How to Determine Your Tractor’s Value

How much is this tractor worth? It’s a question I’m asked a lot. Determining the value of an antique tractor can be a tricky thing, especially if the tractor is rare or in an unusual condition. Whether you want to sell your tractor, insure it, or are just plain curious, these tips can help you determine the tractor’s value.

My prefered method to determine a tractor’s value is to see what similar tractors have sold for in the area. You can find recent selling prices by looking at:

• Auction results. Many auction companies will publish the results of their auction sales. In my opinion, this is the absolute best way to determine fair market value.
• Ebay. Don’t just look through the current “for sale” ads, though – that will tell you what people are asking for their tractors, but not what they are selling for. Instead, use an advanced search option (in the left menu bar) to search only for the sold listings.
• Classified ad websites like Craigslist or Tractorhouse.com. These contain listings from many areas, but you’ll need to use caution. The sites will give an idea of what people are asking for, but some sellers ask for unrealistic amounts. Balance these findings with the more reliable results from auction sales and sold listings on Ebay.

If your tractor is rather common, these methods can usually give you a good picture of your tractor’s value. Just be sure that you account for your tractor’s condition (which could be better or worse than the comparable ones you find) and your location – prices can vary across the nation.

If you don’t find good results from online listings, though, there are some more options to consider:

• A tractor value book (commonly called a Blue Book) will probably have your model listed. You may be able to get one from your local library, or you can buy a copy for yourself. Just be sure the book is rather recent – prices can change a lot over the years. 
• Get a professional appraisal. This is particularly useful if you want  to insure or donate (and claim a tax deduction for) your tractor.

But perhaps you have a really special tractor – something very rare. If you can’t find sale results and your model isn’t listed in a tractor value book, you’ll have to make an educated guess on the value of your tractor. You may be able to consult collectors’ books to determine how many of your model tractor were manufactured (fewer built = higher value). Then, you might be able to find out what equally rare models of tractor from that same brand have sold for, which can give good insight into the market. When in doubt,sell it at a national collectors’ auction.