[AT] Folks are still traveling

[Larry Goss]

I'm seeing the same sort of things, Farmer.  We just got back from a weekend in North Carolina and just have one day before heading out to Cleveland and Cincinnati for the rest of the week.  The highways are anything but empty.  BUT, the semi's are obviously running about 5 mph lower than they used to.  I guess the drivers are finding out that they get about 1 mpg increase in mileage by doing that.  I'll find out for sure when "tractor show season" gets into full swing and I start hauling across country.  I normally run just a little slower than the semi's to conserve on my own fuel use.
We'll see how it works.  My latest calculation for hauling with my rig is between 25 and 28 cents per mile for out-of-pocket costs.  That's triple what it was three years ago, but my hauling rig has changed dramatically since then.

Larry

----- Original Message -----
From: Indiana Robinson <robinson at svs.net>
Date: Monday, April 14, 2008 7:28
Subject: [AT] Folks are still traveling
To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>

> I have been selling some surplus stuff on Ebay for the last few 
> months 
> trying to get dug out from many many years of pack-ratting and 
> saving. I 
> have had some stuff that I didn't want to ship because of bulk 
> or weight 
> and I thought I might have trouble finding buyers because of 
> fuel cost. 
> I just sold a 5' Ford rotary mower I had bought as a backup and 
> never 
> used. A couple of brothers are coming from WI to pick it up 
> today... I 
> sold it for more than I paid for it so I'm happy with that.
> I also recently sold an older console stereo and the buyer is 
> coming 
> from GA to get that one.
> Last week I dug a set of 4 old solid planter boxes from a Deere 
> 494A 
> corn planter out of a barn and listed them on Ebay with a $15 
> starting 
> bid. I figured that if they didn't get a bid that I would relist 
> them 
> for $10 and if they didn't sell then I would put them on the 
> pile I'm 
> accumulating for the scrap guy. I was happily surprised when 
> they closed 
> for $76... The buyer is in IL.
> Diana and I have often made some rather lengthy pickup trips 
> but we 
> often look at them as mini-vacations rather than dead expense. I 
> guess 
> some other folks see it the same way.   :-)
> I must admit that current fuel cost have slowed our traveling 
> way down. 
> We want to make a fairly long trip later this year but the 
> little 200 or 
> 300 mile weekend drives have slowed way down.
> Also slowed way down is running old tractors just for 
> fun.  :-(
> My Deere 4020 needs to be ran on some job to get it good and hot 
> since 
> it has been sitting for almost two years with only rare start-
> ups to 
> keep it in shape. I really cringe at the thought of the fuel 
> cost to run 
> it a few hours... $100 bill will not fill that tank.
> I will run  the Farmall Super M a little today loading 
> that Ford mower 
> and moving some pallets of "stuff". I have not ran it for 
> several 
> months. I keep moving stuff with my little Yanmar 1500 diesel 
> because it 
> uses even less fuel than my Farmall CUB which uses very little fuel.
> I used to think nothing of running 10 gallons of fuel into the 
> tank of 
> an old tractor and just puttering with it. No more... That is 
> big bucks. 
>    :-)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> 
> "farmer"
> 
> 
> Hay & Straw Exchange (Buy it, sell it and trade it.)
> http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/HayandStrawExchange
> 
> 
> Francis Robinson
> Central Indiana, USA
> robinson at svs.net
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