The DX 3.90 series was introduced by Deutz-Fahr in 1985 as a replacement for the previous incarnation, the DX 80. The German-built tractors were popular in the 80s and 90s for lots of reasons.

The Star Cab was seen as luxurious in comparison to other manufacturers on the market with its dual-lever controlled 12 x 4 synchromesh gearbox on the right-hand side, flat floor, large one-piece glass doors and comfortably laid-out lift and hydraulic controls.

To this day, a lot of tractors follow the same in-cab design. On the left-hand side of the seat is the handbrake-like PTO lever that engages when lifted and the vertical “umbrella” handbrake.

This tractor also came with two PTO speeds, 540 and 1,000 RPM, which were selected by rotating the dedicated handle left or right.

Another selling point was the power plant. Deutz-Fahr engines had, and still have, a great reputation for reliability.

A simple yet clever design for cold winter mornings is in the cab. A lever to the left of the centre console diverts hot-air into the cab for cold mornings. On hot days, the front and rear window can be opened wide to allow fresh air blow through the cab.

History

John Kearney started restoring his family’s 2WD 4.1l 85hp Deutz-Fahr DX 3.90 in 2014. It has been in the family since it was purchased in 1986 by John Sr from local dealer Kearney Bros for £14,000, plus a traded-in Ford 5000. John is a part-time tillage farmer and spends his days as a forest road engineer with Greenbelt.

When my father bought this tractor it replaced the 5000, the 3.90 was a big step-up

From looking at the tractor, it is more than a hobby for John – this tractor is his pride and joy. “When my father bought this tractor it replaced the 5000, the 3.90 was a big step-up. It was fitted with a Veto F-12 hydraulic front loader as we ran a 60-cow dairy farm at the time.

It was used for lots of jobs including feeding silage, slurry agitation and spreading with a 1,000-gallon Tanco slurry tank, fertiliser spreading and topping. It did everything.”

Looking at the tractor, it is hard to believe it spent any time near slurry or cow-dung such is the condition of the tractor. “The reason the mud-guards haven’t rusted is that they’re plastic. Deutz-Fahr was one of the first companies to make this change from metal to plastic.”

I asked John what other work he had to do to the tractor to bring it up to its current condition, “I didn’t touch the engine, which has just over 6,100 hours on the clock. In its time, it has received two clutches as loader work is hard on them. Otherwise, it’s been a trouble-free tractor.”

Looking behind the front grille, I noticed a large empty space. All there is to see is battery and toolbox, with no radiator. These tractors used air-cooled engines.

“You have to keep an eye on the fan-belt. We replace this regularly because if it breaks you could cook the engine very quickly. However, the advantage is in wintertime you don’t have to worry about a radiator having anti-freeze in it.”

I asked John if it ever gets hot. “Loading straw, you have to be careful with the front grill clogging and also when we used to agitate slurry as airflow wasn’t as good when the tractor was stationary.

Underneath, I noticed there were dry brakes housed outside the rear axle.

“Like the front grill, I have to keep an eye on these when I’m working with straw as they could pose a fire risk. The Deutz-Fahrs of this generation had a reputation for going on fire for that reason.”

John and I got talking about various repairs he has done to the tractor over the years and what parts cost. “The parts were not cheap but, thankfully, I haven’t had to do much to the tractor. I recently replaced the wearing parts in the front axle which cost almost €800. A similar kit for a Ford of the same age could cost approximately €150.”

Workload

These days, John uses the tractor for spraying with a 12m Alto 800 Berthoud sprayer, spreading fertiliser with a Sulky DPX 1112 twin-disc spreader, loading straw in the summertime and some ploughing with his three-furrow Fiskars plough.

A recently purchased 4WD Ford 7810 has taken on the majority of this work so the 3.90 is not under as much pressure.

Looking at the attention to detail and effort John has put into his 3.90 to get it back to such a well-restored level, I doubt this tractor will be going anywhere any time soon.

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