rough and on most the front ends are welded up.Compare these to any 40 series Deere and it is no wonder that IH went broke.Only good thing on them is the engine.The 66 series were better tractors.
 
Zetor that I tried out. Couldn't tell you the model. Figured crap like that was the reason those commies couldn't feed themselves. The controls were a NIGHTMARE!
 
I always thought the Farmall 560 was a very confortable tractor to operate. You sat up high for excellent vizability, had a resonably confortable seat (for that era, not like todays super delux lounge chair types) and had power steering whereas most previous models had been manual steering. The controls were in convient locations. Kow, in your mind, you must be comparing the 560 to one of the modern computer controled tractors with all modern comford features.

Harold H
 
The worse experience i've had on a tractor has to be a 1066, my neighbor had. I used it to feed round bales to his cattle while he was on vacation. That thing vibrated so bad, i could feel the fillings in my teeth rattle!
 
Worst was my neighbors Massey 44 it had a JD backhoe and a 1/2 ton of concrete up front and no brakes, well none that would stop the monster on flat ground. Back hoe works pretty good though until it broke loose at the bottom an pinched your legs up against the tractor.
Now I know why it still sits where he parked it years ago.
Also try steering a Case LA with truck tires up front.
But for real junk try out the JD410 some real bad engineering on that one but sure looks pretty.
Walt
 
Ole Johnny Popper Model B. I really liked that tractor but it was made for short legs and I hate row crop front end on hills.
 
My Massey 165. The tractor is low hours and in great condition, however, The rear axel lock up pedal is under the seat, some hydraulic controls are located below your foot, the the hydraulic plumbing lines for the loader (also Massey) are located to cook your foot, the leather friction washer on the throttle is an absurd design, the gas tank is located inside the coweling causing the gas to boil on any 80 + degree weather, you have to remove the 3pt quadrant to service the hyd oil filter, and the machine was made for a munchkin, a 6 footer like me won't fit. The plus side is it always starts and sips gasoline.
 
MMU Seat fel off in High gear down a stone road. Held onto the steering wheel and got drug 50 feet until the right rear tire hit a 15 inch phone pole. It stopped, I was a bit bloody. I never liked the chattery jerky clutch on the booger either. Jim
 
all 70 series Power shift case.
Cant feather the clutch on these contraptions,awfull loader tractors,they're like mexican jumping beans.
Hard to hook up an implement.

I guess that why they called them... "case" :wink:
 
I've had a 1086 for 16000 hours and everything you say is right-except for one. The wheelbase is the same as a 4440. In fact it appears to be about the same as my 4650. My front end has never given trouble but there's a reason why I call it my 'bronco'. Jim
 
530 JD with factory 3-point or a WD Allis. It's a toss up. The first thing I did when I bought my 560 was cut that shifter off below that top curve. Much better.
 
Pa had several two cylinder JD so when he had to back my uncles CC case out of the shed he almost killed himself with that backwards hand clutch.
 
I worked for a guy one summer driving an 830 Case "comfort king". It was NOT either comfort or king! I think I p@@d blood after discing all day. Any N series ford. My CA Allis with both the hand clutch and the hyd lift lever on the right so you have to lift the plow with your right hand and reach across with your left to hold the hand clutch for live hyds.
 
The worst tractors I ever drove were the 10,20,30,40 series John Deere. Hard on fuel no power poor transmissions hard starting. Starting fluid is your friend when starting a Deere. Always over heating. Who is the idiot that thought of putting a fuel tank in front of the radiator. Can be replaced by any lawn tractor.
 
The worst?
The worst tractor didn't start or run so that tells you something right there.
The second worst was I think a McCormick W9 or whatever it was. The clutch was such that you had to be At least 6'9" to reach it and I was only about 5'5" at the time. You layed back on it like you was pimpin. It did have a really fast road gear though. That was good.
 
