MATTY 7530 Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 I work in a small agriculture enginnering business meanly working with John Deere tractors and over the past lot of years john deeres seem to be giving a lot off trouble in the new range of tractors with the gearboxes etc. Especially 20 series and 30 series tractors as the 30 series turbos keep giving bother + the powerquad, and from the start of this week a 08 6630 with 2800 hours has had the gearbox out twice and a new turbo + a head gasket + a 05 6620 with 4000hrs has needed the powerquad seen + a 04 6220 and it is the same with most 30 series and 20 series tractors. \ Also a local contactor is giving off about the Newholland too. Does anyone else hear this kind to problem? and what tractor would you choose to purchase in this day and age? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvey123 Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 yeh a new holland tm140 57 plate dont know how many ours but 1 new gear box, always at the dealers gettin the brakes sorted. and the electrics keep going on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ciaran (Perfect-32) Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 worked for a few lads and as far as i can see its the look of the draw! you get the good ones and the bad ones! boss got a t7050 and had to get rid of it after a year for a t7060! and not one problem apart from a small electric problem (warranty) and a seal in 15 months. another boss i draw grass with has 3 6620. and not 1 problem in 3 year!apart from the indicators went arseways on 1 of them! I did ground works with a lad with 2 T190 valmets he had them 4months and 1 was on its 2nd gear box and the other was chipped and not 1 problem! another lad i know has a mix of alsorts of tractors, but says the Massey's are the best for maintenance, 2 years and only had to service them! but he dose not think their grate for big contracting! Hard to now relay! \ \ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MODELFARMER Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Unfortunately they are not all made in heaven but some are just better than others i suppose. Here a while back in Northern Ireland there were 17 Fendts in the country, at one point 6 were in ballymoney with different issues. but thats just luck i suppose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickheff89 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 ive done a good bit of contracting work covering a lot of southern ireland and the general opinion is to keep older simpler machines going. electronics, be it gearboxes, engine management and even 4wd systems are a total disaster especially at silage where tractors are going to get a measure of abuse. what a lot of guys have resorted to are 40series without sle and agrotrons are a very simple machine to keep going. loaders on the other hand are going totally down hill! massive probs with the jcb gearboxes. even we bought a new tm in 07 and got the standard dual power gearbox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denis086 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 it seems case newholland and jd have got a reputation of late for being unreliable ive heard plenty of lads complaining about jd 20 series only one 30 series that i know about around the place and thats giving trouble nh the 6000 seem to be trouble some the case mxu series is a disaster the 3 i know of are building a fine collection of bills for repairs between them our own mxu135 has averaged around 400hrs and €1000+in repairs a year had it worked out exactly not so long ago but cant remember now think it was close to €1450 between repairs to clutch brakes hydraulics cooling system theres more but i cant remember it right now my uncles mxu115 is about the same and then theres another one on a farm with a loader and its crazy the repairs on it but everytime we go to the dealers they say weve never seen that happen before and usually something similar has gone wrong with one of the other ones aswell theres the little problems that annoy you when your driving it every day like the hose never stay in the couplings we tried for 1/2 an hr one time and finally it just stayed in for no reason we didnt do anything different it just decided to stay in the window in the roof and the roof its self leakspto switches are faulty i could keep going but you get the idea we were looking around there a while ago just out of interest and massey came in near enough to any of the rest of them for a fairly high speced machine but we dont deal with the local dealer and the dealer we do deal with cant sell in our areabut if we were to buy a tractor now it would be a massey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeere6910 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 As some people have said it just depends on the tractor, my neighbours 6930 has had bad gearbox problems but his 6920 is fine, and another neighbours MF 6490 has had niggling electric faults as have some Case MXMs around us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MATTY 7530 Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 So by the sounds off it there all the same. Was driving a 936 Fendt the other week, and the amount to buttons and switches you would wonder will the things ever last to 10000hrs. \ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fendt Fahrer Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I have found that many people operate just to big machinery for their tractors. We have guys running big square balers with tractors of 100 hp. Big cultivators that