What would you do? Sell or keep?

PapaPerk · Jan 18, 2009

I have a 3830 4wd drive with FST (synchro transmission). My tractor is a 2004 and has around 460 hours. Tractor looks like new. Of course tires are worn some and there's a few minor scratches.

A guy I know is selling his 3830 2004 model with GST (clutchless trans).... and get this... it has 45 hours on it! It is basically like new. The tractor came down the assembly line 20 units after mine! The tractor has always been garaged and never worked hard. Its never even had an oil change because of the hours!

So obviously I'm interested in buying the lower hour tractor and selling mine. My tractor has wheel weights and loader. So I would transfer those over to the new tractor.

In order to buy the new tractor I would have to get a small loan to cover the purchase price until I sold mine... then pay the loan off. Money is very tight right now with the economy and my major home project.

I'm at a loss as to what I should do. I like the low hours and GST of the new tractor. But I'm very concerned I will not be able to sell the old tractor plus I'm kinda of attached to it.

So with all that being said... what would you do? Thanks for any opinions.

vettemanwight · Jan 18, 2009

If money is tight and you would have to take out a loan AND you would have to sell yours. Yours is not that marketable , I would keep what I have till money loosens up. V

srs · Jan 18, 2009

Papa, are you happy with your tractor? Do you prefer the clutchless transmission? How much would you have to finance to make it fit your budget? Will you get a good deal purchasing the GST tractor? How "attached" are you with your tractor? Remember it is only a tractor, not a new born. I say the big selling point is the GST transmission and I would personally go for it because of the trans.

rox · Jan 18, 2009

PapaPerk said:
I have a 3830 4wd drive with FST (synchro transmission). My tractor is a 2004 and has around 460 hours. Tractor looks like new. Of course tires are worn some and there's a few minor scratches.

A guy I know is selling his 3830 2004 model with GST (clutchless trans).... and get this... it has 45 hours on it! It is basically like new. The tractor came down the assembly line 20 units after mine! The tractor has always been garaged and never worked hard. Its never even had an oil change because of the hours!

So obviously I'm interested in buying the lower hour tractor and selling mine. My tractor has wheel weights and loader. So I would transfer those over to the new tractor.

In order to buy the new tractor I would have to get a small loan to cover the purchase price until I sold mine... then pay the loan off. Money is very tight right now with the economy and my major home project.

I'm at a loss as to what I should do. I like the low hours and GST of the new tractor. But I'm very concerned I will not be able to sell the old tractor plus I'm kinda of attached to it.

So with all that being said... what would you do? Thanks for any opinions.

I highlighted in red the only issue you are having in the deal. I think I would base my consideration only on how secure is our income. If you know you and your SO feel that there is no way you will loose your jobs or have to take a pay cut then I would go for it. It is only through sacrafice and tightning our belts that my husband and I "got ahead". Short term pain, long term gain. However we ahve never sacraficed wherein we did nto have a back up plan or know that we could follow through. Obviously your back up plan would be that if your lsot your job or something like that you now have 2 tractors to sell and whichever one sells first pays off your loan.

radman1 · Jan 18, 2009

What if you and the seller decide on a price for his tractor but with the stipulation you need to sell your tractor first. The seller still has the right to sell his tractor to whoever he wants. If you sell your tractor, then buy his for the agreed upon price. Make sure his is still available before you sell yours. If the seller sells his GST tractor before you do, then just remove your FST tractor from the market. This arrangement allows you to know the price of his GST, and can better determine the price of your FST. The seller of the GST also has a potential floor for selling his tractor.

medicshawn · Jan 18, 2009

I think the most important consideration is can you sell your old tractor. I tried to sell my B7800 instead of trading it in and got no calls. Nobody was interested because they could go buy a brand new one with Zero percent for 54 months. I would also be wary of doing any financing deals right now. I sure wouldn't have bought another tractor in the fall If I knew what the economy would be like today. My wife's a nurse and they are talking about laying off nurses. I'm a firefighter and in a city 2 hours away they are cutting firefighters. These are 2 things I never thought I would see in my lifetime.

escavader · Jan 18, 2009

The hours you have on yours are nothing.Barely broke in.If you are having no issues you got a keeper.Id pass that deal on a buddy.Youll gain nothing by doing it in my opinion.Trade up,trade down but dont trade for the same.Just for a clutchless tranny no way.A compact tractor without loader is a hard sell
ALAN

rbargeron · Jan 18, 2009

Papa,
I'm wondering if there is enough of a difference in the two machines to justify the cash flow hassle, especially since your house project needs funds too.

