ritcheyvs
Veteran Member
4,000 hours on a tractor is roughly similar to a car with 200,000 miles. But hours are not all the same. Some (mostly older) hour meters are really engine rev counters that read true hours only at rated RPM. Lower RPMs make that style meter run slower. Other gauges indicate actual elapsed time whenever the engine is running. But tractors lack many of the things that make a car "worn out", like shock absorbers, rubber suspension elements, body rust, seat cushions, or even driving over salted winter roads. So well-maintained tractors should "outlast" cars with similar operating hours. Good Diesel engines can last a very long time if maintained; there are Mercedes Diesels with millions of miles and 300+K miles is typical. On the other hand, early Volkswagen Rabbits Diesels had more than a few problems and many were short lived. Also, even Mercedes made some dogs like original 350 SD engines that ovaled-out the cylinders in only 100K-200K miles (caused by a weak initial connecting rod design). I doubt Kioti has been around long enough for a reliable track record. Besides, with so many different engine models (e.g. Tier 3 vs Tier 4), data from a 20-year-old model may not tell us much about current models and current models have low hours.
My opinion? Trade or supplement the tractor if it doesn't meet your needs. Otherwise plan on including it in your will.
My opinion? Trade or supplement the tractor if it doesn't meet your needs. Otherwise plan on including it in your will.
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