What's 700 hours worth?

[riptides]

Maybe not so much as to justify, but just a comparison to see if one can do better. It all comes down to a very personal "what is my time worth?" question.

-Mike Z.

 

[Henro]

I guess my thinking was (is) that I have been using my tractor for things that I otherwise would have had to pay someone else to do, or to rent a tractor from someone else to accomplish.

Grass cutting that could be done with a cheap riding mower (like I did for years) has not been part of the picture for the B2910. Projects that NEEDED the loader/backhoe have been the mainstay work for this tractor.

No question that one can sell and recoup costs, and calculate a cheaper hourly rate...but me, I'm not sellin'! I bought my tractor to grow old with...older with?

Anyway, no justification needed here. I was just surprised by a couple comments where people said my tractor already must have paid for itself.

Thinking about it...perhaps they could be right.

I don't really care or need to care about what the tractors cost, but I am curious about value gained, as compared to what I lose by driving a Ford van that cost more than my tractor/loader/backhoe did, and offers really no payback, only depreciation and loss...

Appreciate the input from all. Most things I spend money on are one-way propostions...money goes out, some kind of enjoyment comes back in return. My tractor actually seems to be one real tool that gives something back...

I suppose my table saw, wood working and other tools do something similar, but the scale is not the same...

 

[qstott]

On the garden tractor subject, I bought a used JD 214 in 1979 for $1200. I mowed with it until 2001. It had no hour meter. I cut an average of 5 acres of grass per week for 22 years. I sold it for $700. That works out to about $23 a year or $2.27/month of mowing season. I spent some money on repairs, but it was cheap to maintain. I replaced it with a 445 with 185 hours for $5500. It now has 812 hours on it. That works out to $8.75/hour. My most recent purchase was a JD 1050 with 3124 hrs. It now has 3197 hrs on it. My purchase price ( including paint and maintanence) was about $2400. That averages almost $33/hr. You may be able to tell by the lenght of time I kept the 214, that I don't tend to trade often. I keep equipment for very long time. (Vehicles included) I expect the 445 to last me the rest of my "mowing" life. I expect the 1050 to last me until I get so old that I am forced to progress to a hyro equipment, power steering, easier to operate because I'm too old to do it any other way, tractor. I doubt I will get have any equipment that will give me more hours of work for the money than the 214. I do, however, expect that I will get more "work" for the money out of the 445 or 1050 than the 214.

 

[ovrszd]

On the garden tractor subject, I bought a used JD 214 in 1979 for $1200. I mowed with it until 2001. It had no hour meter. I cut an average of 5 acres of grass per week for 22 years. I sold it for $700. That works out to about $23 a year or $2.27/month of mowing season. I spent some money on repairs, but it was cheap to maintain. I replaced it with a 445 with 185 hours for $5500. It now has 812 hours on it. That works out to $8.75/hour. My most recent purchase was a JD 1050 with 3124 hrs. It now has 3197 hrs on it. My purchase price ( including paint and maintanence) was about $2400. That averages almost $33/hr. You may be able to tell by the lenght of time I kept the 214, that I don't tend to trade often. I keep equipment for very long time. (Vehicles included) I expect the 445 to last me the rest of my "mowing" life. I expect the 1050 to last me until I get so old that I am forced to progress to a hyro equipment, power steering, easier to operate because I'm too old to do it any other way, tractor. I doubt I will get have any equipment that will give me more hours of work for the money than the 214. I do, however, expect that I will get more "work" for the money out of the 445 or 1050 than the 214.

Very well stated!!! My most cost effective Lawn Tractor has been a JD 140. But my most comfortable, speediest Lawn Tractor is the JD 455. I'm new to the B2910 world so don't have history there yet. But I'm like you, I'll wear it out or it will wear me out, but it won't be sold. I gave my 140 to my Son who still has it.

 

[bones1]

Henro " Most things I spend money on are one-way propostions...money goes out, some kind of enjoyment comes back in return. My tractor actually seems to be one real tool that gives something back...

I suppose my table saw, wood working and other tools do something similar, but the scale is not the same"
I agree with Henro.If it gives me utility and enjoyment, I don't care what it costs.

 

[7864]

Many of the things we buy are for entertainment purposes only,and have no payback,at least with a tractor we can get work done and be entertained how can you put a price on that?

 

[Doc_Bob]

. Then you here about all these "smokin' deals" people get on used tractors. So what do you really gain by buying an off brand trator, and taking it in the shorts a few years later at trading or sale time???

I bought a used TN70. It was a good deal.
Bob

 

[roxynoodle]

I bought a used Yanmar. The way I'm looking at it, if I average 100 hours per year and it can go to 4000 hours or more before needing an overhaul, I expect that when it hits that point I will either be dead or too old to operate a tractor. So I consider it a lifetime investment and it was cheap as far as tractors go. I doubt I will ever sell it or trade it. A tractor can last you forever if you take care of it.

And, yeah, we all spend money on things that we don't necessarily need like entertainment, but we enjoy it. As far as my tools go like table saws, etc, well, it is much cheaper for me to remodel my own house than to hire it done. I just made all new doors for my kitchen cupboards at a cost of about $500 including a cheap table saw and wood and hardware. My kitchen has 33 cupboards and drawers, most of them large. What would that have cost me to hire done? I'm thinking a few thousand. I also bought a cheap wet saw and put granite tile on the countertops. New formica countertops would have cost $2500 to fit the existing cupboards. Thus far it has been my experience that doing your own work is significantly cheaper than hiring it out.

 

[Iowachild]

Here's my take on this subject:


Don't think the majority of the folks here at TBN buy stripped down Ford Focus's as their only family vehicle for family transportation. They could if they wanted to save $$$$$


Nor do I believe that the majority of folks here at TBN live in homes that compare to an efficiency apartment. They could if they wanted to save $$$$$


Guess what I'm trying to say here is that I've never felt the need to justify in my own mind purchases that I've made. After all, we're only here for so long, should we all have to live like missionaries?

I completely agree! However I do have to "justify" to my wife and sometimes I have to be real creative!


MIKE

 

[neverenough]

So what happened here??? We went from figuring cost of operation, which BTW, no one has figured fuel, oil, parts, and labor into yet, to justifying buying fully loaded cars as more of a waste of $$$.

The down right scarry part, so far, it the statements about not needing to justify the expenditure. Gas is around $3 a gallon becouse people are willing to just pay it. Houses are over priced, becouse people are willing to pay it. The national savings average is NEGATIVE .5%. Meaning people are spending MORE than they earn. Why??? becouse they don't justify expenditures, they just spend.