The Blog
Practical equipment math for ag retail and farm operations. Real numbers, no fluff.
Used Grain Auger Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
Tube straightness and wear, flighting height and edge thickness, bearings and hanger bearings, intake guarding, drive and gearbox, undercarriage, and the live grain test — the full checklist before you buy a used grain auger.
Used Fertilizer Blender Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
Frame corrosion, bin coatings and buildup, ribbon and paddle wear, gate calibration, the scale system, conveyors, controls and guarding, and the live batch test — the full checklist before you buy a used fertilizer blender.
Used Fertilizer Tender Truck Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
Tender body and compartments, conveyor or auger, scale system, chassis and drivetrain, hydraulics and PTO, tires and brakes, and the loaded test run — the full checklist before you buy a used fertilizer tender truck.
Used Conveyor Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
Frame straightness, fertilizer corrosion, belt wear and splices, rollers and bearings, drive and gearbox, hopper and spout, and the loaded run test — the full checklist before you buy a used conveyor.
Used Grain Drill Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
Seed box rust, metering flutes, disc opener diameter and bearings, depth control, seed tubes, ground drive, and the calibration check — the full checklist before you buy a used grain drill.
Used Skid Steer Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
Cold-start and cooling system, quick-attach wear, bucket pins and bushings, auxiliary hydraulics, lift and tilt test, the drive test, tires and undercarriage, cab safety gear, and the records to ask for — the full checklist before you buy a used skid steer.
Buying Used Farm Equipment at Auction: How to Inspect Before You Bid
No test drive, no warranty, no returns — so inspection is the whole game. Auction terms, preview strategy, the 30-minute inspection routine, auction-specific red flags, and how to set your walk-away number.
Used Round Baler Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
Belts and splices, rollers and bearings, pickup, PTO driveline and gearbox, twine and net wrap, hydraulics and tailgate, monitor and electronics, and the live bale test — the full checklist before you buy a used round baler.
How to Winterize Farm Equipment: The Storage Checklist That Saves You Spring Headaches
Fuel, batteries, coolant, tires, rodent-proofing, and the inspection notes that become your spring work list — a practical winter-storage checklist for tractors, combines, planters, sprayers, and tillage tools.
Used Tractor Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
Cold-start test, hydraulics and remotes, PTO and drawbar, clutch and transmission test drive, front axle and steering, tires, cab electronics and unlocks, and the records to ask for — the full checklist before you buy a used tractor.
Used Tillage Equipment Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
Frame cracks and straightness, disk diameter and concavity, shank and sweep wear, gang bearings, scrapers, depth control, hydraulics, and the wear-parts inventory — the full checklist before you buy a used disk, chisel plow, or field cultivator.
Hour Meter Fraud on Used Farm Equipment: How to Spot Doctored Hours
The hour meter is the easiest number on a used machine to fake. Wear-vs-hours checks, the annual-hours sanity check, the paper trail, and the stored ECU hours that give a doctored meter away.
Used Combine Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
Rasp bars and concaves, sieves and grain augers, header and feederhouse, engine cooling, structure and running gear, electronics, and the live test run — the full checklist before you buy a used combine.
Used Planter Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
Disc openers and gauge wheels, seed metering and singulation, seed tubes and delivery, toolbar and frame, row drives and variable rate, electronics and harness — the full checklist before you buy a used planter.
Used Grain Cart Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
Tub rust and grain leaks, auger flighting and trough wear, gearbox and PTO condition, the unload-rate test, scales accuracy, tires, and brakes — the full checklist before you buy a used grain cart.
Used Sprayer Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy a Self-Propelled Sprayer
Boom and breakaways, plumbing and nozzle bodies, rate controller electronics and unlocks, tanks and induction, engine and drive, suspension, tires, cab, and the live spray test — the full checklist before you buy a used sprayer.
Application Records That Pay: What to Log on Every Fertilizer and Spray Pass
The eight entries every application record needs — date, field, product and EPA number, rate and total, applicator, settings, weather, field conditions — and a 30-second routine that makes records actually get kept.
Used Fertilizer Spreader Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
Frame corrosion, hopper and gates, conveyor or auger, spinner assembly, hydraulics, electronics, and the live test run — the full checklist before you buy a used spreader.
What to Check Before You Drive Out to Look at a Used Machine
A twenty-minute phone call and a little homework can save you a wasted trip — here's how to screen a used machine from your kitchen table before you drive out.
Grain Bin Storage Cost Per Bushel: The Real Math
The bin price is only the down payment. Bin cost, interest, aeration, handling, and shrink — the full per-bushel accounting versus commercial storage.
Is a Grain Dryer Worth It? The Payback Math
Elevator drying charges, shrink, and LP costs — here's how to run the real per-bushel comparison before you buy a dryer.
Fertilizer Tender vs. Nurse Truck: What It Really Costs
Two ways to move fertilizer to the field. We break down labor, throughput, and hidden costs so you can price both honestly.
Own vs. Custom Sprayer: How to Run the Numbers
Custom rates keep climbing. Here's the per-acre math that tells you when owning the sprayer actually wins.