Whats your machinery line up.

[Spud]

Saying that, with a 12m drill you should be covering 50 acres an hour , then it's not so cheap

It's the same price per acre, if a bit eye watering per hour!

 

[Farmer Roy]

Do you need 300 horses to pull a 12m direct drill on level land?

not all the time, but it is VERY heavy land at times.
It does go on my harvest contractors 30 tonne chaser bin most years, & you can use all 300 horses at times . . .

size of tractor is also about lift capacity & oil flow ( at times I can be running 3 hydraulic motors ), & also towing a liquid cart Besides, i also like to have an under stressed machine doing the job easily, than constantly running on the maximim. Our summer temps are another consideration when it comes to how "hard" you want to work an engine

also, that 250 - 300 hp fwa tractor is almost the "standard" around here, so if i was looking for a S/H one, that would give the most choice

because i only run 1 tractor, it has to do everything, which does mean at times it may be a bit overkill, but then at others it can be working at max

 

[Farmer Roy]

Saying that, with a 12m drill you should be covering 50 acres an hour , then it's not so cheap

12 m x 9km/hr = 10.8 ha / hr ( 27 acre / hr )

anyway, cost per hour is irrelevant, its cost / ha that is important

 

[redsloe]

not all the time, but it is VERY heavy land at times.
It does go on my harvest contractors 30 tonne chaser bin most years, & you can use all 300 horses at times . . .

size of tractor is also about lift capacity & oil flow ( at times I can be running 3 hydraulic motors ), & also towing a liquid cart Besides, i also like to have an under stressed machine doing the job easily, than constantly running on the maximim. Our summer temps are another consideration when it comes to how "hard" you want to work an engine

also, that 250 - 300 hp fwa tractor is almost the "standard" around here, so if i was looking for a S/H one, that would give the most choice

because i only run 1 tractor, it has to do everything, which does mean at times it may be a bit overkill, but then at others it can be working at max

Good points.
Unfortunately the only 300hp NH I could find with a quick search was a four year old and would cost 90000 english pounds

 

[Farmer Roy]

Why not recondition your 8040? It's only done 9000hrs

because i would never get my money back, I have already spent $27K on it last year just to get it mobile again, i would still have an old tractor thats worth nothing, it is developing a lot of hard to trace electrical problems, plus the threat of further delays & expense.
The options are either buy new ( which is what I would do if I was still contracting ), buy a tidy S/H unit, or just use a contractor, knowing exactly how much it was going to cost, without any ongoing R & M expenses . . .

 

[bobk]

because i would never get my money back, I have already spent $27K on it last year just to get it mobile again, i would still have an old tractor thats worth nothing, it is developing a lot of hard to trace electrical problems, plus the threat of further delays & expense.
The options are either buy new ( which is what I would do if I was still contracting ), buy a tidy S/H unit, or just use a contractor, knowing exactly how much it was going to cost, without any ongoing R & M expenses . . .

Or hire one , 27 acres / hour is 74 hours for your acreage .

 

[Farmer Roy]

Or hire one , 27 acres / hour is 74 hours for your acreage .

would be a good option if available, but hire tractors arent really a "thing" here . . .

 

[Brad nz]

because i would never get my money back, I have already spent $27K on it last year just to get it mobile again, i would still have an old tractor thats worth nothing, it is developing a lot of hard to trace electrical problems, plus the threat of further delays & expense.
The options are either buy new ( which is what I would do if I was still contracting ), buy a tidy S/H unit, or just use a contractor, knowing exactly how much it was going to cost, without any ongoing R & M expenses . . .

Are there any hire company’s around might be worth a look just hire in when the planting is on and battle with the current tractor over the quiet times just a idea.

 

[Farmer Roy]

Or hire one , 27 acres / hour is 74 hours for your acreage .

of course, i wouldnt be running at 100% field efficiency, so it would be more hours in reality

 

[Farmer Roy]

Are there any hire company’s around might be worth a look just hire in when the planting is on and battle with the current tractor over the quiet times just a idea.

see above post

nah, hire tractors dont really exist here.

much more common & popular to just use contractors, if you dont want to own gear.
Lots of farmers also do a bit of contracting, especially for neighbours etc to help cover the cost of their gear. Thats the exact reason I got into contracting myself years ago - no way I could have justified the tractors & planters I have bought over the years just on my own area

 

[Farmer Roy]

the other consideration is of course that i have had no income for the last 2 years, yes we planted & harvested a winter crop in 2020. our summer crops are in good shape now & this recent wet weather has set us up for this years winter crop, but there is NO guarantee that the tap doesnt get turned off for another 3 years. Or more.
Its all about risk management & limiting exposure, as much as anything else.

Ok, i have a f**ked old tractor at the moment, but i am SO glad I wasnt forking out $50K or more a year on repayment for the last 3 years . . .

 

[Cmoran]

see above post

nah, hire tractors dont really exist here.

much more common & popular to just use contractors, if you dont want to own gear.
Lots of farmers also do a bit of contracting, especially for neighbours etc to help cover the cost of their gear. Thats the exact reason I got into contracting myself years ago - no way I could have justified the tractors & planters I have bought over the years just on my own area

The one plus I can see is it would then be a fixed cost but would the contractor come to you when you need him or will you be waiting a week or two?

