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Costco Lasagna identifies me as a family of four.

This is part of the instructions for reimbursement for farm use or off road diesel. (You are the claimant on this paperwork) Caution: Claimant has the name and address of the person who sold the fuel to the claimant and the dates of purchase. For claims on lines 1c and 2b (type of use 13 or...

Out here, they have proposed a big change and you're not going to like it. The proposal is no more keeping off-road diesel separate. Instead, ALL diesel will be taxed at the higher rate up front and then you apply for reimbursement. If you buy 500 gallons for your off road tractor, forklift...

@Rustyiron, do you remember when corded electric lawn mowers were all the rage? You could buy spindles that stuck in the ground so the extension cord didn't get dragged over your flower beds. Thank you for posting that, WM75Guy. If you'll allow me to get my geek on: Stephen Heckeroth is the...

Funny what catches your eye. That American flag just seems perfect for your picture.

Fellas, I just want to thank you all for your posts on this thread. Been quietly watching and learning from all of you. Please keep it up and thank you again.

That's why I enjoy coming on here. Many of these threads bring back great memories. And speaking of great memories-- The volunteer fire department asked me to mow along both sides of the road that runs past the station. I had a Ford 8n at the time and said, "I'm always happy to help, but...

Thank you @deserteagle71 for the sacrifices you made for our country. Welcome home.

Thank you for that, Hay Dude. It's great to come on these boards and learn new things.

High quality flashlights. Always bought cheaper ones, thinking "The kids will lose it before I break it, so might as well get a cheap one." High quality flashlights are definitely worth the extra money.

Thank you, Hay Dude, for sharing. I agree with others who tell you that there are things in your pictures that we never new existed. When you say hydraulic brakes on the baler, to you mean wrapping net brakes, or wheel brakes?

I bolded that part about the 4-way gas monitor. The kid was working on a frac near our house and forgot his lunch. Asked me to bring it for him, and since it was so close I drove his 1978 pickup to show it off for his friends. We stood around the truck talking for a bit, and then I started...

A caution on air filters. We used to be trained to open the box and inspect the air filter. Our latest training is NOT to do this, because it's so easy for tiny particles to get into that box. Instead, the latest training is go strictly by mileage. If it's due for replacement then replace...

Is anybody else saddened just by reading this?

This is one example of how efficient our economy is. The auction company near us has a business relationship with a metal scrapper. At the end of each auction, the scrapper comes in and picks up any "No Sales" and hauls them off for scrap. He gets this for free. The flip side of this is he...

If you want the best auctions, look for the term "Dispersal Auction" This means a farmer has retired and is selling everything at auction. Much different than a consignment auction, where lots of different people bring in their stuff to be sold.

This is a conversation we have with the kids once in a while. They see old pictures of us with a classic car or cool truck. "You should never have sold that! It would be worth a fortune today!" "Yes, kid. But you needed diapers and baby formula and we needed a station wagon, so we sold the...

I enjoy these forums as a nice distraction and a fun way to learn new things. Wanted to keep that fun aspect of it and not take myself too seriously. Easy to stay humble with this as your screen name. <----------

There's a way Yanmar can get into a dealership network, and that is by copying Kubota step by step. Many Ford-New Holland dealers picked up Kubota as a side brand when Ford sold New Holland. If you drive past New Holland dealers today, you can often see the faded signs that say "New...

I agree with this. Lots of these tractors are advertised as lease returns. There is a dealer about 12 hours away who advertises these every year as lease returns. If I find a second reason to go out that way, I plan to stop in and check them out.

I admire you for working into that job with your local dealer. You have the retirement gig many of us are looking for. It seems to work well for you, and I'm glad you're doing it.

Have you ever been to a farm auction and seen equipment with an "elevator" to lift the farmer into his tractor or combine? It's pretty inspiring, really.

There is one thing I don't understand about tractor dealers. On the automotive side, we see people come in every day and say, "I'm looking for a truck a few years old with under 100,000 miles on it." And those trucks are GOLD. We sell them at a higher profit margin than brand new trucks. I...

Part of the problem might be people looking at the price of new equipment and thinking, "If I don't get $38K for my tractor then I'll just keep it instead of replacing it."

