buying a used tractor

Now, you might wonder how much money you could save buying a used Tractor, well there are a number of things to consider, not the least of which is condition, condition, condition,

 

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.