Al6— Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 28,1981
Ten factors to determine used equipment prices
LANCASTER Here are the ten
factors that determine market
prices for used tractors and farm
equipment, according to the
editors of “Marshall’s Farm
Equipment Guide ”
1. Age. The age of a given tractor
or other farm machine is by far the
mam consideration in establishing
the market price. An older unit is
obviously less valuable than a
newer machine of the same make
and model.
However, the difference is not
always as great (or as small) as
one might expect. In many cases
improvements are made by the
manufacturer during the course of
a model run without changing the
model designation, and machines
which incorporate the change or
improvement may be considerably
higher-priced on the used market
than models of the immediately
preceding year which do not have
it.
Also, a certain amount of
deterioration takes place in the
condition of a machine strictly on
account of age, whether it is
operated or not. Deterioration in
rubber tires, belts, hoses and even
Farmers to talk
land preservation
YORK A panel discussion
addressing techniques for the
preservation of York County
farmland will take place as part of
the March meeting.of the York
County Farmers Union
The meeting is scheduled for
March 11, 1981 at 7 30 pm. at
Pleasant Acres, east of York The
meeting is open to the public
The moderator for the panel
discussion will be William Conn,
chief of land use and development
controls for the York County
Planning Commission Panelists
include Amos Funk, a Lancaster
County farmer, and David
Schreffler, chairman of the
Millcreek Township Planning and
Zoning Commission in Lebanon
County
• Over 20,000 acres of York
County farmland have been lost to
industrialization and housing in the
last decade,” said Albert Bentz,
York County Farmers Union
president The price of farmland
has tripled since 1970, and many
farmers are better off financially
by selling their properties to
developers
'Farmers cannot afford to
purchase and keep land in
agricultural use, so the prizes soils
of York County aie lost to the
builders of shopping centers,
housing developments, and in
Schuylkill to hold estate seminars
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - The
Schuylkill County Extension
Service will be conducting a series
of two meetings on the subject of
Estate Planning aimed at the
average family situation
The series will be led by Marilyn
Furry, Penn State Family Living
Economist, and Ellen Katz, Ex
tension Regional Farm and Home
Management Specialist Topics to
be covered include wills, familj
record keeping, and Pennsylvania
Interstate Laws
Meetings will be held at the Penn
State Schuylkill Campus in
Building C, Room 202 at 7 p m on
March 10 and March 17
The first meeting will deal with
what you need in a family estate
plan, and the second will cover how
you go about preparing these
items
With the increasing complexity
of our financial situations, it is
important that everyone makes
pre-sealed bearings are examples.
2. Mechanical condition. The
basic mechanical condition of a
machine is often the major con
sideration, especially in the case of
older models, which may or may
not be economical to repair and
overhaul
Determining mechanical con
dition is sometimes difficult, and
the buyer should take all the time
needed to satisfy himself as to the
unit’s overall mechanical shape. In
the same way, a recent major
overhaul can add considerably to
the market value of a used tractor
or other machine, especially if the
extent and cost of the work can be
readily and accurately
established, and the work was
performed by a reputable shop.
3. Hours of use. Most motorized
farm machines and virtually all
farm tractors built in the last 10 to
15 years are factory-equipped with
hour meters which record the
elapsed time during which the
engine has been operated.
Unless such meters have been
tampered with, the hourmeter
reading is an excellent indication
of the amount of useful service life
dustnes,” Bentz said
The panel will discuss various
ways that local government can
prevent farm land from falling into
the hands of non-agncultural
developers
Currently, legislation is moving
through both the state House and
Senate calling for the establish
ment of agriculture areas, or ag
districts, which would provide
farmers with a reasonaole
assurance that they could continue
future farm operations without
undo harrassment or en
croachment
The bill, House Bill 143, also
provides for the formation of an
Advisory Committee made up of
two farmers, two agn
businessmen, and an elected of
ficial to monitor the sale of
agriculture property
The bill is sponsored in the House
by Lancaster County Represen
tative Noah Wenger, and in the
Senate by Indiana County Senator
Patrick Stapleton
‘The legislation is an important
step toward the protection of
agriculture land in York County
and all of Pennsylvania,” stated
Bentz This meeting will provide
farmers and the general public the
opportunity to ask questions and
understand what this legislation
will do for ag preservation ”
estate planning an integral part of
their financial picture These
meetings are meant to give clear
and easily understood ways to do
just that
There is no charge for this senes
of meetings, but registration is
requested and can be made by
calling the Extension Office at
717/385-3431
XXX
Blue cheese butts will cheer this
butter log that can be sliced to
serve on burgers, hot breads oi
baked potatoes Combine one-halt
cup tl stick) butter and one-tourth
cup (1 oz ) crumbled Blue cheese
Add one tablespoon each tiesh
lemon juice and finely chopped
onion with a dash ot peppei, mi\
well Shape to torm a six-inch log
on waxed papei Wiap and chill
Let stand JO minutes at loom
temperaluie betoie seicing
i Yield d/4 )
left in the machine.
