i dont think this website is just for compact tractors

[D7E]

I guess I can't see how you figure they need to be running all day to be making oney to justify their cost.
A better question is what justifies them to run when crops are growing and it is mid July and there is no dirt to be worked up becaue crops are growing on it? When those 300 hp tractors are running in the field all day they are costing money (cutting into the bottom line), not making money (because you aren't billing them hourly to someone else).

Honestly by your reasoning you gave then how do you justify buying a $200,000 combine that only gets used in the fall to harvest? Same thing with the combine, if it's running it's costing you.

And yes I do understand the costs involved in farming and you have to spend moey to make money, but you want to run your equipment as little as possible not as much as possible.

Absoluteley, We have 8 tractors, 2 combines, 3 trucks ,A cat D7, and a backhoe ,At most this stuff only works for 6 months a year , The 3 tractors 210-325hp only work 3-4 months a year same as 2 combines.
in summer 1 tractor sprays and mows ditches in winter 1 for snow blower and log splitter.

 

[Birdhunter1]

My question to you Woodbeef is what are you going to do with 3- 250-300 HP tractors everyday when all 2000 acres of your ground is in corn or beans in the middle of July (mid growing season) and you have a small machine to mow ditches and roadsides with.
Now you need those tractors in the spring and fall so you can't get by with just one and renting is out of the question so what are you going to do with them? If you run dirt pans on construction sites you'll be replacing that machine very quickly before your trans goes out, if you run a 300 hp machine to mow little jobs that a 70-80 hp machine will do you'll use 3 times the fuel for the same amount of work. If you're spraying you want to use the lightest weight machine possible to avoid ground compaction. Winter time comes around and there isn't much the machine can do with the ground frozen or snow sitting on top of it.
You have to figure wear and tear on stuff and often running the machine to "pick up" work isn't profitable enough to overcome the wear put on it so it's not wore out before you've planned to trade it off.

 

[kozak]

I think aesanders hit it on the head. Most larger farms normally grow more than one type of crop. I'm not a farmer but I do live out in the country. Don't know of any farmers in our area that would have all their fields in one crop especially 2000 acres. The farmer right next door partners with another farmer to grow crops on 600 acres. Every year they normally grow winter wheat, corn & beans. Between the two of them they have a 80-90 HP tractor & a 125 to 150 HP tractor plus combine & smaller tractor. There are farms with much bigger machines but it is not the norm. I guess you had better have hugh acreage (2000 acres & up) to afford to run tractors in the 200HP to 300 HP range or it just does'nt make sense.

Vic

 

[Soundguy]

if you run a 300 hp machine to mow little jobs that a 70-80 hp machine will do you'll use 3 times the fuel for the same amount of work. .

I disagree with that one slightly. Fuel usage is generally tied to work. I can mow an acerage with a 67hp machine.. or a 95 hp machine, and come up with virtually identical fuel usage.. why? because the 95 hp machine is not using 95 hp to do the work of the 67 hp machine.

Now.. a 300 hp machine is bigger and heavier than an 80 hp machine.. so there will be ineficiencies and extra weight to tote.. but I doubt it would be a 3:1 difference.

At work we run alot of dirt pans and pretty much, you can tie fuel usage to 'yards' of the machine. That is, the 23 yard machines use just under twice the fuel of the 13 yard machines.. etc..... doing just under twice the work.. etc IE.. fuel economy is tied to actual work.. not raw hp..

Soundguy

 

[schmism]

I see what you mean about "real farmers" and 100+hp guys not hanging out hear.

As a guy that grew up in the midwest (or id like to think so) Im used to the corn belt IL type of farming. In some places 1000 acers is "getting started"

and like others said. I can drive down the road to (about to be) my new 4.4 acers and pass, soy beans, corn, winter wheat, "hay" (something thats been round bailed) all in 1 mile strech of road, meaning likely one or 2 farms are working 3 or more things at a time.

btw im another one of those non farmer types that has a desk job and specifically looked for a little old farm house on some acers out in the country and hopes to enjoy useing my new "toy" NH TC33