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Tractor Sales These Days

D

dej(Jed)

Well-known Member
I just did a quick scan of Ebay tractor sold ads today. Of the last 420 sold ads only 7 were for real tractors and they were give aways. The tractor collecting ship has sailed away and is not likely to ever return.
 
Sadly, you may be correct. As fewer and fewer kids grow up around tractors, fewer and fewer will become adults who want to collect them.
 
I would say the ship sailed about seven years ago. Tractor shows began dropping like flies,attendance dropped and they could not afford to continue. Then I saw tractor collectors assessing their collections and the sell off began. I know two huge collectors that had auction sales and sold off most of their wares,taking a lot less than they had paid for and invested in. I see only families wanting to have grandpas tractor for personal reasons. The rest is history and some folks won't admit it!The only people interested in old tractors was those of us who grew up with them,we're dieing off and children and grandchildren aren't interested in a bunch of old machinery,they would rather have ATV's,motorcycles,snowmobiles etc. Dej(jed) has it all figured out for us,some just don't want to listen! The only tractor I am interested in is a newer one with a cab to use for snow removal. My tractors are sitting in a shed,I haven't been near them in over a year..maybe my grandsons will play with them some day but I doubt it...6 cents a pound,memories faded.
 
I think there is still interest, however, in the last 8 to 10 years, disposable income to afford to buy, restore, show, and collect tractors has dried up intensely, as well as the chinese scrap buyers driving up prices, lots of people scrapped allot of equipment that could have been and should have been saved. Sad as it is, most people that would love to buy and restore tractors, cars, trucks etc... No longer have the extra cash to do so.
 
And that's the downside I see of modern farm technology-- fewer and fewer kids getting to enjoy the farm upbringing many of us had.
 
I dunno, the older tractors I look for to use, people still want a lot of money for. I refuse to buy a 1950's tractor for the same price I can buy late 60's and early 70's tractors for that have much better options. Why buy a Oliver 88 when you can buy a 1800 for the same or less. I bought a 106 hp allis Chalmers 7000 last year for the same price people think thier super m is worth.
 
It really is an expensive hobby. You need some place to store the tractors. A lot of people don't even have that much land/buildings to do that. They you need the tractor, trailer, and heavy truck. You could have 10K in the tractor and trailer alone. Throw in another 10K for an older 2500 truck, and you have 20k tied up. 20K is a nice down payment on a house.
 
Well, let's hope so.

Collectors have drastically driven used tractors up in price from their actual value. For what? So they can sit in a shed?

Just saw where a fella wanted to sell a beat up 1066 "pulling tractor" for $18,500. $18.5K for a junker?

Allan
 
But more importantly fewer and fewer kids that will know how to farm. Eventually we're going to get to where if the modern 5000+ acre farmer doesn't have a kid interested in it then who's going to farm? Of course I know there will always be young guys getting into farming on their own, but at the 100 acre part-time level. Which used to be a stepping stone to slowly getting to the 500 acre full-time threshold. But that was back before the greed of adding at all cost another 80 acres to 5000 became the norm, and the landowners kids expecting $300/rent for average ground.
 
As his been stated,Many of us are or were just reminiscing our childhood days. But we are gradually all dieing off. The younger folks don't really care about the old iron unless its something with maybe a family tie.
Although I too must admit its hard to jump on an old tractor to do something when I got a newer one there with a cab, stero, heat, and air.
I know I have some equipment my son would want when I'm gone but the old farmall will be the first thing to go.
 
(quoted from post at 06:04:39 04/15/14) I think there is still interest, however, in the last 8 to 10 years, disposable income to afford to buy, restore, show, and collect tractors has dried up intensely, as well as the chinese scrap buyers driving up prices, lots of people scrapped allot of equipment that could have been and should have been saved. Sad as it is, most people that would love to buy and restore tractors, cars, trucks etc... No longer have the extra cash to do so.
Click to expand...

