John Deere 1520

EastTexFrank · Feb 7, 2007

I've been looking for an old tractor, 40-50 hp, to use around the house for a while. It'll be mainly used for pasture mowing on some some fairly steep slopes. I've tracked down a guy who has a JD 1520 with a Great Bend FEL on it. I'm fairly familiar with the JD 820 but I know absolutely nothing about the 1520 except that it is in the hp range that I'm looking for. I've not seen it yet but I've talked to the mechanic who has maintained the tractor for the past 25 years and he says that it's a good strong machine that is in good shape and hasn't been abused. I'm told that it doesn't have a ROP but I think I can find an aftermarket one to fit.

The opening asking price is about $9,000. Any comments or information that you can give about the model and anything I should look out for would be greatly appreciated.

dgl24087 · Feb 7, 2007

I have a 1530, same basic tractor as the 1520. The biggest differences between the 1520 and 820 are: Slightly larger piston bore resulting in about 13 cid. larger engine, rated RPM of the 820 is 2100, the 1520 is 2500, slightly larger fuel tank (19.5 gal. vs. 16.5 gal.), 1520 is about 5-600 lbs. heavier. TBoth tractors are laid out identically. The price is not bad, I see 1520's here, without a loader, running $8000-8500. I got lucky and got my 1530 in 2005 for $5500, rear tires were
worn smooth, it had been used with a rear broom at a local racetrack most of it's life, only had 1588 hours. Great tractor, you won't be disappointed. I've also seen these tractors with as many as 9-10,000 hours, still going strong.

jd110 · Feb 7, 2007

One thing you need to be aware of, is that the 1520 is available in gas or diesel. The gas should be alot less than $9000. Otherwise there are very few differences form the 820 other than horsepower. It should make a great machine if it is in good shape.