Memories and challenges surrounding the Farmtrac 45
IN THE SHOP with Rachel
by Rachel Gingell
My dad owned a tractor dealership when I was young, and one of the brands he carried was Long tractors, sold under the Farmtrac name.
Dad did a lot of research before signing up to sell these tractors, and they were great: reliable, easy to service and get parts for, and plenty of power. They were a competitive price and were made by an American company headquartered in North Carolina.
Dad was so proud to sell these tractors that he even sold them to family. Both my aunt and my grandparents purchased the Farmtrac 45 from my dad. They were very happy with their purchases.
The family dealership was sold in 2007, and things went south for Long Agribusiness that same year - resulting in a bankruptcy in 2008. Dad was reassured that Long would continue to make parts available for 7 years, but less than a month after the company’s announcement the parts dried up completely.
Ever since then, Dad (and now I join him as well) has struggled to keep the tractors he sold running. While we haven’t discovered any major mechanical problems, even routine maintenance is a big challenge when you can’t just go buy the part you need.
We’ve discovered a trick, though: the Farmtrac 45 is a near replica of the Ford 3600, and lots of parts interchange. While there isn’t enough interchangeability that I’d want to own one of these tractors, we’ve been able to muddle through and keep my grandma’s tractor running.
Not too long ago, we replaced a clutch with one from a 3600 Ford. It went right in with no problem. We’ve also replaced the ignition switch with parts from a 3600 Ford. What we haven’t been able to interchange is parts for the injection pump. However, the entire injection pump can be traded for one off a 3600 Ford. (Just not individual parts.)
I cannot recommend you buy a Farmtrac 45 (or any of the tractors produced by Long Agribusiness) - not because of their unreliability, but because of the difficulty getting parts and service. That being said, if you end up owning one, all hope is not lost. The Long Farmtrac 60 is similar to a 4600 Ford, and the Long Farmtrac 35 is similar the Ford 2600. These ones aren’t too difficult to service, since you can muddle through with parts off the Ford tractors.