When should I consider a tractor?

[DumbFalang]

I'm an Internet software developer and wannabee farmer. I don't know Rai from Ram or a gigabyte from a snake bite. My stepson has just acquired 100 rai of land in Isaan and I've got a few months to get a some things setup for him before he and his wife move up there.

Is there a "magic figure' for the number of rai that justifies the purchase of a small tractor? I'm guessing you'll say it depends on what crops there are so a rough estimate is 50 rai of rice, a few rai of rubber and 40+ rai for us to have a go at anything we want.

We've already paid out a couple of thousand to clear a couple of rai for experimenting with different crops. Plans to clear out another few rai soon. The father in law reckons he spends 30K each year on tractor hire.

My plan is to take things slowly and perhaps buy a small used tractor for around 100K for my son to learn how to drive the thing over the next year or two. If he doesn't destroy too much or kill anyone, we could look at buying a new one later on with a view to renting it out (with my son as the driver) when it's not being used.

I'm totally green, so any advice appreciated.

[slapout]

How much land does your fil farm that he pays 30,000 baht/year tractor hire?

How much farm experience does your stepson have, his education, age etc.

How was the 100 rai aquired, (purchased, rented, gift)_?

Is irrigation water avaliable or is it a 1 rice crop/year area?

What is your age and how long married/in Thailand?

How much money, in total, will be required to plant the first crop of rice, make the remaining 50 rai ready to plant?

What is a few rai of rubber trees?

Are you planning on bankrolling the entire operation?

Will you be living/working on the land year round, you indicate you have little farm experience?

The answers to these questions may chage the mind of those who would encourage or discourage you

[DumbFalang]

How much land does your fil farm that he pays 30,000 baht/year tractor hire?

How much farm experience does your stepson have, his education, age etc.

How was the 100 rai aquired, (purchased, rented, gift)_?

Is irrigation water avaliable or is it a 1 rice crop/year area?

What is your age and how long married/in Thailand?

How much money, in total, will be required to plant the first crop of rice, make the remaining 50 rai ready to plant?

What is a few rai of rubber trees?

Are you planning on bankrolling the entire operation?

Will you be living/working on the land year round, you indicate you have little farm experience?

The answers to these questions may chage the mind of those who would encourage or discourage you

There is approx 100 rai of land and about 50k used for rice.

Stepson is 26, has zero experience of farming and he knows it's going to be tough learning the ropes.

Mother/father in law have owned the land for decades and although I fully understand why you are asking, it is not a concern.

3 ponds plus 3 boreholes. 1 rice crop a year.

I've just clocked up half a century and been married 20..... or is it 200?

Bankrolling is a big word. I'm just giving my son and daughter in law a helping hand until they get on their feet.

Me and the missus plan to spend October to February there. Son and his wife will be there permanently.

I appreciate your concern about me getting ripped off. I've heard all the same stories, but rather than getting bogged down on that subject, I'd prefer if everyone could accept that I have it all in hand and let's focus on whether or not I should consider a tractor.

[gerry123]

i see that 100k is your idea for purchase 2nd hand tractor from my experience all you will get for that amount is a whole load of grief

in that price range you will get a very old small tractor probably flogged to death plus little or no periodic maintenance i f you are serious kick off with new their are some good deals at the moment remember the tractor will only have multi use with muti implements some of those being

specialist depends of your crop choice plan carefully good costing and an awful lot of luck and i wish you well in your heart driven

well meaning project

[DumbFalang]

i see that 100k is your idea for purchase 2nd hand tractor from my experience all you will get for that amount is a whole load of grief

in that price range you will get a very old small tractor probably flogged to death plus little or no periodic maintenance i f you are serious kick off with new their are some good deals at the moment remember the tractor will only have multi use with muti implements some of those being

specialist depends of your crop choice plan carefully good costing and an awful lot of luck and i wish you well in your heart driven

well meaning project

Thanks gerry123. I forgot to mention that the daughter in-law's brother services and repairs tractors for a living (although he no longer lives at the land). So that, coupled with cash flow was what leaned me towards considering 2nd hand.

Right now, we are planning on Mulberry as the main crop, but we will be doing a bit of everything for a year or two until we figure out what works best for us.

[gerry123]

gee with every new post you situation seems to look rosier it seems that your local,and at hand advice would be sufficient to see you through all the trials and tribulations that will quite possibly come knocking

my previous comments of good luck have now advanced to mega good luck

[DumbFalang]

Thanks - I know I'll be needing a bit of luck.

Anyhoo, if I were to buy an old car in the UK, I'd make sure it was a Ford because you can get low cost parts anywhere. What make of OLD tractor would be the easiest to get parts for in Isaan?

[gerry123]

Thanks - I know I'll be needing a bit of luck.

