Your Yearly Cost of Tractor Ownership

[setxjeff]

I think to ability to do whatever is needed around your place anytime you want vs scheduling someone and then waiting is well worth the cost of tractor ownership. Even being retired I hate adhering to someone else’s time table to get mowing,fence repair dirt spreading etc. done. I have always financed my toys then paid them off early, it’s a mental thing for me.

 

[ArlyA]

I think to ability to do whatever is needed around your place anytime you want vs scheduling someone and then waiting is well worth the cost of tractor ownership. Even being retired I hate adhering to someone else’s time table to get mowing,fence repair dirt spreading etc. done. I have always financed my toys then paid them off early, it’s a mental thing for me.

You got that right Jeff.

 

[Carl_NH]

My B21 was $25K new, then bought Thumb, Ripper, and Forks so $26K over 21 years, plus $3000 in maintenance and fuel for 700 hours.

Total cost per year $1300, or $40 per hour. If it sold today for $15K would cut these numbers in half.

Bottom line, the amount of work done, and less wear and tear on the body can't be valued.

 

[SuperiorLakeEffect]

aWho cares. If you need it, you need it. If you really want to save, sell your vehicles, get an apartment in town, ride the bus.

Do you have any idea how much an apartment in town costs now?! And the bus is $5/ride!

But that's a whole other thread: finding real estate far enough out to get "out of town" pricing, but close enough to ride my bike everywhere. I have isochrone maps and spreadsheets on this topic. I'm that kind of nerd.

 

[jeff9366]

Hourly cost to own/operate tractor​

Hourly cost to own/operate tractor?

Hello, I purchased a used L3940 with 800 hours this past spring for $20,000. Such an awesome tractor! I would like to loan this tractor to a good friend of mine from time to time and I want to find out what the tractor costs to run so he can borrow the tractor, keep track of hours, and...

www.tractorbynet.com

Running costs of a CUT

What do you all figure are the hourly running costs for a CUT? Not for commercial use, just average CUT user. I'm probably missing something but I know a service costs roughly $500 every 100 hours for $5 an hour. Fuel maybe about 2 gallons an hour for another $5. Depreciation? My tractor...

www.tractorbynet.com

Operating costs

Oh great brain trust..... We own a NH Boomer 24. We are building a horse barn. My wife trains horses. So we will have at most 10 horses on our property. I am trying to figure out what we should charge for board. One variable I cannot find a cost on is the cost per hour to operate the...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[setxjeff]

I keep things for a long time. Resell value is not something that even crosses my mind. IH tractor 40 years, Mahindra tractor 6 years ,oldest truck 20 years, new truck 7 years.We built our house with our own hands 42 years ago. We tend to keep things so resell value doesn’t compute for us Except in county land taxes lol. I retired at 57 and am loving it.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Do you have any idea how much an apartment in town costs now?! And the bus is $5/ride!

But that's a whole other thread: finding real estate far enough out to get "out of town" pricing, but close enough to ride my bike everywhere. I have isochrone maps and spreadsheets on this topic. I'm that kind of nerd.

Sell your tractor and park your vehicle by the road.

 

[sandman2234]

When I bought my John Deere 2555, I paid cash for it. When I bought the Kubota M7040 I borrowed $30k on the package deal. Dave Ramsey got me to thinking and I paid it off early. When the Kubota was purchased, I started sending $25 a week to a separate bank account for tractor costs. I receive a check from the Church that I mow for, to aid in the upkeep of the tractor. (It isn't enough for me to make money at, just offset my costs). The maintenance of the tractor is deducted from that account. It is currently in excess of $3500 so I guess over the last 7 years it had cost me less than $25 a week, if you don't consider the three to four mowings a year up at the Church.
David from jax

 

[shooterdon]

With my current tractor, yearly cost, without looking at the loss of income from the $40k i have sunk into the tractor and implements, is not high. I have about 275 hours on the tractor. No repairs yet so just fuel and filters/lubes. Maybe $400/yr

I save money on snow removal ($5-700/yr) and having an efficient way to process firewood. By primarily heating with wood, I use a less propane and save $1000/yr I save a bit more by bartering tractor work for other jobs like car repairs. At 71, the tractor lets me do jobs I would likely not tackle with manual labor or need to hire done. Say another $300-500/yr).

So I save less than $2000/yr after all is said and done. In the last three years I have lost about $5k on the tractor and attachments.

The $40k came from a savings account so not much interest return was lost.

Just about break even so far.

With my previous tractor, JD 855 I bought used, I had it for two years and made $1000 on it.

 

[bigtiller]

I figure not having a tractor is more expensive than having one.

5 years ago I was laid up for several week and I paid $50 for someone to open up my driveway. And every time the wind blew, the driveway would blow shut...another $50.

12 years ago I asked a guy his price to mow my 600' long waterway in the field after the crops were out. His minimum price was $450.

20 years ago, a local guy estimated $125 each time to mow and trim my 4 acre yard.

I'm sure these prices have gone up by now.

I can't afford not to have a tractor.