How many tractor hours per year?

[PCABE5]

Some people start their tractors in the morning and let it idle most of the day while they are working around the tractor, never shutting it off.

Seen that myself plus the hour meter runs faster at idle from every tractor I've seen. Makes sense as you'd change your oil sooner.

Location plays a big part in the number of hours. I believe the OP lives in Florida so he can do a lot more year round. Here there's not much going on here November to March except snow removal.

Retired or still working also factors in or if you are an actual farmer who puts on a lot of hours.

 

[wheelbuilder]

Before I bought the Bolens/Iseki, I was putting about 150+ hours a year on the craftsman gt. The Bolens apparently saves me about 50 hours a year doing the same stuff. Either the hour meters are off between the 2, or more likely, I can get stuff done faster with the bigger Bolens. Kind of a shame, I like working with the Bolens.

 

[bearthebruce]

Location plays a big part in the number of hours. I believe the OP lives in Florida so he can do a lot more year round. Here there's not much going on here November to March except snow removal.

Retired or still working also factors in or if you are an actual farmer who puts on a lot of hours.

Location, land purpose, live on or weekend get away, farm/non-farm - all those play a factor.

We do not use our machine from December thru Feb - usually our place is not occupied those months. It's cold enough that us city slickers are not out on the land with the exception of me.. partly why they call me the bear.. but bears do hibernate when it gets cold. Working full time to run an international business, finding time to work the land is often 2nd fiddle. Just need a 36 hour day.. then maybe we could get more work done on the land and run our tractor more!

 

[DK35vince]

Seen that myself plus the hour meter runs faster at idle from every tractor I've seen. Makes sense as you'd change your oil sooner.

Many tractors are just the opposite.
The tractors I have owned were both mechanical hour meters (need to run at or near PTO RPM for 1 hour to equal 1 hour on the meter).
Lower than PTO RPM equals slower time registered on the meter per hour, not faster.
I would have to idle for over 2 hours to register 1 hour on the meter.

 

[Bocephous]

My tractor lives in a LARGE unheated carport. I have more than enough problems with mice & chipmunks in this carport stall. If it were heated - might as well put up the "Open House" signs for the rodents. I recently acquired a farm cat and the rodent situation is in serious abeyance.

Peter - I would like to take credit for being able to retire early. It's simply not the case. I tend to spend like a drunken sailor. My wife takes care of all the finances and keeps me in line. She deserves all the credit. My spending was a rather sore subject. Up until the day she showed me that I could retire and we could live quite well.

Mine lives in a non-heated garage and I keep the hood up, battery tender attached, and it seems to keep the rodent problem at bay (I live in the corner of a field and have a lot of mice). I also have a five gallon bucket mouse trap that catches the occasional mouse. An outdoor cat would be nice, but my wife would have a problem with the outdoor part and our dogs would not play nice, in all likelyhood.

 

[tmcj]

Same here, about 100 hours per year. Some brushogging, plowing snow, occasionally mowing with it, whatever chores or projects I feel like getting it into around the house or for family and friends. FEL, backhoe, rear blade, mower, brush hog, all get used now and then.

I've always had a tractor at my disposal whether it was the family's Super C, M, or my own Max 26xl for the last few years. I can't imagine life without a tractor, lol.

 

[buck12]

Location, land purpose, live on or weekend get away, farm/non-farm - all those play a factor. !

Yes, those are definitely factors. Last year I put about 75 hours on my tractor. It would be far more hours if we lived full time on our property. If I could come home from work and hop on the tractor for an hour, my property would look far better and the tractor would get many more hours. My little JD GT 235 (no hour meter) at our home probably gets as many hours as my tractor simply because it’s at our full time residence.

Another factor is that those of us in certain areas don’t have to plow snow. Once it gets cold and wet my tractor gets limited use until spring.

 

[firemen122]

Around 600-750 hours per year on the 2 main tractors. 1-200 on the others.

 

[5030]

500-750 a season on each of mine but could be a lot less, depends on the weather. if it's hot and sticky, the cabin tractor gets the meter time. If it's mild, the open station gets the meter time. All depends on M other Nature.

 

[deserteagle71]

Funny thing about tractor usage. When all I had was my ancient John Deere/open station I was averaging approximately 100 hours a year on it. Then I got the Kubota with the cab - that thing is such a pleasure to operate that I'm constantly finding reasons to get in it and run it no matter what the weather, so I'm putting about 150 hours a year on it. Yet...I still manage to put ~ 100 hours a year on the John Deere also. So I guess I'm enjoying my tractor time!