What do you consider to be high hours?

[davrow]

Anything past 10 PM and I often fall asleep.

Yeah, anything over 40 hours a week is high hours! Being paid overtime helps a little, though.

A little more seriously, for your Kubotas, Mahindras and similar, my number is 4,000 would be too high for me to be comfortable buying used. I'm not a mechanic. But that wouldn't necessarily be because of the engine, but total package wear and tear.

 

[California]

... for your Kubotas, Mahindras and similar, my number is 4,000 would be too high for me to be comfortable buying used. I'm not a mechanic. But that wouldn't necessarily be because of the engine, but total package wear and tear.

Something in that category is a gamble, I've won some lost some, but on average over a lifetime I'm many dollars ahead compared to buying only new or in the 'dealer-certified used' category. The two tractors in my sig photo below were winning gambles, both are some 30 years old. 13 troublefree years now on the green one after a few hundred $ bringing neglected stuff back up to spec - a battery, ignition switch, etc. The red one dyno-tested better than spec after I bought it a few years ago. But of course I've also had some losers. An old Volvo that turned out to be the front and rear halves of two different cars welded together - and a 1980 Chev Citation I bought new that was worn out at 35 k miles and couldn't maintain freeway speed when I traded it in at 45k miles. (Both a slipping clutch and a flat camshaft, and needed a few thousand $ to fix other failed stuff like the A/C.) My point is if you don't earn your living with the tractor why not take a chance, set aside a reserve to get it up to spec, and spend the money you saved on something else more important.

 

[4570Man]

Yeah, anything over 40 hours a week is high hours! Being paid overtime helps a little, though. A little more seriously, for your Kubotas, Mahindras and similar, my number is 4,000 would be too high for me to be comfortable buying used. I'm not a mechanic. But that wouldn't necessarily be because of the engine, but total package wear and tear.

I'd be afraid of a 4,000 hour compact tractor. The engine probably still runs fine, but the rest of the machine is probably well past its prime. I would still buy one, but it would have to be really cheap.

 

[sixdogs]

Prior to this weekend, the highest tractor I ever saw was a 1960's Deere with 14,000 or so. This weekend I saw an 18,500 hour industrial tractor up for sale. Still looked pretty good. I consider 9,000 on a farm tractor high and 2,500-3,000 on a compact tractor high-ish.

 

[aczlan]

We have forklifts at work that are 10 years old maybe and many of them have eight to twelve thousand hours on them. Toyota forklifts with Toyota engines but I think they're the same as some small car. They are running on propane, they get started at 6:30 or 7 in the morning then during Harvest they'll run till 6:30 or 7 at night. Otherwise they get shut off around 3:30 but they're either driving around or idling the whole time in between.

Aaron Z

 

[Plantation Paul]

It all depends on the maintenance and up keep (that include cosmetics). I have a JD 4960 with over 10K hrs on it, never rebuilt. Only because of a rod bolt replacement (recommended by a JD service bulletin) we replaced the rod bearings as well. Funny the old bearings looked fine, but we were there.

 

[dragoneggs]

I'd be afraid of a 4,000 hour compact tractor. The engine probably still runs fine, but the rest of the machine is probably well past its prime. I would still buy one, but it would have to be really cheap.

I'm leaning your way but it really depends on usage. Was it a mower, digger? idling or straining? And when I say straining, I mean metal strain.

 

[4570Man]

I'm leaning your way but it really depends on usage. Was it a mower, digger? idling or straining? And when I say straining, I mean metal strain.

We could make up any conditions for the topic of discussion. Since it's a second hand heavily used tractor it's likely done all off the above, and you don't know it's history.

 

[dragoneggs]

We could make up any conditions for the topic of discussion. Since it's a second hand heavily used tractor it's likely done all off the above, and you don't know it's history.

Exactly. Just trying to toss in a few subjects to probe the seller.

'Heavily' is a relative term. I have found that asking a few open ended questions to get the seller talking is the best strategy. This breeds an honest discussion, truth, the beginning of a potential relationship, and your best bet of feeling good about your transaction. :2cents:

 

[4570Man]

Exactly. Just trying to toss in a few subjects to probe the seller.

'Heavily' is a relative term. I have found that asking a few open ended questions to get the seller talking is the best strategy. This breeds an honest discussion, truth, the beginning of a potential relationship, and your best bet of feeling good about your transaction. :2cents:

The imagery tractor in discussion has 4000 hours. That's pretty heavy use compared to the average TBN user.