Farmall C Demonstrator

[IH Steve]

Hello to all,
I'm a new member and I have a question for you guys. Does anyone know what the value is of a Farmall C demonstrator that is completely restored, are they worth more than the usual red ones?

 

[Janicholson]

The consensus here (If I may be bold) is that they can be 10 to 20% greater in selling price. The key is that there needs to be evidence in photos or documents (rare) that it was originally a Demonstrator. Some feel they are just interesting and no greater in value. Jim

 

[fastfarmall]

Not to me it wouldn't be !!

 

[Pete76NYPa]

Minimally, but the tough part is actually ptoving it. There are about 50% more of them kicking around out there than ever actally left the factory. Provong the serial # was in the proper range, proving that the serial number tag on your tractor actually came on your tractor, and showing areas where the white was never completely covered, with the proper primer under that can be tough, and it still only adds a couple hundred value, IF someone wants a demo for their collection.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

(quoted from post at 15:29:46 12/14/23) Hello to all,
I'm a new member and I have a question for you guys. Does anyone know what the value is of a Farmall C demonstrator that is completely restored, are they worth more than the usual red ones?

Really, the value is what the buyer and seller agree on. There are just too many variables not the least of which is what is the definition of "completely restored" in this situation? A coat of paint is not "completely restored."

A Farmall C around here that's running and driving, has tires that hold air, and no major obvious problems, is a $1200 tractor give or take $200. Values change depending on where you are. I'm in an area where there were many small farms at one time where there is now a lot of rural residential, people with a few acres... Out in the middle of nowhere you wouldn't be able to give an old tractor like that away.

It will also depend on who is there that day. At an auction two guys who really want it will fight over it and the price will go sky high.

The best advice is if you're buying, the value is "as little as you can possibly get away with" and if selling the value is "as much as you can get away with." Ultimately the value is what buyer and seller agree upon. It's not like cars where many people have spent a lot of time and money to come up with a valuation system. The reason they did that was to make money selling their valuation system/services. There is no money in having such a thing for old tractors.

 

[John M]

2002, one of my buddies got all excited when one locally came up for sale. Unrestored, but it was verified a demo. Even had the placards. Paid out big bucks, like 30 grand for it. Had big plans to restore it back to original. Unfortunatly, he was injured in a car crash before he could do any of that. 7 years ago, sold the tractor for $4000, the placards for $1700. They just dont bring the money they did 20 years ago. Had the tractor been restored, it may have brought more though, but I doubt it.

 

[IH Steve]

I bought the tractor at an auction for $1000 about two years ago planning to restore it. When I got it home I pressure washed it to get the layers of paint off, it had two coats of red paint the top coat was a poor job, on thick and peeling badly. Underneath the two coats of red paint was white paint, I sanded the tractor in a few places to see if it had white all over and it sure did, and in places like under the gas tank and in other corners were it's hard to get paint in when repainting without taking the tractor apart it had white paint. Now one problem remains, the serial number is missing!

Now, do I paint it white or not? Tough decision! I want to sell it when I'm done so I'm not sure which would be most worthwhile, painting it white or painting it red? I really want to paint it white because I know it was white originally plus I kinda like how they look.

I shouldn't say that it will be completely restored, the engine is not rebuilt, I put a new head gasket in it, and the rest of the tractor has lot's of new parts. I took it apart to clean and inspect it and fixed what was needed. It will have a professional paint job though, done by myself. I have a mechanic shop were I do tractor and dozer repairs and restoration.
Thanks, Steve.

 

[Mark-Ia]

Take lots of photos.

 

[redforlife]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that if there is no 'serial number' proof, it really don't matter. It'd take serial number proof to convince me.

I don't doubt anything that you are saying. But the deal is, you got your story of the bottom coat original white paint. But once you repaint and re-sell, the next guy don't have his own story like that. Just the re-telling of your white paint story.

Might not seem like much of a problem. But the truth is, there have been so many of the red ones re-painted to white over the years. Basically past the point that authentic white ones need to be confirmed for anyone to believe that it was. And yours is sitting there without a serial number.

