you are compairing raisens to apples.
a 119ci gas engine in a ford can be swung from a tree or heck.. in-framed and shade tree rebuilt in a few hours depeding on if it needs liners or not. if it needs liners, kits can be had in the 450-500$ range.
if no liners.. then less. with no cam bearings, you are throwing in some rod and main bearing shells, polishing the crank, IF that, replacing some seals, rings, honing the cyls's and a quickie manual valve lapp by hand. ie.. this is lawnmower engine technology.
not a higher tech diesel with injection pumps.. etc.
i've got no problems setting down for 15 minutes and throwing a 15$ kit in an N carb, and knowing what it will do when I bolt it back on.. no instructions needed.
an injector pump? I don't have the equipment to even test that?
i don't think people are less willing.. I think they are less capable now.. add to that a more complex machine.. and there's where you get the issues.
easy to fix machine + someone with some earned hands on experience + cheap parts vs a much harder to fix machine requireing specialized equipment the average person don't have in their garage ( you got a injector pop off tester? i don't! ), vs realitively small % of the population with DIESEL mechanic skills, + more expensive parts.
remember.. in the 70's everyone's dad knew how to set points.
now?
i don't doubt on an individual scale that you could care for a piece of equipment and keep it going for decades. IE.. you and your 3400.. keep it fixed and maintained as you go.
the one kicker is reduced numbers. even if you keep your 3400 going.. if it has reduced production numbers.. in60 ys.. getting repair parts may mean a contract with a CNC shop!!!
soundguy
But with these smaller tractors being marketed toward us smalltime homeowner/hobby farm types, the odds of us blowing up and engine @ 5 years are slim to none.
It would take most of us 15+ years to even get to 2000-3000 hours. And at that point, a 15-20 year old tractor most people in this day wouldn't opt to rebuild. Hence the throw it away mentality.
But rewind to 60 years ago, if you bought a 8n and in 15-20 years of service the engine blew, a much larger percentage would have chosen to rebuild it vs today. Where as most today would just opt to either part it out, junk it, or whatever and go get a newer tractor.
I am just simply amazed at how many people say things like "they dont make them like they used to". I personally see no evidence to support that. I think my L3400 is built every bit as rugged and would last just as long as an older N if given the chance.
These newer ones DO have more electronics, sensors, etc that can fail. So I guess that makes them harder to work on and not as reliable in a way. But properly maintained and taken care of, and if parts are still avaliable, I see no reason at all why current tractors wont last just as long. But only time will tell.