AgTalk Home
AgTalk Home
Search Forums | Classifieds (81) | Skins | Language
You are logged in as a guest. ( logon | register )

Tractors old to almost new?
View previous thread :: View next thread
   Forums List -> Machinery TalkMessage format
 
pbutler
Posted 7/7/2006 11:43 (#24645 - in reply to #24636)
Subject: RE: Tractors old to almost new?


Same boat here-250 acres-good regular job-3rd year farming. I have an understanding wife who lets me spend what I make on the farm back-at least for a few more years. My main tractor is a JD 4630-paid 10k for it and about $1,000 in repairs over first year and nothing the last 2. I would love to have something newer but I look at most things in a cost per acre. Depreciating the tractor over 5 years and assuming $500 per year repairs I am running about $10 per acre-assuming 0 cost recovery at the end which I hope is not true. :)

I am no till so I only put about 60-80 hours per year on my large tractor....pulling wagons, anydrous, and working gulleys, etc.

With anything remotely new that would pull the anhydrous bar (which is what I use my big tractor for) would cost at least 35k-probably closer to 50k. Even if depreciated over 10 years I would be looking at $20 per acre. I can't really afford another $10 per acre. Plus I can do a lot of repairs on the old tractor myself-with the electronics and in the new ones I can't do much-and if a $2,000 circuit board goes bad only thing you can do is replace.

So for me it is a no brainer-besides I have tried to buy 90% of my equipment with cash-utilizing custom until I can afford it-I don't see me accumulating 35-50k for a newer tractor. If I had 400-600 acres that would probably change and I would look to newer.

If you look hard you can find some good older tractors that are just as reliable as newer ones.



Top of the page Bottom of the page


Jump to forum :
Search this forum
Printer friendly version
E-mail a link to this thread

(Delete cookies)