Tractor Shopping: Tips For First-Time Buyers

Just as you wouldn’t use a spoon to dig a ditch, you wouldn’t use a 13kW tractor to pull a 16-row planter. It is crucial to understand your farming needs, both present and future, so that you can choose the right type of tractor and make sure your hard-earned money is spent wisely. Lindi Botha reports.

- Lindi Botha

FAST FACTS

• When choosing a tractor, a farmer should take into account the machine’s intended purpose and the implements that will be hitched to it.
• It is important to ensure that your equipment is compatible with the latest technology.
• Farmers need to understand what can realistically be achieved with their equipment.

Having the right tool for the job is the first step in getting things done correctly and timeously. But when choosing a tractor, the myriad options available can leave first-time buyers feeling overwhelmed.

Buying a tractor is a costly affair, and a great deal more so if you choose the wrong machine! Jaco du Preez, product and marketing specialist for tractors at New Holland, advises novice buyers to first consider what the tractor will be used for and which implements they will attach to it.

“A tractor can’t do any work without an implement; this combination is crucial. Once you’ve determined this combination, you can start shopping for the tractor.

“Next, consider the power (in kW) and size of the tractor, its transmission, and features or technology that will benefit your applications. Based on the available capital, you can then adjust your shopping list down or up,” he says.

MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE

Tractor technology progresses rapidly, and single-pass implements are becoming obsolete. Today, dual- and triple-application implements are used to optimise time and lower the cost of inputs, such as diesel. This has led to an increase in power requirements.