[AT] Out with the new, in with the old

[Greg Hass]

Last night I took my brother to the local IH dealer to pick up his 
tractor; they parked it outside so we could get it after hours ( also we 
are only 3 miles away). It is one of those more or less compact tractors 
of just over 60 hp. It has front wheel assist, a loader, and a cab. He 
bought it new and it has about 600 hours on it; 36,000 miles on a car. 
He always said because he bought it new he was going to keep it up in 
good condition. It had several problems, none that seemed serious; the 
front wheel assist light stayed on whether it was in 4 wheel drive or 
not, the brake light flickered all the time, the water temperature 
didn't register, and the ground speed gauge didn't work. Well, after 
having it for 2 weeks it still isn't all fixed. First off, because of 
their high shop rates ($77 per hour) they don't check parts, just 
replace them. For the 4 wheel light, they first replaced the switch, 
when that didn't work they replaced the solenoid which solved the 
problem. The brake light they claim was low fluid; my brother said when 
he checked it was within one quarter inch so we'll see. They replaced 
the water temp. sensor so time will tell. The ground speed they claim 
they don't have a clue; they replaced the sensor but that didn't help. 
They think it could be in the wiring harness but don't know. They said 
they have 12 volts at the sensor and only 1.3 volts at the other end, 
but don't know what the end voltage should be. They said there are 15 
different connections between the sensor and the gauge, some having as 
many as 12 pins at each connection. Also they said if were a warranty 
job they would probably change the wiring harness; however, the harness 
is $2000 and $1000 to put it in, so they sent it home saying just how 
much money do you want to throw at it.
Now to the old; my newest tractor is 24 years old, the other 3 are 
upwards of 40 years old. All have the original speed meters and all 
work, also all my tractors have over 6000 hours on them, however they 
never heard of a computer. How many of these new tractors will still be 
working in 45 years? Some will argue that isn't the point, you put a lot 
of hours on in a few years and junk them. I just wasn't raised that way, 
but was taught to take care of equipment and have it last. When I was a 
kid, we had a 4 bar hay rake (the kind where the basket went back at a 
45 degree angle) and the rule was in a 20 acre field you greased the 
bars every 4 rounds and the complete rake every 12 rounds. Seems a 
little craze, but it outlasted 3 rakes that my uncle had. I do believe, 
and some others agree with me, that those who are 50 and up will be the 
last group of small farmers. It is getting very hard to find smaller 
equipment that is in good enough shape to use
  at a price you can afford. Also, at the high price of parts it is hard 
to get a worn out piece and rebuild it. When I go to the field, having 
old equipment doesn't bother me as long as works without too many 
breakdowns (more on that to come in the future). So, as nice as some of 
these new tractors are, I think I will keep my old ones that by and 
large I can fix by myself, and not have a dealer try and fix them by 
just putting in new parts until it works.
         Greg Hass