Same Drago, the controls were awful and you needed a 40 to turn it around not mentioning all that splendid Italian engineering. On the bright side when it broke you didn't have to drive it for 3 weeks while you waited for parts. Next would be a tie between a John Deere A we had with a front loader, IIRC hydraulic lever (power-trol)was on the same side as the clutch lever, it steered awful and some idiot put the starter pedal right were the CLUTCH should be and a Ford LCG 2000 with slect-to-shift, a 725 loader and thin skinny turf tires on it, that thing would spin it's tires on dry pavement in 10th gear if you weren't careful with the "inching" petal. next a John Deere MT with an Oldsmobile bucket seat on it awful to get on or off, not enough gears and odd sized tires that cost more than the tractor was worth. 4th place goes to a MF 65 I spent an afternoon on hauling manure, my feet were slippery with manure so my foot and kept sliding off the end of the clutch pedal then hitting me in the shins.
 
(quoted from post at 18:12:08 07/21/12) 8000 Ford, thing rode like a tank.
Click to expand...

Gary, ever had a tank ride? You wouldn't believe how smooth the M48/M60 and M1s ride!

I agree with the AC 190 comment......best thing I ever did was get rid of it.

Rick
 
1939 AC B.

As unreligious as I may be, I maintain to this day that tractor was CURSED!

Looking back on it, I can laugh about the whole ordeal now, but Id put money down that whatever hyundai or mazda it got turned into is broken down on the side of the road somewhere.
 
OK how about a deuce and a half. All i know is that thing was roughest riding tractor I ever operated. I always thought it was because of the short wheelbase.
 
I worked for a guy when I was in college that had Case tractors. He had a 830 and a 700something (I was think'n 720 but that might not be right,,,). If I had a choice which to use I would race another guy to the 830 rather than get stuck on the 7. It was the most left handed contraption I was ever on till years later when I drove a Moffit fork lift.

Dave
 
I will say number one win/loser is any Zetor. They are the worst tractor I have ever drove/used. One dealer I worked for sold them, well tried to sell them. He sold maybe 8-10 in a twenty year period. He still has three new ones that are fifteen years old.

Next would be an "N" series Ford. Compared to a team of horses they looked good but that was about the only good thing about them. Too fast in low gear and reverse for a lot of farm duties.

Then the tie in more modern tractors would be a AC 7000 or IH 86 series. I bought a IH 1486 new and only kept it about six months. I think IH deliberately designed that tractor to be hard on the operator. You found that out right up front when you tried to get into the cab. Terrible door and steps. The you had to climb over the gear shifters. Plus seeing anything to hook up to the draw bar was real fun. Then to finish the picture they road so darn rough that you peed blood after a day of working ground. They where the final nail in IH's coffin. Then the AC 7000 must have had a brother of the IH engineer design it. The door was not too bad but the factory steps where a skinned knee waiting to happen if your shoes where muddy or wet. Then the gear shifter curved up from under the seat to make a real good tripping hazard. The controls where a confusing mess as well. Then to finish the picture off was drive line that had problems. The engines where not long life and some models where pure junk. Then the transmissions where just waiting to break. So the IH 86 series was a little better as it did hold up better. The cabs on these two tractors helped put both companies out of business.
 
One 8n Ford.It had the remains of a loader still attached,had to be pulled to start,no working brakes,worn out steering,leaking rear axles,water in the oil,oil in the water,leaking radiator,only one stabilizer bar and no gasket in gas cap.I was working at a nursery had to mow and pull a trash trailer with it.Believe it or not it was still running,but barely.The boss traded it for a new 2000 Ford (1976) gas.We had to use the new tractor to help it on the dealers trailer.The boss got a good deal as the 2600 was alredy being sold,it was gas and did not have a live pto but sure was a nicer tractor.
 
Last week I drove a Waterloo Boy. It started to rain. This tractor has no hood over the engine. The spark plugs, wires and magneto got wet. I limped it to the shop on one cylinder. It vibrates bad enough when two cylinders are working.
 
MM u, seat was low and to far back to use, short fat tires. Road gear was so fast you could never get going before you hit the next hill. Used lots of gas to. The only thing we used it on was the corn dryer and it burned 5 gallons more gas per batch than our dc did.
 
