I’m standing in the dirt,
Just a sweatin’ in my shirt.
Got another days work, to get done..
Alder Burns wrote:Loose thoughts....
1. It's a big expense to buy, and a significant one even to just maintain. Can your farm or other income streams support it?
2. Heavy footprint issues. Will it help you reclaim enough degraded land to recoup these? Perhaps you could consider a biodiesel, alcohol, or wood-gas powered engine.....
3. Assuming it does increase your productivity....are you ready to deal with that.....crop maintenance that the tractor can't help with, potential monoculture issues like increased pests, harvests, processing, marketing?
4. Do you like/can you endure being around machinery a lot? Smell, noise, etc. Do you like "tinkering".....
I’m standing in the dirt,
Just a sweatin’ in my shirt.
Got another days work, to get done..
Living in Anjou , France,
For the many not for the few
http://www.permies.com/t/80/31583/projects/Permie-Pennies-France#330873
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Bob Anders wrote:What do you think you want the tractor to do?
An old riding lawn mower with out the deck and a tinny trailer is what we use the most. Cheap on gas, easy to fix, can find the used cheap, easy to haul in a pickup from place to place, and if you get stuck anything can pull it out.
I’m standing in the dirt,
Just a sweatin’ in my shirt.
Got another days work, to get done..
Adam Klaus wrote:Good question to be honestly asking yourself.
For me, in my humble experience, on 12 acres of mixed garden, orchard, pasture, woodlands, the answer is emphatically, NO!
When others ask me a similar question, my response is to first ask them, do you like tractors? If the answer is yes, then sure, get one. I have farming neighbors that love their tractors like they love their farm dog. It is identity, it is a hobby, it is the same thing as an ATV or a fishing boat. So if that is you, then a tractor is certainly for you. You will subsudize it like any hobby.
If you dont particularly love tractors, then to me it is an economic question. A basic comparison of cost vs benefit is the best way to decide if owning a tractor is a good decision for you. The economic equation, coupled with my general ethics against petroleum machinery, is what lead me to the decision to not own a tractor.
The initial cost of a good condition, mid 1970's tractor is not huge, and resale value is good. The expensive thing is, you get to become a tractor mechanic. Nobody can afford to hire out tractor work, and when you need your machine, you need it to be working well. So you can expect to spend days, weeks, whatever per year on maintainance and repair of a large, stinky and dangerous machine. Fluids and filters add up in cost. Parts may not be as simple as ordering from your local auto parts store. Repair time runs long for a unskilled mechanic. Tools to work on a large machine are expensive. You need a good place to store and work on your machine.
The benefits of owning a tractor definietly depend on what work you have to do, and what other equipment you have. A pickup truck is a huge asset, a multi purpose tool that can do a lot of what some would use a tractor for. Tractors are okay for lots of jobs, but not always the best. If you want to move earth, or dig dirt, excavating equipment does a vastly better job, quicker. I have found that occasionally paying a local guy that loves owning machinery, is very much cheaper than trying to own and maintain my own. That way, whatever the job, I can get the best possible tool. I can choose from backhoes, trackhoes, bobcat loaders, bulldozers, large field tractors, etc. Rarely is one tool best for multiple jobs. So long as I limit my annual machinery needs, the economics work out very well compared to owning. Plus, I get a much more skilled operator on the machine than myself, so the jobs typically get done better than I could on a multi purpose tractor.
Making money by owning equipment really depends on how good you are at fixing and maintaining your equipment. Guys I know that run machinery for money spend a lot of highly skilled time in the shop, greasing and repairing their equipment. None of them net a whole lot, but they do love working on machines.
As for the suggestion of animal power, no disrespect intended at all, but that is one seriously skilled endeavor. Not something you can just jump into. It is an honorable skill and a noble art, but if you just go buy a donkey and a plow, there are going to be some real comedy scenes at first. And potential injury, which you should never underestimate how expensive that is!
Hope those thought help to give some structure to your dilemma. Your body is by far the most valuable, versatile, and useful tool you will ever find. Treat it well, use it wisely. Reap as you sow.
