Well said Jared...
A couple other thoughts while on the subject. The support provided when purchasing new equipment is often overlooked, and in many cases can be worth a great deal. Not everyone want to be tinkering with equipment when it is go time, and in my case I would much rather be making as much syrup as possible. We all value our time differently, and that is another big piece of the puzzle.
Financing equipment through a dealer is very different than taking advantage of other types of investments at much lower interest rates. The USDA for instance is a tremendous resource for new and experienced farmers and I have been very impressed with their support of my business venture. I am even considering financing some more equipment for value adding through them and the minimal interest paid will be well worth the capability of opening up new markets and opportunities.
A good accountant is also a tremendous resource for any business. New equipment purchases can be leveraged in a number of ways to your advantage which generally is not the case with used equipment.
It really comes down to your ultimate goals and available resources. We all have different ways of approaching sugaring.
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