Dan: I haven't farmed since 1990, thus haven't had a lot of exposure to tractors built since then. Actually my last tractor new or used was bought in 1975, 76 if you count a skid steer loader. So 75-76 was a Deere 540A forestry skidder, an IH 1066 and a Case 1737 Uniloader. very happy with the Deere and Case, wish I had never seen the 1066. How little, things change, I had been farming up to that time with Farmalls 130, SA, 300, 560D, 656D and a Case 1737 Uniloader, couldn't say anything but good about the lot.
Actually I acquired the SA, 656 and a 504 from a neighbor when I purchased his farm. He told me to get rid of 504 PDQ, said it was a lemon from the day it was new. I took 504 and 300, along with 3x16 trailer plow to field one day. Plowed awhile with each and wasn't long agreeing with him. He said, "I made a mistake trading my 300 for that 504. I knew you were going to sell one of 300 or 504." I guess he figured there was no point in two good 300s going down the road in favour of one 504.
To sum up, the biggest difference I saw between farming with old versus new tractors, was with the old tractor, one doesn't have to make the payment next month. Bear in mind the only used tractors I ever farmed with were bought new by my dad or my neighbor, both excellent on maintenence. Not quite the same as buying used tractors on the open market.
Another observation, during my farming days, probably logged 150,000 hours on all tractors, and was never without a tractor during the busy planting or harvest season. Today I don't think I've met a farmer that hasn't been without his main workhorse during the busy season, those being tractors built since 1980.
There you go, I've argued myself to other side of the question. A non usable new tractor is something unheard of in my farming days. Then again so were non usable new cars and pickups, prior to 1980. I haven't bought a new one of those since 1979. in the 70s had two new cars and two new pickups that were never back to dealer on warrenty. Buyers of new cars and pickups today will tell you it takes 3 for every two people, one in shop all the time. I guess we are about the same, my son, his wife and my wife and I have 3 cars and 1 pickup, all 1990 or newer. It's a good thing I never go anywhere but to the car or pickup repair shop. If I wanted to, I'd have to drive one of my offset Farmalls.
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Today's Featured Article - The Day Tractor Lovers Dream About - by Angus Crawford. The day started at five o'clock on the morning of Friday, the January 29, 1999. My father, my sister, my uncle, my cousin and myself all climbed into my uncle's Toyota van. It was six thirty in the morning and we had a long day ahead. We traveled for six and a half hours to our destination - a little country town with a population of no more then one hundred and fifty people (57 of them being children under the age of thirteen). We arrived hoping to meet up with a man we knew had over one
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