Looking at buy equipment

I am slowly trying to buy equipment to start running my little hobby farm. A friend of mine's dad is retiring this next fall.

What he has that I am interested in is:

John Deere 6600 diesel and hydro combine. Six row corn header and I do not recall how wide his bean head is. I haven't talked to him yet so am unsure of hours and year.

Next, would be his 6 row John Deere 7000 planter.

Finally, he has an Allis Chalmers 7045. I am unsure of year and hours. I hope to find that out soon.

Literally all his equipment sits inside. Is always greased and cleaned after use. From what I have seen the combine might bring 8-10k without heads? What should I offer with the two heads. Planter around here is anywhere from 2.5-8k. From what I have seen the allis will probably bring around the 10k area, usually lower.

I am just looking for some tips and advice from you guys. Thank you so much in advance.

Ryan


edit: Dang, I obviously didn't proofread the title.

How many acres is your "hobby Farm"?

That is a bit too big for a "hobby" farm. That is unless your hobby is a couple hundred acres..... Offer 25,000 for the lot

The 6600 combine is a good machine but it does have a few quirks that makes them a little less desirable, not the least of is the fact that you need to to swing the unloading auger manually.
The prices on the JD 6600 are all over the place but you should be able to buy one between 5 and 7 thousand dollars in good condition.
Agco tractors don't seem to hold their value like other brands. It may be the belief that dealer support and part being available are not quite up to par with other tractors.
Hobby farmers seem to want smaller farm equipment and what you have described are machines used on large commercial operations.
You have described good stuff so be prepared for a shock when you hear the prices.

Right now my home place is 14 acres. Yes I know that equipment is too much, but I'm also working on buying 50 acres and I want the equipment to be there when land comes up for sale or rent. Lots of older farmers in my area.

(quoted from post at 13:58:33 12/27/14)
Agco tractors don't seem to hold their value like other brands. It may be the belief that dealer support and part being available are not quite up to par with other tractors.
.

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Belief? The closest one to me is a joke at best and it's 50 mils to the next one, opps same dealer, so it's close to 100 miles to get decent parts support. Sad part is the brothers who owned the one close to me are both angry about what the dealer did when he bought them out on their retirement.

Rick

Myself I would look for a little more reasonable sized equipment for your acres. Just my opinion. If there are a lot of older farmers in your area, maybe some of them have some equipment that might be more reasonable for that amount of acres. That is a big chunk of money for equipment for that amount of land, and you don't want to be done working it too soon otherwise you wont have any fun or enjoyment doing it

My personal opinion - two machines that cannot bear outside storage are planters and combines.

Planters have lots of drive chains and bearings. I'm sure there are people who have good luck with outside storage, but I bet I have less planter issues because mine are inside. A 7000 planter is sought after. Be prepared for sharks if it really is in good condition.

Combines have thin metal that gets shines and unprotected after use. Then I t sits outside and rusts for 11 months. There is always chaff in places you can't get to that water can no matter how wel you clean it. A combine will rust in short order if left out. Ours was out for the first few years it was new but that was back in the early 60's. There wasn't a wire or sensor on it and the metal was twice as thick.

Two things that make or break a farmer's profit are his planter and his combine. Without either doing a good job you can't run in th black. That's hard enough as it is. Unless they are really gems that weather has not spoiled I would keep looking.

Way too much on the combine unless it is in extremely good condition. In Eastern Iowa a JD 6600 in working condition might bring between $1500 and $3000 on auction. I have seen JD 6620's bring $3000 in working condition. I have a friend who has tried to sell a fairly decent JD 6600 the last two years for $3000 and no buyers. The corn head could be worth more than the combine. I have seen them bring between $2500 and $6000 depending on high tim/low tin/oil bath drive, etc. It is probably a high tin without oil bath drive - maybe $3000. The bean head might be a 213 or 216 platform. In average condition it might bring $1000. In excellent low acre condition with little wear and excellent paint maybe two to three times that. Typically that entire unit would be worth maybe $7000 in my area in good operating condtion.

Maybe calling it a hobby farm was a bad idea. My family also has 200 acres that we rent out. I'd like to have a chance st farming it someday. I just don't want to be stuck with too small of equipment.

Those prices I posted are not what he is asking. They just seem like averages in the area.

That's a different story. Then you would have decent sized equipment for that amount of acres. If you aren't in a hurry for farming the 200 acres you may come across some decent deals for equipment in time and can work up to what you want and need.

