Early 70's John deere 450B

Fireboy6413 · Mar 18, 2014

So im acquiring this machine in a package deal, i have absolutely no use for it. Does anyone know what is a good asking price, i checked online and found a few for sale. One as high as 18k not in the best of shape my opinion, some in the 5k range and a few on ebay 10-14 with a make an offer so im not sure what they sold for.. Machine is a early 70's 450B 6 way full hydraulic blade, under carriage looks nice and tight, tracks look good, no leaks not much smoke at start up, and has 4700 hrs on working meter. Also is it worth putting a quick coat of paint on it, thanks for any help

Verticaltrx · Mar 18, 2014

Fireboy6413 said:
So im acquiring this machine in a package deal, i have absolutely no use for it. Does anyone know what is a good asking price, i checked online and found a few for sale. One as high as 18k not in the best of shape my opinion, some in the 5k range and a few on ebay 10-14 with a make an offer so im not sure what they sold for.. Machine is a early 70's 450B 6 way full hydraulic blade, under carriage looks nice and tight, tracks look good, no leaks not much smoke at start up, and has 4700 hrs on working meter. Also is it worth putting a quick coat of paint on it, thanks for any help

Can't say what it's worth (I'd guess in the $10K range) but I can tell you: DO NOT PAINT IT! You'll steer away more potential buyers with a fresh coat of paint than you'd gain. People who know anything about equipment want to see it in the original paint. Putting a new coat of paint on equipment has long been a way of slipshod dealers trying to move equipment for more money than it's worth or to cover up other problems.

Fireboy6413 · Mar 18, 2014

Very very good point never thought of that one. Ill leave it as is, the paints actually in great shape just a pit of surface rust on top of the engine shroud.

doxford jim · Mar 18, 2014

I would get rid of it as parts for these are expensive and will soon be hard to find. I have a 69 JD450 that I rebuilt the engine, did flywheel and clutch and both steering clutches. Enjoyed the work but it has turned out to be a money pit for me (green as grass where construction equipment is concerned). If I could get a half decent price for mine I would sell it tomorrow. Mine is actually a crawler loader but also has an outside frame with blade, ROPS and rear hydraulic winch - obviously used in logging somewhere in it's murky past.
Hopefully your machine will be in better shape and get you a good price.

Fireboy6413 · Mar 19, 2014

Wow sorry to hear you had to dump some big $$$ in yours, ive seen the loader variation, this one looks to be in great shape, bushings were just rotated on it just recently, maybe 500 hrs or so, they had a dealer put new sprockets on, the dealer told him the machine is in great shape for its age, i trust this guy as he has nothing to do with the sale, has been the only operator of it since they purchased it in the early 90'. And really doesn't wanna see the machine go.