Basically, the buyer of a piece of
used farm equipment or a tractor
is actually buying the unused
service life remaining.
4. Maintenance. For any ex
perienced tractor or farm machine
owner-operator, it is usually not
difficult to determine how well (or
how poorly) a used farm machine
has been maintained by its
previous owner or owners
Under good maintenance and
with careful operation, the useful
service life of any farm machine is
greatly extended Equipment that
has obviously been well looked
after and carefully operated,
always commands a premium
price.
Another important consideration
is the storage of the machine
during the off-seasons Equipment
that has been stored under cover
when not in use is generally in
better condition and has a better
appearance, and thus usually sells
for a better price.
5. Size and capacity. Since the
late 1960 s there has been a definite
and steady increase in the size,
power and capacity of most farm
machines. This has been the
response of tractor and equipment
manufacturers to the steady
growth in farm size and the
shortage of farm labor
Thus it is often found that used
machines in the largest size and
model categories have retain more
of their original value and are in
greater demand by buyers than
smaller models of similar age
Premium prices especially are
paid for the largest combine
models, even those as old as 15
years, and their larger size and
capacity is the mam reason
However, the same effect
sometimes works in reverse in
most parts of the country the
demand for small utility-type
tractors exceeds the supply and
their prices hold up extremely well
over time
6 New machine prices. The
ANNOUN
DlO THOPNb'jHijrt (ji
Co no> w* v u (V n >
current list price for new equip
ment is an important factor in the
value of used machines, especially
late-model units
Tt is not at all uncommon for
current-model used units to ac
tually rise in market value as the
price of comparable new units
increases. This is, of course, a less
prominent factor in the case of
older units (about five years old
and older)
7 Fuel type. Diesel-powered
tractors and equipment such as
self-propelled combines appear to
be rising in market value as fuel
prices increase, becuase of the
obvious operating-cost ad
vantages
However, it is also possible that
with increases in on-farm fuel
alcohol production the value of
spark-ignition-engined used
equipment will stabilize, or might
even increase in some cases. There
have been cases also where
premium prices have been paid for
LP-gas powered tractors and
combines in parts of the country
where LP supplies are plentiful.
8 Optional equipment and at
tachments. Well-equipped used
tractors and other equipment have
always been more in demand than
simpler, stripped” units of the
same make, age, model and
G THE THIRD ANNUAL
.> ‘i/fth-r r,< rmjl.cm t ont u 1 farm Sho/v Of fice 111 787 5373
I." m
WE RE GROWING BETTER
We Specialize In
Aerial Work
Using Our Twin,
Bucket Boom
Truck
ELECTRICAL \
S CONTRACTING \
55R I Specializing In \
\ / AGRICULTURAL
J WIRING /
AASaß'' Also Residential Industrial j
r And Commercial Work /
E stimates^^/
320 Kinc St
We Have Poles In Myerstown PA 17067
Stock 25 30 35 *45 Phone 717 *66 7544
PENNSYLVANIA
farm SHOW
COMPLEX
arch 6
St Second Pennsylvania Swine Show
»Stock Tractor Pulls
Friday night, March 6
*Expo and Horsemen's Banquet |
» Championship Horse Pulls
* Second Pennsylvania Swine Sale
* Young Farmers Expo Winter Volleyball Tournament
condition. This is especially true m
the case of such features (formerly
options but now more or less
standard equipment) as air
conditioned operator cabs, power
shift transmissions and
hydrostatic traction drive for
harvester combines.
9. Popularity. Not all tractors
and machines depreciate at the
same rate relative to new price
some makes are simply more
popular than others, both in the
new and used markets.
Brand popularity vanes in
different parts of the nation, but in
general machines of the most
popular makes are in greater
demand and tend to get con
sistently higher prices than less
popular makes.
10. Changing farm practices.
Occasionally used equipment
values are affected by changes in
basic farm practices, such as the
conversion from com picker
husking to combining New
techniques sometimes do not
"catch on” the way they were
expected to, and equipment for
these may depreciate rapidly in
value. Major changes may be
coming in planting and .tillage
practices because of fuel and
energy costs and may affect used
equipment values in the future
C. M. HIGH CO.
HARRISBURG, PA
Perm* Hjlfowdt SrcfCtafv
Detaitment of *y' tui ure