Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price • Hacker News Board

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

#711

Post by zeeveener » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:18 PM UTC

samiv wrote: post #573

slow_typist wrote: post #534

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I once changed a broken release bearing of a truck. It was a relatively simple repair but the very heavy gearbox has to be taken out to do this - which is problematic especially if done on a yard without proper equipment. Since then I always pop into neutral when standing at a traffic light. It is interesting how many people in manual driving cultures think there would be no wear and tear if they press the pedal down…

As a motorcyclist stopped at the traffic light I always keep the gear on and clutch pulled in. Why? Because I have to be ready to take off when the moron driver on the phone behind me fails to stop.

This is how I was taught by my insurance-recognized course and for the same reason you provided.

I believe wet clutches are semi-designed with this use-case in mind

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

#712

Post by thomasfl » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:19 PM UTC

This is the same reason why I switched from riding a car to riding bicycles. Easy to get parts. Easily repairable. No electronics.

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

#713

Post by stavros » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:21 PM UTC

bartvk wrote: post #549

ThaDood wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I shamefully have some Facebook Marketplace notifications for some Massy tractors. I'd love one. I don't even have land to use them, I just think they are neat.

I wonder if it's legal to just park your tractor in a regular parking spot across your apartment. I'm European so we have small parking spots. But would a small tractor fit in the parking spot of the biggest Ford truck?

Tractors are tall but generally not that much wider or longer than a car. Small ones, especially, are pretty manageable.

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

#714

Post by zeeveener » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:24 PM UTC

connicpu wrote: post #421

hypercube33 wrote: post #367

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No door speakers or mounts for them, like it hasn't been a thing for 70 years irks me to no end

Slate are trying to cut cost everywhere they can to provide the cheapest barebones EV truck possible. My Volvo EX30 also lacks door speakers and while it's not top tier it's fine tbh. Volvo just put a giant speaker bar across the base of the windshield.

So the equivalent of replacing a 5.1 surround with a beefy soundbar?

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

#715

Post by happyopossum » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:25 PM UTC

azzentys wrote: post #515

happyopossum wrote: post #507

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Precision tech helps reduce operator fatigue and increases efficiency with respect to equipment operation time and material used That’s the kind of MBA speak a giant corporate food production facility loves to hear, but not a farmer.

That's untrue. I know a farmer, who buys a John Deere combine before harvest. It stays unused until his harvests are done, and returns it by end of harvest season incurring $30k on this entire transaction. Why does he do that? Because he has two weeks to finish up harvesting or start incurring losses on his harvest. Farmer does care about saving costs/losses AND getting the job done in time.

Your entire anecdote is based on availability and not ROI/efficiency. Your farmer friend buys a combine (which is not a tractor - very different usage patterns and requirements) because he needs one for a very specific period during harvest.

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

#716

Post by happyopossum » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:31 PM UTC

api wrote: post #609

I’ve always thought if we met super advanced aliens they would be… no more advanced than needed. In each domain they would use only the most complex thing needed to accomplish a task and no more. 100 years ago I might cook in a cast iron pan and use a slide rule to compute. Now I cook in a cast iron pan and use a 5nm scale multi core CPU to compute. In 100 years I might cook in a cast iron pan and use a topological q…

> I might cook in a cast iron pan

And how are you heating that pan? 100 years ago it was fire (wood mostly), today it's gas or electric resistance (mostly, induction is growing though) - what will it be in 100 years?

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

#717

Post by pryanbeng » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:38 PM UTC

bri3d wrote: post #152

I wonder by what mechanism they plan to import these into the US. This seems like a emissions regulation end-run like glider trucks, but my understanding of the EPA import rules doesn't really leave any room for this type of game. Yes, a lot of modern tractors are locked down due to predatory dealer service lock-in, but they're also complex and locked down due to emissions regulations, which are ostensibly a net soci…

0 chance these make it stateside. The company appears to be extremely misleading as to their Built in Alberta moniker. Im in the province and this article is making its rounds.

Seems to be that they are just importing chinese built tractors and rebranding them: https://www.hanwoagri.com/tractor/all-purpose-medium-tractor...

Their facility in bowden AB is basically a tiny garage.

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

#718

Post by 9rx » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:40 PM UTC

cucumber3732842 wrote: post #16

9rx wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those buying new don't care about repairs. They were never going to do the warrantee work themselves anyway. Those buying on the used market have more reason to care about repairs, but used buyers are beholden to what new buyers purchased in the past.

That's not true for commercial users the way it is for private cars. Even if you have a service contract you're still gonna be pissed at the downtime cost of having a tech drag their ass out to wherever you are to initiate a forced regen or something.

> you're still gonna be pissed at the downtime cost of having a tech drag their ass out to wherever you are

You might be pissed that the machine malfunctioned at all, but you kind of have to accept that if you want to be in the business. It comes with the territory. But you are not going to personally travel all the way from the office out to the field to fix it. That's insanity.

The small farmer who has to do it all to make the business viable has more reason to want to fix it himself, but they live on the used market. The small farmer can't afford those new machines. Have you seen how expensive new equipment is?

And that is exactly what Ursa is gambling on here: That if they remove all but the bare necessities that they can get the price point of new down to something small farmers can actually afford. However, it remains to be seen if that is compelling enough. Not having all the modern conveniences does take its toll on your mind and body after a long day in the field. A modern-spec used machine may still be more appealing to the small farmer who has to operate his own equipment — and let's face the harsh reality here: even if you aren't personally going to operate it, hired help isn't coming if you don't give them the most luxurious equipment available. They can just as easily go work for the farm that was willing to invest in it.

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

#719

Post by culi » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:42 PM UTC

stackedinserter wrote: post #646

culi wrote: post #221

Love to see repairability prioritized. The HN crowd would enjoy the Global Village Construction Kit's work on an open-source tractor https://www.opensourceecology.org/gvcs/ https://www.opensourceecology.org/portfolio/tractor/ https://www.opensourceecology.org/microtractor-workshop/ And their other open source machines they deemed "critical for civilization" https://www.opensourceecology.org/gvcs/gvcs-machine-index/

Does this project go anywhere? Looks like it's at the same stage it was 10 years ago.

They're not very online but they are still doing workshops and stuff in person. Their home page shows some events in 2025 but if you really wanna get involved you would probably need to connect offline. I have a friend of a friend who's involved and they seem pretty dedicated

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

#720

Post by abdjdoeke » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:45 PM UTC

adev_ wrote: post #563

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…

> Up until a year ago I was regularly using a Massy Fergusson 135 There is a tradition in several European countries named Affouage : If you live in a rural area, you can get very cheap (or even free) wood at the condition that you go to cut it yourself in the close-by forest. Many many people who are doing this practice are still using today Massy Fergusson 135, Renault R98/461, Ford 3000-4000 series, SOMECA or simi…

I would like this in a new car company. Low tech, simple to operate, repair, etc. the tech is what goes out of style and I don’t know how (or don’t care) to use half of tech cars have to offer aside from the automatic safety stuff.