Two basic tractors vs. one deluxe tractor

[LBrown59]

If and only if it is with Lester Flatt.

Pat

I've always ebjoyed Lester Scruggs & Earl Flatt.

 

[patrick_g]

I've always ebjoyed Lester Scruggs & Earl Flatt.

Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys were a favorite group. I'm not familiar with Lester Scruggs & Earl Flatt.

"Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs met as members of Bill Monroe's band, the Blue Grass Boys, in 1946. The two left that band early in 1948, and within a few months had formed their own group, the Foggy Mountain Boys." (Wikipedia)

All hail Marx and Lennon! Groucho Marx and John Lennon!!

Pat

 

[AlanB]

To the original post, I guess I really do not have multiple "tractors" per se, but we run older, well worn equipment, certainly nothing "deluxe". But as I see it, I would rather have multiple pieces then just one nice one.

We have a 1925 NH that is primarily for the out work of the landscape business, then I have a 555C Ford BH that I mostly use at the house, landscape home because I wanted a large heavy loader and the Backhoe was a bonus at least thats what I said to the wife...

My buddy, who sometimes borrows equipment, when he started looking to buy a tractor, we spoke at length, and he bought a Bobcat 743 that lives at my house and treated pretty much as mine.

Next purchase may be a small RamRod or Dingo type machine as those "planned communities" (what a joke) keep popping up all over town.

I guess as my belief and experience is that they all break, I would much rather have multiple machines, with some overalap, but generally with the intention that they all do something slightly different, better or faster then the others.

 

[chh]

All joking aside, I always try to have 2 tractors available to run my heaviest piece of equipment. That was validated for me the second year we started haying for ourselves on the ranch.(1984 or 85) 4 tractors on the place, an IH industial (50+hp) and a 4020 JD on vicon mowers, a Ford 4600 on a rake, and a Ford 9600 on the baler. The next to last feild of the season and the IH pops a head gasket. the 4600's front end broke down(again), and the 9600's pto takes a dump. Mowed, raked, and baled the last 80 acres on that old 4020 and I had to be back at work in 2 days. I was a tired son of a gun when the last bale rolled out that night.

 

[Bob_Young]

chh,
Other than the breakdowns, that's the kind of thing I was thinking about. A tractor for each activity when haying plus enough overlap capability that if one dies, another can step in and finish its task. Of course my acreage could fit inside your last 80 acres; so everything's on a smaller scale. But, regardless of size, no one likes to deal with a field of moldy, rained-on hay.

With hay, when a stretch of good weather comes along, you have to be ready to move. If help's available, multiple tractors will utilize it. If not, then you're really pressed and can't afford the time lost in unhitching/hitching.

One to mow, one to rake and one to bale worked great when we routinely hayed the place in the '80s. The rake tractor became the wagon shuttle when the baling started. Even the rake tractor could run our small baler; it wasn't pretty but it would do it.

The rest of the year, having multiple tractors was a labor saver/luxury itself for the reasons that LBrown's been giving. But now that one of them has a backhoe; it's not so much a luxury. It's good to be able to knock out a number of digging jobs while the hoe's on and not have to keep taking it off for routine work.
Bob

 

[chh]

Kinda scrambled that last post, but I guess the idea got thru. That was a very hard 2 days until about 9;30 that night. The baler broke down on the last bale. It truly was a never ending nightmare. Spent most of my spare time that winter fixing the breakdowns. The current plan for next summer is to do it all with 2 tractors and my wife and I as operators. It will be more equipment switching, but the tractors are much better than what I ran back then.

 

[patrick_g]

We have had several more well delivered discussions illustrating that there are different "best" solutions for different people in different situations.

Tractors are big power tools but just tools nevertheless. Some people will buy the fanciest even when simple is fine for their needs (tools or tractors.) Some will have a little toolbox with a pair of slipjoint pliers, a hammer, and a couple screw drivers while others may have multiple large rollaways full of good, bad, and indifferent tools. Enough tools to approach virtually any job from more than one angle.

Consider wrenches: Some folks have socket wrenches with drives from 1/4 inch to 1 inch with 6 pt, 12 pt, crows feet, wobble, all duplicated in both SAE and Metric with redundant coppies in many sizes. Then there are their end wrenches, with offset box, straight box, ratcheting box in both styles and SAE/metric. Some will have all these in "stubby", regular, and maybe extra long.

For some folks, who don't do as varied a collection of tasks and for whom not getting it done today is not a problem, maybe a couple adjustable spanners (Crescent type or monkey wrench) and or a pair of Vice Grips is all they really need for wrenches.

None of the above fictitious folks are wrong I F their tools allow them to do what they do as well as they want to get it done with or without redundant backup according to their need.

Tractors and implements are a lot like that too.

Pat

 

[Engine66]

If you have plenty of land and lots to do...then two tractors. A small one for mowing, light snow removal, moving firewood around, assisting with small landscaping chores, and ability to get around without tearing up your property. Bigger one for the heavy work...loading, grappling, logging, clearing, blading, etc. Same goes for chainsaws, small, light one for limbing, big one for the felling and trunk work. Enjoy!

 

[LBrown59]

If you have plenty of land and lots to do...then two tractors. A small one for mowing, light snow removal, moving firewood around, assisting with small landscaping chores, and ability to get around without tearing up your property. Bigger one for the heavy work...loading, grappling, logging, clearing, blading, etc. Same goes for chainsaws, small, light one for limbing, big one for the felling and trunk work. Enjoy!

It Takes At Least 2 Tractors To Make a Team !