Oppo farmers

[Just Jeepin']

https://www.agweb.com/article/misfit-tractors-money-saver-arkansas-farmer

[Jordan]

This is the opposite but similar sentiment for truckers buying gliders. New truck with all the bells and whistles, but old running gear that the truck can be licensed under that lacks the emissions failure of an entirely new truck.

[SilentbutnotreallyDeadly]

@just-jeepin We have the winter harvest coming in around here at the moment. Stuff like wheat, oats, chickpeas etc etc and given the number of headers that I've heard of going up in smoke due to either static or dust generated fires so far this season...Old Mate is onto a good thing.

[ibRAD]

Good read. Just like many on here that like to fix up the old stuff and keep it going. gotta be hard finding the time to restore all that equipment AND run the farm. Good on him.

[StephensonValveGear]

That was a great article, and ya gotta admire Reed's logic and initiative on using the older tractors.

[sony1492]

@just-jeepin this reads as being a bit sad that he's got to limp 40 year old equipment and military surplus to stay afloat.

[Jawzx2]

Yup, I read this a month or more ago. This guy and people like him are the exact reason that John Deere has all it's lawyers fighting tooth and nail against every right to repair bill that comes up. So far most other manufacturers are not into the customer fuckery as hard as JD, but proprietary software without customer access is a strategy every major employs. They've already lost the sales of new equipment to people who follow his strategy (at least as long as some spare parts are available) but they're actively trying to make sure modern equipment has a reduced service life to keep customers buying new ass much as possible. Farmers are mechanically inclined enough on average to recognize structural failure prone systems on sight and will avoid buying obvious engineered-to-fail junk, but the insidious software-based and hidden failures in modern farm equipment (while still consuming huge material resources to make them look good on the surface, and not break when treated the way farm equipment is typically treated immediately as soon as it's put into service) are some of the worst and most cynical examples of late stage capitalism and it makes me ill to think about. The lies that the big moderns spout are proven by the work of Zetor. A small Czech manufacturer has managed to make diesel engines that comply with tier IV and V emissions standards with no proprietary computer systems or dealer-servicible-only parts. Amazingly (not really) their machines are both somewhat less expensive than the competition and have legendarily reliable engines. They have almost no advertising budget and survive nearly entirely on word of mouth. They don't have much compatibility with modern precision agriculture and they make no giant tillage tractors, so thier impact in the market is small, but as I said they put thr lie right to the big majors with thier clean running, simple, user-repairable engines. I've rambled and ranted and maybe gone a little off track, but I'm done now.

[zipfuel]

This seems like a market ripe for disruption: I wonder if electric drive might catalyse it. I feel like a lot of the proprietary complexity comes from the diesel tier engines, eliminate that advantage and others might be able to play.

[MisterButtercup]

Great article! It would be interesting to see if there are other farmers who are able to duplicate their efforts, or if it really just works for his specific situation.

@Jawzx2 that's interesting/not surprising about John Deere and the right to repair laws. I know I've read some articles (probably on Jalopnik) about the US Military fighting FOR the right to repair their own vehicles, as they cannot/should not always wait for the official technician to show up to do the work.

It seems to be part of the the "Services as Sales" business mentality, like how Microsoft doesn't sell Office outright anymore(or they don't advertise it like 365) they sell a subscription to 365 that has to be renewed every year, not to mention the Jalop article about having subscriptions for features on your car that are not just satellite radio.

[pip bip]

@just-jeepin he's on the right track there.

[HFV_Junkyardin]

@jawzx2 it’s really a big shit storm. Tractor manufacturers have to sell be tractor, or make money servicing used ones.
Farmers have to save money keeping equipment going as long as possible, and doing repairs themselves.
The other problem is tractors, and other farm equipment has become, larger, more complicated, and exponential more expensive, because small farming has all but died out. And because bigger farms have taking over, there are less people to sell tractors too. It’s not 20 farmer buying 20 tractors. It’s 1 mega farm buying 1 mega tractor.

[CobraJoe]

@sony1492 said in Oppo farmers:

@just-jeepin this reads as being a bit sad that he's got to limp 40 year old equipment and military surplus to stay afloat.

That's my childhood growing up on a farm, 20+ years ago. (Geez, I'm getting old).

Farming a quarter section in my neck of the woods is difficult to keep in the black without the fancy new tractors and combines, so we bought old and repaired everything ourselves. I'm pretty sure my dad still doesn't have any equipment newer than the 70s.

Though, he's also found other sources of income since then, and now he's a collector and restorer of Farmall tractors.

[Just Jeepin']

@cobrajoe said in Oppo farmers:

Though, he's also found other sources of income since then, and now he's a collector and restorer of Farmall tractors.

You should write about him and his restoration work!

(Plus classic tractor pics obvs.)

[CobraJoe]

@just-jeepin Honestly, I have zero love for tractors of any age. For me, they were just slow and sloppy implements of tedious and utterly boring work. (That might be what helped push me towards cars as soon as I realized I was near a driving age.) I just don't think I can conjure enough enthusiasm to write about them.

But I do have a few pics from when I was last out there. My dad's tractor club was attempting a "stationary parade", which was just the group driving around to look at the member's tractors.

(BTW, I think the current count is 27 total tractors, many of them bought non-running, but every one driven to their parking spot)

[Jawzx2]

@hfv said in Oppo farmers:

@jawzx2 it’s really a big shit storm.... It’s not 20 farmer buying 20 tractors. It’s 1 mega farm buying 1 mega tractor.

Yeah, mega farms are seriously an issue. Corporate Mega Farming has really shit all over the tradition and practices of small farming. Its more profitable, and they can afford lobbyists to get them government concessions and subsidies, but they have captured regulation, and in general thier practices are worse for the soil, and the animals where livestock is involved

[BicycleBuck]

My friend with the farm used to be a diesel mechanic. All of his farming equipment is ancient, but runs like a top. His other business is dirt work. He buys equipment and uses it continuously until it’s fully depreciated, and worn out. Then he buys new. I guess the dirt business works differently than farming.

[Jawzx2]

@bicyclebuck said in Oppo farmers:

I guess the dirt business works differently than farming.

Yeah, it's much more profitable. But you have to deal with customers....

[A Former User]

@sony1492

This is the new reality-- it's a world now dominated by "economies of scale" and "tech" making the difference between profit and loss every year.

The big operators are happy to pay Cat and Deere the money-- because they can spread the cost and efficiencies over 20,000 acres.

It's not a business for small operators and "FixIt" guys anymore, sadly.