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How do I Sell a Vintage Tractor?

Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum

Selling vintage farm equipment such as tractors and used tractor parts can be a lucrative endeavor. There are many people who wish to own farm machinery once mass produced by such prestigious names as John Deere and Farmall, and will pay a hefty sum for a vintage tractor that is in good to excellent condition. Fortunately, there are several effective ways for buyers and sellers to connect and make a mutually beneficial transaction.

Before actually offering your vintage tractor for sale, it is important to engage in a little preparation. First, the tractor should be cleaned thoroughly. This means not only washing dirt and grime off the frame and wheels, but also cleaning the engine components as well. While many collectors expect a truly vintage unit to show some wear and tear, you want to make sure it is easy to assess the overall condition of the tractor and arrive at an equitable sale price based on the general condition.

A vintage tractor.
A vintage tractor.

Taking photographs of the tractor from various angles is also very important. Make sure to use a digital camera so you can produce hard copies as well as forward electronic versions of the photos. In addition to full body views of the vintage tractor, take close up shots that highlight the condition of the controls, seats, fenders and engine. The detailed visual images will make it easier to pique the interest of buyers who are looking for truly vintage tractor models.

With the tractor clean and photographs taken, look into your options for reaching the right buyer. You can choose to go with a direct sale approach by placing ads in local newspapers and magazines. There are also national and international publications that provide classified space for the sale of vintage items, including tractors and farm equipment. Just about all of these will allow you to use some of your photographs as part of the advertising.

There is also the option of selling your vintage tractor by utilizing the services of a third party. With this approach, you turn over copies of the photographs and supporting documents related to the pedigree of the tractor to an agent who accepts the task on a consignment basis. Together, you determine the lowest purchase price you will accept and what type of percentage commission the agent will make from the sale. One advantage to this approach is you do not have to spend time attempting to sell the tractor yourself.

You may find that working with an auctioneer would be an excellent way to sell your vintage tractor. The auctioneer advertises the item, advising the general public of the date and time for the auction. Interested parties attend the auction and bid on the tractor. With a little luck, two or more parties will get into a bidding war and you will realize a higher return on the sale than you anticipated. In any event, the starting bid is determined before the auction takes place, so there is no danger of selling the used tractor for any less than that figure.

Selling a vintage tractor rarely happens overnight. Generally, it takes some time to reach the right buyers and agree on the terms of the purchase. When executed properly, it is possible to earn a great deal of money from the sale, making the effort well worth the time and labor involved.

Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum

After many years in the teleconferencing industry, Michael decided to embrace his passion for trivia, research, and writing by becoming a full-time freelance writer. Since then, he has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including WiseGEEK, and his work has also appeared in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and several newspapers. Malcolm’s other interests include collecting vinyl records, minor league baseball, and cycling.

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Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum

After many years in the teleconferencing industry, Michael decided to embrace his passion for trivia, research, and writing by becoming a full-time freelance writer. Since then, he has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including WiseGEEK, and his work has also appeared in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and several newspapers. Malcolm’s other interests include collecting vinyl records, minor league baseball, and cycling.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

Feryll

@mobilian33 - I recently found a website where I was able to buy a vintage tractor seat. This site also had other parts for old tractors and other old farm equipment. You can probably go online and find the parts you need for your tractor, and you might be able to negotiate a good price for them, so that you won't have to spend so much money restoring the vehicle.

mobilian33

I have a few old pieces of farm equipment that I had planned to restore and then sell as a way to make a bit of extra money. Otherwise the equipment is just going to sit around and go totally bad. One of the pieces is an old farm tractor that hasn't been operated in a lot of years. The original color was red. Now it is rust.

I had a mechanic some out and give me an estimate on what I could expect to pay to get the tractor back in running condition. The price to get it back in decent condition was ridiculous. He told me I could probably sell the parts and make more than I could by restoring the tractor and selling it as one piece.

Drentel

I have a vintage tractor that was my father's, and it was my grandfather's originally. My father had always said he was going to get the machine back in running order, but he never got around to the job. When he died I took on the task, and after a lot of hunting for parts and a lot of man hours repairing the tractor it is as good as it will ever be again.

Now that I have it restored, I realize that I have no use for it. I have tried to sell in via the local newspaper, but haven't had any serious offers. If you are buying a vintage farm tractor to restore you should be aware that the average buyer is not going to want to pay you what the tractor is worth. I think holding an auction like mentioned in this article might be a better way to go. This might give me a chance of recouping my investment at least.

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    • A vintage tractor.
      By: Daniel Parks
      A vintage tractor.