I'm looking at one, it's not in great shape, but ok for it's age. I'm not sure what year it is for sure, I was told it has live PTO and hydraulics, and it has the factory 2pt stubs, but not arms. A local guy has it, it was his dads. He starts it up once a year. I only saw it in his shed last week, he called this week and said he got it out and running if I want to swing by. It's one of those deals he doesn't use it or need it, but will keep it if he doesn't get a decent price for it, and I think he wants it to stay local.

The guy who told me about says it's probably worth $2,500-$3,000 yet, which I was figuring $2,000-2,500. It's crazy what those things are worth yet. I don't want to spend that much and would really like something a little bigger, but you never know what this guy has in mind for a price.

I don't plan on doing to much with it, running the brush mower, disking the garden, moving stuff around, and maybe tractor pull with my budies.

Does anyone have one? How do you like it, what do you do with it? Anyone have know what they are worth?

 

It IS crazy because I wouldn't throw $500 for the one we have and supposedly it's in 'good shape'.

Just don't expect to go fast or do anything efficiently with it. Nothing is set up to be 'user friendly' as far as I'm concerned. I swear the designers looked at how most equipment was set up and purposely reversed everything to make it more inconvenient to operate.

We have a JD 60 which is probably similar to the 50, just bigger. I think ours is a 1954. It is the crudest, loudest, most ridiculous piece of... 'stuff' that I have ever run in my life. One thing they DO have is gobs of torque, so they tip over backwards quite well if you hook onto something that won't move like you think it's going to, (like a stump). And of course, having no seatbelt or ROPS they smush you equally as well. Ours is a hand clutch, so while you're frantically trying to push in the clutch with your left foot, (which isn't there), the clutch lever on the right side sits there laughing at you. Of course, if you DO manage to mash the left pedal, it is for the left brake, so you go careening in a neat little tight jag to the left, as well as over backwards. That way, you don't just go over backwards, you go backwards and to the left, which more adequately pins you under the left tire!

Lots of guys love these things and think they're the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I'll take the bread any day.

JMO!

 

Yeah, I do here you with clumsy and those dang hand clutches.

Right now I mow with a Farmall Super A, and that is a work out for that tractor and the NON-live PTO really me off, the mower drives the tractor! But I should just hang in there, save up and get what I want, I'd really like to get a 20 series JD.

I'm a JD man, but I also found a decent deal on a Farmall 460. Fresh rebuilt-runs really good, good rubber, live PTO and hydraulics, fast hitch, and a 3-bottom fast hitch plow for $2,200. Another local guy.

 

What kind of mower are you running on your super A? Pull behind or mid mount finishing? If you're running a pull behind do yourself a favor and go get one of those overrunning clutches that attaches to the PTO shaft. If you have the mid mounted finishing mower your kinda out of luck there.

Be wary of those fast hitch setups, make sure you can get the standard 3 point hitch stubs and attach a top link otherwise you're limiting yourself on what equipment you can use.

A John Deere 50 is nothing more than an updated B with live hydraulics and live PTO. If you have any intentions of using the 3-point hitch you will curse the day you bought it. John Deere at the time had no provisions for a top link on those tractors, so they had the goofy looking 800/801 hitches that had a 2 bar setup for the top link and had no depth control, you lowered or raised it and that's where it stayed to either the cylinder leak down or you moved it. There are aftermarket setups for a standard top link, they will work as they are intended.

With that being said and noticing that you'd like a 20 series deere, then I would wait for a 520 or a 620. The 20 series are much more refined than the number series, they have a true 3 point hitch with depth and draft control.

 

A 5' foot pull behind king kutter. I have it behind my budies MM R now, it powers it better than the A but that has a dang hand clutch and still not live PTO. What is an overrunning clutch?

I guess I meant the 30 or 40 series....3020, 4020. But yes if I run across a 520-530, 620-630, etc. I would look into them as well.

So looks like I'll just sit on what I got for now...

 

Like 730 said, wait around for a 20 series if you intend to do some real work. Not saying Deere 2 cyls are bad or anything, they were just intended for a different time.

If you want something from that era check out a Ford 8N or a 600 series. They're good little tractors but like anything has limits. They don't have a live pto so if you use a bushhog at all do get an overrunning clutch. They do have a real 3 point hitch with draft control.

Here's a link to some overrunning clutches, they're lifesavers on anything with a non-live pto! http://antique-tractor-parts.steiner...r/Pto%20Clutch

An overrunning clutch is basically what it says. It lets the bushhog freewheel when you push in the clutch instead of the bushhog pushing you around.

 

3020 or 4020, both good tractors. Had a 4020 once, bought it for $2500 with a stuck engine. A prybar on the ring gear freed it up and a pair of batteries and I had it running. Fixed some of the leaks and we used it, probably the nicest driving tractor we had, got around better than our 4430 and 4440. Ended up trading it for a 4430 that someone tried to setup for pulling and they were tired of it and wanted something to farm with.

If you know someone that knows a little bit about them take them with you to look at one. Alot of worn out ones out there that just are too stubborn to stop working. Syncro ranges transmissions seldom give problems, be wary of power shift transmissions, check the oil carefully and drive it and take notice of any pauses or binding between gears. They are a pile of money to fix and alot of operators aren't observant enough to notice the trans is giving trouble and it would be a cheap fix like change to oil or something in the valve body (picked up our 4440 because of the valve body) and just run the thing into the ground.

I learned recently that 3020 engine parts are getting harder to find, at least the parts common to the 4 cylinder like the crank, cam, head and engine balancer, the parts shared with the 6 cylinder engine like the piston, rods, liners, etc aren't a problem.

I also wouldn't rule out a 2520, basically a 3020 rear with a smaller 4 cylinder deere diesel or gas engine, but that engine has evolved to the 3.9l and 4.5l engines of a few years ago and deere still makes the 4.5l.

If you can live with a different color, I would rule out a Ford 3000, 4000 or 5000 tractor or newer equivalent. Massey Ferguson 165 or 175 sized tractors

 

If I get something it will be a John Deere, Farmall/IH, or Oliver, preferably JD or newer Oliver. The only reason I looked into this 50 is because of location and convenience. If I got anything that old I would prefer a 70 diesel, but still would rather have something a little newer.

I drove the 50 on Saturday. It runs and drives good. He also has the 2pt arm kit – said he had guys offer him $1,000 just for that kit. It is not currently on the tractor. He wants $2500 for it. It just didn’t seem like something I would want around.

On Sunday my dreams may have come true. My neighbor has an Oliver 1655 that blew up. He wants scrap price for it and wants to keep the loader to put on another Oliver he has. He said we could work out a deal with if I switched the loader over for him. That is ultimately what I want because my brother and I have been looking for one to put a Cummins in, and we happen to have a few Cummins laying around yet. I guess they made an adaptor kit from the factory to put a 5.9 in them years ago, so we would be able to pull in a stock class for tractor pulls as well. So hopefully that deal will work out, than I will have something!

Thanks for all the input

 

Good old tractors for parades and such or moving stuff around the barn lot.

Check this for specs and production numbers.

http://johnnypopper.com/cgi-bin/jdstatsf.cgi?50