While there is still some interest there isn't nearly as much. A lot of it has to do with the fact that fewer kids today have any real contact with farming growing up. Money isn't the big issue. Interest, storage place, place to work on one (BIL lives in a town that an old junker car has to have valid plates on it even if it's non running unless it's parked inside. That is a small town in a rural. The city administration would have a cow if a guy drug in an old tractor to restore. Then as another poster stated the truck and trailer issue. That includes space to park the trailer. I have a friend who 10 year old wanted badly to show a tractor. So they got a W6 IH and got it show ready. The kids is now 15 and will show local only. Seems he found the evenings in the show camp ground boring. These shows gotta do something to entertain the teens after that gates close. But even living in a farming area I know one kids with the desire to show a tractor. A lot of kids are only interested in pulling, and not an old and slow WD45, W6, Oliver whatever, Ford 900, they want that 4440/1066/9600 with water injection blowing black smoke and looking cool.
Rick
 
Exactly. There is a reason there is a depreciation table attached to a farm tractor. Yes its neat when some remain desirable vs others but that is a niche. Collecting depreciable assets then complaining that they depreciate doesn't get much sympathy from me.

Collect them because you enjoy it, its a hobby not investment.
 
Good!
Now if the scrap metal price would drop drastically too....
Maybe those of us that just like fixing up and using old tractors can find and afford them again.
C'mon.....a nothing special Ford N tractor...$3-4k....no way..no how.
I hope those days are gone.
I got pushed out of the muscle car hobby long ago by the 'investment' types
who really had no interest in cars...Can't even afford to look at one nowaday$.
Hope it never happens to our tractor hobby.
 
I think it's pretty sad. My dad has two 70 muscle cars, both restored, and each year their value goes up by about $1200!! I figured that tractors being that they are so old would at lest grow in value, which I think they ARE, but I think that interest is dropping FASTER than they are growing.....

Oh well, I love my tractors, and I plan on using them for all kinds of stuff until I get more modern equipment, which with the way the economy is going that may be a LONG time! Bryce
 
It has become so expensive for folks to transport tractors to shows and pulls, too.

I'm not so sure about old tractors being tossed in the category of Cabbage Patch Dolls or Pet Rocks yet, though.
You know the adage about a sailor having a girl in every port. Maybe the ship's crew is just tired of the current port and the long cold winter and spring. I personally have a wandering eye for a JD-435, late model square top fender JD-630 or maybe a cool looking MM JetStar someday. I'm in the social security age bracket and I was commenting to my oldest daughter yesterday how amazed I remain at what my parent's generation work ethic and what they accomplished, built and engineered without the aid of computers. Today's technology and virtual entertainment has robbed our grandkid's imaginations and requirements to even think for themselves anymore. Maybe more effort needs to made to attract some younger folks into older tractors. Can you imagine years down the road having the rice burner car equivalents of Kubota, Kioti, Yanmar, Montana, Farm Trac tractor shows? Maybe I'm starting to understand the John Deere Foos 4020 concept a little better?
 
"The tractor collecting ship has sailed away and is not likely to ever return."

That happened about 5 - 6 years ago.

Dean
 
I agree with you. All the posts have valid points. Im glad I grew up when I did. Money can be a big issue.
 
(quoted from post at 05:32:19 04/15/14) I just did a quick scan of Ebay tractor sold ads today. Of the last 420 sold ads only 7 were for real tractors and they were give aways. The tractor collecting ship has sailed away and is not likely to ever return.
Click to expand...
onestly I think e-bay's time as an example of the market has passed, as well. Most real sellers go elsewhere. The other thing to consider is that us younger guys are interested in what we ran as kids, and it is not Johnny poppers and IH letter series. First tractor I hayed with was a Massey 180, I did a lot of baling on a 4020 and a 4240, tillage was a PTA280 Steiger. Those are along the lines of what I "collect" and it is not worth it to trailer my 4440 to a show. On top of that, my local club has a cut-off year of 1960 on pulls and rides, which makes me think they can whine about it being a dieing hobby all they want.
 
I agree it not like it was, but how can you go by how many sold on Ebay when someone lists a farmall M that needs work for $4000. Or a dead H long time sitting out in a field for $2000. They are uninformed or don't want to sell.
 
I need a tractor to do work, I like them too but I could not afford to buy, repair and maintain any just for fun. I think there is still a place for them on smaller farms and rural properties as functional machines, they are not working all day every day as they did when they were new but they are still very useful and much easier and cheaper to work on than new equipment. I only buy cheap ones, I wouldn't want a rare tractor anyway because of how hard it can be to find parts.
Zach
 
I think you have brought up some good points. The typical subdivision home doesn"t have a spot for the old tractor. And if you put up a shed for the tractor, add that to the 20k number.
 
