Compact tractor hours

[Dan_Shade]

How many hours is a lot for a compact tractor? 

When would one be considered worn out? 

[sawguy21]

I would expect a recognized brand such as J-D or Kubota should with proper maintenance go 10,000 hours before needing major repairs. Some of the others would be a shot in the dark, we get what we pay for.

[21incher]

All depends on the maintenance that it had. I think most name brands will make 5 to 10k hours with no issues if not abused and manufacturer maintenance schedules are followed.

[JBlain]

My dad has a new holland tc40 used hard for landscaping but regularly serviced that has close to 10k hrs original geared Trans and motor

[beenthere]

How many hours is a lot for a compact tractor?

When would one be considered worn out?

Uses oil, no power, rusty spots, etc. Can't go with hours.. some people can break an anvil and run a good tractor into the ground. 
Why do you ask?

[Menagerie-Manor]

How many hours is a lot for a compact tractor?

When would one be considered worn out?

A lot depends on the brand and model, notwithstanding maintenance and previous life. Like anything else there are older sought after tractors with a following and newer generations that are packed with electronics that create other issues. What do you want to do.

[JBlain]

I love my older ford 1920 with lots of attachments.  I grabbed it years ago as a one owner garage pampered with 600 hrs.  Has 1600 now and is garaged and like new.  It's been worked hard and bullet proof except when I do something stupid...beyond its design.

[Larry]

is garaged and like new.

I bought a Ford 1720 30 years ago with 100 hours on it.  It was a repo and I got it really cheap.  My thought at the time was to flip it and make a quick buck.  Well its still here with 3,200 hours and looks like its been through a war.  I've worked the snot out of it and the little tractor just keeps going.  So far a water pump and I had Ford run the injectors at about 3,000 hours.  I feel sure its going to outlast me......

[kantuckid]

Ask a dealer whose sold the brand and model for some years that question. Here, mostly you'll get anecdotal stuff. 

[gspren]

Like with most equipment it depends on who put the hours on it.

[Greenie]

I asked a John Deere service manager - he said about 4,000 hours. Newer compact tractors are built differently than older farm tractors that last forever.

[Ed]

My 96 Deere 955 is in the 3k range. Had front axle knuckle seals replaced, new tach/hourmeter. Thats it other than routine matainance.

Ed

[YellowHammer]

I hate making broad comments like this, and certainly, there are machines that last lots longer and some that last lots less, as well as if the machines are only operated by a little old lady on Sunday, but this is kind of the benchmark hours that my friends that are in the business of buying and selling equipment have told me over the decades, and what I still use. 

The rule of thumb I've used from forklifts to tractors is that dealer lease machines, ones that can tolerate no breakdowns for long periods of time because the dealers have to pay for return transport and repair, and the customer can swap them out at will, is new to about 2,000 hours.  At that point the machines get fleet maintenance and full service by dealers and certified mechanics.  Also, the users of lease machines are normally experienced or professional operators.  The leases are relatively long term and the machines are not expected to come back to the dealer except for maintenance.    
 
At about 2,000 hours, give or take, based on the type of machine, they are generally taken out of the lease fleet and sold.  That's one reason there is a huge number of machines of all types with about 2,000 hours on them in the Equipment Trader and such.  At that point, they are still good machines but are about to start needing repairs.  These are the ones many rental companies buy, because the machines are still generally reliable and the rental companies have mechanics.  The difference from a lease company and rental company is the duration of service away from the dealership, and a rental machine gets used by some operators who have zero experience and pretty hard on them.

At maybe the 4,000 to 5,000 hour range, the equipment is classed as "used hard and put up wet" and then the rental companies sell them at auction and salvage companies, who are capable of full overhauls as well as Rustoleum Restorations.  My first tractor was one of these, not only did they repaint the tractor, put in a new clutch, fixed a cracked head, but the air filter cover was the lid of the paint can.

These hours are generalities, but they are enough that when I called up Caterpillar service about the brakes on my forklift, the dealer asked how any hours it had and I replied 1500, he said, nope the brakes aren't worn out, they will go to 5,000 hours, the problem is a seal on the master cylinder.  They sent out a service truck and that's what it was.