Smart question, @goeduck I assume you are talking about the crash of 2008. A credit default swap is a company taking out an "insurance policy" on their investment. Let's say you are a big lender and you lend a bunch of money to Chrysler. There is a chance that Chrysler could go bankrupt...

I'm amazed this is legal. For nerds like me, here is how it works: A small company is running along just fine. We'll call this company TBN Family Tractor Manufacturing. A corporate raider takes over and follows these steps. 1) Create a company called TBN2 Manufacturing 2) Sell the real...

You all know how much I like to take the opposing side, so here it is. A very believable timeline-- Sales Manager: Hey everybody, that Case 75C is coming off lease in a few weeks. Maybe we can have a buyer lined up for the end of the lease. Salesperson: Hey Boss! @ego260 replied to our...

Memories! Those seats were made out of the same plastic as our chairs at school.

We sometimes forget just how much better the selection is these days. Other than high prices, it's a great time to be looking at trucks. Speaking of things getting better: Do you remember, not that long ago, mirrors were attached at fixed points on a truck? So if you hit something, it...

If you have an auction house in your town, that is a good way to sell. You won't get as much money, but there is almost zero hassle.

Knowing the kind hearted folks on here, I'm not the only one who has gone the other way. We had a really cool Trans Am. It was fun, T-tops and everything. Spend all day Saturday getting it running so we can drive it to a Barbecue on Sunday. A young guy came to look at it and while talking, I...

Thank you for that! Interesting thing is I'm at a lot more risk at work, but never worry. I won't be down long before somebody trips over me. It's out on the tractor where I worry about laying there thinking, "How long will it be before somebody comes looking for me?"

I am strongly considering getting one of those "I've fallen and can't get up" devices. Between the risk of getting hurt around the equipment or stumbling into a wasp's nest, they are looking like a good idea. With built in GPS, help can pinpoint your exact location if you are bad enough you...

You're out there mowing 12 acres with a 1954 Ford NAA? Very cool. Upload some pics if you get time.

This is the problem. FB and C list make it TOO easy top pop stuff up for sale. Remember the old days? You would call the newspaper in town. They would charge you by the word to place an ad. BY THE WORD, remember that? It took some effort and a few bucks, so people had to be a bit more...

If you have a Yanmar in your Deere, then be glad for it. Here's a story of what happened with our John Deere skid loader with a Yanmar engine: The kid helped me do an oil change, then I asked him to hop in the skid and start it up, wanting to get it to operating temperature so we could check...

"It ran when I parked it."

@Lineman North Florida I have a question for you. Around here, brush hogging small trees causes us problems because the leftover stems become tire killers next time we mow. Do you ever have that problem with them chewing up your tracks? Your pictures of bamboo mowing made me think of that...

Wanted to step in here and say it again: Thank you all for contributing and also uploading your cool pictures. Reading this thread and seeing your pictures is a real treat, and we all appreciate you very much.

Thank you for your kind words. Savor the flavor, because soon I'll be back to my ornery old self!

CAUTION: Rant ahead Here's the other problem with taking in trades from a dealer perspective: @Tractorable finds a Massey 285EH that he likes. Dealer A gives him the price of $ 46,000 and offers @Tractorable $8000 for his Mahindra. Dealer B has a Massey that is similar, but optioned a bit...

I can tell you the view from an auto dealer. We are not allowed to take Ford 6.0 or Ford 6.4 trucks on trade in. Here is what happens: 1) A guy wants to trade his Ford 6.0 and we're not allowed to keep those on our lot (not starting a brand war, but if you know, you know.) 2) So we have to...

This is excellent advice. If investing in equipment turns a chore into an enjoyable afternoon, then what else could you want? First of all, Rich, thank you for trusting us enough to open up a bit. And for the members on this forum, thank you for being trustworthy friends. It's amazing how...

One of the guys came up with the idea of "Let's remove the hydraulic hose and then it will come down." Can you imagine the chaos of that bed dropping and also the fluid shooting everywhere? Luckily, I speak Spanish so I overheard their plan. I just nosed my pickup over to their trailer and...

This thread reminds me of going to the landfill. A lot of guys have "power up, power down" systems, so if their battery goes dead, the dump stays halfway up in the air. We have a power up, gravity down system for that very reason.

