The Progressive Farmer often gets requests for tips on buying a tractor. When James Goché contacted us recently with his story, we knew he wasn't a typical reader. His acreage is small, and so he needed a small tractor.
But how he chose a tractor is universal. Whether you need a 23-hp or 100-hp, the thinking process is the same, so we asked James to give us his story.
My story started two years ago. The hay fields of my century-old homestead hadn't felt the touch of a plow for many years. And, after putting in 800 feet of raspberries by hand, our family was tending blisters and registering their complaints. They convinced me we needed to mechanize the operation.
I'm fairly new to farming, so I wasn't exactly sure what we needed or how to go about finding it. I spent the next year doing research and shopping around before I finally found a machine that fit both our needs and our pocketbook. If you find yourself in a similar situation, here are a few things I learned.
The Plan. I had to accept that there is no "best" tractor. It's a tool that should be matched to the intended jobs, which meant I had to sit down and figure out how I was going to use it.
Our property is flat with sandy soil, which meant we could buy less horsepower than if we had hilly land and heavy soils. Buying a lower horsepower tractor meant we would have a few extra dollars for attachments.
Our farm plan called for cultivating fruit and vegetables as well as putting in a new water system, so I opted for a mower, tiller, backhoe and box scraper. The tractor also needed 4-wheel-drive and ag tires to protect it from getting stuck in the mud.
Finally, the size of our fields and the fact that we would be tilling between rows of berries meant smaller was better. As our conservation district agent pointed out, if you buy a big tractor for small-scale crops, you may have difficulty turning it around.
I was keeping my day job, and the kids would be helping after school. So as part-time farmers, time would be at a premium for us. I decided that a newer, safer, easier-to-use tractor was worth the extra money.
The Price. I shook the piggy bank to see how much it rattled. I knew a tractor would be a serious investment and that quality costs money, but I still wanted to establish limits before starting to shop.
I preferred to pay cash, but investigated the promotional offers through the dealerships. Then I compared them to the financing arrangements available at my local credit union. I also tried to time our purchase, knowing that prices are more flexible in late fall and winter when sales are slower.
I learned the rule of thumb: A new tractor depreciates (about 20 to 25% for resale and 35% for trade-in) during the first few years. Then its price stabilizes and may eventually start rising again, assuming the tractor is well-maintained.
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The Pursuit. Rather than focusing on a particular brand, I looked for makes and models that were reliable and had parts and service readily available.
I surveyed the dealerships in our area and began talking with their staffs. I also sought out local farmers for advice and found that they were happy to share their experience. My conservation district and local equipment rental dealers also were good sources.
As I narrowed my search, I returned to the dealerships, collected business cards and left my contact information, knowing that even if I didn't buy new, dealers take trade-ins and could be the source of a good used tractor. You never know when a bargain will come along.
I also watched the classified ads in our local paper, checked the local "buy/sell" publications and subscribed to a local ag weekly with advertising.
In the evenings, I surfed the Internet and found web sites like www.tractorbynet.com and www.tractorforum.com to research models, check prices and participate in chat rooms.
The Purchase. I knew what we had to spend and had several models in mind. I decided to go for a late-model tractor with low hours that had been well-maintained. I was determined to have a local dealer look it over before concluding the deal. Problem was, I couldn't find what I was looking for.
A friend suggested I put my own ad in the local paper describing what I wanted. I was surprised to find that it worked like a charm. I received a number of calls, and within two weeks I had just the machine I was looking for—a great little 23-hp diesel tractor with only 150 hours on it.
The prior owner had bought it the year before, only to discover that his hardpan and rocks were too much for the tractor to handle. He intended to trade up to a bigger machine and was happy to let it go at a reasonable price. I was delighted because it was the perfect tractor for the sandy loam of our small farm.
I finally have the tractor that's perfect for our business, and I sit tall in the saddle as I drive across our fields. It wasn't cheap, but it was worth it.
Planting our next 800 feet of raspberries will go more quickly and easily, and I hope, with fewer complaints from the family labor force.