Ok, we can stop with the posts now. No sense in rubbing salt into the wound. It's ok, won't have to wait 20 years to get another new tractor. Now that I think about it, I probably won't care in less than 15 years!
Will "these" tractor outlast our parent's/grandparent's tractors?
- Thread starter Flatheadyoungin
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Bob_Young
Veteran Member
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- North of the Fingerlakes - NY
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- Ford 4000; Ford 2000(both 3cyl.);JD40; 2004 Kubota L4300; 2006 Kubota B7610; new 2007 Kubota MX5000
I can rebuild a simple tractor carburetor, most anyone can. Same goes for refurbishing a gas tractor's ignition system. I can't rebuild a fuel injection pump or a fuel injector and don't know many who can. ....and then we have the environmental do-gooders who mandate changes to the fuel that cuts lubricity and, along with it, diesel fuel system longevity.
Though inefficient, the gassers had this going for them: the carburetor is a simple, almost passive, device that is subject to very little stress. Not so for a diesel's fuel injection system.
Bob
Though inefficient, the gassers had this going for them: the carburetor is a simple, almost passive, device that is subject to very little stress. Not so for a diesel's fuel injection system.
Bob
chickenman
Gold Member
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RoyJackson said:
3D printing
Soundguy
Old Timer
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- RK 55HC,ym1700, NH7610S, Ford 8N, 2N, NAA, 660, 850 x2, 541, 950, 941D, 951, 2000, 3000, 4000, 4600, 5000, 740, IH 'C' 'H', CUB, John Deere 'B', allis 'G', case VAC
6string said:
Fiberglass hoods, plastic dashes.. digital dashes.. etc.. those are gonna be the hard to find parts.
Any machines that use engine computers, or anything over 'basic' electronics will likely be a stickler 4 or 5 decades from now. If parts for the drivetrain remain available.. or at least duplicatable.. then that part should be able to last for decades.. much like older tractors have. Keep in mind though that older tracters generally had larger casting and were 'over-engineered'.. nowadays they squeeze more rpm and hp out of smaller engines... that has to factor in on ultimate lifespan.
soundguy
mjncad
Super Member
As others have said; the electronics will probably be the downfall to most modern tractors lasting a long time in our throw away society.
My wife's 2005 Honda CRV did a very un-Honda like act yesterday by punking out on the freeway. I'll save all the details and skip to the end. It turned out to be a faulty oil pressure sensor gave the on-board computer an erroneous signal that the engine had lost oil pressure and shut it down to save the engine from oil starvation. So much for my guess and those friends of a fuel system malfunction. $200 parts and labor and she is good to go again. No doubt OBD II (On-Board Diagnostics II) made it easier for the mechanic to find the problem.
My wife's 2005 Honda CRV did a very un-Honda like act yesterday by punking out on the freeway. I'll save all the details and skip to the end. It turned out to be a faulty oil pressure sensor gave the on-board computer an erroneous signal that the engine had lost oil pressure and shut it down to save the engine from oil starvation. So much for my guess and those friends of a fuel system malfunction. $200 parts and labor and she is good to go again. No doubt OBD II (On-Board Diagnostics II) made it easier for the mechanic to find the problem.
AndyinIowa
Silver Member
As an agricultural engineer, I am confident that, as a percentage, fewer tractors produced today will survive 25 years of life as compared to tractors manufactured 50 years ago. Here are my reasons:
1. Engineering margins - Today's engineer has a lot of pressure to design products to 'just meet' marketing requirements. Any more and its a waste of money. Kubota could have made the BX a tank, but who will pay $18,000 for a BX2350?
The 8N was way over-engineered. In today's engineering culture, designing to 8N levels would not be marketable.
2. DIY mentality - The farmer of the 1950's was heavily invested in mechanical skills. Equipment dealers didn't have the infrastructure or logistics to ship parts around like today, and money was the scarcity, not time. More and more of today's tractor owners value time over money, and will pay to get the machine back up and running asap.
3. Technology - People don't want to see the same tractor on the showroom for 5 years. As a result, manufacturers are retooling and continuously in development of new models. Less parts commonality = lower field population per unique part number = shorter overall life cycle.
Just my thoughts as someone who designs these creatures...