Harold,
I don't have any new computer controlled tractors. I don't even like them. They are too complicated to understand for me. My newest tractor is a 1966 Oliver 1850. I'm am just not a RED tractor enthusiast.
Kow Farmer
 
Probably most tractors have some sort of feature that irritates many, and some are simply not well-suited to a particular job.

I hated riding a WD45. It had some nice features, but the seat wasn't one on which I could get comfortable. JD tractors with a hand clutch didn't suit me, either. We had an IH 300 Utility that was nearly indestructable, and a gem when using a loader. BUT - take the loader off and put it on a disk, and it transformed into an invention of the Devil! The gas tank wasn't big enough, and with the original cap, it spit gas in your face when running on rough ground. Until we re-routed the exhaust up through the hood, it was a fire hazard in a hay field, and it would absolutely COOK your left foot, even though it had a "heat shield" above the muffler. But the worst was the time I was disking rough ground in third gear and bounced up and forward so as to take the gearshift knob in my crotch......
My Dad always referred to it as the "Red Ford" and once asked the dealer who sold it to us if it had been designed by engineers that Ford had fired! The only field work where it excelled was running a hay/silage chopper. It had plenty of power, a quick governor, and the 2150 rpm engine speed spun that chopper like a top!
Dad and I were both smiling when it left the farm.
 
We had 3 JD D's on steel and a GP all at the same time. They were the most miserable tractor that I ever drove and were a constant source of trouble. The 1948 G was the last JD tractor (and the most trouble) that was on the farm.
 
McCormick Deering 15-30, but maybe just because I was only 12 or 13 at the time. Later my Dad picked up its little brother, a 10-20. Except for wide turning radius, good plowing rig. Just tweak it a it a bit to the left, that front steel wheel would follow the furrow across a 1/4 mile field. Neither one would go fast enough to give a rough ride.
Willie
 
Worst tractor I ever drove was still pretty good... There"s no place I"d rather be than in the seat of a tractor.

However... my least favorite I"ve ever been on was a JD G. I looked everywhere for the other two plugwires that must have had fallen off... I knew the 2 cylinders sounded awful, I just had never thought about them running as bad as they sounded.

As far as someone below saying about the backwards hand clutch, I thought it was the Deere that was backwards since I"d been on lots of Case tractors before.
 

Are the 15 year old Zetors indoors or out? I bet he could sell on ebay...must be a regional no sale thing. I drive through one part of New Brunswick and it seems every other house has an older Zetor in the yard. Must of been a good dealer pushing them there.
 
190 XT used to blow O-rings out of the hydralic pump and when it did you had nothing. The 4" straight pipe blowing diesel fumes all day- I would be driving it when I went to bed.

Ken
 
(quoted from post at 00:05:22 07/22/12)
(quoted from post at 20:13:00 07/21/12) 8N Ford
Click to expand...
see a lot of fords 8-9 N as a worst tractor.
How come they're still high in demand and high priced :shock:
Click to expand...

High priced ? The N series tractors are the cheapest tractors with a three point and pto on the market. Combined with loyal Ford car & truck owners wanting a Ford. Yes the N series sell, and re-sell and re-sell as each successive new owner tires his turn at getting rid of his bargain.
 
Any tractor is better than that four hitch of mules that I used on Dad'd farm in Kansas. Dad did not like tractors and used horses and mules to the end of his farming days.
 
What! No one has said anything about Olivers. Never drove one, but two neighbors to the west of us had 77's. Could not hear the engines, but could sure hear the tranny's whinning half mile away. Good or bad tractors I can not say.
 
The one I hated the worst was the Hydro 70 Farmall. Everything was on the right hand side. Loader control, hydro, PTO, and being gas you had to keep one hand on the choke, if you used it at all in the winter. JUNK, I tell you.
The one that hurt my back the worst, was a 190 XT series III with a Leon loader. Everytime I stepped out of the cab, I threw my back out.
 
(quoted from post at 23:30:12 07/21/12) Have to wonder how much of it is "just what you are used to " ?
Click to expand...

Exactly. I grew up around and on Fergies and MF 35's, 135's, etc.

