Fuel Prices--Will They Effect Your Tractor Usage?

[Oleozz]

It cost me $126. to fill up my tractor this week with offroad diesel. It uses about 6--8 gal an hour to operate so it will cost me over $20 an hour just for fuel. I am a small operator and am wondering what these prices are going to do with the folks who have four or five big farm tractors? If prices don't drop I see food prices going way up.
Will these high fuel prices change any of your tractor habits?

 

[riptides]

All diesel on my property has not been fueled for a month. Both my gas and diesel activites are slowly changing.

If I can walk to the job, either professional or personally, I would.

Maybe time to get the horses back to work.

I'll just think a little harder before I turn the key. So be it.

-Mike Z.

 

[Reg]

I think food prices are going up (& HAVE gone up) more because of the distance it is hauled AFTER it is grown and harvested.

 

[Skyco]

The fuel price won't affect how much I run my little BX24, but it WILL affect how often I haul it to my property 120 miles away where I primarily use it.

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Oleozz,
Im thinking that my tractor operation wont change too much, but I have tried to restrict my vehicle driving habits as much as possible ! My diesel is only running 50 to 75 hours per year and I really enjoy the little seat time that I get !

 

[cp1969]

I started to say no, but then again, fuel prices might affect how much I use the tractor.

If fertilizer goes up much more, I won't be putting any on. So that amount of usage would go away.

 

[tony123]

I burn about a dollar an hour (two at the most). So no, it won't change my habits.

 

[Chuck52]

It won't affect my limited tractor usage, but I was already getting irritated by how much it cost to fill the five gallon can I use for my lawn mower back in the good old days of $2.50/gallon gas. It's hard on us old guys who remember $0.25/gallon gas.

Chuck

 

[jinman]

It won't affect my limited tractor usage, but I was already getting irritated by how much it cost to fill the five gallon can I use for my lawn mower back in the good old days of $2.50/gallon gas. It's hard on us old guys who remember $0.25/gallon gas.

Chuck

Ha!

Chuck, I remember gas at $018.9 (gas war) when I was in high school. Now I pay $15 to $20 for my 5 and 7 gallon cans of diesel. I don't think I've changed my tractor use, but I've sure started hiding my full cans and not leaving them out to tempt my neighbors.

 

[Mickey_Fx]

I see I'm not the only old gezzer here. I do recall gas prices under $.20/gal.

If you are a high enough user of diesel and possible have a friend/neighbor, it might pay to check into purchasing the needed equip to make your own biodiesel. Might cost as little as $5-6k to get into production if you press your own oil seed. After getting the oil pressed out you still have some usable livestock feed. $3k will get you a press that can process 6T of seed a day. Bigger presses are available.

 

[WayneB]

Around here the price of Diesel is around $3.38 a gal and regular gas was $2.89-9 today when I filled up the car. (Wish they would drop that 9/10ths of a penny)

As for the tractor it will be used when needed, but not just to go down and get the mail! Still have to drive everyday somewhere so the trips just cost more.

The TV folks are talking about retail stores hurting with sales being way off, well I am sure in the Northeast it will be real slow for them this year. Heating fuel cost are expected to be up a minimum of 18% so most of our Christmas joy will go into heating oil!

This is our first week with below freezing temperatures every morning and the heat on all day long.

 

[Double Orange]

It uses about 6--8 gal an hour to operate so it will cost me over $20 an hour just for fuel. ?

What are doing to burn 6-8 gallons an hr? Is this with your Kioti?

My L 5240 burns 1.5 hr doing logging or light grading work.

 

[Oleozz]

What are doing to burn 6-8 gallons an hr? Is this with your Kioti?

.

No, it's with an IH 1066.

 

[Lazy]

Hi

All these examples do NOT imply that gasoline is cheap; It just illustrates how outrageous some prices are.... You will be really shocked by the last one!!!! (At least, I was...)Think a gallon of gas is expensive?
This makes one think, and also puts things in perspective. Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 ... $10.32 per gallon
Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 ..........$9.52 per gallon Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 .... $10.17 per gallonOcean Spray 16 oz $1.25 ......... $10.00 per gallonBrake Fluid 12 oz $3.15 ......... $33.60 per gallonVick's NyQuil 6 oz $8.35 ... $178.13 per gallon Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 .. $123.20 per gallonWhiteout 7 oz $1.39 ...... . $25.42 per gallonScope 1.5 oz $0.99 .....$84.48 per gallon And this is the REAL KICKER...Evian water 9 oz $1.49..........$21.19 per gallon!$21.19 for WATER And the buyers don't even know the source . (Evian spelled backwards is Naive.) Ever wonder why computer printers are so cheap? So they have you hooked for the ink.Someone calculated the cost of the ink at................ You won't believe it................... But it is true......................... $5,200 a gal. (five thousand two hundred dollars) So, the next time you're at the pump, Be glad your car doesn't run on Water, Scope, or Whiteout, Pepto Bismol, NyQuil Or God forbid, Printer Ink!!!!!

 

[MtnViewRanch]

No, it's with an IH 1066.

Wow, how big is the engine in that thing? It sounds like it needs new injectors. Does it put out a lot of black smoke? My D6 uses a little more than 3gph.

 

[Rara Avis]

Well, I tried NyQuil...but the tractor kept snoozing off...

 

[billbill1]

But did it quit sneezing, that is the question?

 

[Hootie]

I insure an in woods chipping contractor. He told me about a month ago that his weekly fuel bill has been running about 18K/week. That is including his trucking. Can you imagine the impact these prices are going to have on him!!

 

[JerryG]

That seems like quite a bit an hour. I figured that it would use about 5 gallon per hour. My 166 HP Perkins uses about 6 gph at about 3/4 pull and 7-8 gph at full pull. The only fuel that I will able to get at a reasonable cost this winter will be propane. I contracted 20,000 gallons at $1.56 a gallon.

No, it's with an IH 1066.

 

[Oleozz]

Many of the folks on the IH site that run 1066's claim they will use 6 gph and if you are doing heavy pulling it will go up to 8-9 gph. I really won't know until spring when I plow and disc with it.