Prepping to buy a Deuce for farm use. Couple Questions..

[TsgtB]

so, not worth chopping down the sides to try and get 4 bales in there....

 

[rustystud]

I'm going to be the dissenting opinion here, but so be it. Something else to consider about the Deuce: if something on it breaks, more often than not you won't be able to get it at NAPA. Not a good thing to have happen when you need it running then and there.

An 7.3 F250 with a 7-ton GN trailer makes a great general-purpose hauling setup. We use that here for hauling tractors and round bales around and it does great. You can get away with a gas-powered 3/4 ton for the weight you'll probably be pulling. That will help your bottom line since their resale value is typically much lower (= cheaper to buy) than the diesel variants and as a bonus aren't typically worked as hard. The 7.3 is a fine motor, but as they age the injectors don't work as well and become increasingly difficult to start when it gets cold.

Benefits of a Deuce would be using it to pull trees out of the ground, as it is more effective than the 6060 will be at that job. It also has the ability to pull out the tractor if it gets stuck. I used mine for both when I had it, and a pickup doesn't really stand a chance at either job.

Agreed on the point of "bigger is usually better" when it comes to tractors. That said, if you're going into a really wooded area the big one may become cumbersome, just as the deuce would be.

Just a little off topic comment. The 7.3 engine needs the "HUIE" pump replaced about every 100,000 miles to keep it putting out the 3,000 PSI needed to keep the injectors working properly. Also, every IHC engine used by Ford needs good clean engine oil in it at ALL times ! So replace it much earlier then the factory recommends. I was factory trained on these engines since many of the "mini busses" use them.

 

[iatractor]

As someone who used to farm, I'll weigh in on the tractor issue. Stick with the bigger one. Back in the day we had a John Deere 4840 with 180 pto hp and needed a second tractor to do the same work so we bought an IH 3588 2+2. Bad decision, it didn't have the weight nor the nuts the 4840 had. Also the 30 hp difference. Yeah it would pull the same equipment, but didn't handle it as good. Stick with the deuce and bigger tractor.

 

[Terrh]

I've had a 7.3 F250, and they're great trucks. Mine has 400k miles on it now and my brother drives it every day (well, he's parking it for the winter right now - this will be the first time it's sat a winter in its life). They've got their ups and downs for sure. Mine is 2WD which means if you're towing it will get stuck on wet pavement, and off road is straight out of the question. 4x4 ones are great. Also, on the HUEI comment mine's still original at 400k and it still works. It's had a programmer since around 140,000 miles too. It is on it's 3rd transmission, but this one I got built right and it has 120K of abuse on it with no signs of failing anytime soon.

If you plan on putting a lot of miles on it, it's probably a much better idea than a deuce just on comfort alone.

The deuce will be far more useful without a trailer for big stuff. You can haul way more gravel, trees, etc with it as long as you can get them onto the high bed. And like you said, half the price is a huge bonus. MPG will be slightly worse, but if you aren't driving it far on road who cares.

 

[rustystud]

I've had a 7.3 F250, and they're great trucks. Mine has 400k miles on it now and my brother drives it every day (well, he's parking it for the winter right now - this will be the first time it's sat a winter in its life). They've got their ups and downs for sure. Mine is 2WD which means if you're towing it will get stuck on wet pavement, and off road is straight out of the question. 4x4 ones are great. Also, on the HUEI comment mine's still original at 400k and it still works. It's had a programmer since around 140,000 miles too. It is on it's 3rd transmission, but this one I got built right and it has 120K of abuse on it with no signs of failing anytime soon.

If you plan on putting a lot of miles on it, it's probably a much better idea than a deuce just on comfort alone.

The deuce will be far more useful without a trailer for big stuff. You can haul way more gravel, trees, etc with it as long as you can get them onto the high bed. And like you said, half the price is a huge bonus. MPG will be slightly worse, but if you aren't driving it far on road who cares.

I'm not "knocking" the Ford or the IHC engine. For comfort I would go with a Ford F450 or F550 if I was just towing a trailer around. In fact for any serious use I would not use my deuce. I could not see myself going 1,000 miles to get equipment with a deuce ! A Ford or Chevy yes ! The deuce is a "fun" truck. Something most people will never own. It also reminds me of my time in the Marines. So if where talking about being practical, I would go with a modern truck with all the creature comforts. I know there are some on this site which do use there trucks for commercial use, but lets be honest here. Most all of us use our trucks for FUN ! I understand if you have to sell the idea of owning a deuce to your wife ; "Honestly honey ! It can do some much for us ! and it's half the price of a regular truck too !" , but for regular use get a modern truck.

