Who’s buying gear ?

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
So right there, we used to run worn out kit. Whenever I needed to go drilling or fert spreading etc, you'd spend a day fixing it. When I took over running the place I pretty much got rid of all of it. What a revalation to put a machine on a tractor and actually be able to do a full days work!! But I only buy what I need when I can afford it although the tractor is due a change
I guess if you are mechanically minded and a tinkerer it’s okay. Personally I have zero interest in that kind of thing.
 
I guess if you are mechanically minded and a tinkerer it’s okay. Personally I have zero interest in that kind of thing.

I don't mind a bit of repairs and maintenance, so long as I know what has to be done; either something I have done before, perhaps under some instruction or with a manual in front of me.

BUT this is in the winter time in a workshop when you are surrounded by tools and parts, on a clean floor with a cup of tea and a thinking cap on. Not fudging around under a machine in the heat of the day or buried in the wet /getting covered in dust doing a repair that might last half a day before failing again. Nothing makes me more crazy than people who won't do the job right the first time and instead bodge.
 
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redsloe

Member
Location
Cornwall
Not from a tax point if view, as things stand at the moment my accountant says it has to be available for use in the tax year its tax relief is claimed, however my thoughts are as long as the paper trail is correct who can argue.
It's not your fault your tax planning didn't take into account covid 19 and delivery has been postponed.
I told my accountant about a similar situation and he said not to worry, there should be a little understanding if or when anybody bothers to check if the equipment is on farm in time.
 
It's not your fault your tax planning didn't take into account covid 19 and delivery has been postponed.
I told my accountant about a similar situation and he said not to worry, there should be a little understanding if or when anybody bothers to check if the equipment is on farm in time.
Sorry, the example I quoted for was a combine bought and delivered a few years ago in march on a march tax year end, accountant moaned so I recorded in dairy that we used the combine to bulk re clean some barley so I could say it was used in that tax year but nothing ever came of it.
 

kill

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South West
I know a local contractor who seams to have mainly older gear and he’s constantly fixing it when to me it should be working. He had a bit of bad luck with a newish tractor so thinks it’s ok to buy older stuff. But the older stuff breaks down consistently and is in need of on going repairs then it and it’s operator are not working. Same for anyone really.
What’s classed as an older simple tractor was a complex one compared to one from the previous 20 years .
For example. How much would it cost to put a set of brakes in a mxm/tm 150 ? £4k or more at a guess ? How much down time ? 3 or 4 days if you can get someone to do it and get all the parts there and then probably more like a week.
Parts are seriously dear these days .
Set of brakes done as a service item can be done for 1k pre being fudged. Fudge them bad and 5k may not cover them if crap has got into the tractors hydraulic system badly as washing , oils and repeated filters and labour will mount up.
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
I know a local contractor who seams to have mainly older gear and he’s constantly fixing it when to me it should be working. He had a bit of bad luck with a newish tractor so thinks it’s ok to buy older stuff. But the older stuff breaks down consistently and is in need of on going repairs then it and it’s operator are not working. Same for anyone really.
What’s classed as an older simple tractor was a complex one compared to one from the previous 20 years .
For example. How much would it cost to put a set of brakes in a mxm/tm 150 ? £4k or more at a guess ? How much down time ? 3 or 4 days if you can get someone to do it and get all the parts there and then probably more like a week.
Parts are seriously dear these days .
Nonsense
Change the brakes on a tm 155 for £500 and a days labour
Done it several times
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
So right there, we used to run worn out kit. Whenever I needed to go drilling or fert spreading etc, you'd spend a day fixing it. When I took over running the place I pretty much got rid of all of it. What a revalation to put a machine on a tractor and actually be able to do a full days work!! But I only buy what I need when I can afford it although the tractor is due a change
You shouldnt have put them away broken!!!
 

v8willy

Member
Mixed Farmer
There is balance between staff levels, repair bill and depreciation. Lots of ways to do it and any way can work if done properly.
A lot also depends on how able you are to fix & maintain stuff.
So right there, we used to run worn out kit. Whenever I needed to go drilling or fert spreading etc, you'd spend a day fixing it. When I took over running the place I pretty much got rid of all of it. What a revalation to put a machine on a tractor and actually be able to do a full days work!! But I only buy what I need when I can afford it although the tractor is due a change
Kinda the same story here, only thing I notice is when it broke down back then it didn't annoy me as much as it does now, just took it in my stride back then, maybe age has something to do with it...
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
Set of brakes done as a service item can be done for 1k pre being fudged. Fudge them bad and 5k may not cover them if crap has got into the tractors hydraulic system badly as washing , oils and repeated filters and labour will mount up.

A lot of people seem to be in one of two camps. buy new and pay the warranty or run old kit and suffer breakdowns.
There's a third group though as you suggest. Older equipment that is serviced/rebuilt out of season or during a regular pm service, to a standard at which it (should) survive the season, or until the next pm.
Having the ability to do that without requiring main dealer for everything is the hard bit. Plus people don't like spending money on something that's not completely shagged yet. Bearings, brakes, engine/transmission work etc.
There also seems to be a move towards casual, seasonal, self employed labour that can be paid only when machinery needs to run then sent away. So you don't have a workforce that's capable of rebuilding a baler, drill, combine or forager during the winter.
Its perhaps cheaper to do that, every business looks at things differently.
 

Lowland1

Member
Mixed Farmer
I used to run a fleet of ford 7810's and 8210's i convinced my self that these tractors were simple easy to repair and cheap to buy the trouble was out of 12 or so two were always being repaired another two were being nursed so we didn't break them. When I finally bought a new tractor it was a revelation for me the convenience more than pays for itself we do the work on time and far better than before. I have another arriving today and personally being able to buy new makes farming enjoyable. My son is stuck in England with a couple of old Ford's and everyday I will get a call asking what to do about this problem or that problem. Classic tractors should be like classic cars keep them in the shed and bring them out when the sun shines.
 

snarling bee

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Bedfordshire
There's a happy medium somewhere. I tend to buy S/H kit, but not knackered, to save the worst of the depn., and I don't believe they break down more often than new kit.
We need 3 wheel tractors in harvest, (17000 hrs between them) and I also have 895 HP in rubber tracks, (14,000 hrs between them) that are depreciating down from a purchase price of £110k.
Its also a balance between cost of timeliness and cost of repair where breakdowns are concerned.
If I sold all my tractors and bought new I would only get 350 HP at best.
 

Lowland1

Member
Mixed Farmer
I was hoping to post a picture of my new high clearance tractor unfortunately i had a phone call this morning which went a bit like this. ' Your new tractor only has one door.' Me ' No i ordered the two door model'
J.D ' Yes but yours only has one door'
Me' Thats not what i ordered'
J.D' Yes but we broke a door but only one'
Me ' Keep it'
J.D ' But why the rest of it is fine'
IMG-20200409-WA0001.jpg
IMG-20200409-WA0003.jpg
 

Nearly

Member
Location
North of York
I used to run a fleet of ford 7810's and 8210's i convinced my self that these tractors were simple easy to repair and cheap to buy the trouble was out of 12 or so two were always being repaired another two were being nursed so we didn't break them. When I finally bought a new tractor it was a revelation for me the convenience more than pays for itself we do the work on time and far better than before. I have another arriving today and personally being able to buy new makes farming enjoyable. My son is stuck in England with a couple of old Ford's and everyday I will get a call asking what to do about this problem or that problem. Classic tractors should be like classic cars keep them in the shed and bring them out when the sun shines.
They are simple to repair but no longer cheap to buy. :(
I'd rather have repairs than depreciation on my almost part-time farm.
Repairs are always there to do but depreciation is only noticable on one day, when tractor goes down the road.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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