Buying Advice Input on shopping for older mid-size tractor
- Thread starter aschwerin
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No shortage of advice in this forumThanks...
I'll read more thoroughly later, but my impression is that I *can* buy an older tractor because I have rather low requirements for features. And if I do buy an older tractor, it might be a good strategy to look for top condition rather than low price.
It depends. When buying a classic car, someone once said to me "buy the best condition you can afford because it will nearly always cost more to restore than they are worth".
However, having said that, it depends how much work you can or are willing to do yourself and what the price/condition is and some of it comes down to luck.
When it comes to older 2nd hand cars or tractors, unless fully restored, there is nearly always the 'catch-up factor', ie catching up on all the things the previous owner didn't do.
My advice, do your research. Know exactly what you are looking for and how much they are worth and in what condition. One other thing to remember is this, the price people advertise at and the price they will actually accept, are often (at least in this country), two very different things....most people, I find, try it on with the price when advertising.
You never know, you might just find a low priced bargain, in great condition. Good luck.
"On the other hand a year ago I bought a 1984 Ford 3910FWD for $8500. Did $2500 in repairs including new rear tires. So I have $11K in a very dependable tractor that will hold it's value well. Unless it faces catastrophic failure, it will most likely always be worth $11K. In this case I've avoided depreciation. But it cost me $2500 to do it. I've put 80 hours on it. To date it has cost me $31.25 per hour to run this older model tractor and I spent approximately 50 hours in my shop splitting it in two to install a new clutch, totally disassembling the front axle assembly and rebuilding it plus repairing half a dozen other minor issues that were needed. As the years go by that cost per hour will diminish somewhat."
ovrszd, you double counted your $2500 in repairs. You can just as well include the $2500 in repairs into the investment price, which happens to equal the tractor's value. It looks like you have 50 hours of labor spent on 80 hours of tractor use.
ovrszd, you double counted your $2500 in repairs. You can just as well include the $2500 in repairs into the investment price, which happens to equal the tractor's value. It looks like you have 50 hours of labor spent on 80 hours of tractor use.
Jenkins story about his John Deere and Bigfoot with his Ford 2600 is what I am thinking about. It can be very inexpensive to own a tractor, and I have had that experience with many other machines in my life. My knowledge of tractors is quite limited, which is what I am seeking to expand here. Stan33, I thought this was my research
As stated in the OP - swivel seats, loader, 4WD, etc. are not on my shopping list. 35+ HP, live or at least two-stage PTO, reliability are the sort of things I am willing to invest in. I've had some good experiences buying well-maintained single-owner vehicles. And the primary attraction of buying a new tractor is getting to be that single-owner who knows nobody but yourself has abused your machine.
I appreciate learning more about the MF 231/240 etc. In another discussion I found good recommendations of International B-275 and 414 and related tractors. There are some good-looking ones in the area.
I'm looking for us to take a vacation for 10 days, so there won't be any real shopping for a little while.
As stated in the OP - swivel seats, loader, 4WD, etc. are not on my shopping list. 35+ HP, live or at least two-stage PTO, reliability are the sort of things I am willing to invest in. I've had some good experiences buying well-maintained single-owner vehicles. And the primary attraction of buying a new tractor is getting to be that single-owner who knows nobody but yourself has abused your machine.
I appreciate learning more about the MF 231/240 etc. In another discussion I found good recommendations of International B-275 and 414 and related tractors. There are some good-looking ones in the area.
I'm looking for us to take a vacation for 10 days, so there won't be any real shopping for a little while.
ovrszd
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aschwerin;4329887 ovrszd said:My point to you was you may spend 3 or 4 thousand on a tractor and then spend another $2500 fixing it before it gives you any production. In my case the tractor cost was $8500. To date the operational costs have included the additional $2500 for 80 hours of use. As time goes by that will get cheaper. But I don't justify it by adding it to the value of the tractor because I have no intention of selling it.
When buying an "older mid-size tractor" you need to be prepared for worst case scenario. That's my input.
Yes, I think that's it ovrszd. I'm trying to gain the knowledge useful to avoiding the worst case scenario, and increase my chances of arriving at that best case scenario. Seems it may be quite dependent on my abilities to evaluate the condition of a tractor, and/or evaluate the mechanical abilities of the seller and his honesty.
motownbrowne
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Ding ding ding! That's absolutely correct. If you're not mechanically inclined and familiar with the tractor models you are looking at, bring someone who is. If you pay someone $100-300 dollars to ride along and help examine a tractor, that expenditure may save you thousands down the line. I paid my neighbor (auto mechanic-equipment operator-small time beef farmer) to ride along when I bought my New Holland. We looked over every inch of the machine together and he thought it looked very good for the price. He helped negotiate $1000 off the asking price, and then he loaded and secured the tractor on the trailer while I settled up with the seller. Worth $100? You betcha!!
Bigfoot62
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1. Had it's share of heavy pulling and loads. For years, it was the only tractor we had to handle round bales. (hay forks on rear 3PH) But, to be honest, I think both rear tires have been booted, one of them twice. IIRCTo get 35 years out of a pair of rear tires a couple things had to happen.
1. No heavy pulling?
2. Parked inside?
Very dependable tractors!!!
And, the 35 year old rear tires are NOT new, but still functional. (ie: still holding air)
2. Always sleeps under the shed.
All of my tractors do.And, new clutches are probably not far off. Still doing OK for now, but the PTO clutch is almost gone. This tractor is basically my lawn mower. I have a 3 acre yard and I keep a 6' finish mower on this tractor. That's all it's done for several years now. I can probably baby the clutch and get a few more mowing seasons out of it.
Stan33, I thought this was my research
You must be joking, right. This is only one part of it.
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