time to upgrade the workhorse???

dmiller

Member
Posting here since this is "using your tractor" related. I'm looking for economic/mgt. advice not brand loyalty.
Currently have a wheatland 806 IH that I use for haying 80 acres (9ft hesston pull type swather, 336 deere baler) and small acreage wheat(about 20 at the moment hoping to expand). It has 13,600 hours on it, bad oil leak in rear main, loose steering, no 3pt (wheatland) and a cab. Rear tires have about 1 inch of tread left. Fairly decent for what I do with it.

The local Deere dealership has a 4010 open cab at the moment (5900 asking price). Haven't looked at it yet but assuming they have gone over it. Internet picture show fairly nice for an old work tractor. Tires look slightly better than what I have but comparable.
The 806 is more tractor and has a cab but is very worn and has no 3pt. Around here probably worth about $3500 or less.
When do you decide it is time to trade in or repair???
 
I don't know where you are located but many places 80-100 H.P. tractors of that vintage are surprisingly cheap, if they are not John Deere that is, the reason is because of fuel consumption and demand, though the 4010 is not bad on fuel compared to the older 4020's. Craaigslist has plenty of Case, MM, Allis Chalmers, there is a world of them out there low houred ready to go,I paid $4250 for a Case 1070 with cab last year that is now hooked to my round baler.
 
I should look at other brands, not familiar with Case or Massey"s but the dealerships for anything I can find parts for are all within 2 miles of each other and all 40 miles away.
I quess I"m not really looking at all right now. Was skimming through tractor house.com the other day and found this one locally and got me thinking if maybe trading was a better plan than limping along on what I"ve got.
I quess I wanted opinions/experience on limping verses a small amount of debt while trading up(meaning anything comparable that"s less worn out).
 
It's real dilemma. I have a tendency to fix them too long. It seems the immediate repair is always cheaper than upgrading. I usually have enough to pay cash to repair but never enough to upgrade and I don't want any payments.
 
if you've got splitting stands, rear main seal can be changed in a day.

steering parts are available aftermarket pretty reasonable.

do you need 3 pt? i believe a wheatland can have a 3 pt added, but that is a bigger project.

don't know a 4010 from experience, but that 806 is a darn good tractor.

that being said, it's your farm, you gotta make the call.
 
You're just going to trade one set of troubles for another by trading for the 4010. Fix what you have....or buy new if you've got the money.
I've got a 4010 that I've fixed/replaced darn near everything on it. 'Probably got way too much money invested in it to trade it off. But at least I know what I"ve got. Don't assume the dealership has "gone through" the used 4010.
 
d, I am sympathetic to your problem. I upgraded this year. Even though my tractor was dependable and never let me down, the heat this year got me to thinking about forty year old hoses on the hydrdalics and cooling system components. It got me to thinking that if it let me down while I had hay down this could mess me up bad. And I must admit that newer A/C is wonderful compared to just keeping sweat from running down your back..
 
there's usually one reason that a seal starts leaking and that is because the bearings are worn, a new rear seal will help for a litle while but won't cure the problem
 
The trouble I have with upgrading is that a newer machine will cost almost as much as when it was new, and is already worn out in many cases. And the older ones that are on the market will all have issues. I have an806 that is a workhorse, but needs some new o-rings and seals to stop some piddling leaks. I have rebuilt the clutch, pto, water pump, and put new skins on. Which, has probably cost as much as I originallly paid for the tractor. The best thing I can tell you is to bite the bullet, get a newer machine that may cost more, and rather than putting money into fixing it up everytime it needs something and is broken down, just have to pay for the upgrade to the bank for a couple of years. You can get some real HP for just a few bucks more and it will be more reliable for a longer period of time. Sort of like the man said- "Pay me now or pay me later"----
 
I got an o8" T5060 New Holland it is a 105 HP tractor, but I think those horses must be shetlands, its just not the horse my Massey was..
 
(quoted from post at 20:11:38 11/29/12) I got an o8" T5060 New Holland it is a 105 HP tractor, but I think those horses must be shetlands, its just not the horse my Massey was..

But the shetlands require "less feed" than the draft horses to appease the Government. :wink:
 

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