# Favorite Ford Tractor



## Levi F (9 mo ago)

I would just like to know what you’re favorite Ford tractor is. Mine is a 9700.


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

The Ford 3600 was about the best tractor Ford ever built.


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

My lifetime favorite was this 8N. Homemade cab. Over/under. I put a lot of hours on it as a kid. This pic is circa 1960. I learned how to drive a tractor on this one. 

Weather permitting, my Saturday job was to pull a two wheel trailer 2 miles to town and get loads of pelleted hog feed. Dad would scoop it into feeders and I would repeat. The town Marshall stopped me once and told me I needed to slow it down in town. It would run 25mph. I wasn't speeding. I think it just freaked him out to see a little kid going that fast on a tractor. My Dad "visited" with the Marshall and he didn't bother me after that.......


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

This is my current favorite. I bought this tractor from a Sod Farm. 1984 model. It's a really handy utility sized tractor. Very nicely equipped for it's age.


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

Levi F said:


> I would just like to know what you’re favorite Ford tractor is. Mine is a 9700.


Welcome to the forum. Do you have any pics of your tractor?


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

I'm going to say the Ford 8000 was my favorite Ford tractor;


















She doesn't get worked very hard anymore. 
She started out life hard pulled a 5 bottom plow with a sidehill hitch in tough ground,
our first set of spring reset plows, dang did they ever bring up a whole new crop of rocks.


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

The 8000 was a definite work horse in it's day!!!!

First land I bought was 20 acres of sod/brush. I cleared it and moldboard plowed it. Then it sprouted rocks!!!!


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

Don't own one but if Richard wants to give me his, I'll take it.


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## Levi F (9 mo ago)

ovrszd said:


> Welcome to the forum. Do you have any pics of your tractor?


Sure do.


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

Now there's a workhorse for sure. Thanks for the pic!!!


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

Favorite has to be my 3000.
Had it the longest and use it the most.
But for the cool factor my 4200 wins hands down.


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

Ultradog said:


> Favorite has to be my 3000.
> Had it the longest and use it the most.
> But for the cool factor my 4200 wins hands down.
> View attachment 79171
> View attachment 79172


Yep, coolness to the 4200. Never saw one before. Thank you very much for the pic.


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

Very nice and good looking old tri-cycle front end.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

LouNY said:


> Very nice and good looking old tri-cycle front end.


It's nice. Just need ROPS as the setup is top heavy. One bad gopher hole would cause some big issues.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

ovrszd said:


> My lifetime favorite was this 8N. Homemade cab. Over/under. I put a lot of hours on it as a kid. This pic is circa 1960. I learned how to drive a tractor on this one.
> 
> Weather permitting, my Saturday job was to pull a two wheel trailer 2 miles to town and get loads of pelleted hog feed. Dad would scoop it into feeders and I would repeat. The town Marshall stopped me once and told me I needed to slow it down in town. It would run 25mph. I wasn't speeding. I think it just freaked him out to see a little kid going that fast on a tractor. My Dad "visited" with the Marshall and he didn't bother me after that.......
> 
> View attachment 79137


My Pa had a 8N. I too learned how to drive on the roads with one at age 7 by myself. Doubt that could happen today.


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## unsquidly (Jul 13, 2021)

Levi F said:


> Sure do.
> View attachment 79148


Now That is a beautiful old Ford.......Not "showroom" condition but a workhorse.......Thanks for sharing this......Dad was always a John Deere man so that is what we had on the farm but we had a neighbor that had a 9700.....He would always pull it in one of the farm classes at tractor pulls and did very well with it......He had it turned up and would have the entire stack cherry red by the, usually, full pull......This old tractor brings back some good memories.....Thanks again, bro.....


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

bmaverick said:


> It's nice. Just need ROPS as the setup is top heavy. One bad gopher hole would cause some big issues.


Dude,
Please...
I won't project my fears upon you and be your safety nanny if you won't do those things to me.
Okay?


