Buying Advice Buying used, how many hours are too many?

[popsx3]

Looking to buy a used Kubota or whatever comes up in my price range. I see a bunch with up to 900 hours on them. Considering I'll use it clip around 10 acres once a month, maybe disc a garden, and scrape the road . I have a 1974 Ford 3000 that I'm tired of patching, no idea how many hours it has, but past it's prime, looking for something to just climb on and go. What is your cut off?
Thanks,
Pops

 

[Peter 315]

I have over 700 hundred hours on my L3800 still runs like new.......It depends on how hard the hours were put on it could be junk in a couple hundred hours...I start mine and let it warm up and cool down before shut down always change the oil and air filters......900 hundred hours is not much if taken care of.....

 

[dodge man]

Like a lot of things, there is no black and white answer. I kind of think of 1000 hours on small tractors being like 100,000 miles on a car. It’s not exact though, for a large ag tractor or construction equipment 1000 hours is very low. With tractors and equipment it’s more about maintenance and care. 900 hours on a small tractor could mean it’s used up or it could be in great shape.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Look around. If it was me, under 500 hours for sure, under 250 even better. Lot's of guys out there like me, tractor time is mostly play time. My MX is 7 1/2 years old and I just hit 180 hours.

 

[Storm56]

Hours are certainly a consideration, but by no means the only criteria. Compact diesels are more than capable of 10,000 hours if maintenance is good and not abused. Sadly most never come close to that. It is not hard to tell if a machine has been abused. Look for a clean unit that demonstates it's owner had pride of ownership.

I look for something that has been kept in a garage and has had regular maintenance. It is pretty easy to look at the unit and make a judgement if the owner used it a lot out of it's design parameters.

I equate 1000 hours to about 40,000 miles on a diesel pickup, really just getting broken in. Would much rather buy a clean well cared for unit with 1500-2000 hours than an abused unit with 300. Two years ago I bought a nice John Deere 790 with 670 hours. Works as new. There were a few things that required attention but after addressing them it has performed flawlessly.

Good luck in your search.

 

[fried1765]

Hours are certainly a consideration, but by no means the only criteria. Compact diesels are more than capable of 10,000 hours if maintenance is good and not abused. Sadly most never come close to that. It is not hard to tell if a machine has been abused. Look for a clean unit that demonstates it's owner had pride of ownership.

I look for something that has been kept in a garage and has had regular maintenance. It is pretty easy to look at the unit and make a judgement if the owner used it a lot out of it's design parameters.

I equate 1000 hours to about 40,000 miles on a diesel pickup, really just getting broken in. Would much rather buy a clean well cared for unit with 1500-2000 hours than an abused unit with 300. Two years ago I bought a nice John Deere 790 with 670 hours. Works as new. There were a few things that required attention but after addressing them it has performed flawlessly.

Good luck in your search.

^^^^^ I agree with the 40,000 mile comparison.

 

[4570Man]

^^^^^ I agree with the 40,000 mile comparison.

My gas burner 6.0 suburban had at the point the dash cluster died 292,000 miles and over 9,000 hours. My bucket truck with a DT466 is also over 9,000 hours.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

My 2011 BX has 1500+ HRs. Runs and operates same as when new. Body panels show the hours but that is all replaceable easily for around $500. If and when I want to sell (probably a couple years), buy the fix up items and increase price a couple thousand. Never been garaged but new sheet metal and plastic parts will make it look like new.

Ron

 

[redman135]

I would be more concerned with the maintenance than the hours.
Does it have records? (some people are meticulous).
Was it shed stored?
Was the owner a careful operator, or indifferent or a wrecker?
These 3 questions have more relevance to me than the hours.

 

[Hay Dude]

I would be more concerned with the maintenance than the hours.
Does it have records? (some people are meticulous).
Was it shed stored?
Was the owner a careful operator, or indifferent or a wrecker?
These 3 questions have more relevance to me than the hours.

Me, too. Would rather buy clean, maintained, shedded 2000 hr tractor than 1000 hr left outside with little maintenance
It would sell for less too.

 

[edgarrian]

I put on just a bit under 100 hours a year. So in ten years ill have 1000 hours. Thats not a lot really. I feel like equipment that has of upwards of 4000 hours is a used machine.

But you can be looking at a machine with 1000 hrs compared to one with 3000hrs and the latter might be in better condition. I keep up with maintenance and look after my equipment some owners do not do this. For instance my dealer took in a machine where the gentleman forgot to put his air filter back in his tractor. Yes you read that right. It had a mouse nest in there instead of the filter. So his tractor sits outside and clearly isn't taking care of it. Luckily for that guy he didnt cause any major damage but i sure in the **** would not want to buy his tractor if he ever put it up for sale.

