Average Tractor Hours

Bud W · Mar 20, 2009

I know there will be a wide range here but what would you say is the average hours of use for a primary tractor in the 50's and 60's? Back then the farmers I knew ( probably farmed about a half section including pastures )only had two tractors at most wereas it seems like today 4 to 6 is more typical.I'm looking at a 1964 tractor with 1900 original hours which I'm quessing is like two years of average use. Opinions?

Allan in NE · Mar 20, 2009

Probably more like 20 years of average use.

Allan

erik dekeyser · Mar 20, 2009

Well i find that really hard to believe. 1900 hours on a 45 year old tractor well thats not even 50 hours a year. What did he have a half acre garden? If the tractor sat in a barn for 20 years maybe. At 1900 hours it should still have the original tires and paint. Check it out good before you buy.

Hugh MacKay · Mar 20, 2009

Bud: I'm perhaps extreme in the other direction, however I never bought a tractor without seeing 800 hours per year ahead of it. I never believed I could afford a new tractor unless I had 800 hours work for it. I have clocked more than a 1,000 hours per year on a few of them.

Bud W · Mar 20, 2009

Hugh-Thats about where I came out. I know when I was working on my Uncles farm in the early to mid 50's he had a WC and a WD45 Allis and I would plow or mow or whatever from sunup to sundown and probably ran those tractors 12 hour per day during most of the summer.Of course there wasn't any hour meters on the tractors back then but the WD45 ( the newer tractor ) must have worked at least 800 hours each year and I would think more.

Joe1SD · Mar 20, 2009

My opinion is it is like miles on a car. A well maintained car with 100,000 miles is likely to get you many more good miles. A poorly maintained car with 40,000 miles is an unknown. I have bought two tractors from the original owner with 2500 actual hours each but they were 20 and 32 years old at that time. I also bought a third owner tractor(me) with 9150 hours(40 years old) that was WELL maintained (and probably rebuilt once or twice) that runs as well as the other two (but the steering gearbox is looser). A well maintained tractor usually will look like it. The "averages" on the hourmeter I have seen are usaully over 3000 hours for small tractors. in that era. Some have gone around once too. Many of the hour meters in that era are no longer working.

JimB2 · Mar 20, 2009

My Dad took delivery of a new B414 Diesel in May of 1962 and traded in Sept. of 1973 and it had over 12,000 Hrs on it. So slightly more than 1,000 Hrs/year for primary tractor. We had a second tractor with a front end loader on it but it probably was only used about half as many engine hours per year.

JimB

dougie94 · Mar 21, 2009

I have a 49 farmall C,I"m the 3rd owner 2nd was my brother in law.The first owner didn"t know mechanics very well and took off the head and left it in a barn for years,it was a mag problem not the head my brother in law put it back together and used it for 3 haying seasons to mow.I have it now.It has original rears that are 70% and the points on the pedals are the same on the top of the brake as the clutch.

Average Tractor Hours

Bud W

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Allan in NE

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erik dekeyser

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Hugh MacKay

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Bud W

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Joe1SD

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JimB2

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dougie94

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