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## Levi F (9 mo ago)

unsquidly said:


> Now That is a beautiful old Ford.......Not "showroom" condition but a workhorse.......Thanks for sharing this......Dad was always a John Deere man so that is what we had on the farm but we had a neighbor that had a 9700.....He would always pull it in one of the farm classes at tractor pulls and did very well with it......He had it turned up and would have the entire stack cherry red by the, usually, full pull......This old tractor brings back some good memories.....Thanks again, bro.....


Hey, no problem. We plan to get this thing restored but we are a second owner to this 9700. The original owner bought it and farmed many acres with it and then we bought it in the 90s and just serviced with 12000 hours on it. We just pulled it at the local tractor show and put it on the dyno. Putting out around 148 go at the PTO (at least we think the gauge only went up to 135 on the 540 shaft). And we did too get a full pull. However, we tilled with it many years before we switched to no-till. But it got 3 clutches in it from us from tilling. Thanks for your shared interest.


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## unsquidly (Jul 13, 2021)

Levi F said:


> Hey, no problem. We plan to get this thing restored but we are a second owner to this 9700. The original owner bought it and farmed many acres with it and then we bought it in the 90s and just serviced with 12000 hours on it. We just pulled it at the local tractor show and put it on the dyno. Putting out around 148 go at the PTO (at least we think the gauge only went up to 135 on the 540 shaft). And we did too get a full pull. However, we tilled with it many years before we switched to no-till. But it got 3 clutches in it from us from tilling. Thanks for your shared interest.



So it has been turned up just a little bit then...................


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## Levi F (9 mo ago)

unsquidly said:


> So it has been turned up just a little bit then...................


Yes just a little………..
Every time you start it up the black smoke pours out and every hill you go up more black smoke pours out😂😂


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

bmaverick said:


> It's nice. Just need ROPS as the setup is top heavy. One bad gopher hole would cause some big issues.


Not really there used to be many tri-cycle front ends as they could get further into the corners on the old small field,
especially compared to many of the old wide fronts and a bit better then a narrow front end.
Never saw were they were any worse than any other tractor on side hills.


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## Levi F (9 mo ago)

LouNY said:


> Not really there used to be many tri-cycle front ends as they could get further into the corners on the old small field,
> especially compared to many of the old wide fronts and a bit better then a narrow front end.
> Never saw were they were any worse than any other tractor on side hills.


We have a 1952 John Deere A with a single front wheel and the only reason we have it on is for shows but that thing gotta be the hardest tractor to turn on the east coast.


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## unsquidly (Jul 13, 2021)

Levi F said:


> Yes just a little………..
> Every time you start it up the black smoke pours out and every hill you go up more black smoke pours out😂😂



I miss those days................The last new big tractor I remember dad buying was a John Deere 4850 in 1984.....It rolled coal from day one on start up and under a load.....Back then, the local dealer would turn a brand new one up for free before it was delivered to the farm......LOL


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

Levi F said:


> We have a 1952 John Deere A with a single front wheel and the only reason we have it on is for shows but that thing gotta be the hardest tractor to turn on the east coast.


If you want it to turn even harder mount a set of cultivators on her and get it in soft ground and mushing down a 1/4 or more into the dirt.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

LouNY said:


> Not really there used to be many tri-cycle front ends as they could get further into the corners on the old small field,
> especially compared to many of the old wide fronts and a bit better then a narrow front end.
> Never saw were they were any worse than any other tractor on side hills.


My neighbor's trike feel into a gopher hole and flipped in a flat field. He was thrown about 15 feet. Just as he turned to see what happened, the tractor was just coming over the top of him. He dashed in a hard roll just saving his life. The tractor didn't stop because the throttle was already set. IF the machine had a seat kill switch, the engine would of cut out.


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

bmaverick said:


> My neighbor's trike feel into a gopher hole and flipped in a flat field. He was thrown about 15 feet. Just as he turned to see what happened, the tractor was just coming over the top of him. He dashed in a hard roll just saving his life. The tractor didn't stop because the throttle was already set. IF the machine had a seat kill switch, the engine would of cut out.


