I need some advice please.

I can buy a 1940 John Deere B. It is partially tore down. It is missing a radiator, shutters, and a connecting rod. It needs all four tires. I can get it for $400 or best offer. Is it worth it? What should I pay for it? Thank you for your help.
 
You can buy running restored early styled JD "B" for the $1000-1500 range. The tractor your looking at is a parts tractor. So the $400 is not out of line IF you can part it out. You can not afford to get it running and sell it for any kind of profit or even a break even. Even as a parts machine it is not high value. I would not pay more than $200-300 tops and then I would need to have use for the parts.
 
If you want a fun project I?d say buy it if you want To
make money on it well then run forest run as fast
as you can and never look or be tempted buy
another tractor ever again !
 
I'd never again buy one that isn't complete and running. There can just be too many surprises and there's lots of them out there.
 
I have a1949 b john deere motor runs great rebuilt carb and good mag starts and drives , but low gears make noise and high side sounds good ,steering is loose, also has all four tires on it sheet metal good for 1400.
 
Would make a good project or parts tractor ? Not sure what stuff is worth anymore ?

Many of the parts for that are unique to the 1939 and 1940 models.
 
do yourself a favor and look around and find a good used one may need a little work but you'll be $$$$$$$$$$ ahead...from experience working on junk is a real money looser....might offer something to the man for a parts tractor if you are going to buy a good one in the same model area....many of the parts will interchange and the left overs you can sell off or scrap. Bring these units from the grave is for someone with more money than sense...unless you want to do tractor restoration 101 then go for it....economics "always" matter......[/quote]
 
No the tractor is NOT worth 400.00. I bought a 44 A 6 Years ago that was all together for 300.00 & it wasn't worth that much either.
Granted the A runs now & is useable but it isn't completely done I have near 2K in it & now way it's worth 2K either. At the time I talked
myself into thinking I could throw 500.00 at it & make it useable I missed that mark by a mile..
 
From my observations there have been many items that if they were given to you one couldn't afford to own. Many used boats, many old mowers, many old tractors. Most of the salvage yards now can't afford to pay a minimum no skilled employee $8.00 an hour to take them apart...hence not as many parts yards....everything goes to scrap. I know in our area Western Ky...there was Carl Mitchel and son salvage yard and they hauled everything out for scrap....this is the way of economics..
 
Thanks everyone. I wasn't sure if prices on tractors. I was at a local antique tractor show and auction in my area 10 years ago. There was a John Deere B there that was missing everything from the cylinders forward. Also no gas tank, no tires, rear wheels were shot, no seat. It looked like it was found on a scrap pile. My dad told me it would be a lucky if the guy got $50. Well it sold for $575! That is why I was asking. So Thanks again everyone.
 
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As much as I love old Deere's I'm not sure I could talk myself into bringing that one home even if it was free. Could be fun but it would be VERY EXPENSIVE fun.
 
Sitting out opened up in the weather I'd give them whatever scrap prices is per pound and likely use it for a parts donor tractor.
 
If he has all the parts, it's still only a parts tractor.
The wheels are probably rusted out from sitting with flat tires.
The engine is rusted from sitting opened. Also there is a reason
he removed the rod. It was probably his parts tractor.
If he does have all the parts and you just want to hobby, offer him
$200 but not to fix up, only for parts.
As everyone else advised, buy a running one or a better one to fix up.
There are a lot of B tractors and they aren't worth much.
 
Okay, you're talking apples and oranges. Are you going to buy the tractor and resell? Or are you going to buy the tractor or hulk and try to fix it up? If you are buying to resell be sure to add to the price your cost of pickup, marketing cost to resell and see how you come out.
 
(quoted from post at 13:44:28 01/24/18) Would make a good project or parts tractor ? Not sure what stuff is worth anymore ?

Many of the parts for that are unique to the 1939 and 1940 models.
As the owner of a 39 B I can attest to that. Finding parts for a 30-40 can be difficult. If I knew then what I know now... I never would have bought mine. At least I just paid for the tires but I would be scared to add up how much I have in it now.
 
restoration can be a mind game. I'm a veteran tractor hobbiest and I've had so many folks say that they don't care what the cost is they want to fix up grandpa's tractor. My response is that when you replace one part it's no longer grandpa's tractor and if you are "married" you will care about the cost. Cost versus value is "always" a factor. I don't see many people burning $1.00 bills for heat. Most of the old tractors are really "junk" in nature but with several others they can be made workable or usable. I took 3 520's and made one good tractor but you're talking about a heal of a lot of work and not for the faint hearted. You also have do all the work yourself or there is no budget. I restored a 620 with an open end budget for a friend and he had $6500 in it when finished. Not many want to jump into that action. I have found the letter John Deere's have definitely gone out of era and so had the double numbered. The triple numbers seems to still be popular but many have gone into the new generation series. Those are now way over 50 years in age. Good luck to anyone with ambition and money not trying to rain on parade just sharing experience.
 

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