We need a new tractor.
Our little 1970s Ford 1300 tractor came with the farm. It’s simple, cute, old, and hard as h**l to steer.
The 2-cylinder diesel engine is rated at 16 hp (which probably means about 12 hp at the PTO). It runs amazingly well – which is precisely the problem. I wish the darned thing would die so we can get a new one.
This tractor is at its absolute limits every time you hook something to it. It barely runs our 6’ deck mower, and with the 50-gallon Rears sprayer on (with a full load) it can barely climb the gradual hill we have at one end of the vineyard.
We broke a left front axle a month or two ago, and our local New Holland dealer (Western Implement, Grand Junction, Colorado) delivered a consignment tractor so we could get some field work done. We showed up at the farm one Friday night and there sat a shiny Ford 1720. The next morning I hooked up the sprayer (and later, the mower) and fired her up.
Unbelievable.
This newer Ford had 25 overall hp, with about 22 hp at the PTO. More importantly, this tractor had power steering and power brakes. It blasted through spraying and mowing (no pun intended) with ease.
We’ll make it through harvest this year with the current tractor, but once you’ve tasted power steering, there’s no going back.
Santa – if you’re listening…..
