Value of my 1989 430 Garden tractor

Deere_parts · Dec 12, 2005

Hello,

I've been thinking hard of buying a new 2520 next spring and wonder what ya'll think my 430 is worth for an outright sale, not a trade in.

Here's the rundown on this machine.

It has almost 1900 hours on it and runs like new, doesn't burn oil, smoke or leak any fluids and is very easy on fuel, I havn't even used 15 gallons in around 40 hours of cutting and blading since May. My wife always asks me if it even uses any fuel at all.

The transmission was rebuilt in May as well as a new battery, all new filters and all fluids changed, a new alternator, a new Cat 0 3 point hitch and 4 new tires that have never been flat or punctured since they were put on in May. Mechanicly this tractor is in excellent condition.

The body is straight and the steel panels have spots of surface rust but there is no deep pitting and no holes. She could use a good paint job soon. I do have new tail lights for it but have not put them in yet. I do not want to "hide" the rust from a potential buyer by spray painting over it to make it pretty because it is the wrong thing to do.

The 60" shaft drive deck is very solid with new blades last May and they still look great. I also have a 48" box blade and a set of 4 good old turf tires and extra set of 4 rims for it.

I hear often that anything under $4500 - $5000 is a good price on these and wonder what you ladies and gentlemen think wold be a fair price to sell mine in it's current condition. I'm thinking $3500 - $4000 without painting it......am I dreaming or is this realistic.

I'll let these pictures speak for themselves, nevermind the wet grill and water spots that make it look like a bad radiator, I took pictures right after I cut the grass for the last time this season and then washed today.

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 EDIT Changed inline pics to links Please be considerate of those with dial up connections 

 EDIT No problem, I understand that. I did try to be considerate for speed purposes because those images were specificly modified in photoshop to be low quality .jpg images and they are only about 4000 bytes each which should load OK on a dial up connection unlike the original high def images which are over 1 million bytes each

beenthere · Dec 12, 2005

I'd say $500 - $1500.

Deere_parts · Dec 12, 2005

/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif$500-$1500 /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif WOW....You've gotta be pulling my chain. Trade in is better than that. I'm looking for retail prices and have about 5 months to sell it.

I can sell the diesel engine alone for that much on eBay. In fact I saw just a bare engine block fetch well over $300 this week and a fuel injection pump would go for the same.

This is going to get interesting. Bring it on.

Thanks, Mike

JDFANATIC · Dec 12, 2005

DeereParts,

For as little as that tractor will fetch (debatable), I would hang on to it. It certainly will have some collector value down the road (can't say when), but if even not, it is the KING of the HD L&G tractors that have been produced. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Deere_parts · Dec 12, 2005

Thanks JD Fanatic.

You guys are killing me, (looks like ya'll trying to buy it for yourselves for $500 so you can sell it back to me for $4000 next spring because I'll be too poor for my new 2520).

It's definatly the king and if I'm not mistaken it was the heaviest garden tractor Deere ever built. An excellent workhorse.

I love this machine and it is definatly quite a good, efficient and stellar performer for a garden tractor but I am pysically disabled (70%) because of a severe case of Reiter's syndrome and I'm gonna have to get something newer that will allow me to enjoy puttering with my toys as long as I can. I can no longer get the 300 lb deck off of this when I need to which is why I want to step into a 2320 or 2520 with the new onramp deck.

I hope I don't have to turn this one into "  Deere_Parts  ", and carve it up into venison steaks like the 316, because it's a good solid machine. But there are about 10K worth of sharp craftsman carving knives in the shop and sometimes you gotta do the dirty deed.

Next

BloomingtonMike · Dec 13, 2005

Hey bro. Try a site more dedicated to lawn tractors for advice as well. Simpletractors.com is one that comes to mind. They definately value the small tractor and garden tractors as well. I get advice from them all the time on my 4041 Simplicity PowerMax. Just an idea. Also as crazylar - he has some experience with these as well.

I know my Simplicity is worth much more than anyone would ever pay me. I would keep it and fix it up and paint it.

Dutch445 · Dec 13, 2005

It looks like it's somewhere between $1,800 and $2,500 to me. I don't see it as a very clean unit, definately needs paint, even the deck looks rough. She's been around, but sounds like it still runs good.
What was the dealer willing to give for it?

