2022 M7060 - any concerns

[PoTreeBoy]

Sorry, I should have explained more about my use. I'm looking to get a MFWD with FEL. Primary use will be maintaining 800' gravel driveway, that is on a pretty steep incline. Currently use HD 8' Rhino blade, which is more than the 2030 wants to pull it uphill loaded with rock. 2nd use is pulling logs for firewood and a little milling. Not many a log the 4020 won't pull out of the woods, may have to cut them down a bit for the 7060. 3rd use is bush hogging about 20 acres hilly ground, and around woods/field edges. Currently have both 7' Woods 3 pt mower and a 10' pull type bush hog. 4th use is snow removal for multiple residences on the property. Used brother in laws Mahindra 5145 for this past 12" snow. It did well, MFWD was nice, but it lacks power. Also be nice to have FEL with bucket or forks for general stuff around the farm. I do have a Case backhoe for large loader work. I know it a tradeoff for a lighter tractor, giving up pulling capability, but would like the ability to be able to move it with 10k trailer and 1/2 ton truck over short distances.

Here is my current stable of tractors.

Dang, you must be pulling some logs! I think the 7060 will suit your needs. The 7040 I mentioned ran a 7' mower to mow pasture and bale spear to handle large rounds just fine. The owner also had a 7060 cab, and brought it out one day to cut a field across the road. He had a batwing, 15' I think, and the grass and brush almost hid the tractor.

That 4020 came from the era when tractors were used to pull (or draw, from Latin) a plow across the plains, and weight was king. The Asian tractors came from the rice paddies, where weight was a liability and 4wd was almost universal to make up. So few of us do real farming, we find lighter, more maneuverable 'tractors' (really more like tool carriers) handy. The 4wd is practically a necessity for the loader role.

 

[SDT]

Dang, you must be pulling some logs! I think the 7060 will suit your needs. The 7040 I mentioned ran a 7' mower to mow pasture and bale spear to handle large rounds just fine. The owner also had a 7060 cab, and brought it out one day to cut a field across the road. He had a batwing, 15' I think, and the grass and brush almost hid the tractor.

That 4020 came from the era when tractors were used to pull (or draw, from Latin) a plow across the plains, and weight was king. The Asian tractors came from the rice paddies, where weight was a liability and 4wd was almost universal to make up. So few of us do real farming, we find lighter, more maneuverable 'tractors' (really more like tool carriers) handy. The 4wd is practically a necessity for the loader role.

" The 4wd is practically a necessity for the loader role."

Agreed, especially with modern utility tractors.

That said, when plowing or other heavy three point tillage work FWA provides little benefit, aside from somewhat improved steering, because the draft control is transferring most of the tractors weight to the rear wheels, unloading the front axle.

 

[SDT]

I agree it won't be quite the tractor of the 4020, but I am hoping it's closer. I am seeing guys saying fully loaded with wheel weights, fluid, and front end loader, the 7060 can be at 9k. Again, I'm not doing tillage anymore, so I'm not looking to pull like the 4020, but don't want to regret it either. Everyone's perception of what their tractor will pull is relative to the work they do. Another factor for me is portability, I'd like to have something in the 7k lb range that I can move with a 10k trailer. Moving the 4020 wasn't really an option without a gooseneck and 3/4 ton setup. Have to give up a little in one area to gain in another. I'm not looking to turn this into a 4020 vs Orange debate here, just want to have the right expectations before I buy. Hell, maybe I end up keeping both.

I'll have to post up pics of my 861. I've got similar pics of me on Dad's lap of the 861. Then I restored it and have pics of me and my sons on it. For the size of the tractor, it is a very versatile machine. A pet peeve of mine is when someone tells me I have a nice 8N tractor. They have no idea the 861 was light years ahead of the 8N.

" They have no idea the 861 was light years ahead of the 8N. "

Indeed, it was.

The Ford N series was revolutionary when introduced in 1939, but even the late 51/52 8Ns were obsolete in the late 40s.

The mid 50s Fords, 861 and similar tractors with twice the HP, live hydraulics, live PTO, better brakes, more weight, optional power steering, etc., were state of the art in the mid/late 50s. Indeed, one man on an 860 or 861 could do as much work in a day as two men on good 8Ns while using about the same amount of gasoline. Progress often produces such results.

