Is there a most "desirable/collectable" for restoration?

[Skerby]

If I were to look for some old iron for pulling on hay wagon rides/show etc, just for nostalgia, and long term investment (pass down to future generations) what would be good bet in a classic Deere tractor? thx for your replies!

 

[JSR LLS]

I don't know if there is a clear cut answer. Others know more about old iron than me, and hopefully they will chime in. However, for me, a John Deere M would be the answer. My wife's uncle has it and before that it belonged to my wife's grandfather. It is still used and in pretty good shape. I would love to have the cash to have it restored for him. So, that makes this particular M very valuable and a great emotional investment, for me and my wife.

 

[Soundguy]

Get one with high production numbers, or at least lots of parts avaibility.

My choice would be ( was ) a B.

soundguy

 

[wolc123]

I also think the M is the one. I may be biased since that was the first tractor I operated as a kid. I am not a huge 2 cyl fan, but amoung them, the M is my favorite. It was one of the earliest tractors with live hydraulics, and if it only had a 3 pt hitch and smoother (more cylinders) engine, it would have surpassed the Ford 9N/8N as the most popular tractor ever.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I also think the M is the one. I may be biased since that was the first tractor I operated as a kid. I am not a huge 2 cyl fan, but amoung them, the M is my favorite. It was one of the earliest tractors with live hydraulics, and if it only had a 3 pt hitch and smoother (more cylinders) engine, it would have surpassed the Ford 9N/8N as the most popular tractor ever.

Well, I love my Johnny M and agree that it is a great tractor I disagree that it would have surpassed the N series Fords as the most popular ever with just a 3pt hitch and smoother engine. The M series is light on its nose and getting on and off is a lot of fun where as the N series did a better job of keeping all four wheels on the ground on hilly areas and you could get on and off that tractor easily.

Currently, my M is sitting in the barn hooked to the one bottom plow (I have two one bottom plows till I find someone to buy the other one). I want to paint it up some day and hook up my cultivators and leave it that way for shows and occasional garden duty.

As for the OP, there are old John Deeres that will bring well over $100k but for most people they are way too expensive to buy and very hard and expensive to restore. Usually people have a family attachment to a particular model (father or grandfather owned one and so on). If I was going to buy a tractor that would be unique and stand out I would look for something like an old High Crop model or an Orchard tractor. If you don't want the green paint you could look for an old Industrial model. Or there is the Barber John Deere which is a darker green.

There are a lot of models to choose from but none of them are really cheap to buy and restore. But to sell a restored tractor is hard if it looks like every other tractor out there. So find a low production model and go with it.

I personally want to find a nice old spoker D some day to restore. But I am in no hurry. Best of luck to you.

 

[farmerjim]

if you want a sure bet as far as parts go then i would say an A or B, or prehaps one of the # series say 40,50,60 ect. if you wanted something out of the ordinary maybe an R or D or an orchard version. i personally like the B or GP. we just did our 50 over about 1 yr ago, we still use it on a reg. basis for some farm work. we also have the original tractor that my grandpa bought for the farm which is a jd H, which is in great shape and still runs to this day, i plan to go through it someday and overhaul the motor and a fresh paint job, that tractor will be kept in the family til i'm gone and hopefully beyond.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

All depends on how much you want to invest going in. The higher production numbered models won't appreciate like a less common model. Arguably, they MIGHT have all reached a peak (at least for the time being) Some of the really, really RARE models are still climbing, but the "average" rare to common models are holding steady in recent days.

If you want what true Deere collectors refer to as "EXPO QUALITY", be prepared for a jolt to the wallet. The John Deere 2-Cylinder Club holds shows all over the country, known as "EXPO's". The main one is held in Moline Illinois. Entry into this particular show is very exclusive. Being selected to show there is dictated by a group that includes author/historian/Deere archivist J.R. Hobbs. For this EXPO, you have to have EVERY detail correct. Most of the expo's take the best available, but will allow some lattitude for slight inaccuracies in restoration. The Moline Show at the John Deere Commons is not so forgiving. So much as a wrong muffler, a decal slightly mis-located, the wrong spark plug wires, ANYTHING, and you're on the outside looking in. When you hear a Deere collector referring to "EXPO QUALITY", they're talking about the standards for this one particular show. .... But for an average restoration, one that you could use on occasion, but still want a family heirloom, just about anything with 2 cylinders has some significant value. Many of the "NEW GENERATION" tractors built from 1960 to 1972 are now becoming collectable.

