Cost Per Hour

Traditional Farmer

Well-known Member
Location
Virginia
Anyone here try to keep a tally of how much a tractor has cost them per hour of use while they owned it? I sold a tractor today I had paid $2400 for and if I count the selling price plus the few parts I'd put on the tractor not counting oil changes and things like that it figured out that it has cost me $1 per hour for every hour I put on the meter thought that was pretty good.
 
Never have tallied it up. I do keep track of every repair on every tractor and implement by computer but I haven't ever gone back to total it up. I don't keep accurate track of fuel for each tractor though. When I'm in the field I'm so busy keeping track of planting maps, what kind of seed and where, population, date soil temp name of herbicide, rate per acre, gallons per acre, wind speed, temp, date, time of day. Whew! after I get the charts filled out all I want to do is get going, let out the clutch, hit the throttle, flip on the switch and go.
 
The only thing I keep track of is oil changes. I write the hours on the filter. That way I always see it. I keep all my receipts for taxes. Stan
 
No idea about CPH for tractor. I know a guy who bought a goldwing trike, it cost his $1/mile.

Another one of those things that you are happy when you buy it and happier when you sell it.
 
I've never given it much thought, but reading your post, i'm kinda wondering if you've given any thought to the amount of time saved by having it and if you took into concideration the profit from the crops that it helped produce. I don't know if that's even how it's figured, but I believe I'd have to in my situation. Just my thoughts, Keith
 
COST of OWNING is purchase price less selling cost. Pretty simple.

The real world figure is COST OF OPEATION
Depreciation + operator + fuel+ maintaince.
Some of these 200Hp tractors on three year lease
that figure is running $38/45 per hour but that is offset by what the tractor is producing.
 
You must have made a good profit on the tractor, because that would only cover a quart per hour of fuel. My tractors average 3 GPH of fuel, or about $12 per hour.
 
With one tractor. I bought an old ugly fixer-upper Steiger. Ten years later, after I sold it, I calculated all the figures. I had been concerned maybe I could have rented/leased a tractor cheaper. I was glad to find out owning this was a better deal, plus, it was here at my disposal full time.
 
I didn't count fuel,oil changes and such as that is costs of operation not specific to any one tractor.What I counted was cost to buy minus selling price with things like the injector line I put on it added to the cost of owning it.
The fellow I bought it from paid $9500 for the tractor and ran it 200hrs and sold it to me for $2400.He lost $7100 and it cost him around $35 for every hr he used it just to own it.
 

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