The new ones ziko na software you have to have it serviced at the dealership where they will bend you over and shaft you dry …hata big farmers huko Nebraska wananunua the old johndeers…the new ones are not reliable due to emission crap n software shiet
I used to do extraction and supply of construction material huko sub-county. These included ceramic/roasted bricks, hardcore/mawe, kokoto and murram. Job ilikuwa kuchimba murram, kuchimba mawe kwa quarry karibu na mtoni, kupatia vijanaa job ya kuzipasua zinakuwa kokoto (as in you value add the quarry stones to increase its cost). And the tractors/brokers would come pick for the market that is local construction sites. On the side I also had a power/chainsaw that I could use to split timber on contract and for sale on the side mostly for roofing.
The business was good, beacuse I was more or less getting good money from all sides one time I got a good idea that if I had my own tractor, I could make double money as well as engage in many other activities.
Ndio huyu Mimi nikauliza uliza a few people and they advised on a brand new machine kuepuka mashida na nuksi za second hand.
So this is me all the way to Nakuru-tha capital of tractors, signed documents here and there, got a friend to loan me an account, deposited a million bob, was shown a few pieces that were to be joined together and I went home. I waited for almost 3 months.
When it came I realized interest alone was to be almost a million on top.
The day it was delivered, I had to start with setting the jembe, make a grill/bullbar/toolbox because itakuwa mnyama wa kichaka.
Three days later after kuibariki I set off to the bush-tinga haiwezi jilipia loan ikiwa nyumbani among other mantras were the advise from those that had come before me.
My first stop was at Rodi Kopanyi a few km from homabay.
We arrived very tired and slept veryearly at some seedy hotel enthusiastic that the next day we will get 10acres to plough and come back loaded eat like dynasty and sample the town.
By cockcrow we were up to meet some broker that had seven acres, kumpigia he was mteja and we were at the ‘tractor stage’.
Tukingoja huyo jamaa we realized that there were slightly over 20tractors with some drivers having ploughed over 10 years. They looked bat us and felt pity because they had their customers.
We ended up ploughing slightly two acres got barely enough cash to pay for our meals and lodging.
Needless to say this same thing was repeated over and over. The erratic rain patterns and all ensured mnyama’s pockets remained empty for the better part of two years.
As I was on my knees asking the good Lord above to forgive me my sins and remove me from this hole I had sug for myself, I got a phonecall from a long lost homemate. He needed a tractor to pull kplc logs exactly like mine and he had cash… I sold him the God forsaken machine paid my loan in full, pocketed the difference and took off to Embobut without looking back.
Wee wacha tu, at some point I was in ukambani-makindu. I stayed over a week bila job driver ran away, I became broke, karibu niuze jembe ama tires. I realized that in Kenya kununua machine ya loan is a big gamble.