John Deere Mahindra ESCORTS Balwan
Given that four or more are built under the same parent company just different colors, most are user choice as to controls locations, the base tractors are the same. CNH: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNH_Industrial Then are the Agco: https://news.agcocorp.com/brands And Deere
Depends on how many years you want to farm. All machines wear or break. When parts are unavailable or priced like gold, machines get scrapped or uneconomical for daily use. Which brand has a track record of local support to you? While the future is unknowable. Past performance helps a lot to predict future performance. My Deere tractors range from 40 years to five years. The New Holland hay machines were new half a century ago.
whichever one is easiest to get parts for in your area
That's the strangest response DMiller. I could have sworn you said "escorts" are the only way to go.....
I dont know but when I googled ESCORTS I lost interest in tractors
Old ones.....
Escorts???
Well Practiced, know the field without looking!!
I prefer operating older mechanical tractors from the 70s and 80s. I have the most time on Ford/New Holland. It feels like I and the tractor become one, I can almost think what I want to do and the tractor does it. You can feel feedback in the steering, pedals and seat. The new automated computerized tractors may do more work and be more comfortable but it just doesn't feel right.
Thank Everybody
As a totally non-farmer one of the first questions I would have is where the "farm" is and how big is it? I men if you are talking say five acres in New York State it would be a lot different than say 10,000 acres in Montana. Also what are the crops or livestock you are talking about on this farm. If raising tulips for a local florist it might be a big deference than say 2,000 head of Bison!
Tip toe through the Bison pies...
Now that I got started thinking of Bison it reminded me that I had not heard anything lately about the place near here that was raising them for meat. Seems they were having a problem with the Bison not "respecting" the electric fencing that worked good for beef cattle! Seems that a couple times a year there would be reports of them getting loose.
Buddy, co retiree at one time tried Boofoolow(What we called them to rib him) and Beefalo for more weight Five foot six strand barbed wire with two electric lines across the face of that had no impact They wanted out they walked thru like a bulldozer. Only fence the beast respected was a split utility pole fenced control yard area just before he gave up raising them
We raised Buff when I was a kid in ND. Our fencing was was well driller pipe. They are ornery and you cant trust them. Their tail goes up and you make sure your on the other side of the fence Tractors, the Magnum series from CASEIH is pretty hard to beat. No EPA issues, Cummins engines, 18 speed powershift trannies. They were awesome in the late 80's and are still pretty awesome now.
Some relatives raised buffalo, they simply said you can keep a buffalo anywhere it wants the stay. Their corral was guard rail bolted to power poles about 7 feet high.
The best Choice for tractors is the best dealer. Dealer support is key if buying new. If not then I would stick with Ford / New Holland, Case International, John Deere, Massey Ferguson, or Kubota. It is amazing how many tractors from off brands get sidelined due to a lack of parts after their manufacture exits the market. I work in the ag parts industry and it is amazing how many calls we get for Bison, Long, Escort, Hinomoto, Montana, and other brands. Save a few thousand up front, but a few decades down the road and your tractor is sidelined due to a bad water pump, that any other brand would be a $500 part. Sure makes the initial discounted investment seem silly. On a side note, last weekend I had to help a friend separate a Bison calf from the herd because its mother died. Talk about a not fun experience. One beller from the calf and the entire herd is trying to mow you down. My friend is a well driller and all fence is 4" casing for posts, with six 1" horizontal schedule 40 pipes between them making the fence about 8' tall and a cattle panel welded in front to keep the calves in . And they still will hit it hard enough to bend it. We never go in the pasture unless we are near the fence, or are in a tractor. Bison are not to be trifled with.
Montana Tractors have all but disappeared here to Mahindra or small scale Kubota Dealerships. Most of these have few to no parts supplies and non existent parts chains. Belarus comes to mind, ANYONE could become a dealer. Steel suppliers here offer similar drill pipe and sucker rod for oil systems for fence when those become too worn out to continue to use.
We bought a Mahindra 36 hp tractor 6 yrs ago. No big problems with it, just a few little challenges. The few parts I have needed were in stock at the local dealer (15 miles away) with another dealership just across the now closed border ( 6 miles). It was, at the time, the best value. Deere was almost $10k more, kabota about 5 k more for similar spec tractors. The boss could not reach the peddles on the Kabota with the seat fully ahead and she is not short. Cam
I prefer used bulldozers for heavy mining by Xin Machinery
Well, you have this one... ...or this one or this one Stack cans on.
Local Mahindra Dealers have all but disappeared here, move around like mice in a barn.