Repossessed my tractor from the Amish

[Drawbar]

Today I had to reposes my tractor from the Amish. They just moved into the area and don't have time to settle in before winter so a friend of mine has been contracted out to do their haying. He uses my tractor all summer to get the hay in. Apparently the Amish like my little Kubota, using it to do all matter of things, and I am fine with that. I share, so I use the word reposes quite loosely here.

Last night though we had a surprise rain storm blow in off the water and we got pounded with rain. On the way from the Amish Farm over to my house(a 8 mile ride by road) I must have counted about 100 acres of hay mown down, but not baled. As everyone knows, that is not good for hay. I bet the Amish had 40% of that down which is not good at all. The rain really surprised everyone.

As for me, well I had to use the tractor to cut some firewood. With the big fuel crunch on,this part of the country is firewood crazy, with wood prices hitting 200 bucks a cord (full cord 4' by 4' by 8'). I don't burn wood myself, but I cut it and use the money to buy propane. I hated to grab it from the Amish, but I got 9 cord in orders as of right now and probably a few more to come before fall. With temps in the 80's today and high humidity, logging in the heat sucks, but what can you do? You got to have heat this winter.

The Amish must be scared of winter as well. At the saw shop, they said they bought a few chainsaws so far and a couple of mowers. I figured they used a cross cut saw, but it seems the Amish aren't really much different then us natives really. They are avid tractor operators,and can wield a chainsaw and hay baler...sounds to me like they just might fit in. :)

[walls0stone]

think they will help you out? I mean have they offered you anything more than ..nice tractor?

[rAcErRicK]

Drawbar, were I in your shoes I would either communicate with them directly, or indirectly and simply explain (they well know already) that the constant use of your machinery will eventually lead to overhaul costs(not cheap)or replacement cost of the tractor(definately not cheap). Now, after you supplying the tractor for this long period of time, It's time for them to supply their own machinery, or trade out for an equal amount of work, or whatever they have that you need. Fair is fair, and neighborly is neighborly. You have certainly gone above and beyond to be a good neighbor. I would have no problem telling them, hey, that's my contribution to the good neighbor thing, the ball is in your court. I have to do that every day, or some of my neighbors would use my stuff indefinately. I have seen it happen more than once where a person loaned out a tool that never seemed to find it's way home, so they go and ask for it, and the neighbor get huffy, like I have had it long enough now that it is mine !! Excuse me !! I have one that needs to borrow money near the end of each and every month. I eventually told them, this is not working out for either of us. You can start mowing my yard(they are 20 years younger than me)or something else to earn the money, then you won't have to pay it back, leaving you right where you were last month. If you could afford to support someone, there are far more needy people out there who need it than them.

rick
ps, Kubota's are tuff (capital T) but they will eventually die. I'd bet you that proper maintanence is not being done on it anyway, and that is the very life blood of (especially Japanese) machinery. Which is another whole story in itself.

[walls0stone]

if they are Amish, don't let them barrow stuff, as I recall, they barrowed it from another person you hand loaned it to.

Bumms...they will bumm your stuff and not buy the stuff. they don't part with their own money...not about being a good neibor in this case, it's about being a bumm.

[Drawbar]

I kind of know what you are saying, but at the same time I don't agree. Now keep in mind my family right now is locked into a heated battle for a foreclosed farm (very big in size that took over several smaller farms in the area), and it looks like the Amish will get one half and we might get the other ??? So you can see I am not a big fan of the Amish.

That being said though, they are farmers, and farming in Maine is tough. Not only do we deal with the federally set commodity prices like potatoes and milk, we have to do the profitably in a shorter growing season, on less fertile ground, and with higher transportation costs. That's tough sledding...

So if you wipe the Amish name aside, what you have left is farmers that are in a very tough spot. Here in Maine you spend most of the summer getting ready for our long winters, and these guys are way behind, and up against it.

In other states there may be a high farmer versus farmer mentality, but here we all pitch in together and make a goof it somehow. We share tractors, implements and even labor (workers)if need be to get by. I am more then happy to share my tractor as in the past I have had to borrow other farmers tractors. Its just how it works around here.

Its just kind of funny, the guy that uses my tractor is a general contractor by all rights. He is NOT a farmer, just a home builder that realized money can be made by haying,so he works 5 days a week. This leaves the equipment around during the weekend. Right now the Amish need it more then I do. They are really up against it this year and way behind.

[ceresone]

You certainly sound like a nice person. I think with the hard times coming fast like they are, helping each other out will be the only way some will survive.
Hat's off to you!

[walls0stone]

You certainly sound like a nice person. I think with the hard times coming fast like they are, helping each other out will be the only way some will survive.
Hat's off to you!

Draw and I are from the old school of farming were you help each other, but after reading some articals on the other forums and on the net, I'm not sure this new bunch of Hobby Farmers get's it. *Men like Draw and I Would glandly go help another fellow out... but the trouble is that the new-comers to the world of agg are all about ME, more like a corparation.

To us the consept of sharing is nothing new... the way we go about it is nothing new, but it's not a library, you don't just show up every other day and barrow the hay rake.
You don't keep stuff for a month, rack up the hours and return a tractor with an empty tank.

I'm starting to feel that those who wish to do it the "old" way, and want to fit in, should find other ways to connect with the old school farmers...

You won't find many of them on a forum. *

In regard to sharing one must be selfless most of the time, giving the shirt off his back to most of those who ask, (not bumms)

AND to proud to ask for help 90% of the time.