My dad has had his kubota since 94. It still runs good. He use to install new grass for homeowners. So that tractor really had some hours on it for about its first 10 years. But today it still runs fine. Clearly its not new but it operates fine. I would not be afraid to buy it.

Buying used comes down to your willingness to look the machine over. Checking hydraulic hoses, looking at filters to see if they have been changed. Running the machine. Don't be afraid to lightly pull on things. Check the level of hydraulic oil. Check grease fittings. When running the hydraulics listen for that noise that indicates grease isn't being used. when running the machine engage the pto.

I really feel like tractors are better equipped to handle time over a car.

 

[aczlan]

My gas burner 6.0 suburban had at the point the dash cluster died 292,000 miles and over 9,000 hours. My bucket truck with a DT466 is also over 9,000 hours.

We have a 5.3L powered Yukon with around 185k miles and around 5300 hours on it.
For tractors condition matters more to me than hours up to around 2500 hours.

Aaron Z

 

[tradosaurus]

Just make sure the tractor isn't stolen. Some of the horror stories I've read I'm glad I bought new.

 

[nards444]

If it were me nothing over 1000. When I was looking I wanted under 500. With that said hours matter but so does age, two things that wear things out time and use. But obviously how it was taken care of, stored etc matter. But I wouldnt be buying anything into the thousands. Ive seen 10,000 hours mentioned, but I think thats a strech for the the livelyhood of an engine, I would think more like 3-5000 is realistic

 

[fried1765]

My gas burner 6.0 suburban had at the point the dash cluster died 292,000 miles and over 9,000 hours. My bucket truck with a DT466 is also over 9,000 hours.

My "agree with the 40,000 mile comparison" was agreement with the Storm56 comment of "just broken in".
Are you suggesting that 292,000 miles also equates with "just broken in"?

 

[kthompson]

The 10,000 hours is a number have heard from many in the farming industry. For some tractors that may be less than 10 years. For others as been pointed out never will see 2,000 hours just rust away. I do care how many hours on a tractor but also concerned with too few of hours. If a tractor is run say 52 hours a year, that is an average of 1 hour per week. That tractor may have been cranked up say twice for each hour on it so to me a lot of startups which is when a bit part of wear takes place, especially if cold start ups.
At same time the real low hour, how much OLD fuel is run through it?

 

[nards444]

The 10,000 hours is a number have heard from many in the farming industry. For some tractors that may be less than 10 years. For others as been pointed out never will see 2,000 hours just rust away. I do care how many hours on a tractor but also concerned with too few of hours. If a tractor is run say 52 hours a year, that is an average of 1 hour per week. That tractor may have been cranked up say twice for each hour on it so to me a lot of startups which is when a bit part of wear takes place, especially if cold start ups.
At same time the real low hour, how much OLD fuel is run through it?

Different between commercial/farming, and home owner use though good and bad.

 

[mred2]

I had two friends. One had an old dozer, low hours, shed kept. Other person wanted a dozer. The machine had been started about twice a year for the past 7 years. But no use. The seals and hoses in it were all past their life. The man had to take half of what he wanted. The man that got it had to spend over $10,000 on repairs the first 60 days. I start my machines and run them for at least 30 minutes to an hour every month. If I have time, at least 2 hours. And as stated, maintenance.

 

[Hay Dude]

The 10,000 hours is a number have heard from many in the farming industry. For some tractors that may be less than 10 years. For others as been pointed out never will see 2,000 hours just rust away. I do care how many hours on a tractor but also concerned with too few of hours. If a tractor is run say 52 hours a year, that is an average of 1 hour per week. That tractor may have been cranked up say twice for each hour on it so to me a lot of startups which is when a bit part of wear takes place, especially if cold start ups.
At same time the real low hour, how much OLD fuel is run through it?

Could indicate a replaced dash cluster or hours have been turned back, too.
I was talking to a tech a few months ago for an AGCO dealer and on bigger equipment, they routinely see MANN and SISU Diesel engines found in Fendt and Massey tractors run 15000 hours without ever being opened up for repairs.
I have a SISU Diesel in my Massey that has about 6000 hours on it and I wouldnt be afraid of buying it.

 

[4570Man]

My "agree with the 40,000 mile comparison" was agreement with the Storm56 comment of "just broken in".
Are you suggesting that 292,000 miles also equates with "just broken in"?

No for light duty vehicles 300,000 miles is pretty much junked.