Tractor/Machinery price increases

[7610 super q]

I dont give a shite, spent all day driving an IMT 539 weed wiping yesterday.

I'm starting to wonder these days with farming, is it business, or is it a vanity project.

 

[Gerbert]

That’s exactly what we’ll be doing come the time we replace our McCormicks, would much rather have an as new 824 Favorit and an as new 515c over any of the modern guff.

Have you ever driven the 500c/800's? They are totally overrated, have fun wrecking your left knee.

 

[PostHarvest]

MF had a programme called ROC in the 70's

The MF RC programme was mainly aimed at rebuilding hundreds if not thousands of tractors that had been sent to African countries by aid agencies and the UN without a supply of spare parts. Whenever their governments had any money, they bought tractors, but never considered spares, especially tyres. As a result, when anything broke, they cannibalised tractors to get parts to keep the others going. One former colleague told me that when he worked at a farm school in Kenya, they had 12 acres of tractors that were missing parts.

 

[Fendtbro]

Have you ever driven the 500c/800's? They are totally overrated, have fun wrecking your left knee.

I have almost bought an 800 twice. Is the clutch that heavy? And why is it when it’s a wet clutch?? Anyway I fit Clutch boosters If they are dry and fluid operated and tractor has Air I use an air booster. Older tractors without air on board I design and build a rising rate linkage that can half the effort. I can’t stand a heavy clutch pedal!!

 

[kiwi pom]

Why is nobody doing certified rebuilds like cat do? Will be as new at 2/3’rds of new price. New tractors are not much better than a 10- 15 year old one as far as I can see? I’d happily take an as new 824 turbomatic or an early 900 vario or even a rebuilt 395 for the loader!

Cost basically, along with deciding what needs doing.
Assuming you drive the machine into the shop, what do you do to it?
Completely rebuild engine, transmission, rear end along with brakes, front axle, suspension, new radiator, wiring looms, AC system, new seat, cab mounts, that's before you get to all the electronic brains, which I assume would also need upgrading, no point putting it back together with an out-of-date guidance system.
Costs would run away with you and before you know it, it would be cheaper to trade it in for a new one with factory warranty.

 

[kiwi pom]

I say again, multiple older tractor ownership is becoming cost effective.
Unmolested, low hour versions of similar models.

Depends on the business, it works for you but with a large unit with multiple staff and a large workload, how do you manage the down time and fix the broken stuff?

 

[Gerbert]

I have almost bought an 800 twice. Is the clutch that heavy? And why is it when it’s a wet clutch?? Anyway I fit Clutch boosters If they are dry and fluid operated and tractor has Air I use an air booster. Older tractors without air on board I design and build a rising rate linkage that can half the effort. I can’t stand a heavy clutch pedal!!

They are not horribly heavy (but they can be), it's just that you need to use them everytime when you change gear, change direction and move from standstill. And especially the 500c has a engine that will need expensive maintainance, has bad brakes and when you put duals on them the outdated (even back then) non planetary rear axles will break and the gearbox will go at some point.
It's not like they are all bad but in my mind, the owners seem to have rose tinted glasses and when you actually work out what they cost to run you get really scared really fast.

Do not buy an older rather sophisticated tractor and expect low cost to run. You might get lucky but the odds are not in your favour. You WILL hear the stories of people running them for next to nothing, the people who get rid of them because it nearly bankrupts them tend to be less vocal.

 

[thorpe]

Not many look for positives on this forum. Prefer just to moan.

There are plenty. I managed to get out of bed this morning.

 

[Chrismc530]

What’s the 2018 one worth now compared to what it was new? I’ve found the cost to change these things hasn’t actually changed much, but it’s all bigger numbers.

59k at trade in, paid 69k in 2018 for it

 

[Gerbert]

Not many look for positives on this forum. Prefer just to moan.

There are plenty. I managed to get out of bed this morning.

Right on.
So many depressed buggers on here, "we didn't make as much as we used to". Well as it turns out the world changed but you didn't. Where are those guys that used to light up the gas powered lantarns on the street? Oh right they adapted to keep their own lights on.

 

[Nearly]

Depends on the business, it works for you but with a large unit with multiple staff and a large workload, how do you manage the down time and fix the broken stuff?