I've done this kind of whole-tractor trade a couple times. The first was to get a hard-to-find 11ft backhoe attachment, and more recently to get a relatively rare Laurin cab. I thought both were big enough changes to make it worthwhile.

Only you can decide whether the GST makes enough difference. The 415 hour difference is not really significant. (800 hours would be more noticeable). If you go ahead, I'd suggest getting a new loader in a crate for the new tractor. Bet you could find a dealer willing to pass one through at low markup. Your present tractor will sell much better if the loader is still with it. Empty bolt holes usually lower the offers.

Ace3 · Jan 18, 2009

I would keep what you have. I can't see anyone wanting to buy your machine without the loader. You would end up with 2 tractors. On second thought ... that's not so bad!

ToadHill · Jan 18, 2009

460 hours, It's only just broken in.

froggy · Jan 18, 2009

See if he would do a trade with you and then he could sell yours.

Bob_Young · Jan 18, 2009

I agree with escavader and rbargeron. For all the hassle, uncertainty, and expense; you're gaining very little. Your tractor sounds like it has treated you well and has no issues. Be thankful. The bird in hand is a good one. The one in the bush might not be.

45 hours (with no oil change) over 4.5 years might not be the huge plus you think it is. Tractors can develop issues by sitting. You'd feel silly if, after letting "old reliable" go, the new one up and hit you with some expensive repair bills.
Bob

TRUST · Jan 18, 2009

Keep yours. You don't want any extra financial stress you can avoid.

GaryCrowell · Jan 18, 2009

I'm with the guys that say keep your tractor. I really don't see what there is to gain by swapping tractors here. As said before, 460 hours is nothing, so I can't see wanting to trade for that reason. The only other difference is the transmission which certainly isn't much of a difference. I think you're opening yourself up to a lot of work swapping the loader and wheel weights, and potential financial hardships for no gain at all. Not a good deal in my book. I just don't see the reason for doing it.

R_Walter · Jan 19, 2009

Right now there are three (3) forecasts for the US economy:
1) grim
2) grimmer
3) grimmest
I personally would not be taking on any debt right now. Have you looked at availability of credit lately?

PapaPerk · Jan 19, 2009

Thanks for the great feedback guys!!! It is great to get good advice. I'm attaching a pic of my tractor. Thought you might like to see it. It's been a real good one!

medicshawn · Jan 19, 2009

So does that mean you"re keeping your tractor or still deciding?

Cat_Driver · Jan 19, 2009

Why would you even be considering all this ?

Your current tractor will still be working long after you gone. There are far, far more important things to concern yourself with and money to spend rather than gaining a few hundred hours on a tractor.

johnnylight · Jan 19, 2009

Don't look for trouble keep what you got and be happy.
Your Tractor looks like it's in excellent condition and you know every hour you put on it.
Well maintained...

canoetrpr · Jan 19, 2009

I guess I had a similar line of thought go through my head a couple years ago and wiser folks than me on TBN talked me out of it.

I bought a L3400 about three years ago. I regretted after 6 months or so not buying a Grand L. There was the odd irritant at the time that the hitch was not as smooth as a Grand L but after a 'fix' the hitch was a lot smoother. Really it got down to - wish I had seen the extra value in the Grand L vs. the small difference in cost. I had not perceived it back when making the purchase but saw it after.

So I bounced around the idea of trading in or selling my L3400 to get a GL3130 or 3430. When I worked the numbers out, I would loose $4k to $6k on the deal just because my tractor had 25 hrs on it. If I traded, the trade in price for my almost brand new machine would be a big hit. If I sold privately, I'd take the hit on paying sales taxes (which are high in Canada) twice within a year.

I was determined to find a reason to do it.... problem is ... I never could. Its not like I wanted to trade to a tractor with a CAB. Back then I didn't really want a cab nor could I justify the $$$. Nor did I need any extra oomph that greater hydraulic capacity would provide. I would have ended up with a tractor that I could do no more with than what my current tractor was capable of and I would have been out $5k or so for no real good reason.

It didn't make sense and I am glad I did not do it upon the advice of others here. Now, a couple years down the road, my original tractor will be finally paid off in a month or so. I would have had an extra year to go if I had made the change.... again for not reallly any new functionality.

If I found an extra $5K or so to spend on my tractor, a backhoe on my existing tractor would go a loooooong way vs. getting a new open station tractor to do the same thing.

I will upgrade at some point, one day in the future. But I'll upgrade for something like a CAB. For now, I'm going to enjoy a paid off almost brand new tractor that will give me years of service.

If you've put 400 odd hours on your tractor - I'm willing to bet that the extra functionality that a GST will give you will not be worth very much. I will bet you can change the gears in your sleep