</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Don't see many farmers with a 60 year old tractor as their main power source )</font>
Probably depends on where you live. I live in n. central florida.. horse country.. still see farms with hundred acer plots, and dozens of smaller farms with 5-10-20 acer plots. Again.. not uncommon to see goats, pigs, chickens, or cows walking a fencline on a side road that have found their way thru a hole in a fence.
In the 3 roads it takes me to drive to work on, I can see horses, pigs chickens, and goats If I look thru a fence. One of those roads is US 441.. straight thru fl.. the old truck route.
Also on those 3 roads, I regularly see two farmers mowing their side by side farms.. one has a ford 5000, the other a 4000. Hit the next road, and there are two gentlemen with naa or hundred series fords on their 10 ac farms. Across from my office there is a landscaper that uses a ford 3000 with front end loader as his main machine... down the road, the hardware store has a nice 640 that it mows around the store with. The farmer across from that where I bought my turkies from has a ford 5000 to mow his 130 ac. Move closer into town, and there are 2 fellows one with a fergy 35, and the other with a 651?.. of which I've tried to by both at one time or another. The car lot on the way out of belleview mows grass with a a/c 'G'.. neat machine.
At our local seminol feed store it is very common to see an old farmall h or M parked running in the parking lot with a mower attatched.. dripping gas and oil, waiting for the farmer to come out with a bag of feed or two, to load onthe mower deck and ride home. Down past the store by the railroad tracks a fellow mows his used car lot with an old massey-harris. Further down that road a fellow uses an old ford with a belly mower to mow his junkyard/welding shop.
Back in town a bit on 441.. still on the north side.. between belleview and ocala, there is a garage that makes small portable buildings. They just sold their H farmall and belly mower for a ztr... and across from them is a fellow that has an old IH diesel with a cab, a ford 3000, and some newer 60's era cub. i think only one of those is used to maintain his shopyard though.. the others may be for sale.
Those aren't made up. Those are people I've stopped and seen and conversed with on a daily basis.. all within the small towns of belleview, pedro, and summerfield. I don't see any old trike JD's.. but the local sod company does have an older larger 70's model jd. You see lots of new cut kubotaswith fel on trailers running around the county.. contractors or lanscapers.. etc.
Like I said.. depends on your region... in my area.. it is MOSTLY old tractors.. in fact.. our local TSC store pretty much only carries stuff for the oldies... I havn't notices any real parts other than seats for anything from the 80's and up..
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Seems to me the best tractors of their time aren't around after a certain amount of time as they have been worked to death. )</font>
Heck.. a ford can go from worked to death to working with about 1000$ in parts and lots of sweat.. that includes complete engine overhaul, clutch and pressureplate, and tranny input seal, hyds and brake rebuild. If you coun't the jap grey market dealers.. we have more used tractor dealers in my county than new tractor dealers.
Soundguy
