Less Horsepower, More Profit
Farming may be a way of life rather than just a job, but with margins as tight as they are, the financial implications of every decision matter.
A few years ago, we were asked to give a series of talks on the economic benefits of reduced and no-till drilling. The savings in labour, fuel and machinery from fewer passes are an obvious, easily appreciated win. But there’s another significant saving that few people consider: tractor horsepower.
A Dale Drills Eco Drill can be pulled with as little as 20hp/m. We run a 12m Eco XL behind a 250hp John Deere 6250R. A 6m Eco M needs only 150hp, whereas a typical 6m strip-till drill demands 300–350hp.
The cost difference is stark. According to Farmers Weekly’s 2024 Tractor Buyers’ Guide, the average 150hp tractor cost £159,000, against £328,000 for a 350hp machine — a £169,000 gap. Financed at 5%, that’s an extra £8,450 a year. Depreciation at 10% on a reducing balance adds roughly £13,850 a year over the first five years.
That’s £22,300 a year in those two elements alone — before insurance, repairs and the higher fuel burn that inevitably comes with a bigger tractor.
There’s a further advantage. A 150hp tractor is far better suited to the rest of the farm’s work — hedge-cutting, corn carting, fertiliser spreading, spraying — than a 300–350hp machine. Its lower cost of ownership is spread across many more working hours, rather than sitting idle for most of the year.
A Dale Drill doesn’t just cut your establishment costs — it slashes your overall costs, opening up the potential for much healthier margins.
To find out more, get in touch: daledrills.com · info@daledrills.com · 01652 653326
