Tractor Shopping Observations

[MtnViewRanch]

Inflation is a whole different can of worms.

What I'm talking about is you go to buy that candy bar, and they say sorry sir we don't offer just candy bars anymore, you will have to buy a pack of gum also.

Just like the combo meals at all the fast food places. But you don't have to buy the combo meal, you can get just the burger or just the fries. They offer the combos because that is what most people want, same with cars, trucks, tractors.

 

[TripleR]

I think most of you are misunderstanding the nature of my original post.

I'm not saying they are none out there. What I'm talking about is TRENDS, wait a few years and see how many real farming type tractors are left that are under 50HP and 50 grand.

No doubt trends are changing and I guess have been since people first abandoned the hunter gatherer lifestyle and began agrarian lifestyles. Our 160 acre farm was standard size when we grew up and people could make a living with a combination of row crop, livestock and a garden. By the time I left home, mom was working in a factory to supplement the income then dad had to start driving a truck with kids farming. I remember when our neighbor managed to put together 400 acres and was considered a "big farmer". Now a thousand acres is nothing special and no one farms with anything under 200 HP and will need more than one.

I believe the trends are consumer driven and not manufacture driven.

They don't make base model cars or trucks because so few people will buy them. I bought one for probably less than it cost several years ago after it sat on the lot for almost two years. Someone had special ordered it then backed out after driving it.

 

[Catfish Man]

I'm not against technology, I'm still debating HST vs gear.

And yes I will be adding a FEL in a couple of years, but I'm opting out right now for cost reasons and because I don't have an immediate need for it.

I have a quote on my desk right now for a kubota L series with all the bells and whistles. It would be ideally suited to for my immediate needs, it would be very comfortable, and my neighbors would envy me. But do I need all that? :confused2:

Again I'm not even talking about the CURRENT tractors I'm talking about where we are headed.

 

[TripleR]

I'm not against technology, I'm still debating HST vs gear.

And yes I will be adding a FEL in a couple of years, but I'm opting out right now for for cost reasons and because I don't have an immediate need for it.

I have a quote on my desk right now for a kubota L series with all the bells and whistles. It would be ideally suited to for my immediate needs, it would be very comfortable, and my neighbors would envy me. But do I need all that? :confused2:

Again I'm not even talking about the CURRENT tractors I'm talking about where we are headed.

Heck I imagine a lot of us have more than we "need", I bought additional tractors to get out of running them between farms. Our renters would do just about everything I do on one farm free, but I enjoy it and want it done when I want it done, not when someone can get around to it.

I guess I am "old", 64, just not "old school".

 

[Catfish Man]

And I will also be adding a hydraulic top link from mtn view

 

[Catfish Man]

If any manufacturer offered a pickup truck that was:

good heavy truck
an engine with some grunt
no carpet
no power locks or windows
sheet metal thick enough that it doesn't bend when you lean on it
a manual transmission with a granny gear
a rear end made for pulling not for gas mileage
*that cost less than I paid for my first house* (and I'm not that old)

I would be at the dealership first thing in the morning to buy one
and I would gladly pay extra for the heater and am/fm radio

 

[TripleR]

And I will also be adding a hydraulic top link from mtn view

One of the best things I ever bought and I am pretty darned sure I really NEEDED it.:thumbsup:

If any manufacturer offered a pickup truck that was:

good heavy truck
an engine with some grunt
no carpet
no power locks or windows
sheet metal thick enough that it doesn't bend when you lean on it
a manual transmission with a granny gear
a rear end made for pulling not for gas mileage
*that cost less than I paid for my first house* (and I'm not that old)

I would be at the dealership first thing in the morning to buy one
and I would gladly pay extra for the heater and am/fm radio

They would sell at least one. Even though I live in a farming area, most pickups around here never haul or pull much of anything. My brother has a truck like that he used to pull his back hoe and such with, but it's probably thirty years old.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I ran into the same issues. I had a Ford 861 gas, no loader and wanted a 4x4 tractor with a loader.

The big 3's were not what I wanted at all after looking at them. I ended up going Chinese with a Jinma 284. Glad I did. Tractor and loader on this 28HP beast weighed 3,800# and with weights on the front, wheel weights, (both are standard), and filling the rear tires it now weighs 5,600# and can really do some work. It will flat out pull my 861 which is gas and 48 HP any day of the week and twice on Sundays with its 28HP.

Another little fact about Chinese tractors is they rate them at a 12 hour average HP, not peak like the others. My tractor out of the box turned 31 HP on the PTO peak out of its 28 HP engine. I venture to guess its more near 35 peak HP.

Its basically built like the tractors were 50 years ago. I tell people its like buying a brand new 45 year old tractor.

Oh yea, and it has real tires, R1's. All the others push the R4's so hard but my experience with them using others machines left me disappointed.

I could not live without a loader thought. I would say I spend 60% of my time doing loader work, 30% mowing, and the other 10% pushing snow and grading.

Chris

 

[MtnViewRanch]

If any manufacturer offered a pickup truck that was:

good heavy truck
an engine with some grunt
no carpet
no power locks or windows
sheet metal thick enough that it doesn't bend when you lean on it
a manual transmission with a granny gear
a rear end made for pulling not for gas mileage
*that cost less than I paid for my first house* (and I'm not that old)

I would be at the dealership first thing in the morning to buy one
and I would gladly pay extra for the heater and am/fm radio

Once up on a time International would build you the exact truck that you want. What happened? :confused3:

My 1959 F600 has no heater in it. I bought one for it 6-7 years ago, just have never gotten around to installing it. I guess that I don't really need it all that bad after all.

 

[D7E]

I'll add that they're also getting more sneaky about the horseposer ratings by commonly advertising the engine HP rather than the PTO or drawbar HP which are always lower.

But the rest of the world have always used engine hp as the standard , america is just catching up to speed with everyone else.