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Cars, motorcycles and e-bikes are getting faster, more digital and sometimes more complicated.
Historical tractors are the complete alternative: The agricultural vehicles for the field are slow, analog and easy to understand.
Coarse tires, an airy seat and a vibrating diesel engine.
“Many owners buy a piece of memory, a piece of the past with a tractor,” says Alexander Bank, journalist and expert at “Schlepper Post”, a magazine for historical agricultural vehicles.
In contrast to historical cars, tractors are still used as work equipment.
In addition, the technology is manageable, so that every reasonably experienced screwdriver can maintain and repair a tractor, says Bank.
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However, Aleksandra Lippert from Classic Analytics cannot identify a real boom in tractors.
“In fact, historic tractors were rediscovered as early as the 1980s.
Many owners, mostly farmers, just switched off their old machines and only brought them out again years later and steered them seamlessly into the maintenance of customs, ”says the company's expert on market observation and evaluation of classic cars.
Many owners use the historic tractors for trips or use them for light tasks on the farm.
Porsche and Lamborghini tractors
Tractor prices rose 15 to 20 years ago and have been at a high level ever since.
"Normal farm tractors with 20 hp are inexpensive, but vehicles with all-wheel drive, six or eight-cylinder engines and with a lot of power cost significantly more," says Alexander Bank.
These include Unimog models and the IHC 1455 XL.
Porsche and Lamborghini tractors have also increased in value in recent years, but this is more due to the company name than to the quality of the vehicles.
Steeds in red: Porsche also built tractors up until the 1960s
Source: dpa-tmn
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According to Alexander Bank, the used car market currently offers a large selection of tractors from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s with stagnating prices, such as the Lanz Bulldog.
“These are great, but archaic vehicles that have certain demands in terms of driving comfort and starting technology,” he says.
What does an oldie tractor cost?
Aleksandra Lippert sees the market as being divided into two parts.
Well-known brands include Deutz, Fendt, John Deere, Hanomag, Steyr, Hatz, MAN and Lanz.
“The demand for and prices for small tractors up to 20 hp has hardly changed in recent years.
In the case of more powerful tractors with more power, however, the prices have risen sharply, ”says the expert.
Popular models such as Mercedes MB-trac with their powerful six-cylinder engines, large Eicher tractors such as the 3002 Mammut, IHC 1455 or Schlüter Profi-Trac have a large fan base.
In perfect condition, a Porsche Master 429 with four-cylinder can cost around 85,000 euros, whereas a comparable Deutz D50 can only cost 15,000 euros.
Imported models from big brands like Massey Ferguson also cost less.
What an oldie tractor is good for
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In general, Alexander Bank advises you to be clear about a few points before buying: “What does the user want with the tractor?” Medium-sized tractors such as Fendt Farmer and Favorit, Deutz D-series from the 1960s and 1970s or are suitable for woodwork IHC 523 and 624.
“Of course, all-wheel drive also makes sense,” says the tractor expert.
Owners who want to use the vehicle for decelerated day trips are sufficient to have a tractor with rear-wheel drive, but with high gear, so that it can travel at speeds of up to 40 km / h.
Who is actually allowed to do what with the tractor?
Your driver's license can also limit the choice.
"The driving license class B is sufficient up to a permissible total weight of up to 3.5 tonnes. For heavy tractors, private vehicle drivers need classes C or C1," says Thorsten Rechtien from TÜV Rheinland.
With the “small” tractor driver's license T, drivers aged 16 and over are allowed to do agricultural or forestry work, the tractors are not allowed to drive faster than 40 km / h, with a trailer a maximum of 25 km / h.
For larger and faster tractors up to 60 km / h and a maximum total weight of 40 tons, a T driver's license is required.
However, this only applies to agricultural use.
If you are a private person with a large tractor, you may drive without a valid driver's license.
Tractors can become classic cars even at 30
In addition, heavy tractors with a gross vehicle weight of over 3.5 tonnes have to undergo a general inspection every twelve months, as do vehicles that travel faster than 40 km / h.
For tractors over 7.5 tonnes, a safety check is also carried out after six months.
For tractors that drive slower than 6 km / h, on the other hand, the general inspection does not apply, even if the vehicles are subject to construction and operating regulations and must be in a technically perfect condition.
Serenity in calm lanes: some oldie fans may see old tractors as a decelerated alternative to modern day-to-day hectic
Source: dpa-tmn
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Older vehicles have no problems entering environmental zones.
Agricultural tractors are allowed to drive in as well as tractors that are more than 30 years old and are recognized as old-timers.
The same applies to them as to cars: They must be in as original a condition as possible and worth preserving.
“However, a certain patina is part of the equipment used in the past,” says Rechtien.
A tractor can be found at the village festival
Many advertisements can be found not only online on sites such as “traktorpool.de” or “landwirt.com”, but also in analog classifieds from magazines such as “Schlepper Post” or “Oldtimer Traktor”.
“But also at village festivals in summer there are often historical tractors, some are also for sale,” says Aleksandra Lippert.
She cannot give the one right tip for buyers.
“There is no such thing as a classic entry-level model.
Most of the time, an affection for a brand or model arises from family and friends, ”she says.
It is important that the tractor is as original as possible and not tinkered with on the wheels.
Extensive documentation enhances every vehicle.
Pay attention to the supply of spare parts when buying a tractor
Common brands such as Fendt, Deutz or IHC offer a good supply of spare parts.
With brands that no longer exist, such as Eicher, Kramer or Hela, this is worse, according to Alexander Bank.
“If you can't screw yourself, you should take care of contacts and addresses beforehand, preferably from owners.
You can often find them in regional clubs or at tractor meetings, ”he says.
According to Thorsten Rechtien, the overall impression should be just as good as a good condition during an inspection.
Among other things, the electrical system, bearings, shafts, hydraulic connections, smooth running of the steering, oil leaks, steering rods and brakes should be checked.
"Since tractors drive and operate differently than cars, interested parties should take the time for a test drive and get a detailed explanation of the technology," says Rechtien. Otherwise the best deceleration will degenerate into stress.