With the all is I was thinking cheap power. Also he'd have all the tillage equipment to match. Maybe I just need to sit back and cool down a bit though. I do appreciate everyone's input.

You have some time to look till next fall as well. You may run across something between now and then, but still be able to keep in mind what you know might be available. As for some of the tillage equipment, most of what was big back then isn't big enough now days so a lot of equipment that size can usually be bought quite reasonable. Hard to tell what it would bring on a farm sale as one never knows.

(quoted from post at 22:31:03 12/27/14) My personal opinion - two machines that cannot bear outside storage are planters and combines.

Planters have lots of drive chains and bearings. I'm sure there are people who have good luck with outside storage, but I bet I have less planter issues because mine are inside. A 7000 planter is sought after. Be prepared for sharks if it really is in good condition.

Combines have thin metal that gets shines and unprotected after use. Then I t sits outside and rusts for 11 months. There is always chaff in places you can't get to that water can no matter how wel you clean it. A combine will rust in short order if left out. Ours was out for the first few years it was new but that was back in the early 60's. There wasn't a wire or sensor on it and the metal was twice as thick.

Two things that make or break a farmer's profit are his planter and his combine. Without either doing a good job you can't run in th black. That's hard enough as it is. Unless they are really gems that weather has not spoiled I would keep looking.

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lthough I do agree with your opinion in this case you've misread he said all of the equipment sat inside,read again.

Nothing wrong with a 7045 Allis Chalmers. Extremely well built, most parts are available. A 7045 is a black belly, so the cab is better to get in and out of than a maroon belly. Quiet when new. Cab kits and seals are available from FEHR. Full kit is $570.

6600 combine. The Horror. The potty filters work too well here, so I can't swear like I'd like. Great until you have to work on them, then you'll curse them. They do a good job though. They don't break any more often than anything else, but when they do. I would not consider the cab quiet, but it may have A/C. Have fun working on the primary counter shaft. Black from head to toe when you're done changing those bearings. Have fun working on the cylinder with the damn feeder house in the way. Or lying on the sac ripping walkers while working on the beater. And the way belts are behind belts. Ingenious guy that designed that. Like I said they're a good combine, but an absolute bear to work on. If they were any color but JD green, people would curse them up and down as being the worst designed combine to ever hit the market.

You'd be better served with something like a International 1420. Has a rotor like a proper combine should. Engine where it should be. Fairly quiet cab due simply to where it is in relation to the engine. So easy to work on, very well designed. Don't be phased by the red paint. It really is a better combine.

I can't stress enough how much a 6600 combine sucks. And parts availability isn't as great as everything thinks it would be on the 6600. There are enough parts that are NLA.

You'd be really well off with something like a 1460. They have a ton in common with combines that were made up till about 10 years ago, so parts are super easy to come by, with a TON of great aftermarket parts available.

Nothing wrong with the 7000 planter. One of the best planters ever built. Have someone with some knowledge look at the condition of the wear parts. They can get expensive in a hurry if they need a full rebuild. It'd be nothing to throw $3000 in parts if it's in need of a rebuild or partial rebuild.

I would say with the farming economy being what it is and is going to be for several years, time is on your side. Machinery price will be coming down. Maybe not as much on the low end of quality and age. Buy something that you can get parts for and service.

I would check into custom combining before investing in a combine. They are expensive to own operate and tend to be unreliable.

I agree with what David said. I hire what little combining done I need. One good breakdown would pay for the cost of someone else doing it. Most custom guys have a good way to haul the grain also. Not everyone has the luxury of people willing to do it though. That being said, buy what you want and can afford. I'm a little hobby guy myself and look at it as a hobby that pays for itself.....most of the time.

Contrary to what others think. The 7045 is about the right size. Need one that big to pull a 16000 lb fertilizer spreader, and to pull a 1000 to 1200 gal Anhydrous tank and bar. Also don't attempt to plant in this day and age with nothing less than a finger pickup 7000 planter. We have a Kinze same thing. About the Combine. A Gleaner M3 can be had for about the same price. They have electric over hyd controls, hyd augor, tattle tale monitor. And are the simplest and easiest Combine to work on. We have a L2. But use JD headers with bish adapter.

dont know About the other equipment have a 7700 and if your smarter than a 3/8 socket set they arent bad to work on i just replaced straw walker crank and a bent walker on mine didnt see anything so hard about it if it was red or mexi chrome they would say its the best thing you ever saw why a neighbor had one bought it 1973 and only used one tube a grease never has put fuel in it yet