The IH's and Deere's, etc. just seem odd and uncomfortable to me
 
Anything Ford prior to the 800 series, and the 800 is no prize! The 9n/2n/8n have got to be the most over rated, under powered, poorly engineered rig ever made in the USA. People keep saying they're better than horses, well, I'll put my team up against your 8n for anything other than 3 pt or PTO work. Let me have a forecart with a pto and hydraulics and I'll work that Ford or it's Fergie cousin into the ground.
 
Well.....here's one that's 61 years old and still doing the job 7 days a week. Nicest handling,easiest driving tractor you'd ever want to use. No power steering,but it doesn't need it. Geared right,controls are all in the right place. I've got newer ones,but this one is just plain and simple the best one for the job.
a76993.jpg
 
Worst I ever drove was a 1950s case 400. Hated climbing up the back of it, no power steering, and akward hi-low shift pattern.
 
rrlund, i agree, not only ARE the easy to drive they are also very reliable. mine has god only knows how many hours on it with very little repair and for the past 30 years has 90+ horse power for tractor pulling and work. chuck
9450.jpg
 
John Deere A was my worst and the 9N Ford second worse. The A went down the road to Orange City Iowa. The 9N was one Dad rented at times from the landlord to pull a drag. The WD was a better ride than the 9N. The most fun tractor for me to drive is the 190XT series III Landhandler. It"s a real joy to run. 6,600 hours on it and it"s still going strong.
 
They have been outside from day one. They maybe even older than 15 years. It has been 14 since I worked for him and he had them a while then.

I just looked on tractor data and the one model(7745) has not been made since 1992. So they are older than I thought.

The biggest problem was that the dealer did not realize that his normal customer base was at the other end of the spectrum from being the type that would by a cheap imported tractor. Plus he wanted to make too much on each tractor. He was trying to get list price.

He was the worst inventory control guy I ever worked around. He would trade something in with too much in it. Maybe a few hundred dollars. He would not budge off his price. Then he would keep the equipment on the lot for years. Then the stuff was worth thousands less than what he had in it. When disk mowers first came around he would still give big money for your old sickle machine. No other dealer would even take them at that time. Ten years ago they finally hauled three semis loads of them to auction. Some of them had been on his lot 20 years. None of them brought more than scrap price. They where just rusted up junk.
 

Fordson F, drove as a small boy. It was very difficult to crank. Once my father put coals of fire under it to warm up the oil in the crankcase so he could start it with the hand crank. Steel wheels steered very hard, but me being young may have had something to do with that. No turning brakes, it was explained on here that there was some linkage in th efoot clutch that braked the tractor. They sold because there wasn't much else availiable in the late teens and 1920s, and what there was wasn't as cheap and plentiful as the Fordson.

KEH
 

Fordson F, drove as a small boy. It was very difficult to crank. Once my father put coals of fire under it to warm up the oil in the crankcase so he could start it with the hand crank. Steel wheels steered very hard, but me being young may have had something to do with that. No turning brakes, it was explained on here that there was some linkage in th efoot clutch that braked the tractor. They sold because there wasn't much else availiable in the late teens and 1920s, and what there was wasn't as cheap and plentiful as the Fordson.

KEH
 

Ah, a poor dealer. "The guy who can't be dealt with" Will let something rot into the ground and become worthless before selling it for $1 less than what he has into it.
 
If you could only get it to lift while moving you did not know how to operate it as they would work anytime the pto was in gear, it seams you just did not know enough to shift to netrual. Now the WC Allis unless they had the special coupler in were that way. And I loved that hand clutch and the sound was easier on my ears than the Farmall. And there were no better brakes on any tractor than the Deere brakes.
 
Worst ride- 786. But that was because of the tires we put on for cheap- busted belts in them. It walked down the road and ate tubes.

Worst shifting- toss-up between the 806 and 4020 and Oliver 77. The straight-through H-L-R on the 806 was nowhere near as handy as the H pattern on the 56-up. The 4020 you have to go through a forward gear to get to reverse, though hi R and 5 are good for moving round bales around the yard. Grandpa had one on order til he visited another JD dealer for parts for a short line they carried. Test drove the 756 used and took it home that day, cancelled the order for the 4020. The Ollie, well, whoever came up with that double-H pattern shoulda been shot.

