Determination of Economic Life for John Deere 5503 (JD5503) Farm Tractor Based on the Total Cost

Saman Nicola1; Saman Nicola

Determination of Economic Life for John Deere 5503 (JD5503) Farm Tractor Based on the Total Cost

Abstract

The costs for the farm tractors do impact the profits that are made in agricultural business and therefore, equipping one's self with the know-how about the costs for tractors is vital in making decisions as to which tractor make or model to select for carrying out the farming operations. The overall objective of this study was to determine the economic life for the JD5503 farm tractors operated in the Rajaf East and Jebel Lado Areas. Its specific objectives were to evaluate the operating cost parameters, to model the economic life for the studied JD5503 farm tractors, and to determine the best mathematical model to predict the economic life for the studied JD5503 farm tractors. Economic data including the annual costs for repair and maintenance, fuel and tractor operator (labor), in addition to the annual hours of operation and the purchase or list price were collected using well-structured questionnaires. Regression analysis was carried out using the Microsoft Excel 2010 on the two variables of the age of operation for the JD5503 farm tractors which was regarded as an independent variable and labelled on the X-axis and therefore, known as the X-part of the model and the aggregated total cost per hour which was regarded as a dependent variable and labelled on Y-axis and therefore, known as the Y-part of the equation. The polynomial model was determined to be the suitable mathematical model for predicting the economic life for JD5503 farm tractors. The economic life for the JD5503 farm tractors was determined to be 11 years with an aggregated operating hours of 2,829.46 h.

Keywords

Thanks

I would like to retired Dr. Anne Schneller and Prof. Fred of the Michigan State University and Eng. Prof. Ayub Njoroge Gitau and Eng. Prof. Duncan Onyango Mbuge of the Department of Environmental and Biosystems Engineering of the University of Nairobi for their advisory role. I would also like to thank Thomas Bitos, Lubajo Moses, David Nicola Wilba Nicola, Hillary John Peter Miskin, Oliver Marko Wondi, and Stephen Batista for helping with data collection. Another big thank you goes to the then Coordinator of the Borlaugh Higher Education for Agricultural Research and Development (BHEARD) Program in Kenya Dr. George Barack Otieno.

References

Anderson A. W., 1988. Factors affecting machinery costs in grain production-ASAE Paper No. 88-1057, American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE), Niles Road, St. Joseph, Michigan.
Baker R. D. & Scarf P. A. 1995. Can models fitted to small data samples lead to maintenance policies with near-optimum cost?, Journal of Applied Mathematics in Business and Industry 6: 3-12. Barlow R. E. & Hunter L. 1960. Optimum Preventive Maintenance Policies, Operations Research, 8, 1, 90-100.
Chenarbon A. H., Afsar A. & Ebrahimzadeh M. R. 2014. Determining Replacement Age of Agricultural Tractor (JD3140) in Varamin Region: Case Study, African Journal of Agricultural Research, 9, 26, 2012-2017, Doi.org/10.5897/AJAR11.639.
Christer A. H. 1988. Determining economic replacement ages of equipment incorporating technological developments, Operational Research 87, 343-354.
Christer A. H. & Scarf P. A. 1994. A robust replacement model with application to medical equipment, Journal of the Operational Research Society 45, 261-275.
Christer A. H. & Wang W. 1995a. A delay-time-based maintenance model of a multi-component system, Journal of Applied Mathematics in Business and Industry 6, 205-222.
Edward W. 2015. Estimating Farm Machinery Cost, Iowa State University-Extension and Outreach.
Eilon S., King J. R. & Hutchinson D. E. 1966. A study in equipment replacement, Operational Research Quarterly 17: 59-71.

