Buying and Selling Used Farm Equipment

Furthermore, Harmon says dealers interested in this business need to know when an old piece of used
equipment is in too bad of shape to bother upgrading. If you’re going to end up sticking more money
into it than it will sell for, it isn’t worth the investment.
“If a customer wants to trade in an old tractor with known engine and transmission problems, I’ll still
trade with him. And I may still give him more money than the average dealer would, but I go into it with
my eyes open. I’m probably not going to spend the same amount of time and money rebuilding that
tractor because it has too many basic problems. We have our favorite used pieces, but we are not
prevented from considering other equipment. You just have to be smart about what you buy and how
much money you put into it,” he explains.
Why Buy Used Equipment?
Why would a customer choose an old tractor over a new one? Harmon says many of his customers
appreciate the old used tractors for their simple technology.
“For example,” Harmon says, “Almost all Tier 4 engines today have DEF fluid, except for Versatile
equipment. This is not only a nuisance, but it costs money. So why do engines use DEF fluid? Because
many of these machines have small cubic inch engines from 11-13 liters. At Big Equipment, we use a 15-
liter engine with no DEF fluid. It has regeneration, but not the DEF fluid.
“I sell customers on this with the fact that with, for instance, a 19-liter motor with the torque down to
1,400 rpm, I can reduce the fuel consumption rate down by 25-30% less than most new tractors on the
market. DEF engines use fuel to burn off emissions to meet emissions standard. Older, larger cubic inch,
mechanical engines like those we use don’t do that,” he explains.
Once all of the tractor’s components have been checked, the electronics and hydraulics have been
updated and Harmon has explained the advantages of a mechanical engine, he says it’s not a tough sell
to convince customers to purchase used equipment.