Tier 4 is comming... now is the time to get off the fence!

[Turbys_1700]

If you look at the history of Tier I, II, III, and now IV, it has wreaked havoc on the over the road tractor diesel industry...
Freightliner has two plants located here in Mt. Holly and Cleveland...
Everytime a new tier is coming into effect the company has to hire workers and work overtime due to the freight companies buying a lot of tractors before the new regulations take place...
Once the regs take place and the new higher prices take effect then the business falls off to nothing...
They then go through the process of laying off a bunch of people they had to hire in order to get out the increased demand on the previous Tier regulations...
I am all for environmental protections but this madness has got to stop sometime...
Those yo-yo's in Washington are a bunch of blithering imbeciles and have no clue on how law effects employment until after the fact...

[MFRED]

You didn't think the knuckle heads in Washington ever had a clue did you? Out of touch with the reality of what the majority of the US population deals with everyday. Those clowns couldn't run a hot dog stand. Arrrgh. Can't get onto politics.

Tier-4 is going to put a big dampener on compact & sub-compact sales for sure. Consumers aren't and shouldn't support a 20% increase in price. If you're thinking of buying, now is the time for sure.

[MessickFarmEqu]

Look at the price of bobcat skid steers over 75 hp to get an idea of whats coming. I can tell you their is a 4 digit price increase between a tier3 and a tier4 model.

Yup. The invoice cost difference between an M9540 and M9960 is $3300. From what I've seen, thats the cost of entry. Its not going to be dramaticly less on smaller models.

[dave1949]

Exactly, and it took a good many years before the engine management technology caught up. Anyone remember how their brand new mid-70's car or truck would continue to run for a few minutes after it was shut off?

Buy now and beat the expense... and headaches.

I remember buying a '72 carb. from the junk yard to put on my '74 Nova, and then it ran like an engine should instead of lurching along when at slow speeds

[bucktaker]

Price increases and quality concerns are all the more reason to buy an older reliable tractor, and given their rising popularity it seems that others tend to agree. Seriously, who can justify spending 20-30k on a piece of machinery that will only be used a few times a year? Certainly not me.

Dream on buddy. Chances of having quality parts to keep that old iron in working order 25-50 yrs from now??? I hope so but have put my money on a new ( then 25 yr old) Kubota for my uses. There are reasons you dont see the for- profit farmers running the old tracotors in their business they do get worn out and need to be replaced. I am in a position to buy what i want now and have it paid for and hopefully it will be with me when I get planted, then go on to my child and her family

I agree with Messicks get in now before the next level of complexity....Look at the current Diesel PU's OMG

[Gary Fowler]

The technology and on the road vehicles are here today that will get 50+ MPG for passenger cars. Europe and most of the world other than USA is already into diesel fueled small displacement engines in their cars and trucks. If I recall, England already mandates that the fleet average be above 50MPG and the same automakers that serve us up a car with great 30MPG economy makes them available in Europe for over 50MPG. USA is so hog wild to drive 6 liter or larger displacement vehicles up and down the highway hauling one or maybe 2 people and no cargo that we demand high horsepower and performance mostly due to lower gas prices that we enjoy.

[Piston]

Over the next two years most tractors over 25Hp will move to Tier 4 emmissions. This is done with engine credits so most companies will have a phased approach. We're starting to see more details trickling in on whats changing, and while I can't really give specifics at this point, I just wanted to throw up the flag and say BUY NOW!. The price increase in your typical compact tractor is comming in at over $3000. You will get marginly better fuel economeny which in a high hour applications can pay for the cost difference, but those of us compact owners putting on 150hr/year will end up with nothing but a slew of computers and toxic heavy metals under the hood.

If anyone within 200 miles of 17022 whats a deal, email me while I can still have most everything. I am slightly concerned that this may start to push the price of some tractors out of the reach of our customers.

Sounds to me like business is a little slow lately?

[MessickFarmEqu]

The technology and on the road vehicles are here today that will get 50+ MPG for passenger cars. Europe and most of the world other than USA is already into diesel fueled small displacement engines in their cars and trucks.

Its a bit more complicated than this. The reason the can EU run small diesels is because their emissions stands for NOx are higher than ours... its was that way even before the all this TierX stuff started. Safety is also a driving issue as it ads considerable weight, there again.. the EU standards are lower than ours. Yes... we expect more in size and power, I don't think its wrong for a consumer to want that... but the reason we have not had the high milage cars here is not because people won't buy them, its because they don't meet all our regulations.

Sounds to me like business is a little slow lately?

No, it was Top of mind because i just placed an order for about 12-18 months worth of Tier3 inventory.

[Guesseral]

The technology and on the road vehicles are here today that will get 50+ MPG for passenger cars. Europe and most of the world other than USA is already into diesel fueled small displacement engines in their cars and trucks. If I recall, England already mandates that the fleet average be above 50MPG and the same automakers that serve us up a car with great 30MPG economy makes them available in Europe for over 50MPG. USA is so hog wild to drive 6 liter or larger displacement vehicles up and down the highway hauling one or maybe 2 people and no cargo that we demand high horsepower and performance mostly due to lower gas prices that we enjoy.

Lower gas prices? Wow I don't think our gas prices are low, as a matter of fact I think they are rediculas. I know what you are saying that are prices are lower than other countries prices but lets not say it to loud, big oil will take any chance to raise prices!

[TripleR]

Price increases and quality concerns are all the more reason to buy an older reliable tractor, and given their rising popularity it seems that others tend to agree. Seriously, who can justify spending 20-30k on a piece of machinery that will only be used a few times a year? Certainly not me.

I like older tractors and we have several that my brothers use to run rotary cutters, pull box blades, push a little brush etc., like you, their use is only a few hours a year, so they work fine. I maintain two properties of several hundred acres and put 400-600 hours per year on them and may be on a tractor day after day for a week or so due to time constraints, and I have to have a cab.

My brother was thinking about buying a new Kubota, so we moved a 1987 Massey Ferguson out there, he did a little work on it and is as happy as a kid at Christmas.

There is a place/need/desire for old and new; just gotta figure which is best for our needs.