[AT] What to do when you think you need to buy more antique tractors

[Grant Brians]

This thread speaks to me because I enjoy tractors and farm equipment in
general and am not thrilled by much of the new styling and electronics on
the tractors. I have a solution for those of you on the list like Dean to
allow you to legitimately justify acquiring the antique tractors of your
dreams. Become a modest scale commercial farmer growing the crops you love.
Now there are several issues with doing so, naturally. First, you must
actually train your self how to spend your resources in a way that will
hopefully make enough money to support both your habit and your family (or
self if single....) Second you need to choose a crop rotation that works
where you farm. Third, you need to be good enough at marketing and choice to
avoid not only no till corn beans corn but also sell what you produce in a
manner to become sustainable. Last, it is amazing how many of the tractors
and other tools you will use turn out to be OLD. I am now 50 years old and I
just realized the other day that most of the tractors and equipment I use is
older than I am still - not just when I was a teenager and starting out in
farming.
     The upsides are the NEED to have enough tractors and farm equipment
RUNNING to be successful, that it is much easier to interest a
child/grandchild/acquaintance in continuing your business when using
INTERESTING equipment that is human scale, and that you will love what you
are doing. Also your health is likely to be better as you get older than
otherwise because despite the challenges you enjoy what you are doing.
     A side note is that sometimes you end up having to make these decisions
SOLELY on the basis of the business needs not on the basis of what you have
your heart set on. More on that in a later post....
              Grant

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com]On Behalf Of Dean Vinson
Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2010 1:26 PM
To: 'Antique tractor email discussion group'
Subject: Re: [AT] Just too gorgeous to pass up


> Why would someone who collects old tractors sell a 4020?
> :-)
> Sometimes things just don't fit. I am still using my right hand
> to pry my fingers of my left hand loose from my 4020.

Farmer, I understand the difficulty.  I have half a mind to bid on your 4020
if you do put it up for sale... but the other half is trying to be a decent
"resister."  The new Super M I can rationalize and halfway afford by selling
the other two tractors... but it'd be a stretch to rationalize adding a
4020.  (Although if I found a way, I might could use it to rationalize
acquiring a Cockshutt 30 also, which has long been on my list.  Or maybe an
Oliver 77.  And a 550.  And a John Deere 60.)

Dean Vinson
Dayton, Ohio
www.vinsonfarm.net


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