Most inconvenient- International Prostar. For the amount of time and money they say they put into that truck, it sure was a turd. The sun would reflect off the lip on the back edge of the hood and blind you from behind the truck. The steering wheel mounted controls sound nice, til you are halfway through a turn and need to shut of the engine brake. The window and lock switches are way up at the front edge of the door, at least on the 9200 and 9400's you could swap them around to have your left hand fall on the driver's window switch.

Worst cab- Allis 7580. Great tractor, it would plow through mud so deep that you couldn't lift the plow out, but I had to lower the wheel, stand over it, and squeeze through between it and the door frame. The 66 series IHC cabs were better than that thing. Bought it off a claustrophobic neighbor.

Worst traction- D19. Couldn't pull a wet noodle through the yard after a half inch of rain, and the tires were loaded. I got it stuck once, got the SM and pulled it out without restarting it. Did have pretty good hydraulic power and PTO though, it would really sling it out there pulling the slurry spreader.
 
We had a 674 from new and it was utter rubbish. Unlike the older Internationals we had before, the engine seemed gutless (Now I know why the 475 was rated as a good tractor it had a Perkins engine that's why! )It was awkward to get in and out of and it spent as much time back at the dealers with various faults as it did on the farm. We eventually got tired of it and traded it in for a Renault 781s which was a 'pocket rocket', that German built MWM had loads of torque and was utterly reliable.
 
Having worked as a mechanic for a case Ih dealership and now running my own business Im probably a little bias.I have been tractor pulling for 25 years also. I hate to see any of the N series fords come threw the door. The hyd. is poor, the front mount distributor is a pain, you relly do push the clutch DOWN, and what a pos to drive. Why they are so popular I dont understand. Any of the low slung tractors from IH, Moline,or Deere seem like a better choice. Power steering, fast hitch, live hyd. ect. Who ever bad mouthed the olivers with double neutral never ran one on a loader. two reverse gears with a matching forward speed below. No lincage to fail and they shift nice. Olivers from the 77 therew the 880 make great light weight pullers and the waukesha engines respond very well to cubic inch mods.with cut 16.9 tires and a fast ring and pinion, our 77 will run 3500-3750 in 4th gear all day and its not the biggest one around.Did every one forget about the farmalls? There had to be more money made with H and M farmalls than any tractor built. If you deere guys dont agree, let me ask you this. If those two bangers are so wonderfull, why doesnt anyone use them today? almost every farm around still has an H or m on it and there still in use!! I favor my 1850 oliver diesel, runs cheap, good road gear, easy to get on, starts good, turns short, and has a nice choise of gears. Hyd. could be better though!
 
I love you guys who bash the Ford N series. I own 2 8N's and love em. Paired to the right implement they are an economical and handy tractor. One of the reasons they are so popular is because you can still buy new implements for them. Now I will be the first to tell you that they has some issues too. The brakes leave a good deal to be desired but if the axle seals are good and the brakes are in good condition they work OK. By 1948 when the 8N came out Ford should have gone to an OHV engine. Compaired to anything IH was making at the time the hydraulics were OK but not fantastic. The Front mount dizzy is a pain. When the steering is adjusted correctly they are easy to operate, easy to get off and on and will do a good deal of work.....just not real fast. The biggest fault with the 8N is the gearing for 1st and R....just way too fast. I'd rather spend a day on an 8N than an hour on a WEF M. Have one of those too. Thing is designed for a midget with strong arms. I raked straw with it just the other day. After about 4 hours my knees hurt cause I'm cramped on that darn thing at 6'5". My back hurt cause of the bouncing....and single up only slow hydraulics.....Both of my 8N's and the M are all 1948 tractors.

I see H's and M's sell around here for 800 and up......I see N's start at 1700 and up. Wonder why that is if "everyone is trying to get rid of them".


On the subject of worst.....MM U. PTO right between your feet, yer hanging out over that ground when seated and tuff steering.
 
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