1. Engineering margins - Today's engineer has a lot of pressure to design products to 'just meet' marketing requirements. Any more and its a waste of money. Kubota could have made the BX a tank, but who will pay $18,000 for a BX2350?
The 8N was way over-engineered. In today's engineering culture, designing to 8N levels would not be marketable.
2. DIY mentality - The farmer of the 1950's was heavily invested in mechanical skills. Equipment dealers didn't have the infrastructure or logistics to ship parts around like today, and money was the scarcity, not time. More and more of today's tractor owners value time over money, and will pay to get the machine back up and running asap.
3. Technology - People don't want to see the same tractor on the showroom for 5 years. As a result, manufacturers are retooling and continuously in development of new models. Less parts commonality = lower field population per unique part number = shorter overall life cycle.
Just my thoughts as someone who designs these creatures...
bill177
Silver Member
I believe the term every is struggling to find is:
planned obsolescence
planned obsolescence
OP
Flatheadyoungin
Veteran Member
interesting...
good ole henry was well known for if it breaks, make it bigger..........and i think many of the other companies had the same philosophy.........
when i look at the axles, over-all size of the gear boxes, etc.......i just don't think they will/can last as long.....and i seriously doubt that these are worked as hard or in adverse conditions as the old fords, john deeres, farmalls, etc.....
however, i sure hope they do!
good ole henry was well known for if it breaks, make it bigger..........and i think many of the other companies had the same philosophy.........
when i look at the axles, over-all size of the gear boxes, etc.......i just don't think they will/can last as long.....and i seriously doubt that these are worked as hard or in adverse conditions as the old fords, john deeres, farmalls, etc.....
however, i sure hope they do!
AndyinIowa said:
I highly doubt these new tractors will last as long as our grandparents did. Mine isn't even a year old and has spent half the summer in the shop. My old Super C Farmall, that I sold to get this tractor, is running like a champ still. I talk to the old guy that bought it all the time. He put it in his will to come back to me when he dies too. I didn't ask him to do that but he did anyway. I completely overhauled that tractor and restored it about 8 years ago. He wants it to go back to someone that can take care of it too.
My grandparents used mules and horses to farm. I bet they all lasted longer than my new tractor will too. My last horse to die was well over 30 years.
Right now I'm starting to build a forcart that I can pull with two or 4 horses that will handle all my hay equipment. I am not going to give up haying this place. I definitely need a backup for my tractor though until my latest restoration project is complete. I'm restoring a super M this time. The forcart I'm planning may even have a cab on it with AC. I haven't figured out how to run the reigns through the windshield if I do that yet though. I'm using an old Diesel from a john Deere as the power source on it. This old diesel was multifuel so in case we ever run out of gas or diesel in my lifetime I will still be able to run it on something. There is an old farmer up the road with a US Army duece and a half with the old Hercules multi-fuel engine in it running on chicken manure distillate right now. It works for him and can work for me too. I ran one of those things on a couple gallons of brake fluid once. It wasn't dot 3. It was the junk that went in the air over hydraulic systems they had so it was some other kind of hydraulic fluid. It's a long story why I had to do that but it got me out of the swamp and back home.
My grandparents used mules and horses to farm. I bet they all lasted longer than my new tractor will too. My last horse to die was well over 30 years.
Right now I'm starting to build a forcart that I can pull with two or 4 horses that will handle all my hay equipment. I am not going to give up haying this place. I definitely need a backup for my tractor though until my latest restoration project is complete. I'm restoring a super M this time. The forcart I'm planning may even have a cab on it with AC. I haven't figured out how to run the reigns through the windshield if I do that yet though. I'm using an old Diesel from a john Deere as the power source on it. This old diesel was multifuel so in case we ever run out of gas or diesel in my lifetime I will still be able to run it on something. There is an old farmer up the road with a US Army duece and a half with the old Hercules multi-fuel engine in it running on chicken manure distillate right now. It works for him and can work for me too. I ran one of those things on a couple gallons of brake fluid once. It wasn't dot 3. It was the junk that went in the air over hydraulic systems they had so it was some other kind of hydraulic fluid. It's a long story why I had to do that but it got me out of the swamp and back home.
Soundguy
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Seeing the new plastic, fiberglass and electronics crusted tractors today.. I'm quite sure a smaller percentage will make it as long as good old metal on metal tractors did from the beginning thru the mid 1900's
soundguy
soundguy