take everything and more the tractors have. Many of them go to fast and have no regards about what happens to the machinery. But one of the most important factors with machinery that has lots of electronics has to be maintenance. Tractors have to be kept cleaner and water is not the best tool to clean these tractors. Clean what you can with air and keep the water away from all electric components and connections/sensors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MATTY 7530 Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 When I read title , I thought there was going to be some statistics on reliability to back up the heading . It will always be a matter of debate , if things are now better or worse ,but a lot has changed Tractors are mechanical items , and to date there has not been a machine of any type which has not broken down . The way they are worked has also changed almost beyond recognition . Not so long ago there were many more farms , smaller than today , & most having tractors capable of supporting their work , & possibly 1 or 2 dedicated tractor drivers . Now we have fewer but bigger farms , relying on contractors at busy times . Thus fewer but bigger tractors are doing a lot more work . They are more powerful ( & getting more so all the time ) , pulling bigger equipment & heavier loads & doing it faster than before . They will possibly be subject to being operated by more people , some less competent & considerate than others . Some machines wil also be maintained on the cheap , stretching services & using inferior components , which will also have an impact . As stated previously the technology on board has to work in a harsh enviroment , maybe an area where an advance is needed in providing better cable run joining methods which can stand up & last in the longer trerm . All sensors on board are liable to failure at some point in its life , but this is how things are , it wil not go back to how things used to be , it will advance at an ever increasing rate putting more technology on board. Such is progress very well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 nothing has troubled the contractor i work for he has a 7920, 6830, 6330 and a 6320 all run as sweet as a nut, thhe farm across the water from me run all new hollands and a mxu they all work great, sure its down to the driver thats half the battle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intey 434 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 So by the sounds off it there all the same. Was driving a 936 Fendt the other week, and the amount to buttons and switches you would wonder will the things ever last to 10000hrs. \ mattyyou see the fendt with the butterflies? she is 6months old and she was just out of the workshop, had to be split in two as there was a big oil leak...i wouldnt like to pay 136thousand for a tractor and then have it back in the dealers within 6 months! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigX500 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 So by the sounds off it there all the same. Was driving a 936 Fendt the other week, and the amount to buttons and switches you would wonder will the things ever last to 10000hrs. \ they said that about the MF 3000 series our L reg 3070 datatronic has 14000hrs on the clock and going strong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeere6910 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I have found that many people operate just to big machinery for their tractors. We have guys running big square balers with tractors of 100 hp. we run a krone big pack 120 with a 125 hp john deere 6810 with no problems. The dealer said that is about the right size for the baler as 200hp+ tractors knacker the flywheels in heavy crops as the tractor puts too much power to the baler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MATTY 7530 Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 mattyyou see the fendt with the butterflies? she is 6months old and she was just out of the workshop, had to be split in two as there was a big oil leak...i wouldnt like to pay 136thousand for a tractor and then have it back in the dealers within 6 months! Freak i did see it, thats wild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fendt Fahrer Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 What does your tractor sound like when the plunger feeds the hay in to the chamber ? I find dealers always tell you that the tractor is big enough, but my experience tells me that 20-30 hp to much is just right. we run a krone big pack 120 with a 125 hp john deere 6810 with no problems. The dealer said that is about the right size for the baler as 200hp+ tractors knacker the flywheels in heavy crops as the tractor puts too much power to the baler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeere6910 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 What does your tractor sound like when the plunger feeds the hay in to the chamber ? I find dealers always tell you that the tractor is big enough, but my experience tells me that 20-30 hp to much is just right. Not too bad if the crop is light or medium, but it struggles in heavy silage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I can't pass judgement on anything other than my MF's... I've got about 3900 hours on my 240 now.. clutch aside (wearing part)... she runs like clockwork still... starts on the key in an instant... lovely little lady # My 5480 has now clocked up 400 hours... aside from the alternatior belt jumping off for no apparant reason... she's been fine so far. She's washed every week or so.. greased