Deere_parts · Dec 13, 2005

Thanks Mike, I'll look into that site too. Another great site I will ask on is www.antiqetractors.com

They have alot of great people like this site does with sections dedicated to old garden tractors. This forum here seems to be geared more toward utility tractors and has given me a grat deal of insight into SUB CUTS and CUTS that I have been considering and I have fallen in love with the JD 2520 which is a really good looking nicely proportioned tractor IMHO. Well suited to my needs physically with stuff like iMatch, CX loaders and a Onramp deck. It's also quite capable for what I want and need to do with it.

I realize that winter is the wrong time to sell this particular model as I always see the prices jump about $2000 on them between July and September and have seen one even go for about $6600 with a 44 loader on it.

Just looking for opinions on mine right now in preparation for the sale and would love to even hear from those who have sold one recently and have them compare the condition of theirs to mine.

If my feet, hips, back and right shoulder were not so screwed up from this disease, 8 years trucking, 16 years in the military having retired medicaly after 3 combat tours totaling 2 years and having been a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne for my last 5 years. (sure was fun while it lasted), I'd keep the 430 because it has been a solid, economical and capable tractor that has NEVER let me down. I will say that when I accidently get it stuck while using the boxblade, it's all my old 2wd pickup can do to get it out.

I would keep it before dumping it cheap just to ride it around and if I did that I would get a different transmission on ebay to modify the pump swashplate, (which is really easy to do), add wheelie bars and put a pulling hitch on it so I could make it a little hotrod and possibly enter it into quarter scale tractor pulls. Good way to get hurt faster if you're not careful /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Deere_parts · Dec 13, 2005

Thank you for the reply Dutch,

The old salesman I deal with and respect because he is honest and a strait shooter and never pressures me flat stated they did not want it because it was too hard for them to sell an old say $3000 machine when they have new riding mowers for $1500+ because most people that want a riding mower don't understand the capabilities and longevity of the 300 and 400 series tractors. He suggested that I sell it outright to somebody that actually knows these old tractors. He would take it in trade if it was the dealbreaker btu you and I know that when your working a salesman over on price on a car or whatever there is a limit to what they can do....you can take some off of the new tractor, raise the price of the trade or meet in the middle....Whichever way makes the customer happy in the end, but it always comes to the same price no matter how you do it. I want to try to get top dollar for it and am willing to do what it takes as long as I can get the return on my investment back which is why I'm asking for advice. Don't want to get burned and kick myself later.

The pictures make the deck look really rough because it has a million tiny specs of rust showing through the paint and it looks like the previous owner never washed it so the rust is streaked and looks bad. The whole tractor would look 100% better if I break out the buffer but don't want to do that yet in case I decide to paint it.

The deck is very straight and solid and as you stated this tractor really needs a quality paint job bad and the values instilled on my parents doesn't let me just shoot a coat of touch up spray paint on it to hide a potential problem of really serious rust later.

I am planning to do some work on the lights at the very least so this tractor will be 100% mechanicaly sound when or if I do sell it and have seriously considered sandblasting and painting it because I was a bodyman back many years ago and still have all the tools and the skills are still there because I still do a little airbrushing now and then. I just don't want to spend another $300 plus on a new grill, $200 for quality paint and materials and $200 for new decals and a few other odds and ends if I can't get the return on the investment of 2 weeks time and money restoring it just to sell it.

beenthere · Dec 13, 2005

Didn't mean to insult you with the price suggestion. You asked, and got a response.
If the question would have been "Could I sell this for $4000 if re-conditioned with sandblasted and repainted deck, lights repaired, and made show-room ready?" I would have said yes, if the right buyer comes along.
As it sets, I think you will be lucky if you find the one who will either buy it for parts and make money parting it out, or who will buy it to invest time and money fixing it up to sell for $4000.
As it sets, I wouldn't go over $500, as I'd expect to have to invest $1000 in it for parts to fix it up, and would expect a fair amount of labor invested, and then hope to at least recover that investment in a sale (hoping the right, knowledgable buyer would come along). /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I too think it is a great tractor from many respects. Just look at eBay and see all the great attachments that will fit it. But it hasn't been maintained by its owners, and shows it.