3 Features To Look For In A Tractor With Low Upkeep Costs
Posted on: 17 December 2019
Buying a tractor for your farm is easily one of the biggest investments you will ever make. However, one thing to keep in mind when you buy new equipment is that upkeep costs have to be estimated for the long term. If you only own a small farm, having a tractor that is expensive to maintain can be a big downfall. However, if you are a careful shopper, it is easy to track down a tractor that is going to have low upkeep costs for the long term. Here are a few things to consider.
What kind of transmission does the tractor have?
Even though a lot of modern farmers go for an automatic transmission, a manual transmission can be more durable and less costly to maintain. Automatic transmissions are also more costly to have repaired when something goes wrong, and they are more costly to replace. If you are going for low-cost, long-term maintenance, a tractor with a manual transmission tends to be the better option.
Does the tractor have hydraulic lift mechanisms?
Hydraulic lift mechanisms are designed to make it easier for the tractor to lift heavy objects. For example, a tractor with a hydraulic lift may have more lifting power than a tractor that has manual lifting mechanisms. Even though hydraulics are always an excellent addition if you do have a lot of heavy lifting to be done on your farm, a hydraulic system can be more expensive to upkeep over the long-term than it is really worth. For example, hydraulic hoses can deteriorate with age and have to be replaced and hydraulic fluid can leak out, so these are two expenses you can expect down the road.
How expensive are the tires for the tractor?
The tires on any tractor will have to be replaced at some point, and this can be one of the more regular maintenance costs that any tractor owner has to face. Before you buy a tractor, it is never a bad idea to check into the costs associated with replacing things that may have to be occasionally replaced, such as the tires. For example, tractors that have fluid-filled tires can be more expensive than tractor tires that are simply filled with air. You can easily Google the price of certain tractor tire types to get a general idea of their costs so you know before you actually make a tractor yours.
Keep all these features in mind when looking at tractors for sale.
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