Does Anyone Buy Used Tractors?

[lman]

So, I have been looking at used tractors. Mostly 2005 and up. Prices seem to be 10,000 dollars more than the tractors were worth when bought new. Example, are folks really paying 45,000 for a 2009 John Deere 4720 wit 600 hours? Seen Kubota's with similar prices. Lots of tractors in the 40 to 90 HP range, all in the 30-35,000 dollar range. Is this the new normal????

Not for me.

 

[5030]

Just had both of my M9's appraised. The open station appraised at 30 and the cab unit (fully optioned) was at 52. 3,000 and 6,000 hours respectively and well maintained with all service records and no issues with either.

52 is 2 less than I paid for it new in 2002.

 

[Bentrim]

Small tractors are always in demand. Inflation has kept their price high.
Try checking todays prices on these:
MF 135 $4385 in 1975 Today? Usually 3000 to 7000
MF 235 $6990 in 1976 Today? Usually 4000 to 8000
MF 245 $17150 in 1983 Today? Usually 4000 to 10000
JD 4010 Farm Tractor 80 hp $5500 in 1963 today? around 12000
JD 4020 Farm Tractor 94 hp $1034 in 1972, Today? around 20000
JD 1020 $4500 in 1973 Today? $3 to 8000
JD 2020 $5800 in 1971 Today? $4900 to 10000
Ford 9N $585 in 1939 Today? 1500 to 3500
Ford 8N $1404 in 1952 Today? 1500 5000
All these as listed are two wheel drive and no loader. Of course condition can change the price.
If you would have known many years ago and had enough cash to invest!!!

Although more than "new" price they are still cheaper than new and most still have a lot of life left in them.

www.tractorhouse.com Lookup and find prices and locations of tractors. Of course there are more sites if you have the time and patience to look them up.

 

[goeduck]

I have 4 tractors, and all were bought used. Only 1 had a problem unforeseen, but $ wise after repair it still panned out. Be careful is my advice on buying used.

 

[scootr]

I have 4 tractors, and all were bought used. Only 1 had a problem unforeseen, but $ wise after repair it still panned out. Be careful is my advice on buying used.

I've owned 3 used tractors over the last 25 yrs. Kept one 15 yrs. No unforeseen expenses, just lots of $ saved. Rebuilt a cylinder and changed a hose here and there. You may not get all the bells and whistles you desire. But you can sure find a tractor to do the job. Especially considering most hobby farm/ranch operator put about 50 hrs a year on their machines.
Last year I bought a 4yr old garage kept machine with 150 hrs on it for significantly less than the dealer price. With the added bonus of it having some addons I wanted.
I buy cars the same way. Lightly used. Let somebody else take the new purchase hit.

 

[Hay Dude]

Buying used is hit & miss.
Look at it this way, most owners trade off equipment because they are tired of fixing it. A smaller percentage trade to get something newer & nicer.
A lot of defects are not revealed or understated when they sell them to you.

Of course, sometimes you get an honest seller and a solid buy.

With most machinery and vehilces I‘m interested in , I build-in a 5-10K “unforeseen repairs” budget and if the selling price plus my unforeseen repairs budget is still an attractive price, I will buy it.

When buying something that’s well used, its buyer beware big time.

I just bought a tractor about 2 years ago and even with a “factory expert technician” looking at it for $300 still cost me thousands in repairs (AC was shot, brakes needed work).

Its not easy to discover everything, especially on larger, complex equipment with a lot of electronics.

 

[scootr]

Buying used is hit & miss.
Look at it this way, most owners trade off equipment because they are tired of fixing it. A smaller percentage trade to get something newer & nicer.
A lot of defects are not revealed or understated when they sell them to you.

Of course, sometimes you get an honest seller and a solid buy.

With most machinery and vehilces I‘m interested in , I build-in a 5-10K “unforeseen repairs” budget and if the selling price plus my unforeseen repairs budget is still an attractive price, I will buy it.

When buying something that’s well used, its buyer beware big time.

Finding an honest deal is a big part of buying used. A lot depends upon your use too. Buying used for personal vs commercial use can be 2 different things. At my age I'm not wearing anything but myself out. My used Kubota will last my lifetime.
Recently bought a diesel car with 30k miles on it. Expect it to last a lifetime. lol

 

[WinterDeere]

I've sold every tractor I've ever owned (mostly garden tractors and CUT's) for nearly exactly the same price I paid when I bought it. This has held true for machines I've bought both new and used. The depreciation of tractors appears to be very nearly our average rate of inflation.

 

[jjeff]

Probably said it before but if your somewhat mechanically inclined, can make improvised backwoods repairs, don't mind a few quirks, dents, scratches etc buying used is the way to go for me anyway. It's a tractor made to be used and slightly abused.

 

[WinterDeere]

Probably said it before but if your somewhat mechanically inclined, can make improvised backwoods repairs, don't mind a few quirks, dents, scratches etc buying used is the way to go for me anyway. It's a tractor made to be used and slightly abused.

True, even if selling for equal dollars, the depreciation hit is larger as the sums increase. But finding a machine that's being sold for honest reasons can be a bit of roulette. Too many people band-aid and decide to sell after discovering internal damage or the need for an expensive repair. I am not sure what fraction of the relatively new second-hand tractors on the market fall into this category, but personally found problems with both vehicles and tractors I've bought, which would have caused me to cancel the deal if discovered pre-purchase.