Anyhoo, if I were to buy an old car in the UK, I'd make sure it was a Ford because you can get low cost parts anywhere. What make of OLD tractor would be the easiest to get parts for in Isaan?

• Tractor which brand is best - <URL Automatically Removed> - The Thailand Forum

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  Jun 13, 2013 - 25 posts - ‎19 authors

  Think the type of tractor best suited, will depend on your needs. All the above brandsare good and you may not need a top of the range job if it ...

[slapout]

Just like the second car in the UK, a ford. Ford tractors are the most common and many are imported from Europe and have been used there. There are several Japanese make sold here and the dealers support their sales with replacement parts.

Its not the acreage, so much, thats determines the economics of a tractor purchase as it is crops to be planted/cultivated, etc, Figure out how many days a year you will need/want a tractor to do the required field work and maintance of land you might have in your plans in determine when/if you consider a purchase.

Rental income of any farm vehicle is normally during a pre or post planting and if you are a farmer that cuts into the work you could/should be doing on your own land.

Just some thoughts for you to consider in making a decision.

[DumbFalang]

Thanks for the advice - much appreciated.

One of the tractors that cleared some land was a Ford......... 30 years old. It overheated after an hour, so he stopped for 10 minutes to let it cool down and then got on with the job.

[pigeonjake]

i bought my little, toy, tractor for 55k deliverd with a 4 disk plough,kubota L200

when it cane the hydrolic pump didnt work, contacted the bloke who i get it of, he sent new one to me and i fitted it, nothing else been wrong with it,

we bought a rototiller for the PTO just to till between our trees, till the veg patch,

and guess what we only have 2 rai, and a quater of that is the pig farm, the house at the other end, so all in all i farm about 1 rai,

its not the amount of rai you have, its,, can i get a rent tractor when you need one,?

i found at the price i paid, it can sit in the barn most of the year, i know shell be there when i want her,

in the pic youll see the start of a farrowing pen that i made,

[farmerjo]

I'd start my time over again with a 36hp or 45hp kubota .

A rotary tiller,small boomsprayer,water pump,little seeder and a trailer should get them started.

If your clearing land,keep using the contractor

[spiritrace]

I have 4 tractors and the one I treasure the most is my Kubota. New. Lots of attachments. I got it when my back gave out.

[cassde]

Kubota is best - why not continue hiring a tractor from a reputable (farmer). My FIL owns one and hires it and himself out to people in similar circumstances as you, as well as using it on his own land.

[DumbFalang]

I'd start my time over again with a 36hp or 45hp kubota .

A rotary tiller,small boomsprayer,water pump,little seeder and a trailer should get them started.

If your clearing land,keep using the contractor

.....and that's why this forum has been so much help to me. I thought I was buying the thing mainly to clear 10-20 rai of land over the next couple of years, but now I understand that it will be for land that has already been cleared. Makes sense - Thanks for pointing it out.

The purchase of a small tractor is starting to sound better with each post you guys make. My pockets are not deep enough for a new one, but as we have someone in the extended family who fixes tractors for a living, I'm quite comfortable taking a risk on second hand.

Approx how old will tractors be if they are on the market for 100K?

Have all the manufacturers been in the Thai market for a long time, or should I avoid any particular make because of lack of attachments and other parts from that period (guessing over a decade ago)?

Is it OK to buy from a Tractor Sales business, or should I stick to buying direct from the owner? (I won't be showing my Lilly white face in either case)

[DumbFalang]

Kubota is best - why not continue hiring a tractor from a reputable (farmer). My FIL owns one and hires it and himself out to people in similar circumstances as you, as well as using it on his own land.

I figured that if my son is going to be there for the rest of his life, then owning a tractor would be a good long term investment. Hiring the tractor and himself out is also part of the plan and would potentially provide an additional source of income - just as it does for your FIL.

As someone else suggested, we will probably continue to hire larger tractors to clear land as and when it is required.

[farmerjo]

I'd start my time over again with a 36hp or 45hp kubota .

A rotary tiller,small boomsprayer,water pump,little seeder and a trailer should get them started.

If your clearing land,keep using the contractor

.....and that's why this forum has been so much help to me. I thought I was buying the thing mainly to clear 10-20 rai of land over the next couple of years, but now I understand that it will be for land that has already been cleared. Makes sense - Thanks for pointing it out.

The purchase of a small tractor is starting to sound better with each post you guys make. My pockets are not deep enough for a new one, but as we have someone in the extended family who fixes tractors for a living, I'm quite comfortable taking a risk on second hand.

Approx how old will tractors be if they are on the market for 100K?

Have all the manufacturers been in the Thai market for a long time, or should I avoid any particular make because of lack of attachments and other parts from that period (guessing over a decade ago)?