regularly.. swept out.. dipped for oil daily... used daily... woken gently and left to idle down before she's turned off as well. A tractor is like dog ownership I think.. you get out of it what you put into it.. neglect your machine and it will let you down more often in my opinion. As for brands.. I am sure they are all much of a muchness... certain models will always be subject to certain problems... it's the way it's always been I believe. Buying 'proven' technology is key to a happy, trouble free life I think.. I'd not buy an 8690 yet.. I'd like to see a couple of years 'track record' and improvements before I handed over my hard-earned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fendt Fahrer Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 worn clutch on a Massey :laugh: :laugh: seriously I have a 399 and no repairs besides a broken plastic bushing and leaking radiator with 6700 hres. My Fendt 716 has now 1500 hres and still runs like new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coxy Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 the way tractor are made now adays and so fast i would think there problem i could also see some company putting in part that could fail in time if a tractor is prefect you would need no spare parts and i think that where they wouls make a lot of there money i did work exp in a john deere dealer ship last year for 2 weeks there was 4 john deere that were under 6 month old all came back with the same problem engine went on fire, i also so a lot of turbo being fixed i say i 10 more 30 and 10 jd in there i work in a mccormick/landini dearer ship for the past 2 1-2 years when not in school i dont see a lot of new tractors comeing in more ones from the 90s but there one farmer that has 5 mccormick and a landini, i saw them inpiece a lot. there one not that old is rotting. i think a lot of tractors have problem that a lot more people different people are driving them and problem cant drive them right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deere-est Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I don't think many people fully understand the amount of work producing any tractor involves. The technology to used in so many tractors is beyond the realms of anything even as little time ago as twenty years. Sure, it doesn't mean they can't be reliable and if they arn't then more work is needed but there is a hell of a lot beneath any colour paint that can go wrong. Some suffer, some don't. It's luck of the draw and to many it is the service the product has behind it which is important. If I had an unreliable tractor with excellent part availability, a good dealer back up and some pretty handy fitters I wouldn't worry. They will keep you moving. Changing brand brings a lot of issues, unknown product, dealer, parts network, fitters' capabilities... NOthing worse than having what gets sold to you as 'a far superior tractor' only to be let down when it does go wrong by the people who are mean't to support it and ultimately, you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MATTY 7530 Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 I don't think many people fully understand the amount of work producing any tractor involves. The technology to used in so many tractors is beyond the realms of anything even as little time ago as twenty years. Sure, it doesn't mean they can't be reliable and if they arn't then more work is needed but there is a hell of a lot beneath any colour paint that can go wrong. Some suffer, some don't. It's luck of the draw and to many it is the service the product has behind it which is important. If I had an unreliable tractor with excellent part availability, a good dealer back up and some pretty handy fitters I wouldn't worry. They will keep you moving. Changing brand brings a lot of issues, unknown product, dealer, parts network, fitters' capabilities... NOthing worse than having what gets sold to you as 'a far superior tractor' only to be let down when it does go wrong by the people who are mean't to support it and ultimately, you. You do have a point tris well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
massey man Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 too many electrics on modern tractors working in a harsh enviroment of mud and water,the most important tool a service engineer brings with him now is his trusty labtop for the software,no spanner....,a friend of mine purchased 3 tm120s a couple of years ago all with manual gerbox as he reckoned they were more reliable and better pullers,plus you didnt need the most experienced fellas to drive them....,our contractors run 2 x tm130s with over 6 and 7000 hours on them a tm125 thats hit 13500 hours and still going strong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archbarch Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 anything mechanical breaks down or gives fault, all brands are the same however some tractors are just thought out better as regards servicing, replacing parts etc. I do think modern tractors are very boring and all basically the same apart colour. I guess thats why i like Mogs, different and unusual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archbarch Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 there maybe alot of electronics on tractors and they do have to perform in harsh environments but how much preventative maintenance goes on, we used to Waxoyl the Mogs every service, replace exposed bolts for stainless where possible it all helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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