History

John Deere made the 40 Series tractor models from 1978-1982. 30+ years down the road now, show me a nice condition one with low hours and I’ll guarantee you one thing…intense buyer interest.

Proof rolls in every week here during the summer of 2015. The picture above is of a nifty John Deere 4240 with 3,880 hours that sold on a June 13, 2015 farm auction in Wooster, Ohio. The sale was by my friends at Kiko Auctions. It sold for $32,000…more than it was worth brand new! Here’s a YouTube video of this tractor selling with my comments dropped in along the way:

The margin of error when maintaining a reputation as one of the top golf courses in the country (or world) is minuscule. Less than pristine turf conditions could harm a course’s standing in the public eye, resulting in a ripple effect on business.

Some of the greatest and most well-respected golf courses in the world are manicured on a daily basis with John Deere golf course maintenance equipment, helping them maintain their status year after year. Let’s take a closer look at some of these top-notch courses and hear what turf professionals at each location have to say about their experiences with John Deere equipment.

It might be hard to believe, but we are approaching the end of the first half of 2015. Over the course of these six months, John Deere’s name has been entrenched in the news as it continues to offer products and services that simplify jobs in the field, yard, or on the farm.

As we soon turn the calendar to July (and the second half of the year), we wanted to take a look back at the first half of the year and recap some of the most notable John Deere news stories to be featured on MachineFinder.com. Enjoy!

More than 50 years ago, John Deere manufactured its first skidder. Ever since, the company has continued to create innovative pieces of forestry equipment that provide loggers with increased levels of safety, reliability and productivity.

The recent introduction of the L-Series Skidder marked 50 years of the company’s manufacturing and designing of skidders. Built on 178 years of innovation, backed by more than a half-century in the woods and designed with proven components to withstand the toughest environments, these machines are a true representation of John Deere as a manufacturer.

The hottest segment of the used tractor market the past two years? That would be smaller horsepower models.

The mountain of auction sale prices I’ve been compiling for nearly 26 years supports this trend. A recent example came from a nice farm auction in east-central Wisconsin on April 23, 2015.

On this sale was a John Deere 6603 2WD tractor with 803 hours on it (pictured above). It was a “one owner” tractor in very good condition. It sold for $23,000. Pretty strong price for a 2WD model I thought.

When the John Deere engineering team gets to work, they strive towards production with integrity. Deere’s machines are built from the ground up as a complete solution for their intended use, which is why they design their machines as a complete vehicle. Many of their machines feature their own engine, drivetrain, hydraulics, cooling system, and more, allowing components to work together because they were designed together.

With decades of experience in the off-highway diesel engine business, Deere is always researching and developing construction and forestry engines that meet strict emissions standards.

John Deere equipment is internationally known for its quality and commitment to customers, following their founder’s famous “I will never put my name on a product that does not have in it the best that is in me” mantra. However, the company focuses on more than just quality equipment. Community, safety, health, and the environment are all critical cogs in the wheels that make Deere run.

To better illustrate the company’s roots and continued commitment to these values, we’ve put together a John Deere timeline filled with 20^th century equipment safety and environmental protection milestones. Enjoy!

Deere made the 150 horsepower 7810 model tractor from 1997-2003, making today’s tractors 12-18 years old now. Yet, they are proving to be worth more money as they age.

From 1996 through 2007, the highest auction sale price I saw on a John Deere 7810 tractor was $78,000…on a January 21, 2005 farm auction in northwest Illinois where a 2000 model with only 590 hours hit the $78K mark.

Since 2008 how many JD 7810’s have I seen sold over $80,000? Try a whopping 29. Wow.

Whether you’re a toy collector or have a child who loves tractors, why not take a look at the line of vintage tractor toys from John Deere?

These tractors are not only fun to play with, but they are beautifully designed for collectors who want to put them on display. Here is a look at eight vintage tractor toys from John Deere.

1) John Deere 1952 Vintage Tractor Model 60

This tractor is a die cast model of the 1952 vintage tractor made by John Deere. It is a 1/16 scale, and it’s accurate right down to the wheels.