American farmers

[Exfarmer]

Strange about the Americans not having ball hitch link end claws as they were sending large tractors over in the 70s with a 3 point linkage incorporating a frame with hook ends

 

[Suffolk Serf]

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They do have some telehandlers in the US! We borrowed this one from a farmer in Colorado to change a final drive on a combine in the field. Must admit I did do a double take when it arrived as it was the last thing I was expecting to see. Of course, it was hauled in on a swan-neck pickup trailer....

Also in Colorado looking round a JD dealer on our day off (talk about busman's holiday) we found this:

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Back at base it was the standard bobcat for feeding round bales to cattle and workshop stuff, also dead handy for moving dolly type header trailers backwards.
When it wasn't on the harvest run pulling the grain cart we also had the 8310R for odd jobs. Makes an ideal loader tractor!

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That 8310R looks a handy loader tractor.

 

[kiwi pom]

Can you imagine the 3 hour round trip to the elevator in a tractor?

A lot of UK farms would have grain storage close to the crop so tractors aren't really a problem but larger farms hauling longer distances do use trucks loaded with chasers. Grain that is hauled out of store to a customer is almost always hauled with trucks. Many North American truck/trailer combinations simply wouldn't fit on UK roads.
If you look in to what's involved in running a truck in the UK you might spot why they aren't used more.
They work well for your conditions though.

 

[glasshouse]

Off topic I know but the Shermans reputation for 'brewing up' was almost always caused by any ammo stored outside of the armored storage cabinets catching fire. Fuel was stored around the engine.

It was lethal stupidity to run tanks on petrol,
All the german tanks ran on deisel, much safer in battle situations.
They called shermans the tommy cookers.

 

[glasshouse]

We in the US use trucks for transport. If we used tractors to transport small loads in congested areas, we would look at tractors being something other than a tillage tool.

What do u pay for truck fuel?

 

[mwj]

Pump price today is $2.73 per gallon. If you can hold a transport load and store it you could buy 10% cheaper.

 

[glasshouse]

Pump price today is $2.73 per gallon. If you can hold a transport load and store it you could buy 10% cheaper.

We pay $7.50 per gallon for truck fuel.
Thats why we dont use trucks
Plus they are useless off road

 

[Blaithin]

A lot of UK farms would have grain storage close to the crop so tractors aren't really a problem but larger farms hauling longer distances do use trucks loaded with chasers. Grain that is hauled out of store to a customer is almost always hauled with trucks. Many North American truck/trailer combinations simply wouldn't fit on UK roads.
If you look in to what's involved in running a truck in the UK you might spot why they aren't used more.
They work well for your conditions though.

I know why trucks from here don’t work there. I wasn’t saying the UK should use them. It was simply saying we don’t use and rely on tractors in the same way as the UK. PUH aren’t a necessary convenience.

 

[farmerfred86]

The larson farms "shop" is really incredible. Essentially an aircraft hanger! What I can't work out is that they apparently farm 6k ac which is the same as a large agri business here but they have a multitude of machinery. At least 3 quad track, many other tractors, at least 2 combines.
The "elevator" is also truly impressive!

 

[mwj]

The larson farms "shop" is really incredible. Essentially an aircraft hanger! What I can't work out is that they apparently farm 6k ac which is the same as a large agri business here but they have a multitude of machinery. At least 3 quad track, many other tractors, at least 2 combines.
The "elevator" is also truly impressive!

Would you farm 6000 acres in the uk with 1 combine and less than three tractors?

 

[Tomr10]

Pump price today is $2.73 per gallon. If you can hold a transport load and store it you could buy 10% cheaper.

That us gallon ? Seam to have highest price in the uk of all the places I've been

 

[kiwi pom]

We pay $7.50 per gallon for truck fuel.
Thats why we dont use trucks
Plus they are useless off road

Don't forget the US gallon is smaller.

 

[kiwi pom]

Would you farm 6000 acres in the uk with 1 combine and less than three tractors?

One thing I've seen on the YouTube video's is that some farms running new gear seem to have them on some kind of lease/hire deal, where they either pay so much a clock hour or are limited to so many hours per year.
I'm not sure if that's the same as UK farmers just hiring machines for a harvest?

Millennial Farmer has a hell of a lot of tractors (plus all the demo's) for his fairly small 2 crop farm. Some of them barely do anything but he seems to keep them. I'm sure there's a fairly new wheeled 8000 series that he still has but doesn't use.
Hard to see how you can make them pay, running such a small number of hours. Even looking at it from a cost per acre perspective it must be a huge cost?

 

[Blaithin]

The larson farms "shop" is really incredible. Essentially an aircraft hanger! What I can't work out is that they apparently farm 6k ac which is the same as a large agri business here but they have a multitude of machinery. At least 3 quad track, many other tractors, at least 2 combines.
The "elevator" is also truly impressive!

Field work season is fairly short. You have to get in, prep, drill, spray, harvest, prep, in a very short window. You can’t rely on one tractor for 6000 acres, you’d never get what needs done, finished.

 

[glasshouse]

Don't forget the US gallon is smaller.

They always have to be bloody different

 

[glasshouse]

One thing I've seen on the YouTube video's is that some farms running new gear seem to have them on some kind of lease/hire deal, where they either pay so much a clock hour or are limited to so many hours per year.
I'm not sure if that's the same as UK farmers just hiring machines for a harvest?

Millennial Farmer has a hell of a lot of tractors (plus all the demo's) for his fairly small 2 crop farm. Some of them barely do anything but he seems to keep them. I'm sure there's a fairly new wheeled 8000 series that he still has but doesn't use.
Hard to see how you can make them pay, running such a small number of hours. Even looking at it from a cost per acre perspective it must be a huge cost?

He prob gets them for free

 

[farmerfred86]

Field work season is fairly short. You have to get in, prep, drill, spray, harvest, prep, in a very short window. You can’t rely on one tractor for 6000 acres, you’d never get what needs done, finished.

I'm beginning to think the same is happening in this country - short weather windows mean we really have to make the most of september and March now.

 

[mwj]

I'm beginning to think the same is happening in this country - short weather windows mean we really have to make the most of september and March now.

The vast majority here only have a short window for spring planting. Corn and beans are the major crops and they are spring planted.

 

[Yorkshire lad]

We use a Bobcat for working in confined spaces which its excellent for. But it has no forward reach or lift height You have to clamber over the bucket to get in and out of the cab and aving a rigid frame is a huge disadvantage on undulating ground
American workshops though are something most main dealers here would love let alone a farmer

 

[Farmer Roy]

Would you farm 6000 acres in the uk with 1 combine and less than three tractors?

we’d farm 6000 acres here with one tractor, a spray rig & maybe use contractors for harvest . . .

Horses for courses . . .