Is it OK to buy from a Tractor Sales business, or should I stick to buying direct from the owner? (I won't be showing my Lilly white face in either case)

The only problem is your budget,i would think you need to spend in the vicinity of 300,000 to get something reliable for that amount of rai.

Even though bil is mechanic it will not save you on repairs and downtime.

Dont forget you will have to fork out probably 200,000 plus to crop your land before you see any returns.

The best way forward would be to use a contractor until you can afford something decent.

Its very difficult to sell a tractor if you want to upgrade as every dealer i,ve asked dont do trade-ins.

[CMCMANGOMAN]

Truth be told, farming of anything even with the best of of knowledge and experience is fickle at best in Thailand. Honestly, your son and daughter-in-law would probably do better selling pencils on the street corner in Bangkok. No disrespect intended but this is the honest truth. Have them do ANYTHING but farming.

[In the jungle]

What can you get for 100K?

Not much is the quick answer.

For that sort of budget you will get a very old, small and low power tractor. You will not get a big Ford for that sort of money. Almost certainly it will have been imported used from Japan and there will be no spares and support from companies such as Siam Kubota. Anything that breaks that cannot be fabricated locally will have to be imported by you.

It is not all doom and gloom though. About four years ago I bought a Kubota B6000 for 90K. It is a very small 12hp tractor with 4wd manufactured about forty years ago. It only weighs 400 and something kilos but it is no toy. I chose this model as I wanted to use it as a super robust lawn tractor for our large garden but a couple of years on my wife and I bought an oil palm farm.

Despite the fact that I have a lot of relevant experience to inspect such a vehicle I failed to spot wear in the front axle. That cost around 20K to sort out including the import of some parts from the USA. As is common with grey import tractors there was no 3PT hitch and I had that fabricated locally which worked out well. After thorough servicing and inspection and the purchase of a slasher/brush hog/topper (name varies by country) to add to the rototiller that came with the tractor my total investment was 150K.

It has been very reliable despite having a workload much greater than I originally intended but it is maintained on the dot using an hour meter. In part the reliability is because of the incredibly robust high quality build but I am also very careful to keep loads within its limits because of the difficulty and expense of getting genuine parts.

I have been lucky so far. You may or may not be but buying any tractor for 100K must constitute a gamble.

With 100 rai I think you could certainly find use for a tractor but I think you need to put more thought into exactly what wish to do with it and into the market here. I would also be putting detailed thought into how to control, so far as possible, usage and maintenance. With 50 rai of rice paddy I would want 4wd in the spec.

I would up the budget and look at Siam Kubota as there will be local spares support. Yanmar or Kioti are other possibilities but I don't know much about them. Having done that I would do a bunch of spreadsheet number crunching to see whether spending the money makes financial sense.

If you really want to stick at 100K or perhaps a bit more I can give you good contacts but I would advise against that budget in your circumstances.

[thoongfoned]

had a 47hp Kubota for a couple of years, paying monthly ect... not cheap this way or paying cash outright........ tractor ok on light work, but still had a lot of problems with small things breaking here and there, maybe down to my driving, but got the impression that the dealers do ok on fixing these tractors. labour is very cheap, it only on the parts that you would make any money.for the money you mention don't buy one, just continue to rent as you need. when I was bored with said tractor the wife managed to "sell" it on to (some else took over the payment every month) by sell I got a drink out of it......... but kept some attachments. still have said tractor work the land for us, new owner is doing ok out of working the machine, but the running cost ect do eat into any profit. buying second hand this way would be good for you, loads of tractor out there now and no money to pay the repayments every month......... if I were to buy it would be 100 percent a ford.

[shaurene]

Hi Dumb Falange

You not so dumb mate. I see where you coming from. It is quite a large piece of land and he has no experience. The Papa says it cost him 30k a yr for hire.

I think I would consider buying a tractor one of the first choices. Your Son can earn a few baht hireling it out.

I would say with you financing it and wanting it to work for them, yes get the tractor I think it is a must, you can always sell it later.

Good luck.

[bob strutt]

do not play around , buy a four wheel drive 6100s, new holland tractor the biggest and stongest ploughs 600m, and buy the best attachments as they become nessessary, K K is great stuff, is what i did, the crops of rice , sugar cane and meay, some sort of potato have never been so good, after 12 months of learning as to how best to use the tractor, money is quickly starting to come back, there is so much you can do with a bigger tractor, were as we have a few smaller tractors in the area and they struggle, i beleive some of the earth we now plough up has never seen the light of day and is really good stuff, plus second hand you have no idea what it has done and if it has been serviced correctly, which is really important with any machinery, new holland , old ford, gives great service, nothing is a problem, at udon thani, ps just finished cane planting with new kk machine, a really great result, i am buying the potato planter next

[1FinickyOne]

My family is a bit more sophisticated with farming and machinery though when I got here, they were poor… They very much know the difference between a gift and a loan. They asked to borrow money for a tractor [550k] as an interest free loan - they paid me back within 2 years… in the beginning, they were able to hire out, but now it seems as everyone has a tractor, even some people with ten rai, which I don't get as the $$ would be better spent finding more land.

