Dazed and Confused

[tractorstractoreverywhere]

Hello everyone -

I've recently been searching for a tractor and have found this website extremely useful. Everyone seems quite knowledgable and willing to help so I thought I might try to get some insight.

Background: I have 10 acres with mostly lowlands and a long driveway to maintain. The property is relatively newly developed and needs some small stumps dug out abd a lot of topsoil moved. The driveway needs to be maintained and many holes augered for multiple projects. I would also like to dig some smallish ditches for drainage for the low lands as well as planting some small food plots for hunting.

Machine: I have been looking at many, many, many tractors for several months and have been unlucky so far. I have recently found a 1999 John Deere 870 with FEL, BH, Auger, Digger, and box scraper for sale at $20,500. Even though the tractor only has 162 hours on it this price seems high. I thought if I could get it for around 15k it might be worth it.

Bottom Line: Will this tractor have enough power to get the job done? Is this a good tractor overall?

Thanks in advance for all the help.

 

[newbury]

<snip>

Bottom Line: Will this tractor have enough power to get the job done? Is this a good tractor overall?

Thanks in advance for all the help.

Just went thru a similar process. But ended up with a Kubota.
The answer to your questions:
Yes, yes.
But you really should ask more on the JD forum and also look around, that price seems high to me.

 

[zzvyb6]

Its plenty of tractor, but too much money, regardless of the hours. Besides, you are not getting a mower with it or a landscape rake, or a rototiller.

Offer them 14.5 cash in their face and walk away. Tell them you are on your way to buy another machine with all the things you really need. Give them a time deadline by end-of-day and see if they will come back.

ALWAYS works for me.

The low hours don't count for anything. Parts availability on a 20 year old machine would carry more points.

 

[tractorstractoreverywhere]

Thanks for the help. It sounds like there is enough tractor. I'll take a look at it and use cash to try and get the price lower. Appreciate the help.

 

[flusher]

Hello everyone -

I've recently been searching for a tractor and have found this website extremely useful. Everyone seems quite knowledgable and willing to help so I thought I might try to get some insight.

Background: I have 10 acres with mostly lowlands and a long driveway to maintain. The property is relatively newly developed and needs some small stumps dug out abd a lot of topsoil moved. The driveway needs to be maintained and many holes augered for multiple projects. I would also like to dig some smallish ditches for drainage for the low lands as well as planting some small food plots for hunting.

Machine: I have been looking at many, many, many tractors for several months and have been unlucky so far. I have recently found a 1999 John Deere 870 with FEL, BH, Auger, Digger, and box scraper for sale at $20,500. Even though the tractor only has 162 hours on it this price seems high. I thought if I could get it for around 15k it might be worth it.

Bottom Line: Will this tractor have enough power to get the job done? Is this a good tractor overall?

Thanks in advance for all the help.

It's probably a 1998 model. Don't see a 1999 model listed in the blue book. It has a 3-cyl Yanmar engine and 25 pto hp.

Average retail is about $8200 (2WD) and $9500 (4WD) without FEL and BH.

Figure the digger/auger is worth maybe $200; box blade maybe $100.

So you need to figure out what the FEL and BH are worth. I would estimate $2K for the FEL and maybe $3K for the BH, both depending on condition of the buckets, arms, hydraulics, etc. So $14-15K would be a fair price IMHO.