This week’s Machinery Pete “Pete’s Pick of the Week” is a nearly 40-year-old John Deere tractor beloved by farmers for decades now, and Pete gets you ready for an active week on the used farm equipment auction circuit.

An upward price correction could be coming soon and learn which farm equipment specs and features help maintain used machinery resale values.

Find out about two used machines that caught Pete’s eye on the auction circuit recently and learn why right now is historically the best time to be a buyer.

With interest rates and expenses high and commodity prices still low, marketing and social media promotion is necessary to pull every last dollar of revenue out of good conditioned, used machines on the auction circuit.

Farmer buying behavior on new versus used machinery is often influenced by two factors: interest rates and the supply of viable, reasonably-priced upgrade options.

The farm equipment auction world is seeing a wave of farmer interest in hay tools, loader tractors, lower-cost machines and specialty niche equipment, like sugar beet harvesters and hay bale steamers.

The 2006 2388 harvester came within striking distance of an all-time record that has stood since 2007, and Machinery Pete has two auctions you must pay attention to this week.

Low-hour, like-new tractors, combines and even skid steers are drawing solid bidding activity, and the guys preview fall auction season and offer their best advice to get your auction in front of the right buyers.

A pair of 1980s-era John Deere 4440 tractors are prime examples that well-conditioned, pre-DEF used farm equipment continues to hold strong value on the used auction market.

According to Machinery Pete, the price of used high-horsepower tractors fell between 18% and 23% from 2023/24 levels, while regional auctions report used equipment values fell by as much as 40%. So far in 2025, used equipment values found footing, a trend on the verge of reversing due to growing strains in the farm economy.