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The Last Word By Ted Brown It might be my age, or the fact we had an excessively hot summer. It could just be that I felt like spoiling myself, just this one time. Regardless of the reason, I recently went tractor shopping. And I tell ya, it was a mighty steep learning curve. Now for all those nonrural people out there, buying a tractor is a major purchase. Even used ones cost much more then your average new car, so I had to be ready to part with some money. It couldn't be a new tractor-- a new one is right off my financial radar screen. But I decided this newto-me tractor had to have a number of features. First, I wanted one with a cab. Not a cheap, add-on cab, but one that was installed at the factory-- quiet, tight, free from rattles and dust-- a really good, solid cab. Second, that cab HAD TO HAVE air conditioning, and naturally, a heater for use in the cold weather. Regarding the air conditioning-- I came to that conclusion July 3, 2010, around 6 p.m. It was a blistering hot week when the temperature never dipped below 30C. I was out raking hay with my open platform (`cabless') tractor, and the vibration in my pocket told me I had a call coming in on my cell phone. I answered, and immediately shut down the tractor so I could hear the caller. It was Arno, calling to ask if my hay was ready to bale. Arno is the operator of a big round baler. He was coming over to roll up some hay for me. When I told him it was ready to bale, he said he'd be there in an hour. In the hellish humid heat, I finished raking that field and was halfway through the second one by the time he arrived. The huge John Deere pulled into the field and Arno popped out of the tractor cab, to receive instructions on which fields I wanted baled. I looked at him-- fresh as a daisy, clean shirt and jeans, looking all starry-eyed and bushy-tailed, all set to tackle the several acres of hay laying before him. Geez, if he were a border collie, his tail would be wagging. I looked at myself-- my T-shirt was sweat-soaked to my waist, and I could feel the prickly little bits of hay and dust that were stuck to my face, neck and arms. There was junk in my eyes. I felt downright dirty and physically drained. And it was only noon! Once he had his orders, Arno scampered back into the cab, and was off and running, up and down the field, rolling along in air-conditioned comfort. I returned to the blast furnace, and finished raking the field, then cut another field of hay. Hours later, after he had baled both fields non-stop in the dust and heat of the hay field, I spoke with him. He looked the same-- still fresh as a daisy. By then, I was whacked, ready to melt into a puddle. That was the precise moment I decided it was time for me to have a tractor and cab-- with air conditioning. So my quest began. Stepping back in time, the last time I took part in purchasing a new tractor was 30-odd years ago, when my dad and I bought a brand new Allis Chalmers 185. Tractors were equally expensive back then, yet today those same 25-30 year-old tractors still fetch a price that matches, or at times exceeds, the price they were when they rolled off the assembly line. Unlike cars and trucks, well-maintained farm tractors hold their value for decades. Back in the `80s, when we purchased that tractor, it had no cab. The only options were what size tires we wanted on it. If we wanted a cab, it would be an aftermarket add-on, which were generally so noisy the operator would have ringing in his ears for hours after quitting for the day. This time, when I started shopping for a tractor, I felt like I'd been living under a rock for years. There's a zillion options out there. I inquired about a tractor I saw on a dealer's lot. The young salesman, It's a steep learning curve when tractor shopping hungry for some action, called me right away, listing all the options it had. "Oh, that's one's loaded," he started, "It has the `field office' option and a `buddy seat', as well as the auxiliary lighting package, an air-suspension seat and a deluxe radio/CD stereo, warning lights....." as he went on and on. I later learned they are often equipped with weather radios. I did know that GPS units for farm tractors have been around for years now. I was a little overwhelmed. "Er, ahem, tell me," I asked, trying to remain cool, "What exactly is a `field office'? Or a `buddy seat'?" Now I give him top marks-- he didn't laugh at me. Instead, he was happy to explain the options. Turns out the `field office' option is a storage unit that bolts into the cab, and allows the operator to have his laptop computer along, securely locked into position in the `field office' so he can collect GPS field data, or perhaps make up an invoice after completing some custom work (and printing it out on a portable printer that can be installed on the floor of the cab). It also has lots of storage trays for pens, pencils, notebooks and a cell phone holder. Oh yeah, talk about a cell phone. After test driving some of these fairly new beauties, I learned all about quiet cabs. The Sidekick called me on my BlackBerry while I was testdriving one tractor-- it was revving about half throttle. Outside the cab, it was noisy as hell at those RPMs. As we talked, she thought I was in my car-- it was that quiet. When she finally saw this tractor, The Sidekick was enthralled with one option-- the `buddy seat'. Sometimes referred to as the `wife/ girlfriend seat' or the `grandchildren's seat', the proper name is the `instructional/training seat'. It's used to take along another person to train them on a particular piece of machinery. But everyone calls it a buddy seat. Online and on the road, I looked at dozens of tractors, both two and four-wheel drive models, all over southern Ontario, trying to find that perfect balance of features, size, horsepower, and naturally, price, to locate a tractor that would give me 10 to 15 years of service-- oh yes, with air conditioning. You don't just `buy' a tractor-- you must make sure it's a good fit, that the seat and the controls are positioned where they ought to be, and it feels right to sit behind the wheel. It has to be an extension of me and my field work needs, allowing me to go out and work into the evening in a climate-controlled environment, after having put in eight hours with my day-job. After looking at several red, green and orange ones, I settled on a red one. It's a beauty, a one-owner tractor with low hours on the meter, and has all the options I wanted, including air conditioning. The Sidekick is pleased with it too. But she did mention in passing that there is one small feature missing. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a buddy seat. AUTUMN · 2010 54 S I D E R O A D S O F H A LT O N H I L L S The Only Authentic Thai Restaurant In town The Only Authentic Thai Restaurant In town $ 10.00 OFF Expires: November 30, 2010 Dine-In Only $ Min. order of $75.00 before Tax Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday ONLY * Lunch Combo Not Included * 5.00 OFF Expires: November 30, 2010 Dine-In Only Min. order of $50.00 before Tax Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday ONLY * Lunch Combo Not Included *