I'm considering a john deere 400

[bsrfarms97]

I'm looking at a jd 400 model garden tractor. It's in good condition and everything works well. It's $2400 with the mower. Can anyone tell me if this is a good price and how reliable these are?

 

[TimS]

I'm looking at a jd 400 model garden tractor. It's in good condition and everything works well. It's $2400 with the mower. Can anyone tell me if this is a good price and how reliable these are?

Price seems OK, maybe a bit high; it all depends on condition. You'd want to do a compression test on the motor before forking over any money.

The downside to 400s is that they're odd ducks - Deere's first big garden tractor. They were only made for a year or two. All the attachments, including the mower deck, fit the 400 and only the 400; that includes the PTO which is an odd speed. In combination with the brief sales life, it can therefore be hard to find attachments or parts.

So if you're looking only to mow, it might be a good choice if you can get the seller down a bit on price. If you're a collector looking for a piece of history, it would also be a good choice. If you're looking to do more than mow and want to add some more attachments, be prepared to spend some time searching.

Tim

 

[beenthere]

Good summary TimS

For about the same money and maybe a bit more, there are good 425, 445, and 455's out there that will be very reliable and parts quite available. These hold up well and have a larger variety of attachments...are water cooled, all hydraulic, PTO driven deck and front attachments.

But what TimS says is my opinion as well. Amazing how the value of Deere holds up, this being a 35 yr old tractor and all.