New vs. Used

[To20Chris]

I started this as a reply in another thread, but decided to post it separately....

There seem to be a lot of folks trying to make the new vs. used decision, and the one thing that seems to get missed in this equation is TIME!

I'm pretty good with a wrench, and I like to work on things when I'm not rushed, but I have far more projects than I have time for, and I bought the tractor to work, not work on! I've given away vehicles I really liked because it was obvious I was never going to find the time & I couldn't stand watching them deteriorate. Between the old truck, Jeep, the Wheel Horse, Gravely, and my old Ferguson, there is always something in need of a wrench (or hammer!). Not to mention the barn! So when I decided I needed an FEL & BH, I went looking at used CUTs, and a saw the worn tires, the broken this & that, and I thought "NO WAY"! Even CUTs in that condition were commanding a big buck, so it just did not make sense for me. Also, the parts are tough to finance. I really didn't see anything used locally that looked really nice, but I suspect that if I had it would have had a "like new" price with it too.

The other part of the TIME thing is that I needed to get the tractor and get using it. I spent a lot of time researching, mostly on TBN (a big thank you!), and I'm sure that if I really looked for the perfect used machine it would have been out there. There certainly have been a lot of CUTs sold recently, and I have to believe quite a few come back on the market. But then I wouldn't buy anything I couldn't see, so that may have led to road trips, etc. Again, no time for it.

I know other folks have more time to do the work, and certainly better places to do it, so the new vs. used equation can work out differently for each of us. Maybe it's just a stage of life thing, but with 2 kids and a job and a place that needs a lot of work, I have to stay focused! If things go well, I'll have quite a few years before I have to do any significant service, and by then maybe I'll have time (I can hope!).

Pardon my ramblings - I'm hoping the thread might be useful food for thought!

 

[Bird]

Well said, Chris. I certainly understand that and have been there myself. I enjoy tinkering and repairing things when there's no hurry. But I hated having to work on my own car when I had to have it ready to go to work tomorrow. And in 1995, I looked for 6 months for an older used tractor and found nothing but junk and bought a new one instead.

 

[KiotiJohn]

Chris, this thread is right on the mark. So many out there that I've read who think they want a used tractor, but then we find out they don't know how to put air in the tire, let a lone break a tractor in half and replace a clutch, etc. As you say, there is almost always a need for a wrench, or a hammer! I hope all the people who are looking will stop to analyze their abilities and buy accordingly. Otherwise, some mechanic is going to be very happy with all the work he'll get. John

 

[Theowegian]

Dude, I know what you're talking about!

I went thru the exact same thinking. I had an old, '59 vintage allis D-14 2wd tractor. I loved working it...BUT...then I ended up working ON it instead of working WITH it. I finally, sold it after I put a lot of my time and effort into it. I realized that I wanted to work the ground not work on the tractor.

So I do agree you. Also, finding a good used compact is not easy. If you look at the dealers, they have to have a good $$ margin built in their asking price, so that if something goes haywire with it, they can still stand behind their used tractor, make it right with you and still be somewhat money ahead - or at least even.

This point was made clear to me when I asked my Kubota dealer, who was a former Allis tractor dealer, if he would give me a good trade in on my old tractor. His answer was disappointing. He said, "Well, frankly, I dont want it. But if you insist on trading it in, I will call the salvage yard, find out what they will give me for it and then that is the amount I will give YOU."

So after hearing that, I sold my tractor to a private party, took the cash whicj helped me buy a brand new tractor.

It is most wise to take a hard look at your property (and most of us can tell), do we need to do a lot of work here or is the work mostly finished?

If it is not finished at all, then a new tractor makes sense from a cumulative work perspective.

But even more interestingly, the safety factor is really a big consideration. Older tractors were not designed to do the kinds of things that compacts are designed to do. Therefore, some folks want to put their antique tractors into situations and "see if I can do it with the old tractor". That is a recipe for disaster.

So TIME is a big consideration, but SAFETY is probably just as big a deal for some of us.

Thanks for your post . . . .
dwight

 

[Poppa]

It is where I am going. I have a list of jobs I want to do when I get my new tractor and I guarantee that "Fixing the Tractor" is not on the list. Been trying to explain this to my wife and I think she is coming around but slowly. Add in the aforementioned Safety factor and I just can't see myself buying an older tractor as my "Working" tractor.

Now, does that mean I wouldn't like to have an old 2N or JDA hanging around for tinkering with and driving around the neighborhood? Heck no but they would never be considered the "Working" tractors.

