• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

My "new" mowing tractor:

1693TA

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
2,687
Location
Farmington IL
Occupation
FAA Radar Engineer, (Retired)
This was traded in for a New Holland "Workmaster 75" cab tractor last week:

upload_2021-1-15_22-2-46.jpeg
upload_2021-1-15_22-3-11.jpeg
upload_2021-1-15_22-3-30.jpeg
upload_2021-1-15_22-3-47.jpeg

1984 build 2-55 White. One owner, always indoor kept and excellent running with service records from new Isuzu 52hp diesel, Cat II three point and independent PTO. Every single item on the tractor works as it should. No leaks, drips, nor errors either. It was missing one amber lens in the rear and I found a replacement from a local farmer so now complete. Heavy thing with the rear tires ballasted too.

I pick up and deliver equipment for the implement dealer and this one didn't even get off the trailer before I'd paid for it as I have been looking for a well kept older tractor around this size for my 72" rear discharge Woods mower. My wife is partial to the Ford 1000 I've been using for 22 years so it will be kept also although a bit too small for the mower it has powered for those 22 mowing seasons.

Here is a link to tractordata.com on this tractor: https://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/004/0/8/4081-white-2-55.html

And the tractor now replaced: http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/002/2/7/2277-ford-1000.html
 

Junkyard

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2016
Messages
3,621
Location
Claremore, OK
Occupation
Field Mechanic
I like that series of White. Years ago the farm I helped run in MN had a killer year with Oats and used the proceeds to buy a brand spankin new 4-180. It was long gone by the time I was around but they sure liked to tell that story lol.

I’d love to have a 2-105 for chores and whatnot.
 

56wrench

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Messages
2,074
Location
alberta
in my opinion the WHITE tractors in those years were good tractors. i still have two- a 2-180FWA series 2 and a 2-155 series 3. they generally are a lot easier to fix than most other makes. compared to some other makes, they don't require a lot of specialized tools to repair. i grew up with green tractors. i asked a wrecker once why they did not have many compared to other makes and he said ' because most of them made are still running'. occasionally the odd one comes up for sale but you have to be in the right place at the right time
 

1693TA

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
2,687
Location
Farmington IL
Occupation
FAA Radar Engineer, (Retired)
Thanks guys. I really like this one as it is very smooth and quiet. Drives nice too and having the power steering is a big plus as it is heavy. The engine has a very deep, healthy bellow to it when accelerating with just a touch of black exhaust smoke. It's over double the horsepower the Ford has and will be nice to reduce my mowing time with ample power for the mower. I only mow with a tractor so it will have an easy life with me.

The original owner of this tractor used it to rake, and square bale hay it's entire life with him. He grows hay for a couple race horse entity's, and a place with allergenic horses in this area, and specific types are grown for these. Hope I'm stating that correctly as I've never been around farming myself but there was a rake, a tedder?, and a square baler used with this tractor. Something about a mower conditioner also, but that was done with another and larger tractor.

I was hoping to catch a nice New Holland, or Massey-Ferguson tractor when traded, but I haven't seen a tractor this clean and well maintained very often. Plenty of older Allis-Chalmers, but everything is too large for my needs. I talked to the tire dealer and they are going to pump the tires down, dismount them so I can blast the rims clean and and paint, then remount everything back up. I may go with new tires as these are original to the tractor, (1984) but I'll let them advise me on the need. These hold air fine, but each front has a plug in it I've seen. There is a cut in a rear tire sidewall but it's not through. I've not really noticed any dry rot to the tires, but can't really say I've looked closely.
 

1693TA

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
2,687
Location
Farmington IL
Occupation
FAA Radar Engineer, (Retired)
Not as White Farm Equipment. They however went on a purchasing binge in the 1950's, 60's, and 70's buying up several tractor, truck, and industrial equipment makers then stripping profits to shore up their hemorrhaging truck division which ultimately took the company down.
 

56wrench

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Messages
2,074
Location
alberta
they are still around as one of the heritage brands of the AGCO corporation. OLIVER and MM were the main forerunners of White Farm Equipment and other companies were before that. if i remember correctly, when WFE went down they were part of an employee buy-out and eventually grew to become AGCO which now has numerous divisions. Massey, Challenger, Gleaner, Fendt, Rogator, Sunflower, to name a few
 

colson04

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2016
Messages
2,057
Location
Delton, Michigan
Thanks guys. I really like this one as it is very smooth and quiet. Drives nice too and having the power steering is a big plus as it is heavy. The engine has a very deep, healthy bellow to it when accelerating with just a touch of black exhaust smoke. It's over double the horsepower the Ford has and will be nice to reduce my mowing time with ample power for the mower. I only mow with a tractor so it will have an easy life with me.

The original owner of this tractor used it to rake, and square bale hay it's entire life with him. He grows hay for a couple race horse entity's, and a place with allergenic horses in this area, and specific types are grown for these. Hope I'm stating that correctly as I've never been around farming myself but there was a rake, a tedder?, and a square baler used with this tractor. Something about a mower conditioner also, but that was done with another and larger tractor.

