Toffer
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Self assembly tractorsOne of the things I've been trying to look into recently is which tractor would be best for our smallholding, a bit of a difficult one since we don't own one yet I know but would be interested to know if anyone has tried one of the self assembly ones from Siromer or similar Chinese imports?
Not too worried about being able to put it together, more about whether you get a decent tractor once you have?
Any advice gratefully received!
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Ixy
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Yes my stepdad has a siromer, not sure exactly which one - he uses it for digging (he has the digegr arm on it) and moving BIG logs about up in his woodland, and so far it's been brilliant as far as I know. I've not heard him swearing about having to mend it all the time anyway 
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vegplot
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I had a look at the Siromer at the small holders show in Builth Wells and was quite impressed with the build quality. The Indian made Massey Ferguson copy was far less impressive quality wise but had the classic Fergy appeal.
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gz
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Two of my friends each run a little Grey Fergie tractor 
Both very happy
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Nick
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Local dealers, when asked, claimed spare parts were impossible to get hold of. Course, they sell other brands, but might be worth checking into. Was advises to spend a similar amount on a Fergie, or similar, that might be 40 or 60 years old, but could be fixed by any mechanic, and any part was available.
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earthyvirgo
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| vegplot wrote: | | I had a look at the Siromer at the small holders show in Builth Wells and was quite impressed with the build quality. The Indian made Massey Ferguson copy was far less impressive quality wise but had the classic Fergy appeal. |
... and when we were looking at it, didn't we chat with someone who had experience of building one (not a sales person) and they thought it was a good machine, good value for money?
EV
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crofter
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| Nick wrote: | | Was advises to spend a similar amount on a Fergie, or similar, that might be 40 or 60 years old, |
This is what I would do. But you need to be sure you're not buying a wreck. What will a chinese flat-pack tractor look like in 50 years from now?
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chicken feed
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 you cannot beat a vintage tractor dad runs a massey 35x & massey 135 we have a international b250 spares are easy to get hold of and they are all reliable.plus we enjoy taking them to shows.
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vegplot
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| earthyvirgo wrote: | | vegplot wrote: | | I had a look at the Siromer at the small holders show in Builth Wells and was quite impressed with the build quality. The Indian made Massey Ferguson copy was far less impressive quality wise but had the classic Fergy appeal. |
... and when we were looking at it, didn't we chat with someone who had experience of building one (not a sales person) and they thought it was a good machine, good value for money?
EV |
Yes they did but until you need to repair it...
I'm with Nick on the Fergy (Fergie?).
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crofter
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What jobs will you need to use the tractor for?
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Gervase
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I'd go for a Massey 35 or a Fergie, too. The Ikea tractors don't really have the oomph for much more than you can do with a quad bike, while there's enough kit available cheaply for an older tractor to do pretty much any job you want on a smallholding. They're also nice things to keep running.
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Ixy
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I'd love to see any quad do what stepdaddy's siromer does!!!??
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RichardW
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What does it do?
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Ixy
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Well I told you earlier in the thread but I spoke to stepdaddy for a bit of clarification...
He says (this is the clean version) that a siromer is far superior to a quad and that using a quad for his work would be like harvesting a field of wheat with a moped, in fact his neighbour attempted extracting wood with a quad and he was constantly called in to tow logs where the quad failed, and in the end a brand new quad got ruined that way but the tractor's still going strong. The siromer has diff lock, creeper gears, front loader, digger arm, you can tow big trailers and go on the roads, you can plough, mow, cut hedges, dig etc etc etc. His is 30hp, but you can go as big as you like - siromer even do combines.
It's broken down twice in two years, but that was his fault for doing stupid things, not the tractor at all, BUT it was still under warranty and siromer came out and fixed it both times no quibbles. Parts are no problem at all - just ring your nearest siromer agent, and they are all over the country.
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vegplot
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| Ixy wrote: | Well I told you earlier in the thread but I spoke to stepdaddy for a bit of clarification...
He says (this is the clean version) that a siromer is far superior to a quad and that using a quad for his work would be like harvesting a field of wheat with a moped, in fact his neighbour attempted extracting wood with a quad and he was constantly called in to tow logs where the quad failed, and in the end a brand new quad got ruined that way but the tractor's still going strong. The siromer has diff lock, creeper gears, front loader, digger arm, you can tow big trailers and go on the roads, you can plough, mow, cut hedges, dig etc etc etc. His is 30hp, but you can go as big as you like - siromer even do combines.
It's broken down twice in two years, but that was his fault for doing stupid things, not the tractor at all, BUT it was still under warranty and siromer came out and fixed it both times no quibbles. Parts are no problem at all - just ring your nearest siromer agent, and they are all over the country. |
They do claim good market penetration so parts should be easy enough to come by. Their web site encourages people to talk to owners so at least they're confident in their product.
As I said earlier I was impressed by the build quality.
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Ixy
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They seem to have a bit of a reputation amongst tractorsniffers as being tat, but I've never heard an owner say that!
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MSASTLES
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I have a Benye 25hp with 4 wheel drive. It is a great tractor, strong, reliable and does everything that I need it to. We have 12 acres that we cut and plow and smaller bit we rotovate. My friend has a 135 that I use once in a while, it's a ggod tractor but it's not got 4 wheel drive, which really helps and it is 40 years old. Mine is light to steer and everything moves easy. I can't recommend them enough.
Cheers MS
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vegplot
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I have an MF 1020 quietly rusting away for the want of a hydraulic o ring. It has 4WD a front bucket and back hoe (digger). I just need to get the parts. It's only been sitting out ion the open for the last 4 years 
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Toffer
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Thanks for all the info, I think I'll mostly need it for towing with possibly some light backhoe work so it's sounding like the Siromer is a good choice but will check I can get parts.
Cheers
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vegplot
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| Toffer wrote: | Thanks for all the info, I think I'll mostly need it for towing with possibly some light backhoe work so it's sounding like the Siromer is a good choice but will check I can get parts.
Cheers |
Keep us informed. A review would make for a good article on Downsizer.
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RGT
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You may find it useful to glance at a couple of the American tractor fora - eg tractorbynet, ytmag - there are reams of threads there on owners' experiences with Chinese imports, good & bad.
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tarabella
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We have a Ford 1910 (1986) with a front loader and we're really happy with it. 30HP, it does all the jobs we ask of it with ease.
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