One great big tractor

[Welding man]

Once all that 'high tech' stuff begins to fail, the value of the outfit goes to

You are correct, but if you have a million gallons of liquid manure to haul and spread in 3 days you can't get it done with a John Deere A and an old Cockshutt manure spreader. Big time farming takes big time equipment.

 

[used red MN]

They had a Fendt tractor there that was the biggest tractor I have ever stood next to. It had narrow duals on the rear and a huge weight block on the front of the tractor, It dwarfed the JD tractors they had. The top of the ladder was about 6 feet to the floor and the cab looked like it had about 50 percent more room than a 100 HP Kabota.

Not sure what Fendt model they might have had on display. On Tractordata Fendt is showing their largest MFWD “row crop” model as the 1050 Vario at 500hp. Fendt 1050 Vario on TD
The largest comparable JD model is the 8R 410 at 410hp. JD 8R 410
And to think there was a time when the full utilization of the near 40 hp tractor like a JD model G or a Farmall M for an individual farmer was in question.

 

[Mobuck]

"Big time farming takes big time equipment."
And if that big equipment isn't running due to a technology fail, makes no difference. In almost 6 decades of farming, I've experienced the transition from 8N and two row planter to 200HP and 16 row planter, auto steer, and GPS field mapping but all that fancy stuff can/will fail sooner or later. The 'dirtier' the environment, the sooner that failure happens.

 

[used red MN]

In almost 6 decades of farming, I've experienced the transition from 8N and two row planter to 200HP and 16 row planter, auto steer, and GPS field mapping

Mobuck, I see you like to copy part of a reply place it in quotations and then add your reply to comment on it. Try this, select or highlight the section of a reply you want to comment on, at that point you will see a “reply” option pop up. Select that and your reply will show as this one “quoting” your selected part of the previous reply.
You can even do multiple “quotes” from replies from different members.

And to think there was a time when the full utilization of the near 40 hp tractor like a JD model G or a Farmall M for an individual farmer was in question.

As I just did here.

 

[Mobuck]

old habits

 

[used red MN]

old habits

I understand, just trying to point out options you might not be aware of. Thanks for joining in!

 

[Welding man]

"Big time farming takes big time equipment."
And if that big equipment isn't running due to a technology fail, makes no difference. In almost 6 decades of farming, I've experienced the transition from 8N and two row planter to 200HP and 16 row planter, auto steer, and GPS field mapping but all that fancy stuff can/will fail sooner or later. The 'dirtier' the environment, the sooner that failure happens.

I have worked on everything from a Farmall cub -8N Fords all the way up to D-9 Caterpillars- Volvo Trucks-Euclids. 988 and 992 wheel loaders and all size excavators. I have 3 Massey Fergusons, a Ford, an International tractor and KW and Mack Truck at my shop right now for repairs. I have yet to see in my over 50 years of working on this stuff, one single piece that won't break down, sooner or later.

 

[paul]

I hear what you're saying. I don't even go to farm shows anymore. I don't even know what I'm looking at. Tractors bigger than my barn, sprayers bigger than a football field.

I'm not saying its wrong. I just have no interest looking at it. And I farmed all my life.

I hear you.

15 years ago wife and I would go to the summer farm show here and I would joke let’s look at what I’ll be buying 15-20 years from now.

I look at the stuff the last 5 years, and I don’t know where it would ever fit into my farm in any way. I’m not sure I could even start and drive a new tractor any more.

I was so excited to buy a 2000 model tractor a few years ago. Felt new to me…

Technology costs so much, I won’t ever have enough acres to afford it.

But I realize and accept: I’m the guy riding on the plow behind 2 horses, looking at that Ford 9n next door and shaking my head, what is this world coming to….

Paul

 

[NDIHC]

You are correct, but if you have a million gallons of liquid manure to haul and spread in 3 days you can't get it done with a John Deere A and an old Cockshutt manure spreader. Big time farming takes big time equipment.

My grandpa farmed 640 acres, about 500 of it in crops, with a Farmall M in the 50s and early 60s. The guy who farms our land now farms about 40 times that much land so it would figure to take about 1600 horsepower to do that if the M was pushing about 40 hp.

 

[Mark-Ia]

Big Bud with a retired friend.