 

[Secret Agronomist]

Haha silly billy, that's only for trendy prairie sized combinable crop growers!

In reality
2 x Valtra T194 2018
1 x T254 2018
Mf6485 12000 hrs
Nh 9070 2014
Grimme varitron 200 2010
Lemken 6m ph drill 2013
2 x jcb 526 2006/2008
Overum ploughs
Stewart and Richard western trailers
Loads of other shite

 

[Spud]

The one plus I can see is it would then be a fixed cost but would the contractor come to you when you need him or will you be waiting a week or two?

An older depreciated tractor is immune from a potentially increasing contractor charge too.
Whenever look at 'fixing costs' the prohibitive element is always the fact that said cost is higher than I'd like...

 

[Cmoran]

An older depreciated tractor is immune from a potentially increasing contractor charge too.
Whenever look at 'fixing costs' the prohibitive element is always the fact that said cost is higher than I'd like...

Yes I’d agree fully with you. As a contractor I like to do everything in-house so couldn’t conceive paying for a contractor I’d just keep machinery updated and keep the banks rolling!! But he only contracts with one tractor and if cost of upgrading are prohibitive I can see his point!! I run older tractors but like to have more than I need Incase one develops a problem. Most have gone well past the 9000 hours at this stage!!

 

[Spud]

Yes I’d agree fully with you. As a contractor I like to do everything in-house so couldn’t conceive paying for a contractor I’d just keep machinery updated and keep the banks rolling!! But he only contracts with one tractor and if cost of upgrading are prohibitive I can see his point!! I run older tractors but like to have more than I need Incase one develops a problem. Most have gone well past the 9000 hours at this stage!!

I don't disagree, but if paying for a replacement tractor is less per year than the contractors bill, at least there is an asset at the end, that will always be worth something

 

[cousinjack]

1993 (K reg) Ford 5030
1972 Massey Ferguson 135
1958 Fordson Dexta (standard)
PZ CM 135 Drum mower
PZ 200 Haybob
Welger AP52 square baler
McHale 991B wrapper
Fiskars KH plough
Bamfords D24 Disc Harrow
McKenna 8’ roller
Jarmet 300l sprayer
Belmac 750 gallon vacuum tanker
Cosmo 500 single disc spinner
6’ Nugent powerbox
Pierce mkII fingerbar mower

Now this is a proper fleet !
Not too much repayments due on this I’d imagine !

 

[texelburger]

OK here it goes,
2016 Kubota m7171kvt
2018 Kubota m7172kvt
2019 Kubota m7172 kvt
2018 Merlo 42.7 with 2 grain buckets,yard brush,muckfork/grab,Cherry bucket grab,flat eight,round bale grab
2017 Class 630 Montana combine
2017 Horsch kr Express drill
2017 Amazone Sprayer auto shut off 24m
2018 Amazone Spinner 4 bag weigh cells auto shut off
2018 Gamic 12 ft triple axle livestock trailer
2017 Horsch Joker with tb bar
2020 AW 14 ton grain trailer
2012 AW 12 ton grain trailer x2
2015 AW 26 ft bale trailer
2014 Krone 3.2 mower conditioner
2015 Krone 6 rotor tedder
2016 Krone 4.something rake
2013 Ranger 3.2
2014 Weaving 4m folding short disc
2012 ish Diablo 6.3 m rolls
2004 Supertino 6m cub strawblower/silage feeder
2021 Polaris Ranger diesel (arriving this week hopefully)
2010 Bunnings 105 muck spreader

 

[An Gof]

OK here it goes,
2016 Kubota m7171kvt
2018 Kubota m7172kvt
2019 Kubota m7172 kvt
2018 Merlo 42.7 with 2 grain buckets,yard brush,muckfork/grab,Cherry bucket grab,flat eight,round bale grab
2017 Class 630 Montana combine
2017 Horsch kr Express drill
2017 Amazone Sprayer auto shut off 24m
2018 Amazone Spinner 4 bag weigh cells auto shut off
2018 Gamic 12 ft triple axle livestock trailer
2017 Horsch Joker with tb bar
2020 AW 14 ton grain trailer
2012 AW 12 ton grain trailer x2
2015 AW 26 ft bale trailer
2014 Krone 3.2 mower conditioner
2015 Krone 6 rotor tedder
2016 Krone 4.something rake
2013 Ranger 3.2
2014 Weaving 4m folding short disc
2012 ish Diablo 6.3 m rolls
2004 Supertino 6m cub strawblower/silage feeder
2021 Polaris Ranger diesel (arriving this week hopefully)
2010 Bunnings 105 muck spreader

Nice fleet, I can see that you don’t like old kit

 

[Two Tone]

Nice fleet, I can see that you don’t like old kit

Maybe we start a thread for the oldest piece of kit still used on the farm?
Mine would be a 1960 something Lister Crop Cool fan. Still used every year.
Then a 15 foot set of Ransomes folding Spring Tines my father bought brand new in 1972 (originally pulled behind a Fordson Power Major with Cage wheels fitted to it!) . Dragged out of the nettles occasionally!