It would be difficult to gauge the number of rai here [the family has maybe 60-70 rai] vs Isaan as it is quite fertile here and we likely get more seasons and more yield. As to crop selection, this is a corn area and the industry support is here to help with harvest and drying, so, it is the easiest cash crop. I would say look around and see what others are making money on in your area and then hope that your family proceeds competently. My family works hard and they have beem prospering. So, crops and personality might be your larger risks. The idea of buying 2nd hand if available is good, just so you can learn of the devotion of the people involved. For me, also not a farmer, I have been happy not to get too involved. My prior exp as a businessman is not always valid.

[fatfather]

Truth be told, farming of anything even with the best of of knowledge and experience is fickle at best in Thailand. Honestly, your son and daughter-in-law would probably do better selling pencils on the street corner in Bangkok. No disrespect intended but this is the honest truth. Have them do ANYTHING but farming.

Why is this that? 100 rai is a big plot of land and will easily keep a Thai family up. The advantage of being your own boss, than selling pencils, is obvious. I respect the OP's intention to set his son on the right rails, good idea.

For the tractor I recommend to go for a bigger one, as 100 rai is a lot. Keep in mind that the tractor will not only work on your land, but will also be hired out to do jobs on other farms and create an extra income. Go for it and don't mind to invest a little more in the beginning. If your son is willing to learn and have the drive to take the first years, even with hit backs, he will be a free man and independent from your support. To work the land as a falang is another story. Good luck.

Fatfather

[bob strutt]

ps all up would have spent 2mill to date with all the gear,paid cash one of our paddocks of cane grosses 300000 bht, we have 10 paddocks, i buy any land in the area that becomes available, will be a good earner in time, very little taxs, if any, i beleive return 10 to 12 %, not bad, and good fun, plus keeps a lot of our village employed, great labor rates here

[Gandtee]

When the wife refuses to pull the plough.

[gerry123]

ps all up would have spent 2mill to date with all the gear,paid cash one of our paddocks of cane grosses 300000 bht, we have 10 paddocks, i buy any land in the area that becomes available, will be a good earner in time, very little taxs, if any, i beleive return 10 to 12 %, not bad, and good fun, plus keeps a lot of our village employed, great labor rates here

please tell what land area = i paddock in rai/sq m

[rotary]

Lets hope I am wrong, but if you move forward trying to help, considering the hands on knowledge all involved have you may be in for a hard lesson.

Being a farmer is not an easy job if done right and requires more knowledge than most people think. Good luck.

[BlueSkyCowboy]

Thanks for the advice - much appreciated.

One of the tractors that cleared some land was a Ford......... 30 years old. It overheated after an hour, so he stopped for 10 minutes to let it cool down and then got on with the job.

I can see a real comedy in your future. In-laws have 100 Rai and don't work the field? Son in law has no experience farming/working.

OK, I bought 30 Rai and planted rubber trees. I made a nice pond, 25 x 25 M and 4 M deep for fish. So far all of the fish has been stolen by friendly neighbors. I have a 50 M deep well. It has a submersible pump. Of course it takes a generator to use the pump. I laid close to

7000 M of hose for the irrigation and 250 M of 2 inch pipe and valves etc. ( I walked at least every meter 5 times ) I finally gave up and only irrigated about 80%. About 10% of the little trees died for lack of water ( of course I have a moron of a father in law, a rice farmer). My wife has a business in Pattaya, Issan is 900 km to the north. The people there do not speak Thai (and neither do I) they speak Laotian. They are lazy too, with little or no brains or willingness to improve, but they know how much money they want. I am a generous man, but this guys really are 3rd or 4th world. I'll write a book on this later LOL

Good luck

[farmerjo]

When to start and stop?

I've been farming a 100 rai for 10 years now,started with a little L2201 kubota for 150,000.

Last purchase last week was a new dc-70 harvester.(just over a million)

So inbetween ford 6610fwa,boomspraysx2,rototiller,post hole digger,slashersx2,corn seedersx2. 3,4,5 disc ploughs,trailersx2,water pumps,pipes,box scraper,laser level and a paddock service vehicle.

Plus a shed to put it all in and tools to work on it.All up around 3 mill.

As i,m farang i dont contract against locals trying to make a living,just own use.

With this machinery its gives me the oppurtunity to grow 34 rai rice(2crops) and 150rai corn(2crops)in one year with labour kept to myself and one helper.

And most importantly a profit of 500,000 plus a year.

But when to stop buying machinery? NOW.

It all started with a cheap 2nd hand tractor.