A great tractor deal?

[Fuddy1952]

Doesn't this seem like a really good price, asking $1,800?


For sale 1945 Farmall "A" with pneumatic lift all (rare). Tractor engine was rebuild about 25 years. Front and final drive have been rebuilt in the last few years. New tires all the way around new rear rims. Also comes with belly cultivators and rear draw bar. Please contact for any further information.

 

[bunyip]

You deliver.....

 

[EddieWalker]

Seems like there are a lot of really old tractors out there for cheap.

 

[ovrszd]

Unless you are a collector, what are you going to do with it?? Do you have crops to cultivate? My little JD2210 will drag it around like it owns it. No power anything. Possibly hand crank. Crap brakes. What exactly are you going to do with it?

 

[ovrszd]

You deliver.....

Good one Mate!!!!

 

[Fuddy1952]

Here's what's interesting and strange to me. People collect cars. Old ones don't have the amenities that new ones do...however they have value.
People love tractors. Tractors seem to hold their value more so than cars...but up to a point. Once a tractor becomes an antique, even one restored seems to be worth maybe less than half what one has in it!
Thoughts?!?

 

[kcflhrc]

Although they are cool I just don't have a use for something like that. It would sit around and look cool. I need a FEL, brush hog and blade on a tractor. Something useful. I guess you could drag it around to tractor shows. Old antique cars you can drive all over the place, tractors not so much.

 

[EddieWalker]

Here's what's interesting and strange to me. People collect cars. Old ones don't have the amenities that new ones do...however they have value.
People love tractors. Tractors seem to hold their value more so than cars...but up to a point. Once a tractor becomes an antique, even one restored seems to be worth maybe less than half what one has in it!
Thoughts?!?

I'm always amazed at what people hold on to, and how long they do this without any idea if it will increase in value, or just rot away. American Pickers is one of the most interesting shows to me just because of what they find, and what some of that junk is worth.

With tractors, I'm sure if you hold on to it long enough, it will be worth something. I also think that if you put $2,000 into a mutual fund and left it alone for 30 years like most of the junk people are holding on to, you would have a lot more money in the mutual fund. With both, the secret is not doing anything for decades.

 

[jeff9366]

In 1945 Harry Ferguson still had ten years active patents on the Three Point Hitch he invented.

I think only Ford was licensed by Ferguson in 1945.

So contemporary implements will probably not hitch to this tractor unless an aftermarket Three Point Hitch was added after 1955.

 

[KennyG]

That one looks nice but, as noted, the "A" was a pretty weak tractor. I'd say the price is fair, probably a good deal if you really want one and it's as described. However, we have tractors of that era advertised here all the time and to get close to the $3000 mark they need to be museum pieces. There are just too many tractors and not enough collectors.

 

[KennyG]

Another thought. It's not that much money and if you are really attached to it, go for it. If you don't have a particular interest in that model, pass on it. If I had the room I would have an International F-20 and an Allis Chalmers WD-45. It wouldn't cost much and I grew up driving those. But most other models, you couldn't give them to me.

 

[Fuddy1952]

My thought is last year I bought a new green tractor with a lot of attachments.
I have $XX,xxx in everything. From what I've seen tractors seem to hold their value fairly well, so in 5 years and with, say, 1000 hours on it, well maintained, it hasn't deprecated all that much.
At some point, though, it will be like that IH!
Maybe when the Tesla tractors come out, I won't be able to give it away.

 

[ovrszd]

Here's what's interesting and strange to me. People collect cars. Old ones don't have the amenities that new ones do...however they have value.
People love tractors. Tractors seem to hold their value more so than cars...but up to a point. Once a tractor becomes an antique, even one restored seems to be worth maybe less than half what one has in it!
Thoughts?!?

Tractors don't hold their value at all. Good friend of mine has a restored 1968 Mustang Shelby 500 that's valued at $500K. Coat $10K new.

Show me a tractor that compares?

 

[Fuddy1952]

Tractors don't hold their value at all. Good friend of mine has a restored 1968 Mustang Shelby 500 that's valued at $500K. Coat $10K new.

Show me a tractor that compares?

Cars, tractors, etc. is something you have to tend. If your friend had invested that same $10,000 in a mutual fund reinvesting dividends and capital gains it would have averaged (historically) $3.1M, 1968 to 2018.

 

[Jstpssng]

I understand your original post, and it really has to do with how much enjoyment you take out of the purchase. Collectibles are fickle and based on what people want at the time.
My brother in Arizona had a running 1966 Power Wagon with the original 318, I could have bought it for $1000 and had it delivered to my door for another $1600. It would have been a fun toy but after thinking about how much work it would take to keep it running I had to pass on it

 

[ovrszd]

Cars, tractors, etc. is something you have to tend. If your friend had invested that same $10,000 in a mutual fund reinvesting dividends and capital gains it would have averaged (historically) $3.1M, 1968 to 2018.

Very true.

And if he had invested the 10K in a new tractor it might be worth $50K if he bought the right one.

 

[ultrarunner]

Paid about the same for the little Farmall Cub...

We use it for the Christmas Tree Farm... it is always a crowd pleaser and more than earns it's keep as a prop and photo op... no regrets.

It has become so popular it is now part of the family... plus red is the perfect color for a Christmas tractor...

The deal becomes great when the desire to own is there and the price is less than the cost of finding similar and time and material to restore...

 

[Fuddy1952]

Cars are a whole other subject since back in the day cars could be bought cheaply.
No one knew what they would be worth one day.
I always tell the true story when I met my wife in 1972 her Mom gave her a car Mom bought new, a 55 Chevy BelAir,2dr., which my wife still has. It was a $50 car then, and a restaurant manager asked us to move it to the back lot!

 

[KennyG]

Very true.

And if he had invested the 10K in a new tractor it might be worth $50K if he bought the right one.

I'm hard pressed to think of any 1968 tractor that would be worth $50K today.

 

[Turbys_1700]

Super A's and Cubs were high demand tractors back years ago when a lot of folks kept a garden. Not as much now.