1206 'value'

An older neighbor has a rough,beat up 1206.Been
trying to buy it.Pretty sure the TA is shot,cab is
JUNK,mismatched rears,bald car tires or front,lots
of leaks.But thr engine is sound,runs strong.I think
he will need $5000,I feel 3500 is more like
it.Opinions? Thanks,Steve

I agree that is sounds like it is worth about $3500, but the fact that it is a running and driving 1206 will probably push it higher. Up here in the Midwest someone with more money than sense would probably give $6000 or $7000 for it. When you get restored 1206's fetching close to $30,000 it doesn't take much to push a beater to $6000.

Watched one sell at auction.

8K hours, TA out, motor wouldn"t idle, either revved up or died when you messed with throttle, mismatched rear tires, bald front tires (tri rib) year around cab (not bad), lots of leaks. Overall appearance I"d say 6 out of 10. One owner estate sale.

Brought $13500

$5,000 for a 1206 is pretty low. 1206 is a "milestone" for collectors, much like an MTA and many Deeres. You could probably buy a 1256, 1456, 1066, 1466, 806, 856 or 966, in better condition for less than you will pay for a 1206.

Unless the guy is clueless I doubt it will go for much under 6,500 dollars. 1206's are the hottest thing going at the moment for IH collectors.

I know the 1206 is the hottest selling collector tractor there is now, but that fad could fade real quick. I think the 3,500 is fair !

Delta, The question IS what will it take to put the tractor up in shape and be a Main Stay tractor in you Stable? Is this a special tractor or anything, Seams like that is way too high for the work needed and what one has after all work is done! waay too much repair it is hard for me to justify in that condition!
Estimate of Repair, Replace, Fix
Split tractor to replace TA, while in Clutch, P. Plate, throw out bearing..................+-$3500
Gaskets, and Hoses seals..................+-$.500
Front tires...............................+-$.200
Rear tires................................+-$1200
Front-end repair or replace...............+-$1200
Remove cab, install Open station items....+-$1000
3pt linkages, replaced (used).............+-$.500
Seat......................................+-$.150
Seat torsions....(both),..................+-$..60
a ruff calculation get you at...........----.......+-$8200 in repair not counting the purchase price!+-$4000
You will be in in the neighbor Hood of...$12,000K after you get through with all the incidentals!
Unless this is a winter project, work on as you get time and funds freed up Would you be better off buying one that is ready to go ?? !!
Later,
John A.

That D-361 turbo, when putting out about 100 hp, is music to my ears, but John A, you forgot a paint Job, new Hy Tran fluid, and you are way to cheap on your tire projections, front tires are about $250 a piece, but if u love doing restorations, Delta, by all means go for it!

Skip it. In 5-6 (10?) years you'll be able to buy a "restored" one for the price they want for an old clapped out one today. The 1206 is a big expensive tractor with a limited market that is hot now, in the future that market will continue to shrink (along with the price) as fewer and fewer "collectors" have the space and money to keep one. It's not like an 8N that will fit in a garden shed and needs less care than a garden hose to keep running.

If you are the typical "collector" with 5-10 acres to play on the 1206 is just to big for the playground.

While the 1206 will probably not remain as hot as it is now it will remain a hot item for the foreseeable future. There are a lot of guys farming right now that had one when they were much younger. Those guys are going to continue to want one to play with in their later farming years and into retirement. They are a pretty iconic tractor. If you think anyone is going to be buying restored 1206's in the next ten years for $10,000 or less you are dreaming. They might not be bringing $30,000 but the will still fetch a pretty penny.

While a few guys farming right now used the 1206 as a new tractor - many of them were extremely happy to see it go down the road and be replaced by a 66 or 86 or even a 56 series tractor with a factory cab that had working AC that kept the dust and grime off of them. I know I was.

They are now 45+ years old making the guys that ran them new 60-70+ years old. I ran one that was 10 - 15 years old (same as me) and it wasn't any kind of thrill in an old Hiniker cab with doors pulled off in the summer while my older more priviliged brothers ran the 86 series tractors with steroes and working ACs. I thought it was a great day in 1978 when the transmission shelled out (to many hours with 140 HP feeding it) and it was traded rather that fixing it.

A friend of mine bought one out of eastern NE last fall, in close to the condition that you are describing. He paid $4250. It had a cab and shot tires but runs good. To date he hasn't done much with it but has plans to soon. I don't know if it will get restored or just fixed up and used. One was stolen up north of here, owner had a $25000 reward for finding it. It was found unhurt.

listen to this,,, 20 years ago, dad n i went to a farm sale, and there was a 856d with turbo, ratty cab, bad tires, but had an overhualed 407 with 1000hrs on it. sitting next to it, was a 1206, which i would considered a parts tractor. well, we bought the 856dt for 2400, put on good tires, put in a clutch n its been the best tractor we ever had!
oh wait, the 1206 that was sitting beside the 8, had no rear tires, no front tires, just sitting on the rims. it ran, tin was ok.
amazingly, it brought 3500.
i love the 856.

I remember seeing that how, where and did they find the thief thats great.