You might be able to sell your story to the next buyer. But that guy gonna have a hard time selling your story to his next buyer. So your buyer isn't gonna want to pay premium dollars for something that he can't prove down the road.

Not doubting you. It's just how things work.

The story of 2 or 3 owners ago, gets a little harder to believe. Especially if it's known that same such owner flipped the tractor (owned tractor for short time, and resold).

 

[Jim Becker]

I think your best path is to leave the white paint visible in the hard to reach places like under the fuel tank, inside the instrument panel etc. At least there will remain some visual evidence on the tractor itself.

Even with a serial number, legitimacy as a demo is questionable. The widely published serial number range is an estimate. Subsequent information indicates that range also included a lot of red tractors.

I will also pile on BE's comment about "completely restored". In my opinion, picking the rigtht color of paint doesn't make for a restoration. The whole tractor needs to be as equipped from the factory. In the case of IH tractors with no "build cards", that would be as could have been equipped. No custom seats, no 12-volt conversions, no welded-up tie rods etc. Expecting water transfer decals is probably too much of an ask these days, but the stickers should at least have the right wording and a font that resembles the original. Otherwise, you just have another owner-modified tractor that happens to be white.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

"Fixed what needed fixin'," plus a good paint job, plus decent tires... Just shooting from the hip here, is a $2500 tractor.

There's nothing stopping you from shooting for the moon and coming down on price if necessary.

The engine serial and "T" casting codes can date it as an early 1950 which would put it in the range.

 

[Bull Gear]

Hi. I'm going out on a limb here, Question #1 has anyone out there ever watched "A FEW MORE ACRES" on U Tube, being an all my life mechanic machinist retired, watched this guy by accident thinking Oh another Fella thinking he is doing a restoration, well I got one heck of a surprise, lets call this guy Pete. I watched him strip down a Farmall Super C, and I mean strip down there was not a part or unit that was not taken apart and restored with new parts. does all body work then does a Bueti full paint and decal job, then puts them out to real work on his farm. To me this is a real RESTRATION please let me know what you think before or after watching Pete & his Wife. B.G.

 

[Texasmark]

Really, the value is what the buyer and seller agree on. There are just too many variables not the least of which is what is the definition of "completely restored" in this situation? A coat of paint is not "completely restored."

A Farmall C around here that's running and driving, has tires that hold air, and no major obvious problems, is a $1200 tractor give or take $200. Values change depending on where you are. I'm in an area where there were many small farms at one time where there is now a lot of rural residential, people with a few acres... Out in the middle of nowhere you wouldn't be able to give an old tractor like that away.

It will also depend on who is there that day. At an auction two guys who really want it will fight over it and the price will go sky high.

The best advice is if you're buying, the value is "as little as you can possibly get away with" and if selling the value is "as much as you can get away with." Ultimately the value is what buyer and seller agree upon. It's not like cars where many people have spent a lot of time and money to come up with a valuation system. The reason they did that was to make money selling their valuation system/services. There is no money in having such a thing for old tractors.

"It will also depend on who is there that day. At an auction two guys who really want it will fight over it and the price will go sky high."

When I sold off my herd in 2014, I had a "grade" Brangus 3 year old bull that brought $3,200.00 at a sale barn in Oklahoma. The area was full of BTOs and you aren't going to tell me that he brought that price because of the quotation above or that one just couldn't stand for the other to outbid him or just have the animal when he missed out.

 

[grandpa Love]

2002, one of my buddies got all excited when one locally came up for sale. Unrestored, but it was verified a demo. Even had the placards. Paid out big bucks, like 30 grand for it. Had big plans to restore it back to original. Unfortunatly, he was injured in a car crash before he could do any of that. 7 years ago, sold the tractor for $4000, the placards for $1700. They just dont bring the money they did 20 years ago. Had the tractor been restored, it may have brought more though, but I doubt it.

Unfortunately it was NEVER worth 30 grand

 

[grandpa Love]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that if there is no 'serial number' proof, it really don't matter. It'd take serial number proof to convince me.