Thank you for posting your pics and your experiences, Lineman. And @Hay Dude I'm glad to see you posting over here. I enjoy the back and forth on your thread, and will continue to watch both. Your generosity with your time and information is very much appreciated. Thank you from all of us.

Thanks to the advice on here, we decided to keep the tractor. Yesterday we needed to remove the radiator to blow it out and clean it. Digging into the machine, we were amazed how well designed and simple the tractor is. It was actually a pleasure to work on it.

Thank you all for your good posts and advice. You have done a lot to point me in the right direction. I was just being a scaredy cat, thinking about what would happen if something broke that I couldn't fix, and then worried the dealer couldn't fix it either. Many of you mentioned this, and I...

Thank you for that reminder! And this saved us one time. We call our two dealers "John Deere Green" and "John Deere Yellow" (the construction dealer). Once the green dealership didn't have the battery we needed. We called John Deere Yellow and they said, "Come on down. We have four or five...

Thank you for pointing this out. The dealership started out as a mom and pop dealership. And I mean to the point where you would see the owner's family at the local school events. They got bought by a bigger enterprise. Then that got bought out by an even bigger chain. You're right that...

I agree. I'm not blaming anybody. Just wanting to be practical and not be stuck later on. The good news is I can sell my tractor and get back almost everything I paid for it.

Have you ever sold or traded a tractor due to no dealer support? Meaning out of practicality. Not out of frustration or anything else. Six years ago, we bought a brand new John Deere locally. Specifically went that route so that I could drive to get parts same day if something broke. And...

I'm very glad you are making it work. Mostly because I enjoy your posts. And I appreciate you being up front about the costs involved. Here is a perfect example of what we saw this morning at the hay auction. The kids saw a bunch of fliers stating, "We will haul your hay home for you-- $2...

There are not enough people like @Hay Dude to go around. Here's what's happening around here: Older farmers are retiring, and they've been haying 10, 20, or 30 acre parcels for neighbors. Once they retire, we find there is no one, and I mean NO ONE to take their place. You just cannot find a...

@CloverKnollFarms I'm glad to see your kid wearing hearing protection. I see he's listening to his playlist, but those earmuffs are still offering good protection. We want the kids to be in the habit of grabbing hearing protection when they are running equipment. As we all know, hearing...

Update from our experience over the weekend: Used the mower in some taller grass, and it did just as well as the gas powered unit we own. I noticed some conversation around the electric not saving money over gas, and I agree that you would not purchase electric planning to save money. That's...

I'll jump in as we just accidentally bought the same exact mower. The neighbor bought one, never mowed once, and changed his mind for some reason. He offered me a deal I just couldn't pass up so now we own one. Our experience so far: 1) As far as power, it has as much power as a gasoline...

Be careful! The kids thought they were "helping" by placing several straps and ratchets in the battery / tool box. I had to explain what would happen if those metal ratchets were to touch both battery terminals, or the positive terminal and the side of the box. This is excellent advice. I...

Glad to hear many of you have good experiences and like your vehicles. It goes to show that cars have come a long way in quality. Any to avoid at all costs? Yes, the Dodge Journey. I come from the dealer side (not Stellantis) so I have some background. Poor Chrysler has been bought and sold...

My son, his girlfriend, and I were going to the Diary Queen. Some teens were hanging out in the parking lot and a couple of them gave a wolf whistle to the girlfriend. Before anyone could react, I hollered "I am using a new hair conditioner. Thank you for noticing!" I love embarrassing the...

I want to take a moment and thank you for fostering. I've always respected you, and now I respect you even more.

Do you have hills or berms where you mow? The only time I bent a drive shaft was backing up to mow a berm, the back of the mower started to tilt up as it climbed the berm and that did it!

And @brokeasajoke makes a good point. If it bothers you, he is probably correct that you can sell it for what you have into it and buy a unit more serviceable.

Sendero, I may have some good news for you, mathematically speaking. Let's say your residential unit is engineered to last 1000 hours. With your good maintenance habits (I've seen your other posts and enjoy hearing what you have to say) you should get at least that out of an entry level...

Nice!

I hope, and I mean HOPE that there is a positive reason behind this: It is simply easier to continue working now than it was 10 years ago. Many jobs can now be done from home and schedules have become much more flexible, so working a few more years is more enticing now. Sometimes we discuss...