 

[lino]

I'm not "knocking" the Ford or the IHC engine. For comfort I would go with a Ford F450 or F550 if I was just towing a trailer around. In fact for any serious use I would not use my deuce. I could not see myself going 1,000 miles to get equipment with a deuce ! A Ford or Chevy yes ! The deuce is a "fun" truck. Something most people will never own. It also reminds me of my time in the Marines. So if where talking about being practical, I would go with a modern truck with all the creature comforts. I know there are some on this site which do use there trucks for commercial use, but lets be honest here. Most all of us use our trucks for FUN ! I understand if you have to sell the idea of owning a deuce to your wife ; "Honestly honey ! It can do some much for us ! and it's half the price of a regular truck too !" , but for regular use get a modern truck.

These are exactly the compromises I was working thru. I started thinking F250 was the key. But I wanted the 7.3 and a manual tranny 4x4 crew cab longbed. Turns out, those are pretty rare, and much sought after... Then I moved to the 350s, and pretty soon I was looking for the bigger flatbeds... That's when I ran across the deuce. I'm actually surprised that hadn't run into these before. Their big, tough, and simple nature hits me right in my sweet spot.

I certainly agree that for "regular duty" some variant of the superduty might be a better choice, but I don't plan on hauling anything very far. The need right now is to help me turn some forest in to a place to live, and then help me move my machine shop from my house now to the new place - 15 miles away.

Fun trips will certainly play into it, and I'm not discounting the fun factor.

For practicality and light duty stuff, I'll be keeping my Toyota Tacoma, which I would have sold in order to take the F-Series path.

This seems like a good solution for the time being, at least until I can renew my hobby of collecting old machine tools. But I need to build a house first...

And I have already used the "half price" sales pitch with my wife...

And, thanks again to all for all the responses. For budget reasons, I had to go with the smaller tractor, MX5200 , but it's still good size, and hopefully will do me well.

 

[Woodsplinter]

The deuce bed is about 54" above the ground. Don't forget you will need to be able to unload at your destination- dirt mounds/ loading ramps might not always be available. The deuce will do everything you need it to- as somebody else mentioned, you might need to wait for parts as most of us get them from online venders, SS members, etc.

 

[Terrh]

You never mentioned the tacoma before!

I'd take a tacoma and a deuce over an F250 any day in your position.

 

[rosco]

Forgot to mention, when commenting about the tractor, be sure to get a set of forks for it. They always put buckets on them (they are handy too), but the forks are what you will use mostly. Then collect some good pallets - I made a couple of pallet boxes to haul tools around with. As said, you'll have a good combination.

 

[rustystud]

These are exactly the compromises I was working thru. I started thinking F250 was the key. But I wanted the 7.3 and a manual tranny 4x4 crew cab longbed. Turns out, those are pretty rare, and much sought after... Then I moved to the 350s, and pretty soon I was looking for the bigger flatbeds... That's when I ran across the deuce. I'm actually surprised that hadn't run into these before. Their big, tough, and simple nature hits me right in my sweet spot.

I certainly agree that for "regular duty" some variant of the superduty might be a better choice, but I don't plan on hauling anything very far. The need right now is to help me turn some forest in to a place to live, and then help me move my machine shop from my house now to the new place - 15 miles away.

Fun trips will certainly play into it, and I'm not discounting the fun factor.

For practicality and light duty stuff, I'll be keeping my Toyota Tacoma, which I would have sold in order to take the F-Series path.

This seems like a good solution for the time being, at least until I can renew my hobby of collecting old machine tools. But I need to build a house first...

And I have already used the "half price" sales pitch with my wife...

And, thanks again to all for all the responses. For budget reasons, I had to go with the smaller tractor, MX5200 , but it's still good size, and hopefully will do me well.

OK, I didn't read the part about being only 15 miles away. Yes the Deuce would be a great truck for what your doing !

 

[hklvette]

not to hijack here, but how many normal round bales can fit in the standard M35 bed..? (Just 2)

Depends on the size. I could fit four 4'x5' in the back, but it was tight.

 

[TsgtB]

Depends on the size. I could fit four 4'x5' in the back, but it was tight.

I'm looking to do some of the heavy work for my fathers farm, he's overworking his half ton trucks, and it would be fun for me to get some work out of it.....