(quoted from post at 06:40:10 04/15/14)
(quoted from post at 06:04:39 04/15/14) I think there is still interest, however, in the last 8 to 10 years, disposable income to afford to buy, restore, show, and collect tractors has dried up intensely, as well as the chinese scrap buyers driving up prices, lots of people scrapped allot of equipment that could have been and should have been saved. Sad as it is, most people that would love to buy and restore tractors, cars, trucks etc... No longer have the extra cash to do so.
Click to expand...

While there is still some interest there isn't nearly as much. A lot of it has to do with the fact that fewer kids today have any real contact with farming growing up. Money isn't the big issue. Interest, storage place, place to work on one (BIL lives in a town that an old junker car has to have valid plates on it even if it's non running unless it's parked inside. That is a small town in a rural. The city administration would have a cow if a guy drug in an old tractor to restore. Then as another poster stated the truck and trailer issue. That includes space to park the trailer. I have a friend who 10 year old wanted badly to show a tractor. So they got a W6 IH and got it show ready. The kids is now 15 and will show local only. Seems he found the evenings in the show camp ground boring. These shows gotta do something to entertain the teens after that gates close. But even living in a farming area I know one kids with the desire to show a tractor. A lot of kids are only interested in pulling, and not an old and slow WD45, W6, Oliver whatever, Ford 900, they want that 4440/1066/9600 with water injection blowing black smoke and looking cool.
Rick
Click to expand...

I see very little correlation between kids growing up on farms. Amongst the 80 or so guys that I know fairly well through tractors, I bet less than 5% had anything to do with them growing up. I have even heard that the suburban people buy a lot tractor brand stuff.
 
It's not the tractor price that is killing it. It's the tire price. If you can afford to put new tires on the tractor you restore, you have spent everything.
 
I for one can vouch it is an expensive hobby. I am usually the youngest owner of a tractor at the shows (actual owner, not son claiming dad's tractor). I spent 24K on a truck just to pull the tractor to the show, 20K on a garage to put it in, 8K on purchasing and restoring it, and then 4K on a trailer to haul it on. But, the expense doesn't stop there. For several years I went to a show every weekend during the warm months. It costs me a minimum of $100 every time I pulled out of the driveway. That adds up quick, almost as bad as owning a boat and going to the lake every weekend. That reoccurring cost has really slowed me down on going to as many shows as I use to. Now mine sits in the garage most of the time and only makes it to 4-5 shows a year.
 
If that ship has sailed, it sailed straight here and capsized.

There are NO deals on decent tractors for sale locally. Just a few examples:

Farmall H - $2200
Farmall H - $3500
Farmall H - $4400

None of them are anything special to look at. They're all $800 tractors at best.

Of course you're using EBAY as your barometer. Complete tractors on ebay have *ALWAYS* sold on the low side, unless they were something really special.

Think about it. Most of the people that would buy an ebay tractor are:

1. Buying sight unseen.
2. Going to have to have the tractor trucked a long way, or drive a long way to come and get it. That's expensive.

They bid accordingly.
 
Can't see why today's people would be interested in collecting antique tractors.
They ain't good for anything but sitting pretty in a shed.
It cost a lot of money to restore them and they take up a lot of room.
Money is tight and so is room for storage these days. Not to many people around that have a shed or barn they can/will dedicate to let old iron get dusty
Collecting obsolete tractors is for nostalgic old folks that grew up with them, not for young people, they have other interests
A museum is the place for a select handfull of these yesterday tractors.
The scrapyard is the place for the rest of them.(can't save them all)

I have 60 and 70 era tractors but i still use them for farm work, i could not care less if they end up in the scrapyard some day which they probably will.

My 2 c
 
Honestly, I think it's just a bubble that burst.

I got into the game in the late 90s when I inherited a Farmall A.

At that time antique tractors could be had very reasonably along with the parts (both used and new) to keep them going. It was great, someone who didn't have deep pockets could wrench on something simple that could still do some work at the end of the day.

Then it became a "thing". Prices went through the roof, it no longer was an inexpensive hobby.

I'm kind of happy things are coming back down. I never got into this hobby to make money, I did it because I like old tractors. I don't see me buying another tractor any time soon but if used parts start to come back down to earth then I can spend more on fixing up what I have. New engine parts for whatever reason seem to still be somewhat reasonable so I'm covered there.