So let's see, a nebulous story about a freak accident should be cause for me to run out and add rops and a seat kill switch to my tractor?
Rops would make the tractor so tall it would be unuseable on half of my wooded property and a seat switch would make it so I couldn't stand up and stretch my legs on that "made for standing up platform" and look out for um, gopher holes - among other things.
No sir,
I do not live with your fears and I do not get lulled into complacency and carelessness by having a bunch of safety devices to protect me from myself.
I drive my tractor knowing it can kill me.
If it had rops I would remove it. If it had a seat belt I would cut it off and if it had a seat switch I would bypass it.
Since seat belt laws in cars can only be visually enforced, I wear them by day in my pickup but never at night. 
The joy I get from freedom of movement and defying "the nanny state" is greater than my fear of disaster.
But I do not go around advocating everyone drive their cars and tractors like I do. That is not my place -or yours.
If your own safety compulsions are such that you Must remind us all of the hazards, know that I don't appreciate it and know that I think it smacks of arrogance and a great inner fear.
Drive your tractor prudently at all times and...
Live free or die.


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

I am not aware of any full sized row crop tractors that have a seat switch,
especially any tractors from the 50's, 60's or 70's that had any.
You don't say what brand or model of tractor it was that he flipped, any tractor that flipps from hitting a gopher hole
on a flat field I'd be interested in knowing


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Safety devises can be a PITA, but I find that you get used to them and operating with them in place becomes second nature. My ROPS is left down so I don't take out the garage door, but my land is flat and I do raise it up if I'm doing heavy work like stacking hay bales or moving dirt. Seat belts in the car... I made my kids wear them when they were little, and they were all over me to put mine on if I forgot! LOL You reap what you sow! Now we put them on without even noticing. I'm not too worried about my ability to drive a vehicle, but there are some scary folks out on the road that make me glad to buckle up. Nothing to do with any rules or regulations. To each, their own.
Gotta admit, that 4200 is a cool looking tractor!


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

I think my favorite Ford is my 1950 8N. I've done lots of work with her and had a ton of fun as well.


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

pogobill said:


> Safety devises can be a PITA, but I find that you get used to them and operating with them in place becomes second nature...


So do many of our "laws".
On Twitter and Facebook, in the housing industry, on the highways, in colleges and many other places.
They restrict our freedoms. They slow us down.
They shut us up.
But we "get used to them" and slowly lose our freedoms - for the sake of a few who can not live responsibly.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

LouNY said:


> I am not aware of any full sized row crop tractors that have a seat switch,
> especially any tractors from the 50's, 60's or 70's that had any.
> You don't say what brand or model of tractor it was that he flipped, any tractor that flipps from hitting a gopher hole
> on a flat field I'd be interested in knowing


Massey-Harris 22RC, 2.3L 4-cyl gasoline. It rolled onto it's side and kept moving! It did look like this, now it's a mess on one side.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

Ultradog said:


> So let's see, a nebulous story about a freak accident should be cause for me to run out and add rops and a seat kill switch to my tractor?
> Rops would make the tractor so tall it would be unuseable on half of my wooded property and a seat switch would make it so I couldn't stand up and stretch my legs on that "made for standing up platform" and look out for um, gopher holes - among other things.
> No sir,
> I do not live with your fears and I do not get lulled into complacency and carelessness by having a bunch of safety devices to protect me from myself.
> ...


I guess my neighbor was happy to live fee and NOT die from the accident. 

The ROPs on my machine are foldable. I know the older large tractors don't have that option. On the Massey 22RC, the seat is so far back and literally hangs off the back end. All Ron was doing was pulling downed trees from the back property line to up front near the house to chainsaw. He didn't see the hole in the ground due to the long hood. Hard to be prudent to prevent the accident like that. The family owned the tractor since new. It's been passed down. No accident like that ever happened till 2019. That's 67 years.


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

I grew up on an Allis Chalmers WD then a Farmall 400 both with narrow front ends. I've hit rocks and holes with the front tires of the WD that would take the steering wheel out of your hand and spin it to the stops with no rolling over. I've dropped the rear wheel into large wood chuck holes and washes and only came close to tipping over once and that was on a steep sidehill and dripping the down hill rear tire into a hidden hole.
And as you said yourself that was the only time in 67 years, I tend to believe it was more then a gopher hole that was the cause of laying it on it's side.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

LouNY said:


> I grew up on an Allis Chalmers WD then a Farmall 400 both with narrow front ends. I've hit rocks and holes with the front tires of the WD that would take the steering wheel out of your hand and spin it to the stops with no rolling over. I've dropped the rear wheel into large wood chuck holes and washes and only came close to tipping over once and that was on a steep sidehill and dripping the down hill rear tire into a hidden hole.
> And as you said yourself that was the only time in 67 years, I tend to believe it was more then a gopher hole that was the cause of laying it on it's side.


