More crazy eBay bidding-JD 4000 gas tractor

flusher · Dec 28, 2006

Bidding just ended on a 1971 JD 4000 gas tractor.

eBay: John Deere 4000 Gas Tractor Collectible (item 180065728129 end time Dec-28-06 19:26:45 PST)

Winning bid was $16000.

Tractor Blue Book average retail price:$6370.

The winner essentially jump-bid from $10,000 to $16,000 to ace out the competition.

Oh, well. Vintage tractor collectors are special people.

Kaliburz · Dec 29, 2006

Looks like that buyer was bidding against them self....

Hope he did research before buying.....

Tractor Data says this about the 4000:
The 4000 was a high horsepower-to-weight tractor, designed as a "runner". Using the same engine as the 4020, but being almost 1000 lbs lighter, the 4000 could, in the same amount of time, pull a 4-bottom plow fast enough to cover the same acreage as a 4020 with a 5-bottom plow.

That's interesting.

California · Dec 29, 2006

Kaliburz said:
Looks like that buyer was bidding against them self....

I think he kept raising his bid until he finally broke through the Reserve (secret minimum), so he could win it.

Thomas · Dec 29, 2006

Morning flusher.
Maybe its a scam??its be known at some auctions couple of buddies get together and work the price up,but in this case I say fool and his money will soon part....now when the day comes and the owner decides he no longer wants the JD,I sure hope he doesn't figure he should get half on what he pay for it.

"Vintage tractor collectors are special people"...Indeed.

Farmwithjunk · Dec 29, 2006

flusher said:
Bidding just ended on a 1971 JD 4000 gas tractor.

eBay: John Deere 4000 Gas Tractor Collectible (item 180065728129 end time Dec-28-06 19:26:45 PST)

Winning bid was $16000.

Tractor Blue Book average retail price:$6370.

The winner essentially jump-bid from $10,000 to $16,000 to ace out the competition.

Oh, well. Vintage tractor collectors are special people.

It appears at one point, the buyer just got tired of messing around. He must have set his maximum bid at or above $16000. As other bids came in, his automatically raised to cover the new ones.

The 4000 was brought out by Deere in 1969 to counter sales of the IH 706. It used the already wildly successful engine of the 4020 coupled to what was essentially a 4010 drive train. Standard equipment was the syncro-range tranny. It was marketed as high HP to weight ratio at a lower price tag than the 4020. (New 4020's were approaching the $10,000 mark by then) "Trade up from your 3020! Keep your same implements, just pull them at higher speeds to be more efficient." By 1969, diesels ruled the market in the 100 hp class. Gassers were rare. 4000's special ordered with Power-Shift trannies are even more rare. As unrestored examples of any of these old classics start to go away, the prices on existing ones will only go higher.

Buyer is no stranger to collecting.

Kaliburz · Dec 29, 2006

I guess that's how things go now.... it will be 'collector/restorers vs users'. As in, people just interested in getting an older dependable tractor to USE vs people who want to let it sit in a barn.

The newest tractor in my shed is a 2240 JD from about 1983. Has newer dash style, single multi-gauge 'thing', annoying battery side covers. The oldest is a JD 60 from the mid 1950's.

Mahindra35 · Dec 29, 2006

He hasnt paid for it yet !!

dgl24087 · Dec 29, 2006

The insane spending in the collector market just baffles me, look at Barrett-Jackson auto auctions for a prime example. The old adage "A fool and his money are soon parted" definitely applies.

Kaliburz · Dec 29, 2006

dgl24087 said:
The insane spending in the collector market just baffles me, look at Barrett-Jackson auto auctions for a prime example. The old adage "A fool and his money are soon parted" definitely applies.

Quite true. Granted, I've done that w/ my lawn tractor 'hobby'. Saw something (a part mainly) and I wanted it..... but I bid 'smartly'- most of the time if it's something I want that bad, I will baby sit the auction- if I can.