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An alternative to a new and relatively expensive tractor is a well-running air tools impact wrenches antique. they''re not quite as capable or dependable as a contemporary tractor, but they''re considerably less expensive. small, still-working antique tractors such as a late-''40s or ''50s farmall cub or a low-riding, auto-style ford 9n currently sell for about $2,500, a bit more if they''re outfitted with new rear tires tools or hydraulics. if at all possible, buy one with a newly rebuilt engine, an onboard hydraulic system, a rear-mount three-point hitch and one or two mechanical power takeoffs (ptos) rather than a drawbar. invest in a modern underframe (woods), rotary brush hog or field mower impact and other post-1950s attachments. look carefully, because museum-quality antiques from the 1930s and earlier often lack hydraulics and ptos (polk''s, the antique tractor magazine, published by dennis polk equipment of new paris indiana (subscriptions 219-831-3555) and farm collector from the folks at odgen publications in topeka, ks (subscriptions 800-678-4883) are two great sources of info on older models better suited for displaying on the front yard than grinding in the cornrows). if you intend wrenches to do any air tools impact wrenches really heavy work such as logging, trenching for soil-drainage pipe, digging in a septic tank or cutting a logging road through heavy woods, consider a full-size industrial tractor with a log grapple or excavating bucket on the front and a backhoe on the stem. new, they cost five or six figures. good used ones cost about $15,000. whether you purchase a scan tool, lab scope, power graphing multi-meter, or a console-type analyzer, you deserve a reasonable return on that investment. you can''t rely solely on increases in technician productivity to pay for this expenditure. many car owners like to competitively shop prices for repairs. if a customer brings in a vehicle with a driveability problem and asks. "what''s wrong?" and "how much will it cost to fix?" there''s no guarantee you''ll get the job. if he or she thinks your price is too high, he or she may call another tools shop. since the second shop doesn''t have to diagnose the problem because you already did, its price might be lower and you''ll be out the diagnostic time you put in.diagnostic equipment should be its own profit center. that means charging separately for diagnostic time. more than 80% of repair shops now charge separately for diagnostic services. use to following formula impact to figure your roi: the most universally capable modern homesteading machine wrenches we know of is a commercial-grade compact diesel tractor. we like kubota tractors, john deere''s 20- to 48-hp 2000 class and new holland''s boomer line. even the smallest models--which look like sturdily air built lawn tractor mowers--are equipped with powerful diesel engines and industrial quality transmissions and running gear. they also sport a three-point rear hitch that will mount commercial farm land plows, harrows and rakes and provide attachment points for a hay or field corn cutter bar or silage chopper, a sprayer or buzz saw. these tractors include a hydraulic system that will power remote motors on the chopper''s tools flails, the sprayer''s pump or the saw''s blade. they''ll also mount hydraulic cylinders to pull the plow up or dig it in and hold it down and will run any number of other hydraulic attachments such as a front-end snow impact thrower or plow blade, a bucket loader to carry soil, gravel or building bricks, a rear-mount backhoe to dig trenches, a forklift to raise bay bales into your barn loft, an electric generator to power the house and barn if the power lines go down in a storm, or a pump to fill a pond or empty the cellar after a flood. a modern, small diesel tractor is a major investment for a ranch or wrenches truck-farming operation--but one that will expand your homesteading capabilities beyond muscle-power, and will pay off every day for a lifetime or two of strenuous use. ©2003 www.air-impact-wrench.com. All rights reserved. |