One light bulb stops a combine

[AlbertaFarmer5]

And I'll bet your neighbors profit is off the charts. And that is the number that matters.

Speaking as someone who runs equipment older than I am. Except combines, we did have to admit defeat and upgrade to modern combines, season is just too short for harvest equipment to be a bottleneck.

[blackpowder]

Are 6 months of full time mechanic and $100/hr in extra operator wages plus the fuel and the field mess cheaper than payments on two newer machines.
I wonder. His acres per machine are far less as well. Tech efficiencies of the last 20 years lost on top of that.
Seems it costs so many dollars per acre to own/operate a combine no matter how you do it and he's spending at least that.
Combines are unique.
They likely process over $1M of product each per year. And you can't make all the parts.
The parts world alone has changed dramatically since 08. Warranty on every $5000 substandard part matters. And then it's "no longer available".
Only regions with a larger time window can do it cheaper.
Edit. And even that last is debatable.

[blackpowder]

I will admit however that our ownership cost per hour will definitely take a hit if the current market stays another 4-5 years.
Buying hours are now over twice what they were 4 years ago.
Doesn't change the cost of repairs and operation.
I know first hand what it takes to ensure uptime on a 4000+ hr combine.

We have had an unprecedented ability to stay reasonably current with our fleet these last ten years
The next ten likely opposite.
Someday my neighbor will be spending 500k per to buy a fixable combine.