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Northern CA | We are wanting to upgrade from a worn out skid steer to a compact wheel loader for our fertilizer barn. We will put about 250 hours per year on a loader handling fertilizer. We have always bought worn out junk in the past, run it for 5-7 years, and then pretty much taken it to scrap. We want to make the best financial decision going forward now. Our choices seem to be boiling down to:
1. Buy a new machine, with either zero or very low rate financing for 5 years
2. Buy a machine about 15 years old, pre-emissions, and 3500-4000 hours for 1/2 of new price
I can afford the payment on the new one, but am curious to the longevity of putting loader into fertilizer work. If we go new, in 10 years will we have a loader with 2500 hours, rusted up junk, and be worth $10-12,000? If so, I think buying the 4000 hour used machine makes sense and then in 10 years a $5000 residual value is fine. But, if the new machine, could be 2500 hours and still worth 1/2 of new, I would 100% go that way. We can try to take good care of the new machine, but no way around it, I know fertilizer is corrosive. Any thoughts as to how the machine will hold up over time? | |
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Loader longevity in fertilizer
