Tractor Shopping

Farming is full of new challenges and steep learning curves for me, but by far my biggest challenge is understanding the world of mechanics.  It simply is not my strong suit and although over the years I've become quite adept at driving these big machines, buying one is a totally different can of worms.  After moving to our new farm last year, we've been in the market for a loader tractor to do our field work and other chores around the place.  I've spent hours pouring over website listings and used equipment catalogs finding myself ever more intimidated by the terms and numbers and the prospect of buying a lemon.  Enter Hal, my secret weapon.  Hal is a middle-aged friend of a friend and a tractor genius.  He smokes a lot, drinks a lot, swears a lot and spits a lot.  The first time I met him (okay, the first three times I met him) I was scared of him.  But he's turned out to be an incredibly helpful and supportive resource in the hunt for the perfect tractor.  A case of 50 is your ticket through the door of his shop, and once you're in, you're there for the afternoon to hear lots of stories, check out the latest piece of equipment he's working on and drink probably too many 50's.  All fall when I came across a listing that I thought sounded like the perfect tractor I'd call Hal, give him the name and model number and listen to his critique.  It took me 4 months to find a tractor that Hal would even agree to come and look at (he refuses to fix John Deere's so that eliminated a large portion of available used tractors).  Finally, one January afternoon after a few beers, we load into my truck to head out for a look at a Massey Ferguson 165.  On the way, I get a lesson about bargaining.  Once there, Hal puts the tractor through the third degree, looks at everything, teaches the guy selling it a thing or two and gives me a discreet nod to offer the previously agreed upon bid.  The guy won't budge so we're off again to see the next tractor.  An afternoon with Hal is an educational experience to say the least.  At the end of the day, my lungs and liver are a little worse for the wear, but I know a whole lot more about tractors and have a bid in on a great little Massey Ferguson 265 that passed Hal's tests.  I'll find out tomorrow if I'll get this tractor....if I do, I think I'll name it 'Hal'.