I'll give you all a happy story that will pick up your day because it proves there are still respectful teens out there. We're surrounded by dirt roads, and a group of teens were racing around the dirt roads. I figured out their pattern and parked my truck in the road and got out to wait for...

And this shows another way to look at this: Respectful people are respectful, whether they ride UTV's or not. Rude people are rude, whether they ride UTV's or not. The guys in the UTV's who are respectful, quiet, and careful not to do damage are the same guys who would never litter and always...

@ovrszd makes a good point, here. Is retirement stepping all the way out and spending time with grandkids? Some posters on here have put in their time and left the company with their pension. If they take a part time job doing something they enjoy then are they retired?

This is EXACTLY the response I'd expect from the people on these boards whom I admire. Your enthusiasm is infectious, which is one of the reasons I enjoy logging on here.

This is what makes the OP's idea an interesting one. Can you buy a compact tractor, use it for your projects, and then sell it for what you paid for it? @Iowa Boy please keep us posted on your journey. I'm curious to see how it works out.

Sid, you are a perfect example of how I justify new equipment purchases: "The cost of those loader forks is less than the co-pay on back surgery." I actually buy many attachments based on that fact alone. If you'll allow me to get my geek on, I can give you some behind the scenes info on...

There's another reason for tractor sales declining, and we're seeing it more every year. A lot of baby boomers worked hard in their younger days and later rewarded themselves with compact tractors. Or began to have physical limitations and compact tractors with attachments made working on...

I agree that there are many knowledgeable folks here, and very generous with their knowledge. If it will save you some time, you can use my experience so you don't have to repeat it on your own. We have a shed that is too far away from shore power to "plug it in" and are always looking for...

I'd like to provide a bit of happiness to this thread, if you'll indulge me. Many of my friends who retired from the 9-5 world have found ways to earn a little money from enjoyable hobbies. There is a member on here who is the "go-to" guy at his local John Deere dealership. He'll help...

Very insightful posts from you all on this thread. May I take up the side of the contractor for a moment? These days, with the observation of "It is so hard to get anything done anymore", is it really such a bad thing to have a good, honest, contractor who is slow? On a practical side, you...

There is one advantage to automatic payments. When we had to take over bill paying for ageing parents, automatic payments were truly a lifesaver. No way could we have kept track of all of that each month. This is exactly what we do. That way if there is fraud, our loss would be limited.

To the point of farm tractors on the roadway and the lighting required, I looked it up for Colorado-- perhaps your state would be similar. There is no geographical or time limit (dawn to dusk type of restriction) for farm equipment. If it farms, it goes. (33) "Farm tractor" means every...

Many of you have commented on, "It's the little things that matter". You are right and it brings back fond memories. Remember years ago gas stations went from free air to a little compressor where you dropped quarters in for air? The car dealership I worked for always had a hose hanging on...

We ACCIDENTALLY did a comparison test and I'll share the results with you. Lent the kids my Honda powered pressure washer. Rather than keep borrowing it back, I just let them keep it and headed out for a replacement. The big box store had a similar unit for $449. It rang up at $399. Maybe...

@TugBarge is correct. I stopped off at my dealer to see about a trade in. He allowed me to watch as he went online to the same websites we all use, and came up with an average used price. Then he said, "I'll give you 20% less than that as a trade in." Nice to have an honest, transparent dealer.

@5030, you have just perfectly described the ideal retirement job.

It goes to show that today's tractors are like today's trucks. They ALL use much better manufacturing processes than ever before. Unless you happen to get a one-off lemon, I don't think you can buy a new tractor that won't give you good service for many years. This may be their ace in the...

Buy several of them-- they are cheap enough to have a few in your toolbox. I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't know this was standard across many manufacturers, and it makes life so much easier. Here's how we accidentally found out. Dad: We need to bring your weed sprayer over to the church...

I can tell you exactly what happened, because I lived through it many times at the dealership level (although this was on the automotive side). Everything is humming along fine, until somebody tries to make a name for themselves and creates a big presentation that goes like this: "I can save...

Know what's more embarrassing than that? Getting it up and can't get it back down. You'll see that at the landfills sometimes. The guy uses the last of the battery charge to raise the trailer, and then it can't come back down. There must be benefits to the power up and power down units...

