WD the good the bad and the indifferent

I am going to look at a couple of WDs in the next week or so. One of them has an old straight arm loader converted to hyd dump with an 8foot blade forks and a dirt bucket. The other has a pipe style loader with just a dirt bucket with a slip on snow bucket but it already has the three point conversion. My question is i want to know everything about a wd. As the title says the good bad and indifferent. Im just looking for something to use on 20 acres. Work the garden, push snow move round bales drag logs etc.   So what were their strengths weaknesses and what should i be looking for on a used wd.   I should also note that the secound wd claims that its only got 300 hours on an overhaul.

WD is very dependable and a great overall tractor for being built over 50 years. The "catapulting" seat was not the most comfortable in the world, however, it got the job done. Besides its really economical horsepower.

Both are narrow fronts. But ive tracked down a guy parting out a wide front wd not far away. My dad had a 180 years ago nice tractor plenty of power but if memory serves me it was a gas and you had to own an oil refinery to keep it in the field. So not sure how a 185 relates (if it does). Looking for something cheap for now. Ill buy sonething better later down the road. The 50X0 Allis Chalmers have always interested me for some reason. But like i said thats down the road a ways

WDs are nice, but WD45s give you a little more power, which is nice, plus they're not as noisy in the back. 

I have a WD45, basically the same tractor with more HP. If you're doing much PTO work, just know they don't have a true "live" PTO. They a hand clutch that stops the tractor and keeps the PTO running. It's works good, but takes some getting used to. If you've ran the 180, it's a similar feel, only without the hi-low.
For a loader, this era tractors (any color) weren't great for loader work. A wd only has one-oneway hydraulic output, meaning you only have up pressure, and gravity make it fall. You'll be looking at a trip buck, not one you can dig and scrape with.
They don't have a 3-point so you'll either need to buy a conversion kit or purchase snap coupler equipment. Neither is hard to find.

WOW, I made them sounds terrible... The good is, they are WAY cheaper than what you'll pay for a good modern loader tractor. They are reliable if maintained (what 70 year old tractor doesn't have some wear on it?). Parts are easily available and they are pretty simple to work on. at about 4000 lbs, you're almost 1000lbs heavier than a little Ford which is nice for loggeng ect. With a loader, you'll need to have fluid filled rear tires and maybe some weights too.

A 180 is almost the same as a 185. All 185's were diesels, and had about 10-15 HP more than a 180. Other than that, there's not much different.

The good:
Usually way cheaper than a throw away lawn mower.
Will run a 5 foot brush hog.
Have the live power hand clutch feature.
Handle pretty well with out power steering (No loader)
Parts are available.

The bad:
Rear rims can be rotted out from calcium.
rear tires can be junk
New rear tires can be expensive.
They are not the most ergonomically friendly tractor to operate.

The things we don't talk about:
Most old ones have leaks from several places
your left leg really needs to be about 6 inches longer than the right.
shifting around the steering wheel can be difficult.
low pressure oil system that just seems to keep working.
A awesome sounding engine!
Electrical systems that typically need redone.
Usually many worn or damaged parts that really don't seem to keep the WD tractor from functioning!
A great old work horse!
ITS orange how bad could it be???

Here are a couple of ours:



Regards,
 Chris

Creston has a point! I really like my 53 Jubilee! Just wish it had power steering and a few more horses. The std 3 point Ford system is very good! That's why it's what we have today! A good design is just that! A simple thing is that you can "see" all the three points of attachment. Sounds trivial but I bet it was one of the things that swayed the design. Also all the 3 point attachment features used all simple round pins on the Ford system.
We are getting away from the WD topic ,Sorry! Put a after market 3 pt on the WD and go to work!
Regards,
 Chris

CrestonM wrote: Gary Burnett wrote: With all its faults WD is a whole lot better and more useful tractor than a N Ford Hmmm..... I still think the Ford's 3pt is superior to anyone elses up through the 80s at least. That's their best quality, to me.  The sway bars mostly. Super easy to use, no rusty turnbuckles or chains...just a bar on each side.

Putting 3pt on a 8N is like putting lipstick on a pig.

I would say take a quick look to see if there is a d14 d15 or d17 for similar money before you buy. The d serries is alot more operator friendly.   That said alot of people have farmed with the wd and wd45 for years they will surely get the job done for you.

If you going to be using it with a loader make sure the tires are loaded. Any loader tractor can be tipped over easily if you drive with the loader raised. So always carry the load as low as possible . Adding fluid and increasing the tread width are the two best ways to increase the stability of a loader tractor. A narrow front tractor is more manauverable and will steer easier than a wide front one. A WD is about the cheapest power you can buy. They are so simple that there about as dependable as a stone. Lots of them were made so parts are readily available. The biggest expense in keeping one usable is rims and tires, so look them over lots of rust and deep weather cracking are bad. I have two WD 45s and they are my favorite tractors. They just look good and if you put the seat flip on the seat moves over and back a couple inches making it more comfortable for us large guys. I got mine from Tony's tractors. If you bolt a small piece of diamond plate in the hole forward of the hitch hole it's a lot easier to get on and off.

Edited by Dakota Dave - 13 Oct 2016 at 7:29am

It depends on the size of your cylinders. The '45 hydraulic system is designed for high pressure, low volume. The PTO pump wouldn't be a good choice because the pump would stop every time you pushed the clutch in.

Thank you both for the feed back.  Can you put an auxiliary pump on the Diesel?   

You can always find a way to mount a Hyd Pump. A Hyd pump adaquite for loader operation isn't much bigger than a soup can. you only need enough room to run a bicycle size chain out to a sprocket. you wont have the room to run it directly off the front of the crank like the gas tractors do. your going to have to engineer it your self it wont be a bolt on job. I hope your diesel has power steering or you wont be able to dirve it . 

Edited by Dakota Dave - 28 Mar 2017 at 2:54pm

I really appreciate the responses. I am pretty new to this but am excited about learning. Is the D15 a pump? I am guessing it is a tractor.
Thank you

Thank you very much.