Har Har, I used the words working and tractor in the same sentence, twice. Good Lord I am starting to believe the stuff I have been telling my wife /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Mike

 

[To20Chris]

Well, I kept the old TO20, which I will probably continue to use with the Bushhog - something for which it is particularly ill-suited, but then I've been using that combination for 25yrs! Actually my wife just started driving the TO20 with the hog last year, and it turns out she likes it, so selling it was never really an issue. She says she won't drive the Kioti for fear of doing something to it, but I'm sure I'll get her driving it eventually.

Come to think of it, when I started looking at CUTs, she didn't even want to think about a used unit. Probably visions of me up to my armpits in grease, the tractor in pieces in the driveway with the work lights on it at 11:00pm - nah, that's never happened before! /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

I guess I should keep her! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[texbaylea]

I am another end of this question. For more than I have done ALL of the maintenance of our homes, vehicles and equipment. At 73, I no longer have the strength and flexibility to do some of this work. From here out, I will buy new so I can work more an have to do "work" less. I will also hire more help and since I am a retired aerospace project manager, manage more and work less.

 

[Kevin37]

Chris
I'll chime in with my two cents worth. I searched for more then a year for a good used tractor. I began by listing what I wanted with size, HP, 4 wd, reliability, etc. and when it was all said and done....there was no such animal. I'm taking the leap and buying new, and it is the right decision for me and my time constraints make it more right every day. For me, my time is taken up with a wife, two small kids, a puppy, 25 acres at the beginning stage of our new home project, a 41 year old house that needs new septic lines, a basement bathroom, paint work and a host of other things. The thought of not having the tractor ready because I had to turn a wrench first did not fit in that schedule! Oh yeah, I forgot about work. Gotta make the tractor payment somehow!

Everyones situation is unique. Do what's right and buy what's right for you.

For me it's GREEN /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Kevin

 

[puter]

Hi Chris -

I hope this comes across in the "philosophical conversation over a beer" manner in which it was intended. Please read it that way...

I certainly relate to the idea that time is preciously limited, and that my time will likely run out long before my list of projects does (though I'm not sure that's necessarily a bad thing). But, in my opinion, that illustrates you're using the wrong equation. Time really isn't part of the new vs. used decision at all.

As I see it, the REAL decision all of us are making is, very simply, how are we going to spend our time? We're making the decision of what we want to do (which, by the way, is a very different decision than what we want to get done ).

You're making the decision that what you want to do is sit on the tractor and use it to do those things it enables you to do. You're also deciding that what you don't want to do is spend your time working on the tractor. That's fine, and I suspect that a great many people would make those exact same decisions. To be fair though, you could achieve that through rentals as well. Or, you could just have someone else (the dealer?) do any required maintenance work.

The essence of your post is that folks should consider what their time is worth... I agree. Have to be careful walking that road though, because it leads to hiring jobs out.

Back to your equation... the old "time, money and quality" addage really does a good job summing up the things you're trading-off versus each other when you make the decisions about what you want to do. I suspect that most people buying new are valuing "money" in the equation a bit less preciously and "time" a bit more.

The vast majority of us that have purchased a tractor for residential use have pretty much decided that what we want to do is spend some time in that seat. New or used, it costs a lot to do that and though we can calculate the "convenience cost" of having that tractor around, an honest answer isn't likely to tell us anything other than we have a rather expensive hobby... I'm ok with that. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

- Mark

 

[JimR]

This is a great post. Here were my thoughts on this subject. I just bought a used 7275 Cub Cadet. Although it is not perfect. It will do everything that I need to get done this year. There are minor details to attend to with it that are a piece of cake for me. I would have bought a new tractor if I could have been able to afford it. With 2 kids in college that was out of the question for now. So here goes my thoughts on this subject.
If you can afford new, buy new.
If you can't afford new and are mechanically inclined, buy used.
If you can't afford new and can't swing wrenches, find a freind that also needs a tractor and go in on a new tractor with him.
Buy a tractor that will do what you want done. Do not go smaller than what you need. You will regret it.
I could not find any dealer that would give a written guaranty on a used machine. If you do find one that will, get it in writing.
I spent many months searching for a tractor that would suit my needs. Many were 2-3k miles away. No warranty on these rigs left them where they were. Check the machine out well before buying if used. Make sure you work it good to see that all the major components work. Once you own it, you own the problems too.