JD 1650 Price Advice

[rod330]

I'm shopping for a brush hog tractor and found what appears to be a decent 1984 Deere 1650 2WD tractor with just over 2000 hours. These models have the Yanmar diesel. The original owner's son stated it has no mechanical issues but the rear tires are just "fair". He indicated the bottom line price is $8000 but I tend to think that's still too high. I had been looking for a Ford 4000 or 4600 (comparable to the 1650) but decent ones are nearly impossible to find around here. I know green paint always commands a bit of a premium but wanted to get some objective feedback. I'm thinking $7000 is far more reasonable based on nationwide web searches for the Ford 4000 series but there's simply no price comparisons I can find for the 1650. I don't want to make a four hour round trip visit unless I'm in the same ballpark with this gentleman. Your thoughts? Thanks in advance!

 

[Rock knocker]

Looks nice, just a correction though, the complete unit is a Yanmar machine.

 

[Barry 1]

Very few parts available.

 

[Rock knocker]

Very few parts available.

Yea, they're not like the 650-1050 machines where a lot more were built for many more years.

 

[rod330]

Very few parts available.

Interesting...I figured Deere would have great parts support for all of their equipment. I presume this is because it was manufactured in Japan...?

 

[Rock knocker]

Yes, not a Deere product but a Yanmar

 

[arrow]

Yes, not a Deere product but a Yanmar

To quantify: Deere farmed out these tractors to be built by Yanmar but under JD specs. Many parts with the comparable Yanmar tractor of this vintage, will not interchange with the JD tractor of the same years. As someone else stated, these tractors were some of the best product JD ever put their name to but, unfortunately, this contractual line of tractor petered out and as the years went by, parts became more and more difficult to obtain with many being labeled (no longer available). Most unfortunate as they were such a good product.

 

[arrow]

I'm shopping for a brush hog tractor and found what appears to be a decent 1984 Deere 1650 2WD tractor with just over 2000 hours. These models have the Yanmar diesel. The original owner's son stated it has no mechanical issues but the rear tires are just "fair". He indicated the bottom line price is $8000 but I tend to think that's still too high. I had been looking for a Ford 4000 or 4600 (comparable to the 1650) but decent ones are nearly impossible to find around here. I know green paint always commands a bit of a premium but wanted to get some objective feedback. I'm thinking $7000 is far more reasonable based on nationwide web searches for the Ford 4000 series but there's simply no price comparisons I can find for the 1650. I don't want to make a four hour round trip visit unless I'm in the same ballpark with this gentleman. Your thoughts? Thanks in advance!

These were very good tractors. The 4wd one's were more complex with the addition of front drive components and just one more area for parts problems such as 4wd housings. The engines are rock solid and 2000 hrs is nothing for this unit. It looks in great shape and seemingly kept inside. Check to see if simple parts like filters, hoses and belts are still available. You can just about forget about mechanical parts still around from the factory but in your favor, this is a pretty simple tractor with a robust build.

Negotiation is best done in person. I'd offer the guy 5 and see where it goes from there. Its parts availability is just about defunct but you at least want to be able to get smaller maintenance items.

 

[Rock knocker]

Totally mechanical machine too.

 

[rod330]

Thanks for all of the great information and advice- much appreciated. I'm going to let this one go since I have little time or desire to chase down scarce parts. Many years ago my father purchased a new Leyland 154 tractor. It was a fabulous little tractor but finding common components eventually turned into a never ending scavenger hunt. I can be patient and continue my search.