Buying Advice The money sense of tractor buying

   / The money sense of tractor buying #1  

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Joined
Dec 15, 2002
Messages
5,458
Location
Foster, RI
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Mahindra 3016
. For the last three years I've been looking at all kinds of c.u.ts. i've been wanting a new one even though my needs have diminished after having no more horses. The essential part of tractoring for me is wood gathering and snow removal. For about 35 years I've been burning 5 to 6 cord per year. It takes about a year and a half to go through a 275 gallon tank of oil. I have nothing to go by in regard for savings as I have never not burned wood at this present 1800 sq ft. log home. My wife thinks it insanity to go buy a new 20 thousand dollar some odd tractor as she states all of what we saved is used up on the new tractor. She also likes to say that i'll be dead soon and will never make up the return on investment. I dunno but I'm thinking with a trade of my present tractor, I can spend around 12 K for a new one. What I would like to know what does it cost to heat my size home with oil heat per year if one has no other supplementary energy source? I need more ammo for my "new tractor argument". I also told my wife I'll be seeking the nearest vampire so as to guarantee an r.o.i.
 
   / The money sense of tractor buying #2  
According to information here Wood Heat: Comparison to Other Heat Sources. Alturas Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, CA, 6 cord of wood would be equivalent (roughly) to about 1050 gallons of oil. Multiply that by the per-gallon cost of heating oil (where are we at? About $3.50 or so?) and you'll get a reasonable estimate of the cost to heat with oil.

In your case, again, you'd come out somewhere around $3600-$4000. Per Year. And people don't understand why so many of us still burn wood!!!

I just bought 8 cord of log length that will be getting split and stacked in the next few weeks. I stack on pallets and use my Deere 2520 with pallet forks to move it around my yard. I can move about 1/3 cord at a time per pallet and it makes handling the wood VERY simple.
 
   / The money sense of tractor buying
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#3  
According to information here Wood Heat: Comparison to Other Heat Sources. Alturas Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, CA, 6 cord of wood would be equivalent (roughly) to about 1050 gallons of oil. Multiply that by the per-gallon cost of heating oil (where are we at? About $3.50 or so?) and you'll get a reasonable estimate of the cost to heat with oil.

In your case, again, you'd come out somewhere around $3600-$4000. Per Year. And people don't understand why so many of us still burn wood!!!

I just bought 8 cord of log length that will be getting split and stacked in the next few weeks. I stack on pallets and use my Deere 2520 with pallet forks to move it around my yard. I can move about 1/3 cord at a time per pallet and it makes handling the wood VERY simple.

That is part of my reasoning for wanting a new one. My current JD 750 will only lift a small amount of wood on pallets and I guess not even 300 Ilbs worth. Does not make it feasible to load wood on pallets as it would take too many. By your calculations and the cost of fuel for both the chainsaw and tractor, I'd pay for the new one in about 4-5 years. Not bad in my mind. Thanks for the input!
 

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   / The money sense of tractor buying #4  
if it keeps you out of trouble, vs gambling, bars, drugs, etc... and you have fun doing it. not much else matters. beyond getting the other half to go with it. she not happy your not happy.
 
   / The money sense of tractor buying #5  
Morning arrow...I had to smile reading your post....It seems more and more these days I find myself measuring a decision against my age.... Gee....if I plant that apple tree...how tall will it get....will it bear fruit before I die..? Or .. should I continue to save beyond our tax advantage eligibility? Or..does it make sense for this old geezer to go back to school,... take up the piano,... go to the gym..

There's significant effort involved in executing life's plan and while youth has many advantages, it's also a time of many demands. Of course some of us, through luck or circumstance have an easier time of it than others and I consider myself among the former. But when it's all said and done we'll all have played the game with varying degrees of success and that's always involved, at least in my view, our taking into account our position along the continuum.
 
   / The money sense of tractor buying #6  
I know this won't help, but at 65 years of age, I no longer make spending decision based on money/ROI; if I don't get the full use of something, my kids will. I have a lot of money tied up in tractors/equipment/land, but it keeps me active and off the couch/recliner. I just spent eight days working with my son improving on one of our farms and will finish up this project sometime the upcoming week. It cost a LOT of money with absolutely no ROI, but we have enjoyed our time together and the sense of ongoing accomplishment is priceless.

Fortunately my wife and I share the same interests/philosophies.
 
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   / The money sense of tractor buying #7  
Interesting formula. I myself have never burned all oil in my house.Ive built and live in this house since 1979.I sometimes pondered how much it would have cost to heat all with oil.I knew the thousands but never would ahve thought 5 grand.(by the calcutations).Its quit sobering .[On one hand I feel good that my work and swaet is amounting to something,Yet wonder how 5 grand would sit when my income is just a tad under 13 grand.

thanks for the post.QUOTE=meburdick;2960282]According to information here Wood Heat: Comparison to Other Heat Sources. Alturas Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, CA, 6 cord of wood would be equivalent (roughly) to about 1050 gallons of oil. Multiply that by the per-gallon cost of heating oil (where are we at? About $3.50 or so?) and you'll get a reasonable estimate of the cost to heat with oil.

In your case, again, you'd come out somewhere around $3600-$4000. Per Year. And people don't understand why so many of us still burn wood!!!

I just bought 8 cord of log length that will be getting split and stacked in the next few weeks. I stack on pallets and use my Deere 2520 with pallet forks to move it around my yard. I can move about 1/3 cord at a time per pallet and it makes handling the wood VERY simple.[/QUOTE]
 
   / The money sense of tractor buying #8  
if it keeps you out of trouble, vs gambling, bars, drugs, etc... and you have fun doing it. not much else matters. beyond getting the other half to go with it. she not happy your not happy.

Agreed. And you'll likely be dead a long time and it makes you happy. You could be doing a lot worse than thinking about keeping her warm and cozy for the winter. There really should be only a minimal discussion about buying and and then go do it.

Absent that, ask her when you're going to die so you can crunch the amortization numbers on life expectancy. Then buy the tractor, get life insrance if you need a loan and when you die she claims the tractor as an asset and can have the cash for her old age.
 
   / The money sense of tractor buying #9  
Arrow don't forget the $100 bucks or so it will cost you to get the drive plowed every storm and even though the horses are gone you will need to have the pastures clipped twice a year to keep them open. I'd look at the hour meter and see how many hours you put on your present tractor per year then figure it at about $100 per hour. Thats just for convinceing SWMBO. For yourself if you want a new one it's your money what better thing to do with it? If you don't last to the end of the payments at least the tractor will. I expect my new JD to become the largest single piece of my estate after the land. ( I'm going to spend all the money foolishly.) Should take a week or so.:laughing:
 
   / The money sense of tractor buying #10  
My JD 870 is rated at almost 1900 pounds at the rear. I bet you could get a good used JD for under $10,000. While I like new I do have plenty of used stuff that works well. Heck the 870 I bought new 15 years ago is now used and still works well.

Another thing to consider is if you are from hardy stock or not. Some families produce people who seem to get infirmaries that causes them to slow down a lot at age 80. Other families seem to have people doing hard work in to their nineties. My Dad has not been able to do hard work since he hit 80 although he would love to be more hardy.
 
 
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