Poll: How many hours per year

[Adirondaquer]

I was wondering approximately how many hours per year have you been putting on your tractors.

Also what is the approximate size of the land you are using it on?

Flat? Trees? What types of attachments do you have and which ones do you use the most.


I have two separate 1 acre properties. One all grass and hilly and the other mostly forest.

I can picture myself putting a lot of hours on a new compact tractor. Especially the backhoe.

Just trying to gauge if I should rent or own. Wifie, being the practical one say to rent whenever I need it. No maintenance, no storage, etc.

However, I can see the huge amount of uses.

Perhaps I can get a better feel (and have some ammo to come back at wifie with) if I can tell how often you guys have been using yours...

Any idea what size or type of trailer I would need to cart one of these with a BH to and from my other property?

I'm thinking my total investment of tractor and trailer would end up being close to $20 K. Wifie figures that would pay a lot of rental fees.

 

[Johndeere3720]

You will probably put in 200-1000 hours in a year depending how much work you have. I would rent a tractor with a backhoe for a day and see how much work you can accomplish.

 

[dodge man]

I have a BX2350, end loader, 60"mmm, rear blade, and front forks. I have about 3 acres, half of which is lawn, the other half is trees. I originally bought it as a mower, but about half of my hours is end loader work. I use it for cutting fire wood, mowing, moving dirt, moving gravel, plowing snow, and probably other things I can't think of. I haven't quite had mine a year yet, but I think I'll be putting about 170 hours a year on mine. I bought a 18' trailer for mine.

My wife was not real keen on me buying mine, but I don't regret it at all. If you got a Kubota BX with a backhoe, end loader, MMM, and trailer, 20K will go a long way towards your purchase. If you buy used, maybe a little less.

 

[tree farmer]

Yep, your wife is correct, 20 grand would pay a lot of rental fees. I prefer to look at rental vs. purchase this way: Is rental equipment readily available if you should decide to do a certain project on short notice? Is the rental firm in close proximity to your location? Do you have the time to chase down all needed implements, etc. needed for a project? From the other side of the picture: Do you have a continuing need for the equipment you may purchase? Do you have the necessary skills, tools, adequate storage and servicing facilities to repair and maintain your own equipment? Are you sure you know what your needs are before you make such a major purchase? Can you write off your equipment on your taxes? Everyone's answer to this is not the same. I have 40 acres of young forestland here in the northwest and own my own equpment, which includes a 1952 (?) IH TD-14 dozer, a 1964 IH 3414 loader/backhoe, a 2006 Montana 2740 tractor, and a bunch of implements (never enough). I'm not a mechanic, but seem to keep everything running OK. I wouldn't be without any of my 'toys', but I couldn't justify them if I crunched the numbers. As far as hours of operation, I probably don't exceed 150 hours a year on all combined.....Dan.

 

[deere5105]

I put approximately 150-200 hours a year on my John Deere 5105. Time is spent using rotary cutter to maintain roads and pastures, planting food plots and gardening on approximately 800 acres of which 80% to 90% is pine forest. Reality is one acre of forest land shouldn't require a lot of maintenance and 20 grand is a lot to pay to mow one acre of grass.

 

[greenmule]

About 130 hours a year.

 

[foggy1111]

I would imagine the average use of most of the CUT owners is around 75 hours a year. I beleive I will put on 125 hours or so and most of that time will be on about 100 acres of deer habitat.

I can't immagine having to go to the rental place every time you want to do a job that may only be 10 minutes or an hour or two. Plus changing the attachements for different operations would be a PITA via the rental place. when I have rented items it takes me an hour or more just to get the machine on the road and another hour to get it refueled and back to the yard. Lots of wasted time. Then too...you never know the reliability or the conditon of what your renting. I do think renting to determine how big or what brand or feature makes sense.

For some stuff or for very occasional use renting makes sense...just not a tractor IMHO.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have 3 acres of which 2 is grass and one forest. I do logging, plowing snow, mowing, and a lot of FEL work. I also have a post hole digger, large lawn roller, 2 bottom plow, 6' disc, and a bush hog I really do not use much at my place but do odd jobs with these items. I average about 125 hrs per year.

Chris

 

[spruce Deere]

Rent? we do not need to stinking rent! By a tractor or have a "Tractor work" guy do it. I am around 150 hrs a year. Hours did go up after buying the 790 with the FEL. Do all the tree farm work, tillage, planting, spraying. Come fall Fetch harvested deer and elk if possible with the tractor. Move snow all winter. Side work mixed in time, weather and job permitting.

 

[newbury]

I was wondering approximately how many hours per year have you been putting on your tractors.

Also what is the approximate size of the land you are using it on?

Flat? Trees? What types of attachments do you have and which ones do you use the most.


I have two separate 1 acre properties. One all grass and hilly and the other mostly forest.

I can picture myself putting a lot of hours on a new compact tractor. Especially the backhoe.

Just trying to gauge if I should rent or own. Wifie, being the practical one say to rent whenever I need it. No maintenance, no storage, etc.

However, I can see the huge amount of uses.

Perhaps I can get a better feel (and have some ammo to come back at wifie with) if I can tell how often you guys have been using yours...

Any idea what size or type of trailer I would need to cart one of these with a BH to and from my other property?

I'm thinking my total investment of tractor and trailer would end up being close to $20 K. Wifie figures that would pay a lot of rental fees.

Definitely rent the wife. Buy a tractor.