Re: How Long Will A Tractor Last????

Posted by Dave in GA on March 23, 2004 at 05:02:52 from (163.246.18.120):

In Reply to: How Long Will A Tractor Last???? posted by ken theobald on March 22, 2004 at 08:50:17:

Personally, I try to avoid electronic components whenever possible, from cars to tractors to tools to music. When they work, great. But even good electronics don't last long, and the costly nightmares begin. My tractors were all built in the 1930s with the most complex part being the mag. These machines will probably be operable in another 200 years.

I agree that newer cars and trucks have become junk in many ways. My wife's last two vehicles were a 1983 Cadillac and a 1990 Suburban. After 10-11 years, their headliners were sagging badly. Meanwhile, I'm driving an unrestored 1963 Buick to work every day, and its 41-year-old headliner is still exactly how it was leaving the factory. I see cars driving by every day with sagging headliners. It's ridiculous. My Buick's Dynaflow transmission has worked 41 years without a rebuild, and it is approaching 200k miles. In comparison, when we sold the Cadillac, it was only about 16 years old, and was on its 3rd engine and 3rd transmission, and the odometer read about 160k. Both the Cadillac and Suburban have gone through window motors too. After having to replace a bunch of them, I don't mind at all having to crank the windows on my '63. My wife and I refer to vehicles made since 1980 as "disposables," because they are, especially the small ones.

Back to tractors, I can see many of the newer, electronic-equipped tractors in operation in 50-100 years. Since the electronic components will no longer be available, operators will be forced to modify (actually simplify) them as much as possible, getting them to run without computers and sensors. Case in point, even though it's about a truck. A local guy had a 1965 Chevy pickup that needed an engine. He took one from an '83 Cadillac, a 4.1 with the factory chrome valve covers. He thought it looked cool. He pulled off all the sensors and computers, installed a carb to replace the throttle body, and ended up with a fine running truck.

Musically, I play the upright bass with bluegrass music. People ask me why I like to play bluegrass. I tell them that it's because bluegrass is played 100% acoustically with no speakers, no amps, no microphones, no pickups, and no need for even electricity. The music is fun because it's simple and worry-free, just the way tractors and cars should be.

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