 

[McMXi]

Sorry, I should have explained more about my use. I'm looking to get a MFWD with FEL. Primary use will be maintaining 800' gravel driveway, that is on a pretty steep incline. Currently use HD 8' Rhino blade, which is more than the 2030 wants to pull it uphill loaded with rock. 2nd use is pulling logs for firewood and a little milling. Not many a log the 4020 won't pull out of the woods, may have to cut them down a bit for the 7060. 3rd use is bush hogging about 20 acres hilly ground, and around woods/field edges. Currently have both 7' Woods 3 pt mower and a 10' pull type bush hog. 4th use is snow removal for multiple residences on the property. Used brother in laws Mahindra 5145 for this past 12" snow. It did well, MFWD was nice, but it lacks power. Also be nice to have FEL with bucket or forks for general stuff around the farm. I do have a Case backhoe for large loader work. I know it a tradeoff for a lighter tractor, giving up pulling capability, but would like the ability to be able to move it with 10k trailer and 1/2 ton truck over short distances.

Here is my current stable of tractors.

I don't see anything in your list that an M7060 couldn't handle, particularly with liquid ballast and wheel weights. I don't have as much land as you but I do similar things and also do work for others in the summer months. I maintain about the same amount of gravel driveway, I also pull an 8ft Buhler/Farm King rear blade (was using it yesterday), a 7ft rotary cutter and a 12 ft folding cutter (over 4,000 lb), and occasionally move large rocks and logs around. I also run a PHD, grapple, box blade, land leveler (plane), and more. I don't have a logging winch, but if you're pulling logs out fairly regularly you might want to invest in one. Plenty of members here have and use them. @g_man, @GrumpyFarmer and others. A grapple might be in your future too!

I have four very large tree stumps/roots to deal with this year. I let them sit for a few years in the hope that they'd just disappear, but no such luck. I really need to get them to the local dump so will try to load them up into the dump trailer at some point.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

I don’t have an M yet, just agree with comments above.

I don’t have anything helpful to add, maybe just some clarifying questions…

are you downsizing or selling the heavier machines? (If planning to move logs, I’d want whatever is heaviest…if need maneuverability I wonder should trees be thinned?)

that being said for skidding, the only reason I would consider less weight would be for a hST (I understand M is not HsT)as I believe if snag something it’s a little easier to/ quicker to take foot off pedal vs if a geared machine that might turn itself over a little quicker if slow to respond. I don’t know that is true, but that’s my assessment. Best bet is keep the rubber side down.

if keep the other machines, I’d politely ask why not use the heavy beasts for the grunt work pulling, and maybe add a wheeled or tracked loader for loader work…I think that a loader might be superior for loader work, especially if heavy stuff. I really don’t know your uses but that’s it what I would compare if wanting to do heavy loader work.

send us some pics back whatever you get. Good luck on the hunt!

 

[SDT]

The OP hasn't really said much about what he uses the tractors for other than " 100+ acres that I maintain". Maintain doesn't sound like tillage to me, more like general stuff like cutting grass, maybe moving some dirt, maybe moving logs and such, but who knows.

Regardless, it's interesting to learn about the older tractors. So would a JD 4020 be closer to the M6 models?

Yes, probably, though I've never driven an M6.

FWIW, following is a very, very, very, brief comparison showing the paridigm shift between what I will call torque tractors and what I will call HP tractors that occurred in the 40s and 50s.

Bing Videos

JD 730 Standard. 421 CI 6.125" bore X 7.5" stroke, 2 cylinder NA diesel, factory rated 60 HP at (IIRC) 1,125 RPM. The JD 720/730 (same engine) held the HP/gallon fuel economy record for years before turbochargers became commonplace. This owner had his 730 Standard perfectly set up for the track, running out of traction just before running out of power, torque, in this case. This, folks, is torque rise. You might be interested to know that JD also made an 830/840 2 cylinder version with an 8.5" stroke and about 20 more HP. IIRC, the Industrial versions were rated at 90 HP.

I once owned (and properly restored) a 1959 JD 730DWES (wide front, row crop verion with electric start, as opposed to pony start versions commonly use in cold climates) as well as a 2016 Kubota M9960. The 730 that I owned, weighted but without liqued ballast, weighed around 10,000 Lbs., and would easily pull the 9960 into the next county but could have done considerably less work on the PTO.

Bing Videos

1957 Oliver Super 99. GMC 371, 213 CI 2 cycle diesel rated at about 75 HP at 1,800 RPM (IIRC). Similar vintage and weight to JD 720/730 but with 2 cycle diesel engine, obviously a HP engine.

Times were changing.

FWIW, a similar, even more fascinating (to me, at least) paradigm shift occured about 50 years earlier when reciprocating steam gave way to internal combustion power. For those who understand torque rise, consider that a reciprocating steam engine makes maximum torque at stall.

Lots of videos of reciprocatiing steam powered farm equipment available for those who are interested.

Edit: Here you go, folks. This 4020 would pull my M9960 onto the next continent.

Bing Videos