# saying goodbye to Ford 1720



## GreenBarn2 (Apr 21, 2021)

tl;dr -- what Kubota tractor is the equal to or step up from a 28-year old Ford 1720?

I've owned a Ford 1720 for 28 years. It's been a great tractor, but getting long in the tooth. And when you can find parts for it, the prices are astronomical. And I'd like something I can put a front mount snowblower on (been pushing snow with a snowblade mounted to my loader arms. After this winter's unrelenting snows, kicked off by a surprise 40" December snowfall, I'm ready to up my snow removal game... and sit in a nice heated cab while doing so.

So I'm window shopping new tractors. What I'm finding is that one needs to buy a considerably larger machine to get something that's as solidly built as a 1720 or of similar loader and 3 point lift capacity, and similar weight (important I think for loader work and for authority plowing snow).

I'm a bit turned off by CNH parts support, that many Ford / NH compact tractors and implements are not made by New Holland, or so I'm told (the 1720 was made by Shibaura, who exited the tractor business about 20 years ago).

So I'm looking at Kubota, which is now the leading brand in upstate NY. I'm liking that their equipment and fact that their tractors and implements are made by Kubota themselves (Kubota bought Great Plains Manufacturing, parent of Land Pride about 5 years ago).

Question is what model Kubota is the equal to or step up from a 1720, in your opinion?


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## BigT (Sep 15, 2014)

You will never find a newer model tractor to match the quality of your 1720.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

BigT said:


> You will never find a newer model tractor to match the quality of your 1720.


And he'll never find parts for the Ford 1720 being readily available any time soon either. For these older Ford compact tractors, the new and used parts supply has dried up very sever since late 2019. My neighbor got a Ford 1500 on a deal. And we had to poke high and low for a few 'normal' parts. 

With the Yanmar compact tractor scene, the mom-n-pop machine shops in the US are keeping a few parts available. 

I too would echo, keep the 1720. None of that computer stuff to go very wrong.


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