best tractor

IMO, if we are going to have a "best tractor ever" from Allis it would be the D-17 (or one could argue the WD45). The 190xt wouldn't even show up on my radar......

A yr or so ago a freind of mine who has a multy color collection was reading in one of his magazines that had a list of the most popular tractors of all time.The 4020 was first and the wd45 was 2 or 3 which he was shocked at so he bought one for his collection ,it is one of the next ones I am doing over for him. he thought the the farmall h or m would be ahead of an allis or even the ford 8n 9n but the 45  was ahead of them all.I will ask him for a copy of the list next time I see him.I have no idea how the list was compiled or who even did it but I was glade to see the 45 right up with the 4020

The 4020 JD............ALL HAIL.......... Is the most overrated tractor that ever was, the only reason people rate it so high is because of John Deeres relentless marketing and brain washing of the general publics minds that the 4020 was such a legend. What was so great about it???? A hard starting gutless 404 engine that had an hour meter running a 45 minute hr??? A front end that breaks off at the knee, a hydraulic system that was complicated and prone to problems, a draft control that wouldnt work, a 3pt hitch that fell apart, a 24 to 12 volt sytem that  set them on fire a operating platform that was dusty and poorly laid out, a power shift that they copied from fords selectospeed????? The 4020 was a right sized tractor at the time that had power brakes a true live power and a diff lock, and thats it. A 190XT was far more comfortable, laid out better stronger built, way way more powerful.The flaw in the 190 was the 2 pinion diff, which wasnt a problem if the tractor wasnt running to high a hp or was loaded down with weights, I have the only factory built 190XT series 3 with 24.5-32 rubber on that my uncle bought brand new, the neighbors and competitive dealers told him the tractor would tear itself up with those big tires, but yet after 40yr and 8000hrs the rear end and transmission are just as nice as when it was built, the front end didnt brake at the knees the 3 point didnt break apart, the draft works like a dream, the brakes have there hands full with the big tires and fluid, and diff lock would have been nice. I have a friend that is in love with 4020's his Dad had all AC equipment including a 200 they pulled 5-18 plows with the 200 and worked about 400 acres a year with a 20' AC disk and a 22 ft pony drag behind, they worked land for years like that, when my friend bought his 4020 he went over to get his dads disk with the pony drag dropped it in the ground and sat right there, couldnt pull it, unhooked the pony drag, still couldnt  pull it, flipped up the wings of the disk and than he could pull it, so every time he brings up the great 4020 and what an awesome tractor it  was I remind him of 25 yrs ago and his dads 200 and thats the end of that conversation. ANd to everyone that thinks the JD powertrain was so tuff or great, and that AC were not, all I have to say about that is bolt a 301 turboed engine in a 4020 and see what happens to the rest of that tractor, that little engine was grossly under estimated and that was the main reson the early 190 had trouble. JD had there powershift transmission because they had no power and needed to shift on the go, where the 301 would power through. My uncle was one of the first in his area to chop a 12ft windrow of hay and 2rows of corn, because that 190 had so much power, FOX choppers even used it in advertising of there choppers because 2r heads were not common back than, specailly behind a 100hp tractor. His neighborhood where he farmed had 4020's  and some Case and IH tractors back when he bought the XT and back than neighbors worked together (unlike now) and all but one of his neighbors switched to AC tractors because of that 190 and its power and performance.And for anyone out there that wants to argue the resale value of the tractors before someone mentions the high resale value of the 4020, in the real world real life sales of the 4020 around here around 6500 will buy one, but 190xt specially the Series 3 are not far behind it.The odd 20,000 or more for a 4020 I cant prove but I think Deere is doing that to bolster the legend and get tons of free advertising and more "proof" of John Deeres Value.

Yea, The ones that tried to change gears without stopping.

I can't back this up but was told by a good source the 185 was noted to be the most trouble free tractor in/at it's time.

Well I will vote for the Allis 170/175 diesel. It is small enough to get in tight places and big enough to do some serious work. I like the fact that the pto stops when I use the foot clutch, at least on my tiller.  I do a lot of gardens in a year, some hardly big enough to turn around in.  It is great to be able to come to the end of the garden or field and use the foot clutch to kill the pto and stop the tractor at the same time. Saves time fumbling with another lever....and increases my production and is safer. The independent hydraulics allows me to raise the tiller at the same time, which is great.

One guy said that the farmall m was one of the most innovative tractors ever, ive only been around a farmall super c and if the M is anything like it i would completly disagree or is there something im missing?

Boy, I sure like the D17 IV, which is very similar to the 170 which Eldon discusses and for the same reasons Eldon has.

I'm an Allis fan to the core and always will be. However, this past winter I had my 210 on my big bale wagon loaded with about 20  4 x5 hay bales and couldn't make it up a slight grade to my shed (kinda icy ramp). Tried a couple of times -no luck (no differential lock). Ummm... my 4020 has differential lock so I went and started it. Unhooked the 210, hooked up the 4020 and it walked right up that ramp with the bale wagon first try, hardly any effort. I was really surprised and disappointed and attribute it to the fact of no differential lock on the Allis. I think deep inside I was hoping that the 4020 couldn't make the ramp but I have to give it credit. Again, my 210 and 220 are my favorites but neither starts as well as my 4020 which starts in almost any weather without heat or ether.

And I forgot to add, it didn't have parts come apart(frequently) and lock up the tranny/rearend.

Any one of them with the Allis Chalmers label would be my favorite.

You have a special 4020 Dale. The ones I've driven have been hard starting pigs. When I was a kid our neighbor (one of the best neighbors we ever had) had to use our tractor for hauling manure one particularly cold winter because not one of his Deeres would start. He used it all winter. He had 4020, and a couple 30 series like maybe 4430 and such. After that he traded one in for a new 7040 PS and he just loved it. He boys hated it and would beat on it all the time. Then they went broke a few years later 1980. The radiator on the 7040 was smashed in and it looked rough but it's still in the area and happens to belong to a good friend of mine since the auction in 1980. The only thing major done to it is a final drive locked up plowing about 15 years ago.

Farmall M innovative?? The early ones didn't have hydraulics or live PTO. I guess if you count rubber tires and electric start. Wait a minute, someone else got tires started first...

John (C-IL) wrote: It's hard to beat a D17IV with 3PTH in my opinion. That being said, back in the day even the JD and IH guys were buying WD45's for their power and plowing with the traction booster, still my favorite tractor.

WC  no wait WD and WD45, on second thought a D series Allis. Just can't make my mind up. Any Allis gets my vote. WHEW !!!!! that was tough.  Happy to say it looks like another tractor will be coming home today. Just enough time to pick it up then get loaded for the trip to the GOTO in tennessee.