I can see why the Farmall 400 wouldn't be easy to tip. The wheel base is short front to back. The AC-WD looks like the Massey 22RC with the exception of the underframe being very thick. All I know is what Ron told me after seeing his machine on it's side near my pasture. He used his RAM truck and some hold down straps to bring it back up. Didn't need anyone's help doing it either.


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

LouNY said:


> I grew up on an Allis Chalmers WD then a Farmall 400 both with narrow front ends...
> 
> And as you said yourself that was the only time in 67 years...


Good post.
But you stole my thunder.
One roll over in 67 years?
Seems like a pretty good safety record to me.
Certainly no cause to bash narrow front tractors OR rush out to graft a bunch of safety doohickies on it.


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

LouNY said:


> I am not aware of any full sized row crop tractors that have a seat switch,
> especially any tractors from the 50's, 60's or 70's that had any.
> You don't say what brand or model of tractor it was that he flipped, any tractor that flipps from hitting a gopher hole
> on a flat field I'd be interested in knowing


And landing back on it's wheels and almost running over him. I suspect the story got twisted a little. Maybe the front tires ran across a golpher hole and bounced the driver out of the seat and off the tractor? Then it circled back and almost ran over him?

I grew up on Fords with the seat ahead of the rear axle. When I ran the old row crop tractors with the seat rearward of the axle I never felt relaxed.


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

I should have read down. No way to edit posts that I know of......


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

ovrszd said:


> And landing back on it's wheels and almost running over him. I suspect the story got twisted a little. Maybe the front tires ran across a golpher hole and bounced the driver out of the seat and off the tractor? Then it circled back and almost ran over him?
> 
> I grew up on Fords with the seat ahead of the rear axle. When I ran the old row crop tractors with the seat rearward of the axle I never felt relaxed.


Go back and re-read, never said it got back on it's wheels. It was on it's side and still advancing towards Ron.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

Ultradog said:


> Good post.
> But you stole my thunder.
> One roll over in 67 years?
> Seems like a pretty good safety record to me.
> Certainly no cause to bash narrow front tractors OR rush out to graft a bunch of safety doohickies on it.


For only that machine having 3 family owners over that time.


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

bmaverick said:


> Go back and re-read, never said it got back on it's wheels. It was on it's side and still advancing towards Ron.


Yep, I should have read down. Or you should have been more clear in the original post. Either way, glad the operator wasn't hurt.


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## RonHampe (Jun 18, 2021)

The only Ford I've ever owned was a 1700 and it has over 6700 hours on it. I put at least 5000 of those on it in 30+ years. Head cracked and I bought a reman for it, but never got around to rebuilding the engine. Also have another one for parts. Until the head went I never had any major issues. Can't say the same for the new Branson that I bought to replace it though.


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## RonHampe (Jun 18, 2021)

ovrszd said:


> I should have read down. No way to edit posts that I know of......


You should be able to edit it, if you click on the 3 vertical dots in the upper right corner of your post.


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

RonHampe said:


> You should be able to edit it, if you click on the 3 vertical dots in the upper right corner of your post.


Thanks Ron!!!!! Never even noticed those before......


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## RonHampe (Jun 18, 2021)

Unfortunately I don't see a way to delete an entire message.


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## Half cab (Apr 12, 2021)

5000 we had for many years was an out standing tractor. Also a gas 2000 is a great smaller tractor as well.


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## agm48 (Jan 25, 2017)

I have a 1994 ford 1715 that I really like. I use it to till my garden and I mowed with it until I got a zeroturn. Great for digging post holes too. I have a 2005 New Holland TT55 for heavy mowing but I like the little tractor best.