I was hoping to catch a nice New Holland, or Massey-Ferguson tractor when traded, but I haven't seen a tractor this clean and well maintained very often. Plenty of older Allis-Chalmers, but everything is too large for my needs. I talked to the tire dealer and they are going to pump the tires down, dismount them so I can blast the rims clean and and paint, then remount everything back up. I may go with new tires as these are original to the tractor, (1984) but I'll let them advise me on the need. These hold air fine, but each front has a plug in it I've seen. There is a cut in a rear tire sidewall but it's not through. I've not really noticed any dry rot to the tires, but can't really say I've looked closely.

Have you thought about replacing the AG tires with same size turf tires? If you are only mowing, they might be a lot easier on your lawn and offer a smoother ride. We had a self propelled New Holland Discbine years ago with large turf tires instead of bar tread. That made for a smooth ride across the field and did less damage when making a 180 degree turn on the end.
 

1693TA

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
2,687
Location
Farmington IL
Occupation
FAA Radar Engineer, (Retired)
I had turf tires on the Ford 1000 for a couple of weeks back in 2000 and I couldn't get out of the ditches at the front of the property if any kind of wet grass so went back to bar tires (R1 series) with fluid. With the tires ballasted the small ruts have not been a problem but the property is not residential, nor completely flat. Last year I purchased a Woods zero turn mower to do the trimming so the larger tractor will only do the larger open areas.

Thanks for the suggestion.
 

1693TA

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
2,687
Location
Farmington IL
Occupation
FAA Radar Engineer, (Retired)
The exhaust exits up vertical through the hood. It is above the driver's head level about a foot, (maybe more). I may raise it yet but need to see about the clearance under some tree limbs I mow around before doing much else with it. Exhaust fumes seem to be acceptable where they exit, but one can't be too careful with that for sure.
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
Joined
Oct 30, 2003
Messages
6,599
Location
LaGrangeville, N.Y.
I see it now, sorry. I looked for it specifically and didn't see the pipe through the hood which is why I asked. I had a Ford 2910 at work with the pipe under the axle and there were times where the exhaust would come up to the driver's position.
 

1693TA

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
2,687
Location
Farmington IL
Occupation
FAA Radar Engineer, (Retired)
Many of the newer compact, and subcompact tractors exit their exhaust at the front corner of the tractor. I assume to keep the fumes away from the operator. I like a vertical exhaust myself but I'm not really into much new.....
 

1693TA

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
2,687
Location
Farmington IL
Occupation
FAA Radar Engineer, (Retired)
I have another question you guys may be able to help with. I would like to purchase either a hydraulic box scraper with tilt for this tractor, or something similar for my skid steer. Both have auxiliary hydraulic connections. Not going to look for something cheap as don't really want to work on something so I can work with it. I've seen a couple of landscapers use a front mounted hydraulic box blade with wheels out front on their skid steer, and seen others with a hydraulic box blade for grading/leveling on loader tractors. My drive and parking area are gravel and very unlevel with deep potholes and ruts. I had a 72" inexpensive three point box blade the Ford didn't have enough power to make use of, so I sold it. I've been able to make do with the skid steer and smooth bucket, but I'm now wanting to do better. The rock on there now turned to dust within a year for the most part and the now closed quarry it was from was known for soft rock. Figures I found out too late.

I need to strip off about 6" of the top surface and get a solid base down before finishing off with a good grade of gravel. I've purchased a medium sized dozer, but won't have use of it till the spring when it's available to access.

Recommendations please.

Thanks,
 
Last edited:

colson04

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2016
Messages
2,057
Location
Delton, Michigan
I have never used the hydraulic box blades, but I did have an old municipal plow truck with undermount plow blade. That worked very well for leveling, grading and filling driveways. I have also used a 3 point mount land plane behind a tractor. 6 or 8 foot wide. They have two angles blades on a longer skid than a back blade and do a nice job cutting and filling and then maintaining later on.
 

1693TA

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
2,687
Location
Farmington IL
Occupation
FAA Radar Engineer, (Retired)
I made a short video this evening starting the tractor with no preheat cycle at all. It's just under freezing and the tractor was 31.6 degrees in my unheated building and had been setting since Friday afternoon's last start.

Hope you like and it's not another one of those "minute of your life you'll never get back".

 

1693TA

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
2,687
Location
Farmington IL
Occupation
FAA Radar Engineer, (Retired)
Been looking and couldn't find a 72" box blade with hydraulic functions for lift axle, ripper bar, and tilt in my price range, so going to build my own. Ordered a sheet of plate, length of square tube, angle, and strip for the structure. Local farm implement store I help out got me a reversible cutting edge and heavy duty ripper shanks. These shanks have replaceable teeth. I have wheels and axles from an old camper knocked down several years ago, several cylinders, and a hydraulic hose machine so the basics are all there. Tractor has dual remotes and a manual diverter valve will supply the third function, although the tilt may ultimately be a turnbuckle. Place I use for plasma cutting is going to make the ripper bar penetrations so I'll have nice rectangular and equal holes for the ripper shanks to slide into before being pinned.

Aiming to come in right at 1100# when finished. Calculations show this to be close minus weld deposition, but I can lighten it up if need be.
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
Joined
Oct 30, 2003
Messages
6,599
Location
LaGrangeville, N.Y.
I've got a LandPride drag box I maintain a couple gravel parking lots with, all manual. Pretty sure it was around $1600, has scarifier teeth that drop in place with pins. Pretty happy with its performance, I tug it with a 75hp New Holland.
 
Top