Price for BCS 605 with Tiller

[Ford850]

I'm thinking about selling my BCS 605 with 30" tiller, to get a new 853. My main reason is to get the transport speed from the 853, since I use a sulky and/or trailer quite a bit.
What would be an average selling price for the 605 with tiller? It has the 12.5 v-twin vanguard engine that starts easy and runs smooth. It was ordered in early 1995, labeled as a 605, but shipped with an 850 manual. One of the last 605's, with the same features as an 850. It has 5x10x20 wheels in very good shape. I replaced the bearings, seals, and tines on the tiller a year ago. It's always been stored indoors so there is no fading, etc, but there is minimal rust starting on the wheels. It's never been used as a mower so the hours are relatively low while working (tiller and snow blower use), and then light use hours for sulky and trailer use.

What is your best guestimate on a reasonable selling price?

 

[Ford850]

Any guestimates?

 

[Brad_Blazer]

70% of MSRP.
Grounds Maintenance(R) Equipment Blue Book(R) - Rotary Tillers - Bcs America - 65 Configurations

 

[Ford850]

Thanks Brad, that puts the value around $2250 which would be great. I was thinking in the range of $1700 to $2200.

 

[farmerboybill]

This time of year, you might get that. But, the 605 is 3 generations old, and still has the spline PTO. In my opinion, that doesn't lower the usefulness of the 605, but it does require that any new attachments be ordered with spline PTO, or an adapter has to be bought. This will affect value.

I'd say $1500 to sell it fast up to $2200 to get maximum value.

 

[Ford850]

This time of year, you might get that. But, the 605 is 3 generations old, and still has the spline PTO. In my opinion, that doesn't lower the usefulness of the 605, but it does require that any new attachments be ordered with spline PTO, or an adapter has to be bought. This will affect value.

I'd say $1500 to sell it fast up to $2200 to get maximum value.

It doesn't have the spline PTO. Being one of the later 605's, it's basically an 850. It has all the features of an 850, but it's a 605. But your price range is what I'll shoot for if/when I sell it.

 

[farmerboybill]

If it's a 605, it has a spline PTO. They never made a 605 without one that I am aware of. The late ones also had a flat 3 dog engagement, but it was still spline PTO, and nothing like an 850's engagement. The 850's engagement was all internal, the 605 and earlier model's engagement was external. Take the tiller off and engage the PTO. If you see the PTO slide out, it's splined with flat 3 dog. You can't use it with modern tapered 3 dog PTO equipment without an adapter. If you don't see anything slide out, then you either have something I've never seen, or you have a mis-labeled 850.

Another difference is in the shifter quadrant. 605s have straight through shifting, 850's have stops at every gear, so you need to move the shifter side-to-side while shifting.

On a side note, I did see a 605 a while back that the dealer sold as an 850. The owner had the original bill of sale that stated it was a 1995 850, but the machine was clearly a 605. I'm guessing he had old inventory, and wanted to dump it. The owner was pretty disappointed to find out that he paid new price for old inventory...

 

[Ford850]

Great info FBB. I bought mine in early 1995 but I don't remember if I thought I was getting a 605 or an 850. I remember when it came in, the dealer said BCS was changing models and numbers, and that was the reason it came with an 850 owners manual but the tractor was a 605. The manual is titled "New Series 1994 Owners use and Care Manual". It describes the use and set up for the 830 and 850, and shows the straight shifter in the diagram (like mine has too). I still have the BCS sales catalogue/brochure from when I bought it, and it lists the "Professional 605/850". It came with a "free" tapered 3 dog quick coupling like they do yet today. It has the quick coupling on the tractor, paired with the tapered 3 dog male ends on the tiller and snow blower. I assumed the tractor was tapered 3 dog too, but I just checked like you said above and it is the flat 3 dog. I've been using it that way, pairing the flat 3 dog from the tractor to the tapered male ends on the tiller and snow blower for over 20 years, and never had any problems. The connections are still very tight with no wear.
I always thought of it as an 850 because of the manual and brochure I guess. That might explain how the other guy you referenced above thought he bought an 850 too. I used to think mine was sort of a hybrid as it was built in the transition year. But now I think it might be a mutt instead.

 

[farmerboybill]

I don't think flat 3 dogs fit with tapered 3 dog. The flat 3 dogs physically move out to engage the attachment. The tapered 3 dogs work internally to engage the attachment - the dogs don't move out. You must have an adapter in the somewhere. Could you post a picture?

 

[Ford850]

I took a few pictures. PTO disengaged, engaged (these are looking in through female coupler), and the male coupler on the snow blower. I can see some wear on the leading edges of the tractor's dogs from the tapered dogs on the couplers.