John Deere is so innovative!!!

Tbone95 wrote: Play Farmer wrote: tomstractorsandtoys wrote: Hate to say it but Deere is still in the tractor business and Allis is not. I like Allis but much prefer my Deere tractors. Compare a 190 to a 4020. Why didn't the 190 have a fully independent pto? I like the rest of the 190 but we do way to much pto work to put up with the no independent pto. Dad bought a new 4020 and Grandfather bought a new 190XT. Tom I grew up Green but today when I compare my Massey 1100 to a 4020 I wonder why Deere outsold Massey 10:1. Paint them both the same color and the Massey is a nicer, more innovative tractor than the Deere, IMO. Deere certainly did (and still does) a great job of marketing. Hmmm....maybe the actual 1100 Massey. Opinions are funny how they ebb and flow. I bought an Allis 7045, guess about 6 1/2 years ago now, and it turned out to be a pig in a poke. I've got it working pretty good now, but during one of it's lengthy shop stays, I REALLY needed a tractor and considered a Massey 1175. Nice looking tractor, nice cab, etc. Anyway, posed the question on a different forum (frequented by many Canadians) of what to look for in that 1175. The resounding answer was basically "Run don't walk" and "That series tractor in the higher HP models single handedly ran Massey out of the tractor business in North America". Incidentally, borrowed a friend's JD 4320 for the task, and it performed great! His family has had that tractor since new, and no troubles really ever.

Absolutely. When it comes to Masseys you need to shop carefully. I've looked at a few other since I bought my 1100 and have found the same thing you did. My 1100 has been super, the later ones seem to be nothing I'd be interested in.

On the 4320 comment, we had one of those when I was growing up. To this day it's probably favorite tractor, well...maybe #2 after my D17. If I could find a reasonably priced 4320 today I'd own one in a heartbeat. But we all know there is no such thing as a reasonably priced 4320. That was a major over achiever.

combinechris wrote: Don't forget the John Deere 12/12A combine is an Allis Chalmers model 60 prototype.

Nick, that is why I love my old XT, like when I was round baling and was pushing hard, (I've slowed up over the years) and baling in third gear high and the round baler decided to plug, all I had to do was step on that clutch and step on the brakes and everything was stopped... wasn't busy trying to find a pto knob or lever somewhere.
  And with the hydraulic pto, you can start it and shut it off ON THE GO. and if you want to stop, use the hand clutch... on the 200 allis, they were much more jumpy if you didn't engage them right.
  as for the 190XT vs 966 or a 4020, it didn't burn near the fuel the other two did... neighbor was putting 7 gallons an hour through his 966 and I was putting 2 1/2 and getting about the same work done.

 I wished allis would have put a fifth gear in it or had put a third spd in the power director, or put a 2spd range box in it and that would have given it a better selection of gears and a good road gear.. like 18-20 mph.