How many hours is too much

[kharris]

I know this has been brought up before, so please bear with me. How many hours can we expect to get from these small tractor engines? I realize it depends a great deal on maintenance and upkeep. I am considering a unit with 1750 hrs. Your thoughts please.

 

[JimR]

My 1995 Cub Cadet has 2330 hours on it now. Any diesel engine should get anywhere between 6-7K or more if properly maintained. I have been told this by mechanics and my neighbor the farmer who owns many tractors.

 

[OrangeGuy]

I spent 20 years in the agricultural and construction equipment industries. The rule of thumb was 5,000 hours on a sub-100 HP diesel engine is equivalent to 100,000 miles on an automobile. 1750 hours subsequently is equivalent to approximately 35,000 miles. This means the tractor you are looking at should have many good hours left in it. Of course, all depends on how the tractor was cared for. Just like cars, some with 35,000 miles on are in worse condition than some with twice the miles.

As with buying a used car, have a tractor mechanic/technician look at the tractor and give you a "professional" opinion.

OrangeGuy

 

[r0GuE]

I'd look it over mighty carefully. If you know the history, (or most of it), that's one thing, but if it's just some guy, I'd be very interested in having a qualified mechanic look it over INSIDE and out.

Hopefully he'll have good news for you and you can buy with confidence, based on the milage equivelents others have stated. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[r0GuE]

By the way - Beware of GREY MARKET tractors!
See the kubota website for info on what models are grey market. Grey market tractors are not meant for importation to the states and therefore, parts are harder to find. See the site to get the whole story.

 

[frank_f15]

a lot depends on the type of work that was done in those hours. and the age of the machine.. very difficult to define. you have to look the tractor over very carefully and then make the decesion .

 

[RoyJackson]

You didn't mention the model or year of the tractor.
I wouldn't be too worried about the hours, if the machine feels strong.
I would be concerned about parts availability if it's an old Kubota (or any other make, actually)