I don't doubt anything that you are saying. But the deal is, you got your story of the bottom coat original white paint. But once you repaint and re-sell, the next guy don't have his own story like that. Just the re-telling of your white paint story.

Might not seem like much of a problem. But the truth is, there have been so many of the red ones re-painted to white over the years. Basically past the point that authentic white ones need to be confirmed for anyone to believe that it was. And yours is sitting there without a serial number.

You might be able to sell your story to the next buyer. But that guy gonna have a hard time selling your story to his next buyer. So your buyer isn't gonna want to pay premium dollars for something that he can't prove down the road.

Not doubting you. It's just how things work.

The story of 2 or 3 owners ago, gets a little harder to believe. Especially if it's known that same such owner flipped the tractor (owned tractor for short time, and resold).

There is no serial number proof on a white demo....none,zero, zilch,nada .... doesn't exist

 

[560Dennis]

Special market for that tractor. If it has provinan would worth to that special buyer. I had to have verified as a demonstrator. Not a Craiglist copy.

 

[Bull Gear]

Hi. I'm going out on a limb here, Question #1 has anyone out there ever watched "A FEW MORE ACRES" on U Tube, being an all my life mechanic machinist retired, watched this guy by accident thinking Oh another Fella thinking he is doing a restoration, well I got one heck of a surprise, lets call this guy Pete. I watched him strip down a Farmall Super C, and I mean strip down there was not a part or unit that was not taken apart and restored with new parts. does all body work then does a Bueti full paint and decal job, then puts them out to real work on his farm. To me this is a real RESTRATION please let me know what you think before or after watching Pete & his Wife. B.G.

 

[used red MN]

Hi. I'm going out on a limb here, Question #1 has anyone out there ever watched "A FEW MORE ACRES" on U Tube, being an all my life mechanic machinist retired, watched this guy by accident thinking Oh another Fella thinking he is doing a restoration, well I got one heck of a surprise, lets call this guy Pete. I watched him strip down a Farmall Super C, and I mean strip down there was not a part or unit that was not taken apart and restored with new parts. does all body work then does a Bueti full paint and decal job, then puts them out to real work on his farm. To me this is a real RESTRATION please let me know what you think before or after watching Pete & his Wife. B.G.

This would have been a place where I would suggest you could have just started your own “New Thread” saying something like, “Just viewed a post about a Farmall C demonstrator. Reminded me of Just a few acres…. The focus of the topic of this post is The added value a true Demonstrator model has over a Regular C. Just my two cents. I watch Pete, he is pretty thorough.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

I bought the tractor at an auction for $1000 about two years ago planning to restore it. When I got it home I pressure washed it to get the layers of paint off, it had two coats of red paint the top coat was a poor job, on thick and peeling badly. Underneath the two coats of red paint was white paint, I sanded the tractor in a few places to see if it had white all over and it sure did, and in places like under the gas tank and in other corners were it's hard to get paint in when repainting without taking the tractor apart it had white paint. Now one problem remains, the serial number is missing!

Now, do I paint it white or not? Tough decision! I want to sell it when I'm done so I'm not sure which would be most worthwhile, painting it white or painting it red? I really want to paint it white because I know it was white originally plus I kinda like how they look.

I shouldn't say that it will be completely restored, the engine is not rebuilt, I put a new head gasket in it, and the rest of the tractor has lot's of new parts. I took it apart to clean and inspect it and fixed what was needed. It will have a professional paint job though, done by myself. I have a mechanic shop were I do tractor and dozer repairs and restoration.
Thanks, Steve.

Serial number is stamped in the block.

 

[Janicholson]

There is no serial number proof on a white demo....none,zero, zilch,nada .... doesn't exist

Correct! There were white original and red original tractors made during production. The only "marginal" issue is that the Demos were made in the first 1/2 year of 1950, so late tractors must be non white. thus those with earlier serial numbers "can be" demonstrators. In my opinion it is a moot point. Jim