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## Wranglerfarms (Jan 14, 2022)

Levi F said:


> I would just like to know what you’re favorite Ford tractor is. Mine is a 9700.


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## unsquidly (Jul 13, 2021)

RonHampe said:


> Unfortunately I don't see a way to delete an entire message.


The only way you can do this is to edit it out to a blank message......As far as I know only admins have the ability to delete on here....


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## Harleyron74 (May 31, 2020)

Levi F said:


> I would just like to know what you’re favorite Ford tractor is. Mine is a 9700.


The venerable 8n. I learned to drive on an 8n on my grandfather's farm when I was 8 years old. It was a 1952 ( and so am I!). He died when I was 16 and I darned near cried when it was sold at auction.


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## Harleyron74 (May 31, 2020)

ovrszd said:


> The 8000 was a definite work horse in it's day!!!!
> 
> First land I bought was 20 acres of sod/brush. I cleared it and moldboard plowed it. Then it sprouted rocks!!!!


My father coined a term for farmer's that brought in a bumper crop of rock's every year ( A fellow on the iron range had all his kid's walking the fields tossing rock's in the stone boat while he drove his " trucktor " ). He called him the stone granger! 
We went up to the range for fishing opener every year and the farmer and his kid's were out there clearing the potato patch.
Too bad he couldn't sell them to suburbanites as lawn decorations. He would have been rich!!


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## chiefsfan (Dec 30, 2021)

bmaverick said:


> My neighbor's trike feel into a gopher hole and flipped in a flat field. He was thrown about 15 feet. Just as he turned to see what happened, the tractor was just coming over the top of him. He dashed in a hard roll just saving his life. The tractor didn't stop because the throttle was already set. IF the machine had a seat kill switch, the engine would of cut out.


I never knew gophers made holes. They make mounds. Gophers are about the size of the common rat so even if they did make a hole a bicycle could run over it. A ground hog will make a hole along with a coyote but have never seen one big enough to flip a tractor and throw a guy 15 feet. Think someone must be playing in a sandbox. What's the old saying "If you cant impress them with brilliance, baffle them with BS."


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

chiefsfan said:


> I never knew gophers made holes. They make mounds. Gophers are about the size of the common rat so even if they did make a hole a bicycle could run over it. A ground hog will make a hole along with a coyote but have never seen one big enough to flip a tractor and throw a guy 15 feet. Think someone must be playing in a sandbox. What's the old saying "If you cant impress them with brilliance, baffle them with BS."


Chiefsfan,
In his defense..
That was my first impression too. And being from The Gopher State, I've seen a few gopher holes.
So I did an image search for gopher holes. I have never seen them this big but well, maybe?






gopher holes at DuckDuckGo


DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.




duckduckgo.com


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## unsquidly (Jul 13, 2021)

chiefsfan said:


> I never knew gophers made holes. They make mounds. Gophers are about the size of the common rat so even if they did make a hole a bicycle could run over it. A ground hog will make a hole along with a coyote but have never seen one big enough to flip a tractor and throw a guy 15 feet. Think someone must be playing in a sandbox. What's the old saying "If you cant impress them with brilliance, baffle them with BS."


I have learned over the years that there are so many freak tractor accidents that just about anything is possible....Although, I personally have not ever seen a gopher run/hole (yes, they do burrow under ground) it could be possible......Also, I have not ever known bmaverick to come up with a total "BS" statement on here.........


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

unsquidly said:


> I have learned over the years that there are so many freak tractor accidents that just about anything is possible....Although, I personally have not ever seen a gopher run/hole (yes, they do burrow under ground) it could be possible......Also, I have not ever known bmaverick to come up with a total "BS" statement on here.........


My interpretation is that he is retelling what he was told. No BS involved.


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## Alex3000 (Jan 13, 2022)

Levi F said:


> We have a 1952 John Deere A with a single front wheel and the only reason we have it on is for shows but that thing gotta be the hardest tractor to turn on the east coast.


My uncle had a John Deere A with single front wheel somebody once asked how tight does it turn he set off and turned the lock full on I was sat on the mudguard hanging on for grim life better than any fairground rides


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## KellyTractors (Jan 24, 2010)

Fordson Major E27N,


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