Where to find Tractor in Northern California

[dfkrug]

In NorCal, you should be checking Craigs List. There are always tractors
on it. If it is a good machine at a good price, it will be gone fast. Be
prepared to go see a unit on the day it becomes available....don't wait
til the weekend. I bought one tractor on CL, but have sold several on
Ebay after not getting enough local interest in the Bay Area.

That said, $2500 won't get you much. Modern capabilities like 4WD,
power steering, wet brakes, and hydrostatic trannies will rarely be
found at this price. Not to mention repairs. Only handy owners should
consider machines that need work and/or have little support available.
Think long and hard before you consider an unusual tractor or a Chinese one.

 

[shasta]

Capital Press an Ag weekly(capitalpress.com) has quit a number of listings. Many are outside the SF area but if you can find the right tractor at the right price it may pay for the drive.

 

[monkeymonk]

If you are looking for a super bargain deal, the best time is 5 minutes after a tractor hits the newspaper...and sometimes that is too late. As far as seasonal savings, our slow time of the year is the last two weeks of August and the first two weeks of January. Prices stay steady year round. There are always a few guys on our list to call if we get a bargain tractor, so generally a cheap cosmetically challenged diesel tractor with a loader won't be around for more than a couple of days. It is a supply and demand thing, and bargain tractors, that are mechanically solid, are in demand.

Toooo Right! I searched for months!! seems hard in cali! Good ones are few and far most were beat beyond belief. You get what you pay for as the saying goes.

you just may have to break the piggy bank. thats what i did.

Chinese tractor? whats that? kinda like a fortune cookie..........never know what your gonna get!!hehehehe

 

[California]

If you are looking for a super bargain deal, the best time is 5 minutes after a tractor hits the newspaper...and sometimes that is too late.

What Dave said.

I saw mine in the Bee, (first day), phoned, and went to see it when the seller was home for lunch. I told him I would be back to write a check when he got home from work. Then I spent the afternoon here on TBN researching this model I never heard of.

I was there when he got home. He took several calls asking for directions and offering his newspaper price sight unseen while we completed the sale.

This was a blind gamble that fortunately turned out excellent, a good tractor with neglected appearance and a half tank of stale hard-starting fuel. Renovation to put it in good working order was about $100, just fresh fuel, a battery, and later replacing the bashed headlights, etc. And an hour of my labor to fix a stuck brake.

Sometimes you just have to gamble. I've been lucky more times than not, but in the past I've bought a couple of vehicles that I couldn't get what I paid for them when I discovered all their problems. It all averages out to the good. Don't be afraid to gamble on a top-quality model that looks neglected but not abused. The simpler tractors are near indestructible.

I don't think you will find anything (in usable condition) with a loader under $4,000.

Consider the gray market Japanese tractors, even the off brands, but come here and research reputation and parts availability before comitting.

If you find a quality unit for a litle more than your budget, buy it. It might be months before you again see anything suitable.

 

[_RaT_]

In NorCal, you should be checking Craigs List. There are always tractors
on it. If it is a good machine at a good price, it will be gone fast. Be
prepared to go see a unit on the day it becomes available....don't wait
til the weekend. I bought one tractor on CL, but have sold several on
Ebay after not getting enough local interest in the Bay Area.

That said, $2500 won't get you much. Modern capabilities like 4WD,
power steering, wet brakes, and hydrostatic trannies will rarely be
found at this price. Not to mention repairs. Only handy owners should
consider machines that need work and/or have little support available.
Think long and hard before you consider an unusual tractor or a Chinese one.

I'll be using Craigs list to list my Kubota L3830 HST etc. etc. I like Craigs List, it beats the heck out of the price the Sacramento Bee charges for classified ads.

 

[Petman]

Listing....cheap?

 

[dfkrug]

I'll be using Craigs list to list my Kubota L3830 HST etc. etc. I like Craigs List, it beats the heck out of the price the Sacramento Bee charges for classified ads.

What will you try to get for the L3830? I don't think you will have any
problem selling such a late model and popular machine. What ever
you do, don't trade it in!

For those who don't know, CraigsList is now in virtually every major
US city, and is free for listings, except employment. It started here
in the SF Bay Area, so it is biggest here.