Rent vs. Buy Guide

One of the most common conversations we have with customers at Wakarusa Ag is the rent-versus-buy question. It comes up for tractors, skid steers, TMR mixers, and hay equipment. There is no universal right answer, but there are clear patterns that point one direction or the other for most buyers.

Rent When Use Is Infrequent or Seasonal

If you need a piece of equipment for a defined task that happens once or twice a year — covering for your regular tractor during an unexpected repair, handling a construction project on the farm, filling in a gap during a hiring crunch — rental almost always wins financially. The math is simple: a rental for ten days will cost far less than financing a new machine, and you avoid storage, maintenance, and insurance costs for a machine that sits idle most of the year.

This is especially true for specialty equipment. A manure spreader that you use four weeks a year is a strong rental candidate. A compact tractor you use every day is not.

Buy When Use Is Regular and Long-Term

If the equipment is going to work most weeks of the year, and you expect to use it for five or more years, buying almost always has a better total cost of ownership. You are building equity, you control the machine’s maintenance history, and you are not paying rental rates on equipment hours that could be building toward ownership.

For equipment central to your core operation — your daily feeding tractor, your primary mixer — ownership is almost always the right call. These are not tools you want to depend on a rental schedule for.

The Break-Even Point

A practical rule of thumb: if you would use the equipment more than 60 to 80 days per year and expect to continue that use for three or more years, run the numbers on financing versus renting. Most of the time, ownership pencils out better above that threshold.

A Third Option: Try Before You Buy

Wakarusa Ag’s rental fleet gives you another option that does not fit neatly into the rent-versus-buy framing: trying equipment before you commit to buying it. If you are not sure whether a TMR mixer will work for your ration system, rent one for a feeding cycle. If you are considering a skid steer but have never operated one, rent before you buy. We have had many customers go from rental customers to purchase customers because the equipment earned its place on their operation.

Talk to Us

Our team can help you think through the financial and operational factors specific to your situation. Call 574-862-1163 or stop by 905 Nelsons Parkway, Wakarusa.

Why Choose UsWhy Choose Us

Research has shown that when a farmer is looking to buy a new piece of equipment for their farm the first step is to talk to a dealer and see what choices are available. The next step is to talk to a neighbor or a farmer in a neighboring area or state to get their opinion. It’s important to know what size of equipment you need. It’s also important to consider if you are looking for a moderately priced brand or are you willing to pay a premium for one that meets the highest standards of the industry.

When you shop at Wakarusa Ag, their team will be taking all those factors into consideration alongside you. They are uniquely qualified to answer your questions because they have experience as farmers, dairymen, livestock producers and equipment retailers. When you are looking for new equipment, rest assured, you will get expert advice from Wakarusa Ag.