Pete’s Pick of the Week: 1977 John Deere 4430 Brings $27,250

Strong bidding on clean 1970s tractors drives well-above-average prices across the Midwest

By Eduardo Morales

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October 19, 2026 04:32 PM

Machinery Pete Pick of the Week 2026-10-19_1977 John Deere 4430

This week, Machinery Pete turns the spotlight on well-maintained 1970s iron. Leading the charge as the Pick of the Week is a 1977 John Deere 4430 with 5,902 hours and a Quad Range transmission that brought in $27,250. Handled by the Iowa Auction Group on Oct. 17 at the Ryan Bainbridge farm retirement sale in Paullina, Iowa, the tractor commanded a significant premium. For context, the average auction price for a John Deere 4430 this year sits at $15,645 — compared to $10,898 a decade ago and $12,740 25 years ago.

That same Paullina sale saw strong bidding on other vintage green machines, including:

1974 John Deere 4030 with just under 5,500 hours sold for $19,750.
1972 John Deere 4020 sold for $22,500.

Meanwhile, that same day in Mabel, Minn., Sweeney Auction Services hosted the Dean & Deb Stortz farm retirement auction. The headliner was a 1973 International Harvester 1066 that sold for $22,500. That is well above the model’s current annual auction average of $13,728 — and nearly triple what it averaged 10 years ago ($7,681) and 25 years ago ($7,110).

The Stortz auction also had several more noteworthy sales, including:

2018 Case IH Magnum 250 with 1,878 hours sold for $127,000.
2010 Magnum 210 with 2,731 hours sold for $80,000.
2013 New Holland T8.275 with 4,034 hours sold for $62,000.
2011 New Holland T6030 with just over 6,900 hours sold for $38,000.
2022 New Holland Discbine 313 sold for $18,000.
2018 New Holland Roll-Belt 560 round baler with 11,880 bales sold for $15,000.

Staying up north in Manitowoc, Wis., on Oct. 16, Machinery Pete highlights a sale by Miller ‘N Co. Auctions. A 1985 Case IH 2294 two-wheel-drive with 4,199 hours sold for $24,500. This is the third-highest auction price for this model in the U.S. without a loader.

Upcoming Auction Includes Newer Sprayer

Looking ahead, Machinery Pete will be closely watching a DPA Auctions sale on Oct. 20. The sale has a few interesting pieces of equipment that he will be paying attention to: