There are three things that are to be considered, first…

But this is not really a complete guide nor is it meant to be, my Brother is great with computer and networking, but sadly he continues to make bad mechanical decisions.

For example, he purchased a vehicle recently that all he had to do was google it and he would have seen just how bad this vehicles record was.

Buying a used tractor should be  a multiple variant decision.

The first thing to consider is the Engine, is it Gas or Diesel?

If its Diesel, you have a much better chance of getting a good running tractor, if its Gas, not so much.

Next, is the hydraulics, are all the hydraulics working, are any seals bad, or hoses, check these out.

Test out the holding time, (most hydraulics, will leak down after one hour or so, the newer the tractor the longer it should hold up)  when your testing out the tractor actually do some work with it, use the bush hog, or one of the other implements, its the only way you can tell if the tractor is going to run right or not.

Look for oil leaks, check the coolant, check the oil, if its brand new, (watch out) (this is often a trick used to conceal a bad engine) or an engine that has not been well cared for.

Look at the tractor both before and after, notice anything that could tell you that something is wrong.

Finally look at the tires, are they new, (if they are new and its an old tractor) LOOK out…

As a loose rule, (very loose) if you see used tires, on a used product, often it is usually in fairly decent mechanical condition, if it has new tires, look for a problem, because they might be trying to raise the perceived value of the unit, by putting new tires on it.

Many people do not realize that this is in fact the case, because psychologically, new tires can make a buyer think that the product is worth more than it is all the while missing the most important thing, the condition.

Now, after all this, remember, that used is used, you might luck up and get a good unit or you might end up in a money pit, but if you look at a tractor before you buy it and See, and I mean really see that tractor, and understand why the unit is for sale that can help you along the way.

Sometimes people sell used equipment because it is costing them more in repairs than it is worth to keep the thing, so they get a new one, this is not the kind of deal you want, in fact it is the kind of deal you want to avoid at all costs.

Now, the best way to find a deal is to look for someone that purchased a tractor for a specific job, like doing some work on a property and now that the work is done, they want to sell, usually its low hours, low wear, so this could be the kind of deal your really looking for.

Over all Remember Real world Value….

Just because the cost of products has been going up, due to higher inflation, does not mean that something is now worth more, the fact is, it might be worth less, think about that for a moment, some new small tractors can cost $45,000.00

But is it really worth that much money?

Probably not, more so when there are lots of used equipment on the market.

so think about that, completely before you make that buying decision.

Imagine buying something you use five or six times a year, or even a few more than that and having to pay $500.00 per month with up to 8 percent interest charges…

Now that is just insane right…

John Deere Bucket, now thats a deal folks.Because there are thousands and thousands of barely used equipment around and its no where near the high prices they want for all that electronic stuff and guess what else you cant even fix one of those expensive things.

At one recent auction, a man who, once had four farms, was down to just one, he had a lot of expensive equipment just sitting around collecting dust, so he went to auction with them, the prices they got was ok but no where near the cost of a new one, he shook his head and thought about the times in the past where a farmer was respected in the community.

He still holds his head up high but things are just not the same…

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John Deere Bucket, now thats a deal folks.So, the next time you start to consider buying a brand new tractor, think again, because if you spend that much money on something that really is not worth what they are asking who are you supporting with that money?

Buy, used, or nearly new, its a lot better for everyone.

In fact, some owners who look at selling their equipment often think so much of it that they ask more for it than you could buy a new one for.

When you see that kind of thing going on, you have to say wait, just a second, why are they trying to get more for a used tractor than a new one.

Either way, when you begin to compare the cost you should really make sure that the tractor has not been abused.

Take for instance a so called, “deal” we found not too long ago, we looked at the tractor and noticed that the front tires were chewed up.

The first thing you might think about is how much are new tires, but that would not be the best thing to do.

What you need to do is to examine the front end, to see if there was any damage done.

Look at the bearings, if the front tires are chewed up it is usually a result of someone trying to dig too hard with the front.

So, which the price tag for the tractor might look good, but what if you had to replace, the drive units, the bearings, the front end too, then the cost would go up quite a lot, and on top of that this was a dealer, so we asked them why the front tires were so mutilated, and they said, oh its nothing to worry about.

We walked away from this dealer, because they were not honest, and that is perhaps one of the most important things you can decide when your looking for equipment, if a dealer is not honest how can you trust them at all?

Make sure your dealing with an honest dealer or you might end up paying a lot more than you ever though possible.

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Cool, arent they?

If you live anywhere in the south you are very well aware of how many trees are falling in the woods, some people think its a sign, others say its a change in the weather patterns, who knows for sure one thing seems clear if you want to cut up a tree you need a real saw why mess around with those other piddly saws when you can have the real thing.