Tractors are getting more costly every year

[WinterDeere]

My parents first refrigerator was $500.
Pa and Ma working brought home aboot $140 a week.

There you go! A refrigerator was 3.6 weeks salary! That'd be like the average professional today paying more than $10k for a damn refrigerator.

Of course, they did last a lot longer, back then.

 

[5030]

Televisions. For as much as six decades, the average "large" family room television had cost very roughly $700. But what you would get for $700 improved dramatically over that time, and the value of said $700 kept decreasing over time.

Yeah, I've paid double that for leading-edge TV's (e.g. 75" LED back in 2011), but the greater trend is the masses of 45" and 50" LED TV's that can now be had for $250 - $450... an amount most make in a single day. Your father probably had to save for weeks to buy a TV... for $700.

Computers are an even better example. I remember my father buying three computers in the mid-1980's, each close to $5k. Today, I buy $800 computers for my wife and kids, which work quite well for basic home chores. Even my high-end engineering workstations are under $10k... roughly $2k-$3k in mid-80's dollars, and these can do more calculations in a few seconds than my father's computers did in a full day.

Because they are all made in China or Taiwan today....

 

[WinterDeere]

Because they are all made in China or Taiwan today....

Yep. Which is one reason my head just about explodes, every time I hear someone whining about "made in China". We all live better today, on the sweat of cheap Chinese labor.

It creates a huge problem with defense hardware, as the same capabilities that allowed us to manufacture components for televisions and smart phones, are integral to our defense components. But focusing purely on the consumer side of things, "made in China" is damn near the best thing that has ever happened to everyone in this country... excepting the guy that previously made American televisions.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Maytag and Whirlpool have manufacturing in Mexico. Drove past them on the way to the hotel often

 

[masseyrider]

There you go! A refrigerator was 3.6 weeks salary! That'd be like the average professional today paying more than $10k for a damn refrigerator.

Of course, they did last a lot longer, back then.

You didn't mention it was used 6 months by the previous people before they defaulted on the payments.

 

[CalG]

Yep. Which is one reason my head just about explodes, every time I hear someone whining about "made in China". We all live better today, on the sweat of cheap Chinese labor.

It creates a huge problem with defense hardware, as the same capabilities that allowed us to manufacture components for televisions and smart phones, are integral to our defense components. But focusing purely on the consumer side of things, "made in China" is damn near the best thing that has ever happened to everyone in this country... excepting the guy that previously made American televisions.

One may asks: Does having all this "Made in China" STUFF, enhance the quality of life? bring happiness to families or well being to children?
I don't see it. Perhaps you do.

"True wealth is knowing when you have enough"
Quality is not moved by comfort nor convienience.

 

[grsthegreat]

Show me somthing that don't cost more today please?????

Flat screen tv’s.

There about half the price for NON qled or non 4g tvs than a few years ago. Computer monitors are give away prices.

 

[5030]

Maytag and Whirlpool have manufacturing in Mexico. Drove past them on the way to the hotel often

Least they still have the World Headquarters and retained a lot of manufacturing in Clyde, Ohio and Findlay.

 

[Thomas]

Tractor parts also on the rise seems like every 6 months.

 

[5030]

I think Kubota is trying to keep up with Deere in that respect. Kubota went from reasonable to insane.

 

[Hay Dude]

Don’t underestimate what tariffs are doing to the prices of all the imported tractors we buy.
The appeal of well cared for used equipment has never been better.

I’m hoping we see the reappearance of some retired American brands. That would be really nice to see.

 

[D&D]

I’m hoping we see the reappearance of some retired American brands. That would be really nice to see.

That are completely made and assembled in the US

 

[WinterDeere]

That are completely made and assembled in the US

I can only imagine what that would actually cost.

 

[5030]

I can only imagine what that would actually cost.

They would be priced so far above and beyond current pricing, they would never sell except to inordinately wealthy buyers.

 

[Hay Dude]

I can only imagine what that would actually cost.

And many of the parts and assemblies would come from overseas (ZF, FPT, Carraro, Denso, etc.)
No tractor would be 100% American made anymore, which is sad but true.

Was talking to parts counter guy at AGCO dealer and he said that rumors of talks may have been initiated in Duluth, GA to start up Challenger again because of the overseas tariffs. My Challenger 655E was made in Jackson, Minnesota.
AGCO’s best seller, Fendt is made in Germany, but I guess they could start to move more manufacturing here.

Thats part of the idea of tariffs, bring more jobs and manufacturing back to the USA.

 

[EddieWalker]

In 2021 I made the decision to buy a cab tractor. At that time, I had been mowing my place with an open station 37 hp tractor and 6 foot rotary cutter. It got the job done, but it took me all year to get all of it mowed, plus doing the area around the pond 3 or 4 times a year because that's the area of the land that we use the most. It was brutal in the summer heat, and I was worn out every time I got off the tractor.