My personal favorites would be;

1959/60 435 Utility. It uses a GMC 2-cycle/2-cylinder diesel. Loud, hard start, temprimental, and VERY desirable from a collecting standpoint.

GM. Essentially a regular model G, only built during WW II. Wartime price controls wouldn't allow Deere to raise the price on their model G, so they introduced the GM (G modified) as a new model to side-step the issue of price controls. Not all that rare, but with a "story to tell".

320/330 Utility. Smallest of the last 2-cylinders. It was Deere's attemt to compete with the IH Cub. VERY rare...VERY pricey.

3010 or 4010 row crop diesel, or 3020/4020 row crop w/Powershift.

And the one's you can find the cheapest;

A's and B's. Multitudes of 'em produced from 1935 to 1952. Unstyled (until 1939) and later styled models can be had in good running order in the $1500 to $2000 range with little trouble. They won't go UP in value as much as some other models, but don't look for them to drop significantly either.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

1959/60 435 Utility. It uses a GMC 2-cycle/2-cylinder diesel. Loud, hard start, temprimental, and VERY desirable from a collecting standpoint.

320/330 Utility. Smallest of the last 2-cylinders. It was Deere's attemt to compete with the IH Cub. VERY rare...VERY pricey.

These tractors would be great choices as they are rather small and easy to work on and store.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

These tractors would be great choices as they are rather small and easy to work on and store.

Yeah, either one should fit in the vault at Ft Knox

I had a 435 years ago. If the temperature was below 50, the day was half over by the time I got it started. My hearing was shot by the time it was fully warmed up. Who'd'a guessed it would someday be worth 5X's what it cost new?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Yeah, either one should fit in the vault at Ft Knox

I had a 435 years ago. If the temperature was below 50, the day was half over by the time I got it started. My hearing was shot by the time it was fully warmed up. Who'd'a guessed it would someday be worth 5X's what it cost new?

I wonder if the 435 might not be a good choice for him then if he wants to pull hay rides. I hadn't thought about the people not being able to hear afterwards. But then again he should only be running at an idle so it shouldn't be too loud.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I wonder if the 435 might not be a good choice for him then if he wants to pull hay rides. I hadn't thought about the people not being able to hear afterwards. But then again he should only be running at an idle so it shouldn't be too loud.

It didn't really start to cackle until it was in a hard pull. I had a mounted cultivator on mine, and while it was just above idle, it was as loud as my MF150 at full throttle.

What might pop up as the FIRST reason a 435 wouldn't be the #1 choice is the fact that they sell for a hefty price nowdays. "average" to rough, maybe $7500. A well done restoration, maybe $10,000 to $12,000. Mint original, over $15,000. I saw one sell at auction 2 years ago for $17000. You can buy a whole barnyard full of B's for that money!

 

[bjcsc]

I personally want to find a nice old spoker D some day to restore.

I second that. The true spokers consistently sell for more money than any other model at auctions...

 

[JSR LLS]

Well, I love my Johnny M and agree that it is a great tractor I disagree that it would have surpassed the N series Fords as the most popular ever with just a 3pt hitch and smoother engine. The M series is light on its nose and getting on and off is a lot of fun where as the N series did a better job of keeping all four wheels on the ground on hilly areas and you could get on and off that tractor easily.

Currently, my M is sitting in the barn hooked to the one bottom plow (I have two one bottom plows till I find someone to buy the other one). I want to paint it up some day and hook up my cultivators and leave it that way for shows and occasional garden duty.

Robert, I see you already have an M, but Rodgers & Son has a real nice one on their lot in Cherry Creek I saw the other day as I passed by. They had it hooked up to something, looked ready to work.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Robert, I see you already have an M, but Rodgers & Son has a real nice one on their lot in Cherry Creek I saw the other day as I passed by. They had it hooked up to something, looked ready to work.

Yeah, they have had that M for a couple years. It has a few implements that go with it. I asked Bob if he wanted to sell just the sickle mower off but they wouldn't seperate the package at the time. That is one thing I would like for mine so that I can use it to maintain around the ponds and ditches.

If I recall their price wasn't too bad for the complete package. They did a nice job painting it up (I didn't look it over up close) and these small tractors do not take up much room.

