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HDRider

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The price of used tractors is up.

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The index is up 22% in the first nine months of the year and poised to make its biggest gains yet in the fourth quarter, a boom that's turning a normally quiet corner of the farming market into Exhibit A of the inflation surge coursing through the U.S. economy.
 
There's a lot of 100-200hp tractors that are bringing almost as much as when they rolled off the line, except now they have 10,000hrs on them.
 
There's a lot of 100-200hp tractors that are bringing almost as much as when they rolled off the line, except now they have 10,000hrs on them.
Got a couple of those with 8,000 hours on a live auction this week.
I assume that once you get over 5,000 to 7,000 hours you are looking at some big repair bills?
Do you have a different view?
 
Got a couple of those with 8,000 hours on a live auction this week.
I assume that once you get over 5,000 to 7,000 hours you are looking at some big repair bills?
Do you have a different view?
Your right on 95% of them. There are some that I wouldn't be afraid of. If a person knows the history, who had it, what it got used for, ect. I bought a JD 4640 back in August. It has 7900hrs on it. The 40 series were the last tractors to have virtually no electronics which appealed to me. I can work on it. I bought it right, and spent $3,400 on it before I got it home. It runs like a top, been chisel plowing with it this fall. It does exactly what I wanted it to.
if they've been taken care of those JD 404's and 466's will run 15000hrs pretty regularly.
 
Got a couple of those with 8,000 hours on a live auction this week.
I assume that once you get over 5,000 to 7,000 hours you are looking at some big repair bills?
Do you have a different view?

If you're paying someone to work on them, potentially. Skilled labor isn't cheap, and there's a lot of it to do any kind of transmission work on them.

Biggest things with quad range Deere's is the 2 speed and jumping out of ranges. Get the oil hot and make sure the 2 speed shifts firmly without any slipping, also make sure the tractor hydraulics (brakes, power steering, 3pt, etc) work normally in both high and low. A lot of times 2 speed problems won't show until the tractor has been worked for an hour or so and the oil is good and hot.

Usually C or D range are the ones to have problems if someone has speed shifted them. Parts aren't that high but it is a lot of labor, since the whole rear end of the tractor needs to be disassembled, cab, rockshaft, final drives, 2spd/clutch housing, and the differential housing all need to be removed to work on the range box. If it jumps out of gear when the tractor coasts, run or negotiate big time.

A permaclutch/2spd repair is not that bad, cab stays put, just split it at the bellhousing, the 2 speed will come out the front.

Quads are kind of a crash box, but with a good operator they can last a really long time. Depending on the use, it could go 10,000+ hours without any work.
 
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We run a newer loader tractor with a power shuttle pretty hard. Otherwise, we usually buy older synchromesh transmission tractors with good rubber. Seems to work well as long as you are willing to hunt for some parts each winter.

Without a power shift to worry about - - what do you consider an average tractor life before doing a four or six cylinder diesel engine OH?
 
We run a newer loader tractor with a power shuttle pretty hard. Otherwise, we usually buy older synchromesh transmission tractors with good rubber. Seems to work well as long as you are willing to hunt for some parts each winter.

Without a power shift to worry about - - what do you consider an average tractor life before doing a four or six cylinder diesel engine OH?

10k applies there as well. The engine may not be toast yet, but you will likely start to see oil consumption, hard starting, and problems with the turbo or fuel system.

Compact tractors and smaller engines in general don't seem to last as long either.
 
We run a newer loader tractor with a power shuttle pretty hard. Otherwise, we usually buy older synchromesh transmission tractors with good rubber. Seems to work well as long as you are willing to hunt for some parts each winter.

Without a power shift to worry about - - what do you consider an average tractor life before doing a four or six cylinder diesel engine OH?
If they've been taken care of those JD 404's and 466's will run 15000hrs pretty regularly.
We traded a JD 4440 with over 12,000hrs on it that had never been in to. The neighbors had a JD 4430 with close to 14,000hrs when they traded it. We've got a JD 4320 (1974) running a manure pump yesterday it turned 10,000hrs.
Good oil, clean fuel, clean the air filter regularly they last a long time.
 
Older tractors have been up. When everyone has to be riding around on electric tractors and electric flying dogs and cats, factory that pop out magical unicorn happy pills for food we don't even have to eat in our electric cars.....🤦🏽‍♀️ everyone will one still have their old tick turds in the shed. This crap depresses me. Maybe we can have a shower we don't need any water for too. Just some kind of light we stand in for 30 seconds and we good. I need go stick my head in the sand and hope I come back when times are better. 😏😬
 
You go to a machinery sale and about every old tractor there that has any hope of being used again goes high. After you take a look at all the extra emission add-ons on the new tractors and the price, the older tractors can look appealing. I bought one 23 years old this year with 1224 original hours and so far happy with it. Already been offered a couple times more than I gave and not trying to sale.
 
You go to a machinery sale and about every old tractor there that has any hope of being used again goes high. After you take a look at all the extra emission add-ons on the new tractors and the price, the older tractors can look appealing. I bought one 23 years old this year with 1224 original hours and so far happy with it. Already been offered a couple times more than I gave and not trying to sale.

Been seeing that a while ago... as well as tractors in some areas are cheaper and other sky high. Haha I'm silly today. 🙄 prices around here generally seems alot lower than out west.
I thought about winning the lottery buying a truck load of old tractors taking them out west and selling them. Hahaha 😁😎 Nevermind mind if I won the lottery I wouldn't care... if I had the money to buy all the old tractors I wouldn't need to sell them. 😉😝 I'd just sit on them wait for the eggs to hatch. Hahahaha 🙄 Or go bad. Maybe better than than playing lottery and stock market. Huh.

Dang always need money to make money. Guess that's why I'm not rich. 😎 carry on.
 
You go to a machinery sale and about every old tractor there that has any hope of being used again goes high.
I bought several not green tractors with 4000 to 6000 hours on them very reasonably, but, I usually put U$S 2500 to 5000 into them before too long. They will work fine until you get spoiled by an air seat and cold AC.

Overhauled a MM last winter for U$S 3400. It really turns heads since there is not much yellow out there. It has amazing torque compared to the modern turbo E series type stuff.
 
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E series stands for economy. You get what you pay for. M's and R 's are pretty good. None as good as before the letters got added.
 
Check this out. A local guy recently auctioned his large collection of old restored tractors. Donated the money to the YMCA. I read that one of the Ford's (8N?) had a Ford 289 V8 installed. Lots of pictures.

 
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