It took 8 months for it to arrive, and I got lucky that in 2022 they upgraded the AC system. In June of 2022 my dealer, PR Equipment delivered it to my place, and everything has been better since then!!

I started looking at used with a budget of $35,000. The more I looked, the less I liked what I was looking at. It just seemed like I was buying other people's problems, and since I didn't have the cash, I wasn't too excited about financing that much money for something that I would be working on all the time.

Somebody on here mentioned Massey Ferguson. I did some reading on them and then went to a dealer to look at one. I didn't like the dealer, but I liked the tractor, so when they offered 0% interest for 7 years, I realized that it was a now or never opportunity. Cash price for a Massey Ferguson 4707 was $52,000 and the 0% interest price was $55,000 which was $653 a month with nothing down.

It was a lot more money than I ever thought I would spend, but 3 years later, it seems like it was a good deal. According to TractorHouse, a new cabbed 4707 is just over $70,000!!!

I don't see prices ever coming down, and my philosophy on most things is that it's never going to be cheaper to buy than it is today. This goes with home repairs and improvements too.

For me, the tractor has been life changing. Having AC means I can mow during the worse heat of the day and feel refreshed when I'm done. I work on the farm until I can't deal with the heat, and then I'm still being productive in the cabbed tractor. Now I'm mowing my land three times a year and the fields of weeds have turned into pastures of grass. The weeds are still there, but I only saw a couple Candian Thistle and Goat Weed yesterday. Three years ago, there was more than I could count!!!

I can go on about other things that I bought that were too expensive, and I didn't want to spend that kind of money. My Scag zero turn mower and Kawasaki Mule are both good examples of sticker shock, but in hindsight, good deals because they would cost more if I had bought them later, and how much use I've gotten out of them.

 

[WinterDeere]

Thats part of the idea of tariffs, bring more jobs and manufacturing back to the USA.

Yep. Of course. But there are good reasons those jobs left the USA, in the first place.

We need jobs, but I'm not sure that assembling tractors or their components are the best jobs to be had, at least in peace time. I see military security as really the only justification for maintaining some manufacturing in this country. For my consumer goods, most are shopping for the cheapest option that maintains acceptable quality.

It's a comedy, but the old Michael Keaton and George Wendt movie Gung Ho is a good reminder of just how bad American manufacturing had gotten by the 1970's. When people complain about quality of goods from China, they seem to be forgetting just how bad things had gotten here.

 

[D&D]

Yep. Of course. But there are good reasons those jobs left the USA, in the first place.

We need jobs, but I'm not sure that assembling tractors or their components are the best jobs to be had, at least in peace time. I see military security as really the only justification for maintaining some manufacturing in this country. For my consumer goods, most are shopping for the cheapest option that maintains acceptable quality.

It's a comedy, but the old Michael Keaton and George Wendt movie Gung Ho is a good reminder of just how bad American manufacturing had gotten by the 1970's. When people complain about quality of goods from China, they seem to be forgetting just how bad things had gotten here.

Oh please. Manufacturing quality was not the epicenter of our losses. Isn't it truer that we have been R&D focused and outsourced the grunt work to the lowest bidders? Didn't China kill off a few million around 1960 due to famine while getting into the steel business? Didn't President Nixon help them restart by ordering nitrogen fertilizer plants designed here? Hasn't China's lack of environmental standards and significant workforce helped fuel their position? Vietnam may be well positioned to take some of manufacturing load off of China.

At the beginning of WWII, how many manufacturing facilities were designed and supported the war effort? How many were "converted"? After 1945ish? We used to have a skilled labor force that could teach others. That pool has rapidly diminished.
Our educational systems may have helped support this change. Our local Vo-Tech replaced the machine shop with a Physical Therapy center. Wood shop was replaced with pharmacy technician. Barber school has appeared there.

 

[grsthegreat]

North idaho opened a trade school, workforce training center years ago. But they did get rid of all shop classes in high schools just like everyone else. But they have computer classes.

 

[Hay Dude]

Yep. Of course. But there are good reasons those jobs left the USA, in the first place.

We need jobs, but I'm not sure that assembling tractors or their components are the best jobs to be had, at least in peace time. I see military security as really the only justification for maintaining some manufacturing in this country. For my consumer goods, most are shopping for the cheapest option that maintains acceptable quality.

It's a comedy, but the old Michael Keaton and George Wendt movie Gung Ho is a good reminder of just how bad American manufacturing had gotten by the 1970's. When people complain about quality of goods from China, they seem to be forgetting just how bad things had gotten here.

There’s multiple reasons jobs left. Overbearing unions and corporations making more profit off cheap foreign labor and ridiculous government regulations are the 3 biggest reasons.
Tariffs, whether you are in favor of them or not, create an opportunity for American companies to make products here again.
Yes, I saw the movie Gung Ho, but that’s pretty outdated now. Although unions still exist, they are considerably weakened compared to the 70-80’s. They killed off their own constituents and companies their employees worked for. Union membership is half what it was 50 years ago.