I did have a second M that I sold last year. I paid $1500 for it not running with a crappy paint job and messed up front axle. It came with cultivators, front blade and a plow. I sold the front blade, front wheel weights and tractor and all I did was add a battery to the tractor as well as a simple tune up. Made around $1k and I still have the cultivator and plow (the plow is going to leave some day) and hopefully I find a nice sickle mower for the M as that tractor is so much fun to operate (I love the long hood designs of the older tractors)

 

[wolc123]

I spent many hours on an M as a kid, much of it cultivating corn. I kind of liked the way that tractor worked as you could keep your head up and line up the row using the ridge on the hood. Cultivating in 3rd gear at wide open throttle, I could nock out the fields real fast. These days, I use a Farmall cub with which I can cultivate a bit closer since you can look right down on the row, but it definitely slows you down (probably would need to anyway with 1/2 the hp) and puts you in a less comfortable operating position. I do a lot less acreage now than in the old days so that aint a real big problem. You are right about the M being tougher to mount and dismount than a Ford N but I never noticed that problem when I was a kid as much as I do now. While it was tougher to mount, it made up for that a bit by having a lot more ground clearance which made it a better cultivating tractor and better in mud holes (of which I have plenty), than a Ford N. My two personal favorite all time tractors would be the 51/52 Ford 8N and the JD M with the 8N coming out on top because of the 3pt hitch. Thankfully, I own both of them and wouldnt part with them even if someone offered me 5 times their value. My 51 8n is the tightest all original N (still has most the factory paint), that I have ever seen, only has 1800 hrs of which 600 are mine and the rest were accumulated by my nieghbor who stored it inside, and did nothing with it but work a 1/2 acre garden each spring for many years. The M was purchased new by my grandad and was the first tractor on our farm, replacing a team of horses back in 1950. I know many folks who regret not having thier first tractor and I am very thankful to still have mine and my grandads.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

My M came with the farm my parents bought in 1987. It was bought new by the previous owner who grew tomatos on this property for ages. It was always kept in the barn and is in great original condition. It even has the original rear tires the side walls have holes rotted thru. I need to replace them but there has been no hurry as I hadn't used that tractor much in the last 6 years for various reasons.

Since I finally brought it back to the farm (it was stored at my grandfathers place when we tore down its old home to put up a new barn and never made it back down till last month) it will start seeing more use hopefully. But with my back the way it is now it is not a tractor I will choose to get on and off multiple times a day. I will either find a sickle mower or put the cultivators on it and leave it like that.

 

[wolc123]

I wish our M was still in that kind of condition but it is pretty well worn, probably because it was the only tractor we had for around 25 years and put in a lot of long hours doing tough work. We would actually run it all day and into the night with the lights at times, stopping only to add gas and change operators. We used a 2x12" plow on it and my dad used that combo this year to work his 1 acre garden. It still runs well, even starts good on 6 volts, and now wears new rear rubber and rims but the steering is getting loose. I would be afraid to guess at how many hours it has accumulated, needing only (2) valve jobs and (1) clutch besides normal maintenence, but it must be well over 10,000. I hope they still make them like they used to and I can get that kind of service out of the new JD 4120 I picked up a few years ago. Time will tell I guess. I will admit that the switch for the first time to 4wd has resulted in almost as much productivity gain as the switch from horses to tractor power because of my muddy ground. Leaving the cultivators on your M will make it easier for you to get on and off (makes a nice step), but will make it tough to load on a trailer for taking to shows (they dont lift very high).

 

[Engine_Tech]

In general, "Waterloo Works" tractors are worth more than "Dubuque Works" tractors. Waterloo tractors have engines with horizontal cylinders and hand clutches, Dubuque tractors have vertical cylinders and a foot clutch.

Waterloo = A, B, D, G, H, R, 50, 60, etc

Dubuque = M, 40, 420, etc.

To me, an "H" would be cool. That was the smallest tractor built at the Waterloo Works.

 

[deere755]

My picks would be a 70 diesel. My uncle had one and when it was cold out you could hook a chain to the tractor and pull start it quicker then you could get the pony motor started.

#2 for me is the 4020 diesel. I can not believe these are collectors all ready but that just shows I am getting older. I still believe this is one of the best tractors ever built by anyone, I guess that shows my age again LOL.