Spent it. Many more employed in Ag back then, it wasn't a competition to see who could farm the most land with the least amount of people like it is now.. Land rent was probably higher in real terms. Interest rates 17%. Even small farmers changed tractors every 5 years.Makes you wonder what all the farmers were doing with the huge amounts of money they made back then?
Although when I was a kid in the seventies and eighties every farmer I knew said there was no money in the job
our w plate 6290 is still going strong
I always think this is an interesting question. I have an IH434 we bought new in 1970 and it is way overspecced. It has 8 gears and a 2 speed PTO, when it has probably only used 3 gears in the last 30 years and no-one ever realised for decades what the PTO gear did. It also has a sophisticated for the time draught control system which has never been used once in 50 years and is still covered in paint. It even has headlights and indicators which I don't ever remember using on the road. At the time, that was what you got with a medium tractor so you just accepted it, but it all had to be paid for, with one eye on the trade in, but of course it soon fell in value so it wasn't worth trading in.
How did you get a 19plate T7040??? Thought they where long gone
Wouldn’t have a clue about 1975 figures but I believe the average wage is now about 27k , and I’m sure you’ll be about right with the 200k average house price.
Depends where he’s farming, I believe he has foreign farming interests.
And there you have it. One man can now do what six or more did then. When we had five or six on the farm we needed enough to pay five or six salaries. Now only one is doing it he is not going to get the same money as five or six people and the one expensive 200 hp tractor does the same as four Ford 4000’s so there is less money in the supply chain as well. Problem is if we all can make a living off 50 acres some clever man will work out that if he had 100 acres he will make twice as much. Not much anyone can do but keep on the treadmill.
I was reading somewhere that technology goes through stages of cost vs. usefulness and the nack is jumping in at the right moment. When I was young, I was overawed by the technology of computers, Concorde, the Harrier and man on the moon. It seemed that we would simply build on our progress to advance faster and faster into the universe of Space 1999 where anything was possible. In reality, my life is still firmly rooted in 1899 as the technology hit the limits of what was useful.
In Kenya we are still on tier 3 and as such they are still making them. It doesn’t have a 19 plate but was built in 2018 bought feb 2019. I also have a 2016 build t6080.
I was reading somewhere that technology goes through stages of cost vs. usefulness and the nack is jumping in at the right moment. When I was young, I was overawed by the technology of computers, Concorde, the Harrier and man on the moon. It seemed that we would simply build on our progress to advance faster and faster into the universe of Space 1999 where anything was possible. In reality, my life is still firmly rooted in 1899 as the technology hit the limits of what was useful.
My 486 computer is still sitting fully functional in the loft because it didn't quite live up to its promise. The cheaper Windows 98 model was nearly there and actually had loads of features I never used, and this laptop is like my IH434, it came with umpteen million unnecessary features that I will never even discover or use, and I will use all that power to simply send typed messages on here and look at Bald Rick's ooohhh... posts
Thanks
that tractor would do me nicely
I just wish you could buy new ones.
Out of interest, how much would a 3 bed semi rent out for in Hereford and how much would it cost to get a contractor to do your combining?