@piper184 Thank you for sharing your experience. One thing that hasn't changed since I worked in the dealership is that MOST parts people really are on your side and really do want you to save money. It's amazing how many times we go out of our way to help somebody, and they think we are...

I understand that the tractor dealership model is different than the auto dealership side. If that's the case, then here is an explanation for why you are not being treated very well: Back when I was in a dealership, the business model was that we broke even on the new car sale, lost money on...

I love that view! Our Ford Highboy is the same color of red, so I've seen a similar view of the engine compartment many times. You are holding the cord that goes to your engine block heater. The reason it is behind your headlight is so that you can pull it through the grill in the winter. I...

This is your real advantage. Those guys are not your competition, and in fact can probably help you. We built our side business with guys like that. Telling them, "If people ask you to do a job that's too small for you, don't tell them no. Give them my number." People in general want to be...

I CAN explain because I'm watching my friends doing this right now. They have figured out that in the used market, the first one to show up with the cash gets the tractor. So they do a HELOC or a cash out refinance and set that money aside, just waiting. When the right deal comes along, they...

@Rider84 , I'm glad you found a machine that will work well for you. @kcflhrc bought his JD3032e the same time I bought mine. You'll notice from his posts he's been happy with his and I know you'll be happy with yours. The kids might have me talked into moving up a size so we can do even...

Hornett, I believe he's suggesting that you put your location in your profile so that other members could contact you to ask about hiring you.

I may have figured out the problem. Back in the day, a guy had a passion for something. Let's say his passion was tractors. So, like us, he spends much of his free time reading and talking about tractors. He enjoys being around tractors so much, he gets a job selling them. There's your...

HP942, we own a 3032e and love it. Very dependable and reliable. You will love yours if you get one. Wagtail is right about supply. Our John Deere dealer has zero machines of this size and cannot get them. I could sell my four year old machine for almost what I paid for it new.

It's very true. In fact, I owe very little on my tractor and sometimes consider just paying it off. What stops me is the insurance only lasts the term of the loan and its so cheap I don't want to lose it.

I'm jealous! Here in Colorado I can't see our pasture yet because it's still under the snow!

Sometimes we struggle to decide if we should be spending our hard earned money on these tractors. Reading your posts about kids and grandkids WANTING to spend time with us makes it all worth it, doesn't it?

Time to load up the tractor and help a friend level off his back yard!

An update for everyone: Things suddenly moved along very quickly. The salesman called to say that Deere Financial accepted our application and they could bring a tractor out that day! The implements from the 9n hooked right up, as most of you figured they would. Here's the kids using the new...

Hello All! We know how each of us like spending other's money. I thought I would document the entire ownership process from selecting the new Deere, to purchasing it and using it. I'll include the good, the bad, and the ugly. And the final post will be selling the tractor-- although that...

Hello All! Green fever has hit the house hard. We have decided to purchase a compact John Deere because the kids (age 15 and 13) are old enough to help and we would like a modern tractor with more of the safety features. So we started the search the same way many of you did: A tractor a few...

Hello all! Looking at a John Deere 3032e or 3038e. Just the right size and plenty simple. The problem is that all the reviews mention that you cannot take the loader off. Then I found out that the loader is often installed at the dealer level. If the dealer can bolt it on, a person should be...

Time to replace the 8N, and wanted to demo the 3 series and the 4r series. A funny thing happened... while looking at the brand new tractors, we were all talking about how much has changed in 60 years. Ehydro, cruise control, and everything else. But then it got interesting... I jumped off...

Hello All, looking for some advice. The clutch went out on our 1955 Ford 650. What is worrisome is that it went out all at once, instead of gradually, and this is the dual clutch setup where letting out a little powers the PTO and letting all the way out powers the tractor (or it did until...

Looking for some advice on a (possible) ongoing hay situation: One of the horse barn owners approached us and and asked if I could round up my son and some of his friends (older teenagers) to pick up small squares out of the field and load them into the barn. She mentioned ninety cents per...

Hello. I've been a fan of your forum here for a while, and finally have a question worth asking. We're changing our business model this year. I've always run older equipment and figured the up front savings outweighed the higher maintenance and repair cost. It's hard to do this anymore...