Trouble is they only breakdown when your busy. Make sure you have a plan B, otherwise sound's a decent idea.
Rubber tracks
- Thread starter Stevethemeat
- Start date
Trouble is they only breakdown when your busy. Make sure you have a plan B, otherwise sound's a decent idea.
ollie989898
Member
A machine bought new could be near equally likely to break down and await dealer repair. Granted it will be under warranty but the downtime is there.
I would personally be sorely tempted to buy a second hand crawler with 4000 hours on the clock; steal it for a ridiculous price and mentally budget 20K put aside for going through it in the winter. With oil analysis and more proven components etc I would put more faith in in it than a run of the mill 150hp tractor.
If you have workshop skills even better.
Depends on the make.. Brisel doesn't like quadtracs...Basically the running gear is the stuff to look at.
I like all crawlers including Quadtracs. They have a place on farm but cheap to run is something they are not.
ollie989898
Member
Cheap per acre worked.
If you get lots of hours out of them. 700 hours/year is the top end of what use you can use them for. You’d put more than that on a wheeled 936.
Jetemp
Member
- Location
- North Yorkshire
We run a 775e and a 765d. we put 998 hours on the 775 last autumn. Only way we can do that is to run 24 hours a day for autumn cultivations.
James
James
- Location
- Dorset/Wiltshire
We have got a 7 series at work which replaced an 8
I absolutely love it but I haven’t got to pay for it! [emoji15]
I absolutely love it but I haven’t got to pay for it! [emoji15]
ollie989898
Member
You wont make something cheaper by putting more hours on it. Once the cultivations or drilling is done park it. I dont understand folks reluctance to do this- they do it 10 months out of 12 with combines.
The thought of depreciating a 936 on donkey work should cause cold sweats.
stevepmiles
Member
Great in the right conditions. But a greasy top layer over hard ground and you won't move
Stevethemeat
Member
It’s cost per acre that counts to me so for cultivation or drilling that’s it’s job and finished no need to work more hours than necessary that way it will last longer is my idea
- Location
- norfolk
I find that it's excellent on the drill and topwork in a straight line, they absolutely hammer the headlands no matter how you turn and often require a pass with something to level them up before drilling. Good on the plough until there's a heavy dew and they give implements a lot grief when moving between fields with all the vibrations and bouncing about.
They've got to be weighted right to get the most out of them traction wise and if your looking at a Cat the small fuel tank will drive you mad as it's usually empty by 2-3pm on heavy work, 450lts.
My challenger has now gone replaced by a wheel tractor mainly to get more use, although the crawler did 1700 hrs a year. When we demo'd wheel tractors most could do the jobs of the crawler using less fuel and a lot easier to move about the farms and with central tyre inflation and weighing 6.5 tons less than the crawler I found it did not cut in any more than the cat did on top work, looking forward to trying it on the drill for this season for a real comparison.
If it was my money would I buy a crawler
Probably not, they seem expensive to run, have limited use and having your whole cultivation kit geared around one machine can leave you in a mucking fuddle when it inevitably breaks down.
Just my humble opinion after being sat on them since 2002.
They've got to be weighted right to get the most out of them traction wise and if your looking at a Cat the small fuel tank will drive you mad as it's usually empty by 2-3pm on heavy work, 450lts.
My challenger has now gone replaced by a wheel tractor mainly to get more use, although the crawler did 1700 hrs a year. When we demo'd wheel tractors most could do the jobs of the crawler using less fuel and a lot easier to move about the farms and with central tyre inflation and weighing 6.5 tons less than the crawler I found it did not cut in any more than the cat did on top work, looking forward to trying it on the drill for this season for a real comparison.
If it was my money would I buy a crawler
Probably not, they seem expensive to run, have limited use and having your whole cultivation kit geared around one machine can leave you in a mucking fuddle when it inevitably breaks down.
Just my humble opinion after being sat on them since 2002.
Yes and no. Just looking at depreciation isn’t the whole picture though more hours dilutes the cost per hour and per acre. It loses money whether you use it or not unless buying second hand and keeping it for a long time.
- Location
- norfolk
Buying second hand is ideal if your only looking at a few hundred hours a year but you only need a gearbox to go and your figures go out the window and you find yourself running it for even longer to dilute the repair bills then when it comes to change it’s a bigger cost also. End of the day you might buy secondhand and be lucky with minimal repairs or you might end up with a complete dog, these machines are usually worked hard as they’re not bought to go on a haybob
ollie989898
Member
It doesn't really lose money unless you are putting hour on it though?
Buy second hand and keep a long time, 10 years at 500 hours/yr or 5 years at 1000 hours/yr, what's the difference?
- Location
- Bedfordshire
There are plenty of 2-4 yr old machines that need new gearboxes/axles/engines etc. I don't believe an older machine breaks down more often than a newer one.
My tractors and loadalls have all done over 6000 hrs, would I have them if they kept breaking down?
There are plenty of good 3/500HP tracklayers for half the price of a new 200HP wheeled.
A 300HP tracklayer working at 1600rpm will probably use less fuel than a flat out 225HP wheeled doing the same job, and will be a lot more comfortable to drive.
My tractors and loadalls have all done over 6000 hrs, would I have them if they kept breaking down?
There are plenty of good 3/500HP tracklayers for half the price of a new 200HP wheeled.
A 300HP tracklayer working at 1600rpm will probably use less fuel than a flat out 225HP wheeled doing the same job, and will be a lot more comfortable to drive.
Power Harrow Pilot
Member
- Location
- East Yorkshire
Would a cat 765 or Jd 8430t be the Best Buy? Both 5k hrs, 08 vintage???
ollie989898
Member
- Location
- Dorset/Wiltshire
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Until very recently [manufactured], Cat every time.