You aren't going to get much of a 400 for $1000, unless the seller is a complete fool. You'll be buying this guy's problems. By the time you're done you'll have to put another $3000-$4000 in parts and labor into the tractor to make it work, and it'll still look "rough."
You are on the right track as far as features go, though. The 300/400 series tractors are the oldest you should be considering for this work. Live PTO, live hydraulics, and Torque Amplifier make baling easy.
Trying to use an older tractor with none of these features to bale requires an EXPERIENCED operator. It's truly an art form, because every time you push the clutch on an older tractor, everything STOPS. The PTO stops. The hydraulics stop. If you stop wrong, you plug the baler.
What is your land like? Flat ground, you only need about 30-35HP, a 300 or 350 will do the job. Hilly ground, and you really should consider a heavier tractor like a 400.
Are you dumping the bales on the ground with the baler, or towing a wagon? Upsize to a 400 on flat ground if you're towing a wagon. On hills, you probably should consider something more modern with hydraulic brakes.
If your husband thinks a 400 is too much of a "raw machine" he's going to be disappointed because that's the same basic design for all IH tractors in that size range up through 1981.
You need to be very safety minded when operating the tractor. You can't just jump on and go baling. There are a lot of things going on while baling and if you're not intimately familiar with the tractor, you will break something or get hurt. Do you automatically know what to do if you need to stop NOW? Probably not.
Us farm kids didn't start out running the baler. We started out towing the stone trailer, then graduated to discing, then to raking hay and hauling wagons before baling was even a consideration. It took a few years to build up the skills necessary for a precision operation like baling.
Of course you don't have the luxury of a few years, but do take a few hours to drive the tractor around and get used to it before you go into the field.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Choosin, Mounting and Using a Bush Hog Type Mower - by Francis Robinson. Looking around at my new neighbors, most of whom are city raised and have recently acquired their first mini-farms of five to fifteen acres and also from reading questions ask at various discussion sites on the web it is frighteningly apparent that a great many guys (and a few gals) are learning by trial and error and mostly error how to use a very dangerous piece of farm equipment. It is also very apparent that these folks are getting a lot of very poor and often very dangerous advice fro
... [Read Article]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
