Opinion on John Deere 1050?

[WillyTSmith]

We've recently bought some pretty hilly, mostly wooded land. We have several "green fields." I'd say total of 12 acres but plan to clear more land over the years. We are about to buy a 1980 John Deere 1050. It's four wheel drive, with a bucket. It has just over 2,000hrs. Only two owners and the current owner is a mechanic who has taken very good care of it. He's asking $8,000. Does this sound like a good deal? Anyone have any pros or cons of this tractor that you could share?

 

[m5040]

It is a good well made tractor. It was manufactured in Japan so parts will be hard to get as the years go by. Price seems right as long as everything works and you don't need tires. Hours are reasonably low. Check with the John Deere dealer on how they feel about the parts availability, that is the only down side.

 

[TimberHole]

I think that’s a god buy for a 4WD 1050 with a loader. I’d say 10K wouldn’t be unreasonable. I have been very impressed with my 950 and the 1050 is the same machine with a bit more power as it is turbocharged. Parts are readily available with the exception of some internal parts but still plenty of salvage yards with those. I don’t think you can go wrong. I am assuming it has power steering since it is 4WD and has a loader.

 

[chriswheeler]

It's a nice well made tractor, I have had, and rebuilt a 950, same tractor basically with a turbo. During the rebuild, I did learn that some of the parts ( mostly replacement gears for the front axle 4 we drive, and transmission gears ) Making custom replacement gears could cost as much as the tractor one at a the time. are not easy to obtain anymore and almost impossible to find outside of a tractor wrecker. I'm thinking that a 1050 in new condition would be a great find for the right price. Just like any other machine, being able to support it and keep it in service is everything. In most cases your hard earned dollars would be better spent on a newer machine. Finding just one of these parts that you can't get and keeping the machine out of service just once will justify spending more to prevent the problem. That is what caused me to finish the rebuild and sell for a newer model. buyer got a great tractor for my sales price, I did make it clear that some items are not supported. My tractor did not have power steering.
Chris