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Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

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Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#791

Post by benj111 »

bambax wrote: post #592
adamcharnock wrote: post #134

Up until a year ago I was regularly using a Massy Fergusson 135 [0] (Perkins Diesel version), made sometime in the 1970s. It was wonderful! So amazing to drive and use. Clunky and heavy, but you really really felt like you were using a machine. In low gears, if you put you foot down on the accelerator the engine would roar, and your speed would barely change! And there was no fancy technology in it at all. If I was i…

The name of the brand is "Massey Ferguson" not "Massy Fergusson". The reason I know that is not that I'm a farmer. It's that 20 years ago a bunch of friends and I wrote and performed a parody song of Gainsbourg/Bardot song "Harley Davidson" where the motorbike brand was replaced with the tractor one. "Je n'ai besoin de personne en Harley Davidson" became "Je n'ai besoin de personne en Massey Ferguson".

I'm now imagining J'taime with tractors and Brigitte Bardot with an ear of corn in her mouth.

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#792

Post by benj111 »

rypskar wrote: post #543
awesome_dude wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was younger I absolutely HATED changing gear on the tractor - it was a matter of dropping the revs which caused a dive, then a clunk finding the gear, then a jolt as the gear took hold and the revs came back up I never felt in control of that old beast

Changing gears while driving? Are you sure you where supposed to? Many old tractors are without synced drives, so you are supposed to select gear before you start driving. Of course you can change when driving, but then you have to match revs to not get the drop betwen

You have to match revs anyway. Without Synchromesh the trick is to double declutch.

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#793

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

EvanAnderson wrote: post #343
npongratz wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The PTO shaft is a spindle on the back of the tractor which drives things like your flail mower, wood chipper, etc. ... and kills/maims anyone with lose clothing trying to step over it!

Oh, god yes. I mowed using a Farmall H on a family farm when I was about 12 y/o. I don't remember ever having deadly serious conversations with family members up to that point in my life. All four grandparents, aunts and uncles-- it seemed like everybody-- sat me down, looked me dead in the eye, and told me sternly and bluntly "you turn off the PTO and see the shaft isn't turning before you get off the tractor. Every…

First farm death I ever knew of was related to me by a friend who used to live on the farm next to the dead person. He had PTO engaged but engine running while he was fixing a (I think) thresher. Clutch must have engaged and his dead, flailing remains were found by his wife when she came to call him in for dinner.

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#794

Post by ChuckMcM »

So glad to see someone doing this. I like to believe that the Ukrainians will also be able to export their "dumb" tractors once the war is resolved. I had lunch with a friend of mine who retired from the VC business and he asked me what kind of company I would start if I could start one right now. I told him probably a "dumb printer" / "dumb TV" company with a fully open designs. If the rejection of the "trade your privacy for cheap products" push back is actually widespread (instead of anecdotal) then such a company would do well I believe.

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#795

Post by dlahoda »

forinti wrote: post #640
dlahoda wrote: post #596

Earlier quoted context omitted.

dictatorship is anticompetitive practice(slaves work is cheap) and relying on its produce to produce essentials is national security issue.

There's no doubt that it's a dictatorship, but Belarusian citizens are not slaves. Furthermore, when have sanctions achieved anything other than suffering for the people? Plus, I'm pretty sure that some sanctions are very convenient for some parties on this side of the game.

> Belarusian citizens are not slaves.

These laws de facto prevent most of Belorussians leave country long term and force them to work (even if they do not need to):

- Decree No. 3 “О содействии занятости населения”(including redaction from 2018)

- Decree №278 and Decree №294

There is more laws added overtime, reality on the ground even more harsher of laws - North Korea style. I doubt anybody would argue that there is no slavery in NK.

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#796

Post by dlahoda »

forinti wrote: post #640
dlahoda wrote: post #596

Earlier quoted context omitted.

dictatorship is anticompetitive practice(slaves work is cheap) and relying on its produce to produce essentials is national security issue.

There's no doubt that it's a dictatorship, but Belarusian citizens are not slaves. Furthermore, when have sanctions achieved anything other than suffering for the people? Plus, I'm pretty sure that some sanctions are very convenient for some parties on this side of the game.

> sanctions achieved anything other than suffering for the people?

I feel that some sanctions indeed `achieved anything other than suffering for the people`, but I did not research.

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#798

Post by alexashka »

kube-system wrote: post #787
alexashka wrote: post #772

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is. Good talk.

You're factually wrong. Graph any Global Slavery Index against market capitalization per capita -- you get a negative correlation.

You are factually wrong.

'Global slavery index' is not a credible source, even according to Wikipedia.

I'm sorry I spent 2 minutes of my life looking it up - I should've known better.

This conversation is over. I can't trust you to not throw random crap a google search produces that supports your fantasy that I then have to spend brain cells to debunk.

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#799

Post by kube-system »

alexashka wrote: post #798
kube-system wrote: post #787

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're factually wrong. Graph any Global Slavery Index against market capitalization per capita -- you get a negative correlation.

You are factually wrong. 'Global slavery index' is not a credible source, even according to Wikipedia. I'm sorry I spent 2 minutes of my life looking it up - I should've known better. This conversation is over. I can't trust you to not throw random crap a google search produces that supports your fantasy that I then have to spend brain cells to debunk.

Then pick a different one. Which measure did you use to come to your conclusion?

I suspect you didn't use one at all, because I am not aware of any measure of "slavery" that correlates positively with any measure of investment activity.

Labor practices and protections are much better in countries with high economic investment.

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#800

Post by themaninthedark »

reverius42 wrote: post #773
lukan wrote: post #606

Earlier quoted context omitted.

His tone I did not like either, but his point was that city life is not without mortal dangers either, which I think is fair.

Perhaps one difference is that it seems to be considered good/normal parenting to expose your farm kids to mortal dangers, but it's definitely not considered good parenting to expose your city kids to mortal dangers (despite the city having no lack of mortal dangers).

Rural dangers are (usually) environmental/natural.

Urban dangers are other person.

A kid gets hurt hiking, "They were unlucky."

A kid on a scooter gets hit by a car, "Why weren't the parents watching?"

Rural values independence, Urban collectivism.

In the Urban situation you can emphasize with both kid and driver.

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