Hauled in a horse and deere

[fordnut 84]

Scored a rough c121 with 42" blade and 36" sd deck for $200 and a running '71 jd 120 with 48" deck for $200. The 8 speed out of the c121 is going in one of my b80's and the jd's going to be up for sale.

[Amcwheel85 2,058]

What's wrong with the John Deere? Looks nice. Hard to see the wheel horse

[fordnut 84]

Cleaned the Deere's carb and charged the battery and it runs like a top!

[Amcwheel85 2,058]

If I was closer I would be interested in it..

[RandyLittrell 3,827]

I that 120 would be a good tractor! I wouldn't be afraid to own a deere if the right one comes along. 

 

 

 

Randy

 

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

There aren't too many John Deere 120s out there, as there wasn't a lot of them made.  It's basically a stripped down 140H3, but are great machines.  JD really raised the bar when they made the 140H3, and the 120 was made to be a bit more affordable.  Of course, it isn't a 140H3, but still........

[DennisThornton 4,769]

Good deal on one and a GREAT deal on the other!  

[Tankman 3,515]

Excellent shopping trip. Two nice pieces of equipment.

I would've picked the two up myself if I knew and weren't so far to travel. 

[ronhatch 405]

Variety is the spice of life. I don't understand why anyone would have a shed full of only one type of tractor. I've owned and restored a Round fender JD, a CC 102, a AC B10, a WH 867 and a C-101, and finally a 4016 Case and guess what, I've enjoyed and appreciated the engineering on every one of them.  They all have their good and not so good points. Some are hard to work on, some are overly complicated, some don't mow well, some steer hard, in other words none of them are perfect. Why is everyone so down on JD? Is it because they are a successful company and no one has bought them out yet?  I would love to have that 120 JD, unfortunately  because of my age and health, I don't have the drive to restore another tractor.

[Amcwheel85 2,058]

I don't collect just one type, I've had atleast one of almost any brand... like them all.. but wheel horse is my favorite so no matter what other colors I buy I will still always have more red in my shed..

[EricF 589]

1 hour ago, ronhatch said:

Variety is the spice of life. I don't understand why anyone would have a shed full of only one type of tractor. I've owned and restored a Round fender JD, a CC 102, a AC B10, a WH 867 and a C-101, and finally a 4016 Case and guess what, I've enjoyed and appreciated the engineering on every one of them.  They all have their good and not so good points. Some are hard to work on, some are overly complicated, some don't mow well, some steer hard, in other words none of them are perfect. Why is everyone so down on JD? Is it because they are a successful company and no one has bought them out yet?

Just my opinion, but I think one of the real "issues" some folks have with JD is that through the years, they've tended to use more proprietary "Deere-excusive" engineering in critical places, and it's increased in some models over the years to the point where you really do need to rely on the dealer/service center for parts and service. They do have an excellent service and parts network. But you'll pay a bit more for it.

 

There's also the recent issue that's erupted over their farm equipment and their proprietary computer software that runs it -- Deere wants it to be against the law for anyone other than a Deere mechanic to touch the computer software and computer-operated systems. That's a bit different from just recommending that you take it to a Deere shop. It's caused a lot of bad blood in the agricultural world, and it's probably spilling out into the rest of the market, too. There's the question that is JD charging a premium for their brand above and beyond their real quality, sort of like the controversy around the modern Harley-Davidson brand -- is it really that good, or is it a marketing blitz?

 

I'll chalk up my experience with a JD 112 from the 70s -- a great, solid machine, but working on it could be a pain sometimes. Changing the drive belt was a nightmare. Belts in general were a pain because everything ran inside the frame rails and over/under/around various linkages rinning across it. Attaching the mower deck or snowblower was simple enough, but in places relied on JD's own design of spring pins and twist-to-lock connectors -- if one of them ever gave up, the machine was down and it was a trip to the Deere parts counter to get one. Wheel Horse uses standard clevis pins and hairpin clips wherever possible. Belts and pulley assemblies run outside the frame, behind easy-to-remove guards. Parts interchange across models and years. When I went looking for a good working tractor for landscaping and snow-clearing work as well as mowing, I considered finding an old JD like the one I grew up with, or something else. Lots of research pointed me to Wheel Horse as the best fit for a DIY mechanic like myself. I respect JD a lot, especially the older stiff that made their name for them -- but I didn't want to be as reliant on the dealer (and pay dealer prices...) for everything. For me, an old Deere would be nice to collect -- a lot of good memories -- but for a working machine, Wheel Horse wins hands-down.

 

[WVHillbilly520H 10,369]

I grew up on Cub Cadet L&G (had 2 before my new  in '98) went shopping for my new machine, first the CC dealer but MTD sorta had them ruined by then and $9800 for 20 hp hydro tractor deck and snow plow, then off to the JD dealer $11k for the same pkg,  then decided to go see my neighbor the WH dealer a left over 520H Anniversary $6300 or a new to the market xi for $8900, he sold me on the 520H because attachments interchangeability from 1973, yep JD was full hydraulic front attachments but usually model specific the 3-400 series are/was some really nice L&G machines but the  is really a simple easy to maintain machine much like the IH CC as mentioned above they all have their pluses and minuses, but once I got my butt in the seat and got to know my horse I haven't looked back, Jeff.

[ohiofarmer 3,156]

It that Deere was mine, and i did not want to own it, I would spiff it up a bit and sell it for a profit to fund a really nice Horse. Maybe a cast iron 16 HP.  I know a guy who bought and fixed hot rods and just kept trading up and that really worked for him.   Let's face it.  Deere collectors are willing to part with more money for an equivalent machine.  But you should really do what you want because it is your hobby and whatever gives you maximum enjoyment is fine with me.

 

 You should at least do some comps on the Deere and that should guide you on the best course