Tractor budget started at $_, now at $_.

glalonde · Nov 3, 2003

$2000 (or 2300 with tax) - That's CDN dollars though.

Hummmm, someone's selling 170 acres down the road.

Rick Jay · Nov 3, 2003

O.K....I think I might have everyone beat here, but if not, I'm certainly in the top 2! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have about $30,000 invested in the Kubota and a whole slew of implements on 2/3 acre! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Let's see...invert the fraction...then multiply...that comes out somewhere around $45000 per acre! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Yuck....and that doesn't include the 3 years interest on the loan OR the $3,000 I have in my lawn tractor. I don't think I like this calculation at all. And it doesn't look much better if I divide by hours of operation, as I only have about 80 hours in 3 years.

I think I would prefer to say that I have 45 hp/acre. I can at least say that with a Tim Taylor grunt. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

And yet....I'd do it all over again...only maybe with an L30 series. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

~Rick

Kyle_in_Tex · Nov 3, 2003

I guess its like any hobby or such. There are some things you could never cost justify...you just gotta have em. I think thats what drives America.
You could compare almost any hobby/sport.

New fishing boat with all the trimmings costs about $25000. How many pounds of fresh fish fillets would it take before you came out cheaper having your own boat??? What are the true costs of those fresh fillets? When I used to sell sporting related stuff, the guys who spent the most were the one's who needed a spousal avoidance unit (barn) the most....Kyle

dieselsmoke1 · Nov 3, 2003

( As for the Vette. It has always been my favorite year too. I wanted one since they were new. Only took me about 38 years to get it. It may be just slightly altered from original. See attached pic. )

SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GregJ · Nov 3, 2003

Rick,
Good to see you and your sense of humor back on line. Hope all continues to go well.

Greg

StoneHeartFarm · Nov 4, 2003

Not on the low end, not on the high end, just right about the middle at $720.

Steve

slowrev · Nov 5, 2003

Re: Tractor budget started at $_____, now at $____

I am at about 200.00 per acre. this is by buying good used American built tractor.

EastTexFrank · Nov 5, 2003

Thank you guys, or at least some of you, you have really cheered me up. Right now I'm at $1700/acre and I thought that was pretty bad and it's fixin" to get worse ... PHD for Christmas, pole barn for tractor and implements next year and backhoe on the horizon. At least now I can say, "But honey, I'm not the worst!!!!!" Thanks, thanks, thanks ....

JohnS · Nov 5, 2003

$183 per acre, Tractor, fel, hoe, rotary cutter, box blade, and spare parts divided by 60 acres.

Alan L. · Nov 5, 2003

About $1000 an acre.

OkeeDon · Nov 6, 2003

so i will either have to buy more land or get a cheaper tractor 

I've been thinking about this thread, and in most cases, the folks with a low cost per acre are those who may or may not have spent as much for the tractor, but they have a lot more land. The only way I could get down to $146. 50 (the lowest number I noted) would be to spend only $732.50 for a tractor - not realistic.

So, obviously, in the context of this thread, the only way to justify the money I spent on a tractor is to spend more money to buy more land. For only $701,201 I can drop my cost per acre for the tractor down to the same $146.50... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Of course, then I'd need a bigger tractor, so I'd need even more land to hold the average! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Soundguy · Nov 6, 2003

( Right now I'm at $1700/acre and I thought that was pretty bad and it's fixin" to get worse )

Don't feel bad... I just figured mine up.. 1666.67 per acre... but then.. I got like 5 tractors too.. so.. not sure what that says /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif.

Soundguy

slowrev · Nov 6, 2003

Re: Tractor budget started at $_____, now at $____

Just a hobby for some of us even though we use them /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

dieselsmoke1 · Nov 6, 2003

( I think I would prefer to say that I have 45 hp/acre. I can at least say that with a Tim Taylor grunt. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

Hey maybe it comes out better that way.

Let's see, tractor 28, mower 25, tiller 5..........can we count weed eaters?

Slamfire · Nov 6, 2003

Well not everybody wants to live this far from town. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

AndyM · Nov 7, 2003

( Well not everybody wants to live this far from town. )

That's the way my wife grew up-- 30 miles from everything.

We're now lucky enough to have the best of both worlds--
We have 3.6 acres, but we're in walking distance of such places as the bank and the post office. There's not many people on TBN with a little bit of land who can WALK to the pizza shop to pick up dinner! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Let's see, three tractors and 3.6 acres. That's 1.2 tractors per acre! I never figured the COST per ACRE, but while I was shopping for the NH, I justified it to Mrs. AndyM in cost per YEAR. I told her that the 2N and 8N were close to 60 years old, so if the New Holland lasts that long, it's less than $140 per year!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Try that one on the CFO!

Soundguy · Nov 7, 2003

( the 2N and 8N were close to 60 years old, so if the New Holland lasts that long )

Good point... I tried that line myself... The mrs's reply was that i would be extremely lucky if my NH lasted as long as my N's... as they were built beter back then

To an extent I agree with her.... for one thing.. the sheet metal on my N's is a good gauge.. the sheet metal on my NH is thin enough to bend by hand..easilly. And the newer models don't even have sheet metal.. just plastic / fiberglass... go figure..

Soundguy

EastTexFrank · Nov 7, 2003

Yea, I tried to use that line too. JD820 ... 45 years old, cost $4000, worth today ... probably close to $4000. She told me that if I bought a new Kubota, she'd keep the tractor and let me go because I wouldn't last another 45 years and if I did, I wouldn't be worth anything. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I'm just going to have to think of a another angle. I want that new tractor and mower pretty bad. Still working at it.

Slamfire · Nov 7, 2003

My wife is smarter than that, the person who gets my pension, unreduced, is the woman who I was married to on the date of my retirement, and the date of my death. She's halfway there.

NoTrespassing · Nov 9, 2003

Lawman, I think you put the horses on the wrong side of the equation unless yours are a lot different than ours. Mine have to go on the expense side along with the tractor. But then again maybe you're making money with yours! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Kevin