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Dave: You maybe don't see farm tractors being rebuilt to that extend, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. The biggest reason it isn't done is the low rate of hours per year. Some of these guys would be 3 generations putting 45,000 hours on a tractor. These low hour tractors have suffered more deterioration from condensation than any other factor. Another factor the rendered many tractors of the 50s, 60s and 70s obsolete was gas engines. The next big farm blunder was buying conventional 2 wheel drive or conventional tractor with front wheel drive, over 100 hp. Articulated tractors are very much more efficient pulling machines. I saw this very quickly in the 1970s. I had a Farmall 300 gasser, yet in my 560D and 656D each, I was getting 1/3 more hp for 1/3 of the fuel. I also had a Farmall 1066, 2 wheel drive with duals, cranking 150+ hp plus from the factory, yet my Deere 540A forestry skidder, 110+ hp max would pull the same plow, disk, chisel plow and cultivator, a lot more efficiently. I told my dad in 1955, he should have been buying that Oliver 77 diesel down the street rather than the 300 gasser. Then I went out and did much the same kind of blunder 20 years later buying that damn 1066.
I've owned and operated IH, Cummins, John Deere, Perkins and Cat diesels. At one time, I agree Cat was at the top of the pack but not anymore. Today Deere, Cummins and Volvo are right in there. Most farmers tend to find a reason making it non economical to rebuild tractors. I once had a farm apraiser tell me my 5 main tractors were all junk as they all had over 10,000 hours at about an average age of 10 years. An IH technician working on my 656 at the time overheard the comment, said, " That very well may be so, but it's the bast maintained bunch of junk up and down this valley".
Now, I will agree, farmers are going to find it difficult to find 24-7 uses for tractors. Forestry operators are finding night operation, not quite as feasable as they once anticipated. I know a guy that jumped out of a big Deere skidder, spent the night down a 2' wide ravine between granite rocks with two broken legs and a machine above him leaking hydraulic oil and idling. Needless to say by morning he needed two casts and the Deere needed a new hydraulic pump. The flotation tires had rolled right over that hole and he never noticed until he got out to check his hydraulic oil leak. One night this week I drove home on the 4 lane, there must have been 10 miles of construction equipment on the other side. I understand it was there every night this week, we can only assume it was parked every day all day. Those plants like power generation have quite a controlled enviornment, yes 24-7 can be feasable. That is not quite the same as farming, forestry and out in the field construction situations, been there and done that. I'll give the edge to farming at night, but then that is also controlled by climate. I've tried working forestry and land clearing equipment at night, doesn't work. I find you can very successfully do two 10 hour shifts, thus each operator has 75% of his shift in daylight. That one works much better than trying to run round the clock.
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