Good luck!
I’m standing in the dirt,
Just a sweatin’ in my shirt.
Got another days work, to get done..
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Help spread the word! Thanks!
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Zachary Morris wrote:
Bob Anders wrote:What do you think you want the tractor to do?
An old riding lawn mower with out the deck and a tinny trailer is what we use the most. Cheap on gas, easy to fix, can find the used cheap, easy to haul in a pickup from place to place, and if you get stuck anything can pull it out.
Bob that last bit is what I have right now, unfortunately I have two flat tires and am unable to remove the wheels in order to put new ones on. You happen to have experience with this? You mentioned easy to fix and seem to imply you might have some expertise of this nature.
"You must be the change you want to see in the world." "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." --Mahatma Gandhi
"Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words." --Francis of Assisi.
"Family farms work when the whole family works the farm." -- Adam Klaus
we have to forest our farms and farm our forests
http://www.cloud9farms.com/ - Southern Colorado - Zone 5 (-19*f) - 5300ft elevation - 12in rainfall plus irrigation rights
Dairy cows, "hair" sheep, Kune Kune pigs, chickens, guineas and turkeys
The student asks the master,
"Master, is the glass half empty? Or half full?"
The master looks at the student and replies,
"The glass is full."
"You must be the change you want to see in the world." "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." --Mahatma Gandhi
"Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words." --Francis of Assisi.
"Family farms work when the whole family works the farm." -- Adam Klaus
Kdan Horton wrote:I like that Gravely, but $3200? Holy Moly. This summer I bought an old David Bradley and a new motor for it for about $400.
"You must be the change you want to see in the world." "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." --Mahatma Gandhi
"Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words." --Francis of Assisi.
"Family farms work when the whole family works the farm." -- Adam Klaus
Adam Klaus wrote:As for the suggestion of animal power, no disrespect intended at all, but that is one seriously skilled endeavor. Not something you can just jump into. It is an honorable skill and a noble art, but if you just go buy a donkey and a plow, there are going to be some real comedy scenes at first. And potential injury, which you should never underestimate how expensive that is!
Hope those thought help to give some structure to your dilemma. Your body is by far the most valuable, versatile, and useful tool you will ever find. Treat it well, use it wisely. Reap as you sow.
Good luck!
Ajila Ama Farm Western North Carolina
www.facebook.com/ajilaama
M Foti wrote:
Someone mentioned you being able to handle the increased production a tractor can make possible. That is a very good point. Say you want a tractor to open up a bunch of new ground and turn your large garden into a real small farming operation. Is this going to cause a spiral effect? Meaning, you buy a tractor to increase output. The increased output means you have to put in better storage and processing facilities. Being able to produce and process more "x" means now you have to get a big truck to transport all this produce. All the extra produce means you now have to hire help to harvest and process... Will you be better off? Or was your large garden producing the same end result in income. I think this is where alot of farmers get messed up, they'll go into debt to scale up their operations, yet even though they're producing more product, their net profit is the same and they cannot afford all the new debt....
Order copies of my book, Dairy Farming: The Beautiful Way at
www.createspace.com
Help spread the word! Thanks!
struggle - hustle - soul - desire
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again." - Thomas Paine
"You must be the change you want to see in the world." "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." --Mahatma Gandhi
"Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words." --Francis of Assisi.
"Family farms work when the whole family works the farm." -- Adam Klaus
Owner, Etta Place Cider
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again." - Thomas Paine
"You must be the change you want to see in the world." "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." --Mahatma Gandhi
"Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words." --Francis of Assisi.
"Family farms work when the whole family works the farm." -- Adam Klaus
Jeff Williams wrote:Hello everyone
I am building an 18 acre market garden farm from scratch... I've been looking for a john Deere 850 or comparable tractor. But then I stumbled across the BCS tractor with its multitude of attachments. Since I have about 3 acres in wetland plus a quarter acre pond I want a brush hog. I've been renting one and know I will get good use out of the BCS with brush hog. The plus is I can use it to mow the lawn as well.
Owner, Etta Place Cider
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