Tractors
With 8- to 12-year-old machinery selling off, farmers are pivoting between late-model iron and precision retrofit kits to bypass new equipment prices.
Strong bidding on clean 1970s tractors drives well-above-average prices across the Midwest
Attention now turns to Georgia, where low-hour Case IH and Deere iron could set brand-new auction highs.
Farmers are running fewer machines for longer hours, turning to high-tech retrofits and leveraging improved cash-flow expectations to upgrade existing equipment.
Drought forced Kentucky farmer Quint Pottinger to cut costs. His answer: a driverless retrofit kit, a smaller tractor and an 8-row planter that now plant his 2,000 acres of row crops on their own.
Strong mid-horsepower prices in Mississippi, low-hour gems in Ohio and an 84% drop in late-model inventory highlight why clean used equipment continues to command top dollar.
With diesel hitting a record $6.51 per gallon, lawmakers are weighing export curbs that could trigger an immediate domestic price drop — though market experts warn any relief will be short-lived.
While late-model horsepower commanded top dollar, hidden gems turned heads — including the first-ever 1984 Case 2394 built and a 1999 Chevy pickup that fetched nearly $24,000.