Someone has to break in the new ones.

 

[Fendtbro]

Cost basically, along with deciding what needs doing.
Assuming you drive the machine into the shop, what do you do to it?
Completely rebuild engine, transmission, rear end along with brakes, front axle, suspension, new radiator, wiring looms, AC system, new seat, cab mounts, that's before you get to all the electronic brains, which I assume would also need upgrading, no point putting it back together with an out-of-date guidance system.
Costs would run away with you and before you know it, it would be cheaper to trade it in for a new one with factory warranty.

It has to be done in a factory environment on a Large a scale As possible. Think production line in reverse.. all the correct tools, 100 percent production. Not like the average mechanic trying to remember how he got a similar machine apart last year. The wasting loads of time putting it back together. The factory assembles stuff in minutes in comparison. Components getting washed and inspected in large batches, not one at a time. Nearly the whole cab would reuse would it not?

 

[Fendtbro]

They are not horribly heavy (but they can be), it's just that you need to use them everytime when you change gear, change direction and move from standstill. And especially the 500c has a engine that will need expensive maintainance, has bad brakes and when you put duals on them the outdated (even back then) non planetary rear axles will break and the gearbox will go at some point.
It's not like they are all bad but in my mind, the owners seem to have rose tinted glasses and when you actually work out what they cost to run you get really scared really fast.

Do not buy an older rather sophisticated tractor and expect low cost to run. You might get lucky but the odds are not in your favour. You WILL hear the stories of people running them for next to nothing, the people who get rid of them because it nearly bankrupts them tend to be less vocal.

Yes, the 500 is primitive in the brakes (saying that this ones made it to 4K hours and zero trouble with oil contamination) the Mwm engine Is a pain with head gaskets and liners. I don’t like them. Are the 800’s not a MAN and fit for double the hours? We got fed up with with modern electronics going wrong and gearboxes that take 2 weeks to repair and bought the mb trac 10 years ago. Does many jobs well and completely modular build. Gearbox out and stripped in a short day. If only they had kept going with them!

 

[D14]

Local salesperson for a big brand has admitted to me sales have really slowed down across the board for agriculture and construction. They are doing ok with groundscare and pickup franchise though. He thinks its only going to get worse and it seems the penny has dropped about the governments direction for farming which will have knock on effects to the machinery side of things.

 

[Chae1]

Local salesperson for a big brand has admitted to me sales have really slowed down across the board for agriculture and construction. They are doing ok with groundscare and pickup franchise though. He thinks its only going to get worse and it seems the penny has dropped about the governments direction for farming which will have knock on effects to the machinery side of things.

Got a demo of tractor last week. There offering 4 years 0% finance and 5 year 5k hour warranty as part of any deal.

Makes me think there starting to feel a bit of a squeeze. However was told if I wanted a tractor for spring 24. I would need to order June/July 23.

 

[thorpe]

Got a demo of tractor last week. There offering 4 years 0% finance and 5 year 5k hour warranty as part of any deal.

Makes me think there starting to feel a bit of a squeeze. However was told if I wanted a tractor for spring 24. I would need to order June/July 23.

i bet if you told em you needed it for harvest or no deal you'ed get it!

 

[Chae1]

i bet if you told em you needed it for harvest or no deal you'ed get it!

Exactly. Class Eastern were advertising order now, to get new tractor for harvest. This was a Claas tractor I'm speaking about.

It's like the fertiliser debacle, they are trying to scare people into ordering now by saying they can't get tractors. There all the same, got same story from MF and valtra salesman.

Lucky then I'm not in a hurry for a tractor I told them.

 

[thorpe]

Exactly. Class Eastern were advertising order now, to get new tractor for harvest. This was a Claas tractor I'm speaking about.

It's like the fertiliser debacle, they are trying to scare people into ordering now by saying they can't get tractors. There all the same, got same story from MF and valtra salesman.

Lucky then I'm not in a hurry for a tractor I told them.

our dealer openly adverise's ex stock but only limited model's , got 2 to suit us but i don't need one

 

[holywell farmer]

John deere 9x combines well over 900k new that's mega money

 

[thorpe]

John deere 9x combines well over 900k new that's mega money

you might get the direct drilling grant on t as'well