Advice on 4450 6430

[jturbo10]

Looking to add another John Deere tractor for haying in East Texas. Local dealer has a new John Deere 6430 4x4 with loader for about $72000 and sales manager has his personal 4450 for sale at $28,000 with 158 loader included. The 4450 is original with about 7600 hrs, quad tranny, two wheel drive, no blowby, everything works except the A/C, etc. A/C is getting fixed at dealership with new compressor. Will go look at 4450 next Monday after getting back from business trip. Any thoughts on what to look for on 4450 during inspection or questions to ask. The 6430 looks very nice and and is a 4x4 with 18.4x32 tires on rear. I was not very impressed with all the plastic I saw inside the cab. Don't think it will last as long as the older tractors we all loved for their simplicity and durability. Anyone have a 6430 to give a honest review? Wife wants the new tractor but I'm leaning toward the 4450 if it is in great condition and not a fixer-upper. I can get a 4450 in Missouri with about 8000 hrs, no loader, no A/C, and no known history for about $17,000 but I"d sooner buy local with a known history. Parts people said the 4450 is well taken care off with servicing and dealer OEM parts.
Any advice or experience with either tractor type would be appreciated. Hope you are getting rain. We are extremely dry and burning up. Only got about a 1/3 of the normal bales on the first cutting. New a hurricane or Atlantic disturbance to get some moisture. Could be a rough year in the farming community. Either floods or droughts seem the norm.

 

[NY 986]

The price on the 4450 is nothing special but to find a tractor with a honest known history is. I don't know your financial situation but 72,000 dollars is a lot of money to layout for a tractor that would not be a primary livestock care or tillage tractor in my mind. Can't help you with the pro's and con's on a 6430 but the 4450's were a very well built tractor.

 

[2cylpartsinfo]

Depends on how many hours per year you plan to operate the tractor. You will (of course) have more maintenance costs with the 4450 but they are one of the best tractors Deere ever built. It will probabily be worth about the same money in 10 years.
The 6430 will be go down a lot more in value but also will use less fuel.
If the dealer will work with you try both of them out for a day. Buy the one you like best.

 

[jturbo10]

Thanks guys. I liked both of your inputs and agree with your logic. I really don't want to buy new as I've given up grain farming and only do some haying and custom work. I'll know more when I get a chance to try out the 4450 next week. I might even get a better price or some warranty from the dealership. Thanks.

 

[Craig C]

You can't beat a 4440,50,or55 they are great, but they aren't really something to compare a 6430 or simular tractor to. for loader work I really like the short wheelbase newer tractors with a left hand shuttle. They handle very good. Around here you need a mfwd in the winter it you want to do anything, unless you are very carefull. For field work like planting and tillage, I had rather have that 4450, it's so much more tractor. Your comparing a rowcrop to a utility tractor.

 

[Tx Jim]

jturbo10
I owned a 4255 since '93 and it has 10,206 hrs on the speed/hr meter. It rd baled hay yesterday. I'd never trade it for a 6000 series. The shorter wheelbase Craig referred to results into something else "rougher ride". MFDW means larger turning radius also. I agree with his statement that the 40,50 & 55 series are good and because of that command high prices when sold used. I personally don't think $28,000 is out of line. If the 158 loader has the joystick control it will bring $4-$5K.

You must be getting a lot more rain than I'm getting to entertain spending $72K!!!

 

[buickanddeere]

How many years more do you plan of farming? Amount of dept or cash on hand?
Sight unseen but considering you are just bailing hay. Instead of performing heavy tillage and dealing with clay, hills, mud and snow. Go with the 50 series.

 

[jturbo10]

I live to farm but don't farm to live. Have additional job to pay the bills and farming operations supplements the fixed operations expenses. The new depreciation laws which expire in Sept make it feasible to consider new equipment as you can depreciate 100% of the cost which significantly lowers the cost of the machinery. However you pay the piper when you sell it and the basis is zero and the tax man has his hand out. I do love the 40/50/55 series John Deere tractors. If not for the EPA and oil prices manufactures would still be building them. TX Jim, it rained all around us last couple of days, and just teased us with clouds, wind, lightning and thunder. Don't see any good chances of rain in the near future. Probably see a lot of cattle being sold this summer if we don't get some significant rain.

 

[Tx Jim]

jturbo10[/quote]

Same here. I sold my cattle last year in June and it rained in July & August then my grass grew back. I bought some more cows and now I'm facing the same decision. I'll bet it doesn't come a good rain here in July this year.

 

[buickanddeere]

Wish we could send you some of our excess rain. 7" from three storms in the past couple of weeks.
Hail, small F1 tornados and down pours across southern Ontario the past couple of weeks.
Power lines down, trees uprooted, fields flooded and roads closed.