Posted by John from Lubbock on October 03, 2010 at 13:08:11 from (75.110.202.83):
I'm two generations removed from knowing anything about tractors. I grew up in Indiana, and when I was small my grandpa was still trying to farm just a little bit. By that time, I think he was planting no more than 5 or 6 acres of tobacco. My mother would help, sitting in a little two seat planter that they'd use to put the 8" tobacco plants in the ground with.
This is about all I remember... I couldn't tell you what the make or model of the tractor was, or even what other implements he had to go with it. A disc or plow probably, something to spread fertilizer with maybe?
And yet, as I get older, I find myself drawn to doing this sort of thing. I know absolutely nothing about tractors (hell, I don't even know much about small engine repair). I keep thinking that if things go right in the next few years, I'll be able to buy some land around here (Lubbock, TX). It's cheap, it's fertile if a little dry. They raise cotton mostly, but you'll see the occasional corn field. Maybe soy a bit more often. I've even seen what I'm pretty sure was sorghum and wheat.
Now, I am a fool. But not the kind that thinks you can really make a living farming... not someone like me anyway. But I think about growing a few acres of corn or soy, and I wonder what all equipment you'd need to do that. Is there any sort dumbie's guide to farm equipment out there? I'm still years away from buying land or a tractor, so I have plenty of time to read.
How much should a guy expect to pay for a serviceable tractor? I've seen prices as low as $2000, though I expect those might need a bit of work. Are they completely junked out at those prices, only being sold for parts to those who restore tractors?
What kind of equipment would you need with the tractor, to actually do some work with? You'd need to disc/plow (both?). You'd need to plant seed with it. You'd need something to harvest it with, so you're not out there picking by hand. Can anyone give me details, clue me in?
Hell, even if I get the right equipment, how am I supposed to learn how to use it? Maybe 60 years ago, this stuff came with a user manual, but surely those are all long gone. And now days it looks like they only make and sell $500,000 combines that do 50 rows at a time... I can't exactly read the new manuals and hope that it'd be all that helpful.
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Today's Featured Article - Listening to Your Tractor - by Curtis Von Fange. Years ago there was a TV show about a talking car. Unless you are from another planet, physically or otherwise, I don’t think our internal combustion buddies will talk and tell us their problems. But, on the other hand, there is a secret language that our mechanical companions readily do speak. It is an interesting form of communication that involves all the senses of the listener. In this series we are going to investigate and learn the basic rudimentary skills of understanding this lingo.
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