Really the biggest ticket item these days is the tires. They're often worth more then the iron they're attached to.

K
 
Psshh, this is America, we get "Your Choice" days every other day...

Geez, that made you sound like an old guy that actually got an education when you were growing up! :)

Bryce
 
Yep.
A buddy of mine bought a John Deere B in 1994 for $ 450. Then he sold it 2 years later for $600, he thought he did great. Then a few years after that he discovered that if would have held onto to it for a few years more he could have sold it for $2,500 easily. Boy was he pizzed off.
 
(quoted from post at 09:41:58 04/15/14)
(quoted from post at 06:40:10 04/15/14)
(quoted from post at 06:04:39 04/15/14) I think there is still interest, however, in the last 8 to 10 years, disposable income to afford to buy, restore, show, and collect tractors has dried up intensely, as well as the chinese scrap buyers driving up prices, lots of people scrapped allot of equipment that could have been and should have been saved. Sad as it is, most people that would love to buy and restore tractors, cars, trucks etc... No longer have the extra cash to do so.
Click to expand...

While there is still some interest there isn't nearly as much. A lot of it has to do with the fact that fewer kids today have any real contact with farming growing up. Money isn't the big issue. Interest, storage place, place to work on one (BIL lives in a town that an old junker car has to have valid plates on it even if it's non running unless it's parked inside. That is a small town in a rural. The city administration would have a cow if a guy drug in an old tractor to restore. Then as another poster stated the truck and trailer issue. That includes space to park the trailer. I have a friend who 10 year old wanted badly to show a tractor. So they got a W6 IH and got it show ready. The kids is now 15 and will show local only. Seems he found the evenings in the show camp ground boring. These shows gotta do something to entertain the teens after that gates close. But even living in a farming area I know one kids with the desire to show a tractor. A lot of kids are only interested in pulling, and not an old and slow WD45, W6, Oliver whatever, Ford 900, they want that 4440/1066/9600 with water injection blowing black smoke and looking cool.
Rick
Click to expand...

I see very little correlation between kids growing up on farms. Amongst the 80 or so guys that I know fairly well through tractors, I bet less than 5% had anything to do with them growing up. I have even heard that the suburban people buy a lot tractor brand stuff.
Click to expand...

Most of the serious collectors I know have a farm background. In fact I know no collectors personally who don't have some kina background with farming. Be as a sales man, mechanic, small rural town kid who worked for farmers or people who just grew up on a farm.

Rick
 
I totally agree, if it doesn't have good tires on it, and it isn't free, then MOST of the time I won't even look at it...
Bryce
 
I'm only looking for real oddball stuff and super nice originals myself anymore. Restored or common models don't do much for me. Been there,done that.
 
I was to an Allis Chalmers collector estate sale yesterday at Concordia,KS and prices were strong on lots of the tractors and combines..

UC Allis unrestored $4100-not running
G Allis unrestored-bad tires -not running $3300
WD-45 Allis unrestored $2600-nice with good tires
WC Allis with wide front -poor paint job $3000 -ran nice
RC Allis $1500--ran nice
Early WC $1500 - ran nice
CA Allis restored $2500

The best buy on the sale was a nice early WC Allis on rear steel for $400..

The combines all sold good.

1951 R Gleaner $3000-nice
SP 100 Allis $2750-not running
T Gleaner SP combine #1001 1st built $1250-not running
(3) 40 AC's $850,$600,and $600
Rough Gleaner combine on a Fordson $4200

The small stuff sold great..

AC one way $1250
AC 2 bottom plow on steel $375
AC silage chopper $900
Bell City 1 row corn picker $2400-unrestored-yes $2400
AC space heater $600
AC power washer $150
AC chain saw $275
AC garden tiller $275
AC push mower $80
B-1 Allis garden tractor $500 unrestored

See the combine forum for more pictures..I have posted a link to the sale bill that has pictures.
30b22xt.jpg

s6rgar.jpg

Sale
 
Tires aren't that bad to purchase.I see a lot of new reasonable tires on ebay and other places.I think there loaded up with tires they can't move.Besides tires are a deductible expense anyhow.
 
out in california folks are asking ridiculous prices. there were 3 times that i saw a great price but didn't have the money at the moment, and i mean moment, they went fast. well, hopefully next time. i did get the three i got at good prices because i had been looking at prices for quite awhile and when i saw a bargain i pounced on em.
 
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