How does anyone come out on "rebuilding" and then selling a used tractor?

[Rford]

Just an observation....probably one of those "Duh" situations.

I've been looking on craiglist for a long while at smaller tractors to use to mow, roto till, etc. I'm no farmer. I've got the use of a Massey 231 but its not mine and I've been looking at Massey 135s, Ford 8Ns, etc, so I'd have something that if I screwed it up I wouldn't feel quite so bad. I will be buying something older that has lots of parts available. I really like the looks of a clean 135 Massey and similar-shaped Masseys.

I'm not quick to buy anything, and I've seen a lot of tractors come and go, and I search far and wide, so I 've seen a lot on the net. What strikes me is that the difference in price between a "restored" tractor and one that has not been "restored" is not that much when you consider the time and effort that goes into repairs. I realize its hard to quantify a restoration, and I use "restored" in quotes because I know what "restored" means leaves a lot to be defined. To one guy it means a cheap paint job and a tune up and to another it means a whole lot more. And its not just a restoration issue, some tractors are in their original condition but have been well kept and maintained and others look like they are rolled on a regular basis.

I think I am about ready to conclude that while I like to tinker and don't mind learning (I'm getting ready to do an in-frame rebuild on the 231) I think I'd be much ahead to spend a couple thousand dollars more for a nice tractor or one that has had some "rebuilding" done to it rather than one that has not. For example, I can buy Ford 8Ns all day for $2500-3000 or less that are in decent shape. But when you get around $4000 I can get one that looks like it just came off the showroom floor. The Massey 135, which is what I really want, is similar. The 135's sell for about $3500-4000 but for $5500 I can get one that has been "rebuilt" and looks like its ready to put in some long hours....

It reminds me of buying my first house. I looked at 20 homes in the same general area, and they all were built at about the same time, had the same layout, same size, etc. and the ones that were fixed up nice weren't selling for much more than the ones that needed everything redone.

 

[Rford]

Re: How does anyone come out on "rebuilding" and then selling a used tractor?

Here are a couple examples from the current CL listings. $700 difference between the two, $2200 for the one in rough shape, $2900 for the nicer looking one.

 

[brain55]

Well, let's see. A couple of years ago I was given a Kubota B7100HSD. I decided to clean it up and do some small repairs. I stripped all the sheetmetal off the machine and painted it along with the machine, replaced all of the rubber (tires, hydraulic hoses, etc.) and ended up having to replace one of the bevel gear cases on the front differential and some bearings & seals. I had about $2500 in parts into it and hoped to sell it for $5000, over the course of a few weeks after lowering the price on Craigslist I sold it for $3500, so I probably made about $15/hr for my time, live and learn.

Brian
If you look back at my posts you can see the process and pics.

 

[jenkinsph]

Re: How does anyone come out on "rebuilding" and then selling a used tractor?

I don't think you come out buying one and refurbishing it in most cases if your intention is resale. It is more of a hobby or labor of love for most people. Some hobbies can be expensive but if you like doing this kind of thing that is the justification. If you use tractors alot you quickly get concerned with how user friendly they are and this tends to lead to newer models on the horizon. I do like some of the smaller older tractors and they are fun to use and look at but I am not going to kid myself the new ones are a lot easier to operate and for tight quarters work will beat the pants off the older models. My 1973 820 is in good shape and will do everything now as well as it could when new. A new tractor will outperform it in most cases for close work though. I mention this because if you need something for field work I think the older ones can be a very good choice. If you need something for a small place with a multitude of utility type jobs you would be better of with a newer modern tractor imo.

 

[RoyJackson]

Re: How does anyone come out on "rebuilding" and then selling a used tractor?

I suggest you look up TBN member dfkrug.
He's rebuilt at least one Deere 4300 and is in the process of rebuilding another 4300 (two current threads on this rebuild, BTW).