Gifford R. C. & Rijk A. G. 1980. Guidelines for agricultural mechanization strategy in development, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Regional Network for Agricultural Machinery.
Hastings N. A. J. 1969. The repair limit replacement method, Operational Research Quarterly 20, 337-349.
Hsu J. S. 1988. Equipment replacement policy-A survey, Production and Inventory Management Journal 29, 23-27.
Hunt D. R. 1983. Farm power and machinery management, 9th edition, The Iowa State University Press. Ames, Iowa.
Hunt D. R. 2001. Farm Power and Machinery Management, Tenth Edition, Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa.
Jardine A. K. S., Goldrick T. S. & Stender J. 1976. The use of annual maintenance cost limits for vehicle fleet replacement, Proceedings of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers 190, 71-80.
Khoub bakht G. M., Ahmadi H., Akram A. & Karimi M. 2008. Repair and maintenance cost models for MF285 tractor: A case study in central region of Iran, American Eurasian Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Science 4(1), 76-80.
Khoub bakht G., Ahmadi H. & Akram, A. 2010. Determination of optimum life for MF285 tractor based on repair and maintenance costs: A case study in central region of Iran, Journal of Agricultural Technology 6(4), 673-676.
Nicola N. S. W. 2019. Modeling Variable Cost of Tractors: Case Study of Ten Tractor Models in Juba-South Sudan, MSc. Thesis, University of Nairobi (Published), Kenya.
Nicola S. N. W. 2025. Mathematical Model for the Prediction of the Useful Life of Sonalika DI-90 Farm Tractor Operated in Juba City, Global Economic Horizons Vol. 01, pp. 141-150, Doi:10.61552/GEH.2025.01.018, http//geh.aspur.rs.
Pagare V., Nandi S. & Khare D. K. 2019. Appraisal of Optimum Economic Life for Farm Tractor: A Case Study, Economic Affairs, 64, (1), 111-118, Doi: 10.30954/0424-2513.1.2019.15.
Pintelon L. M. & Gelders L. F. 1992. Maintenance management decision making, European Journal of Operational Research 58, 301-317.
Rotz A. & Bowers W. 1991. Repair and maintenance cost data for agricultural equipment-ASAE Paper No. 91–1531, American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE), Nile Roads, St. Joseph, Michigan.
Scarf P. A. & Bouamra O. 1995. On the application of a capital replacement model for a mixed fleet, International Journal of Applied Mathematics in Business and Industry 6, 39-52.
Shani B. B. & MUSA A. 2018. Economic Analysis of Ideal Time for Farm Tractor Replacement: A Case Study of Tractor Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria, Kaduna State, Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 2(6), 33-39.
Simms B. W., Lamarre B. G., Jardine A. K. S. & Boudreau, A. 1984. Optimal buy, operate and sell policies for fleets of vehicles, European Journal of Operational Research 15, 183-185.
Singh G. 2000a. Modernization of Agriculture in India (part I): Farm Mechanization-Agricultural Situation in India, Ministry of Agriculture, New Delhi, India.
Singh R. B. 2000b. Environmental consequences of agricultural development: a case study from the Green Revolution state of Haryana, India, Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 82, 97-103.
Singh G. 2006. Estimation of a Mechanization Index and Its Impact on Production and Economic Factors: a Case Study in India, Biosystems Engineering 93(1): 99–106.
Ward S. M., McNulty P. B. & Cunney M. B. 1985. Repair costs of 2 and 4 WD tractors, Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers 28(4), 1074-1076.
Xinan D., Yuzhou L., Suocheng D. & Xiusheng Y. 2005. Impact of resources and technology on farm production in northwestern China, Agricultural Systems 84, 155–169.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Agriculture, Land and Farm Management (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Saman Nicola1 ^* This is me
South Sudan

Saman Nicola This is me
Sudan

Publication Date

June 30, 2026

Submission Date

April 17, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 4, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 10 Number: 1

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA68NR42NN

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Nicola1, S., & Nicola, S. (2026). Determination of Economic Life for John Deere 5503 (JD5503) Farm Tractor Based on the Total Cost. Eurasian Journal of Agricultural Research, 10(1), 60-74. https://izlik.org/JA68NR42NN

AMA

1.Nicola1 S, Nicola S. Determination of Economic Life for John Deere 5503 (JD5503) Farm Tractor Based on the Total Cost. EJAR. 2026;10(1):60-74. https://izlik.org/JA68NR42NN

Chicago

Nicola1, Saman, and Saman Nicola. 2026. “Determination of Economic Life for John Deere 5503 (JD5503) Farm Tractor Based on the Total Cost”. Eurasian Journal of Agricultural Research 10 (1): 60-74. https://izlik.org/JA68NR42NN.

EndNote

Nicola1 S, Nicola S (June 1, 2026) Determination of Economic Life for John Deere 5503 (JD5503) Farm Tractor Based on the Total Cost. Eurasian Journal of Agricultural Research 10 1 60–74.

IEEE

[1]S. Nicola1 and S. Nicola, “Determination of Economic Life for John Deere 5503 (JD5503) Farm Tractor Based on the Total Cost”, EJAR, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 60–74, June 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA68NR42NN

ISNAD

Nicola1, Saman - Nicola, Saman. “Determination of Economic Life for John Deere 5503 (JD5503) Farm Tractor Based on the Total Cost”. Eurasian Journal of Agricultural Research 10/1 (June 1, 2026): 60-74. https://izlik.org/JA68NR42NN.

JAMA

1.Nicola1 S, Nicola S. Determination of Economic Life for John Deere 5503 (JD5503) Farm Tractor Based on the Total Cost. EJAR. 2026;10:60–74.

MLA

Nicola1, Saman, and Saman Nicola. “Determination of Economic Life for John Deere 5503 (JD5503) Farm Tractor Based on the Total Cost”. Eurasian Journal of Agricultural Research, vol. 10, no. 1, June 2026, pp. 60-74, https://izlik.org/JA68NR42NN.

Vancouver

1.Saman Nicola1, Saman Nicola. Determination of Economic Life for John Deere 5503 (JD5503) Farm Tractor Based on the Total Cost. EJAR [Internet]. 2026 Jun. 1;10(1):60-74. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA68NR42NN