I am looking at a piece of property that has an old tractor, brush hog, square and round balers.  Prior owners farmed the place for years but passed and their kids are selling the place.  No one seems to know anything about the tractor, when it last ran, etc.

For purposes of price negotiation on the property, do you think that this looks like it can be fixed up and got working again or is it a piece of junk?  I am fairly handy and have tools, but I am not a tractor mechanic.  I will want to use the tractor to produce hay, mow and maintain a 20 acre farm.

Pics below.

its a machine , it can always be fixed

I have seen worse brought back to life.

Tractor is workable, bailer probably not...

For shits and giggles what model number John deere is that? Looks like a 4010/4020, theres a guy on youtube in the middle of a complete restore of a 4010, names "Onelonleyfarmer". I mean from my standpoint it looks in workable condition as long as no waters got down into the motor and seized it up. Maybe have someone who knows an old deere like that come take a good look at it. Hell maybe some fresh fuel, a snort of crack in a can, and a jumper pack and she might wake back up

I'll agree, balers shot to shit, but the batwing mower looks good. Check hydro hoses and cylinders (visual check first then check under pressure. Make sure the gearboxes have gear oil in them and that the blades are on correctly, would not suggest engaging the PTO until you do that, seen a few times a blade come from under one and believe me it is not fun. Also check the slip clutches on those PTO shafts (The giant disc right before the shaft goes into the gearbox) to make sure they are tight, if not when then you run the risk of it slipping and not cutting like it's supposed to.

As I said, maybe give a call to the nearest John Deere dealer and inquire about a mechanic who's had experiences with the 4020 tractors. Might be a simple job to get it going again, might turn out to be a money pit, truthfully I'd restore it either way, nothing runs and works quite like old iron does

Looks like a 4020 or so. Shouldn't have water damage, as there is a flapper on the exhaust. No muffler it seems,  I'd add one . Tires look great, which is a major expense to treplace.

Bailer is ptobably junk as said, but you never know. 

That series tractor is now considered an antique. Parts ate still available.

Looks like it's got life left in it.  Find a mechanic.

You will find the electrical system to be somewhat complex. Generator, starter are 24 volt and insulated from the frame. Lights and gauges are all all 12 volt. Your best bet is to introduce yourself on YesterdaysTractor.com
Everyone seems helpful with loads of info. Let me know if I can help you! Tires alone on that are worth $1600-2000.

4010 diesel?  I can't tell by looking at the pics.  The tractor looks like it has sat outside all its life but I doubt it is junk.  Getting it running and driving will tell the real story.  The clutch pedal isn't wore smooth so I doubt it has a million hours on it.  One other way to check for high hours on a synchro transmission is how deep of a notch is wore on the shift lever where it contacts the shift "gates".   If this tractor had a "new" paint job most people would be breaking open their wallet for it.

Does the engine turn over?

I don't think it's sat there too god awful long either, it's not grown in like the baler is

we had an 4020,  it was the boss for the time.....

As far as the sellers know it's all rusted out junk that you will have to pay someone to haul off. No way that anything should be added to the overall price of the property ! See what you can get the stuff to do AFTER you buy the property !

Have fun with fuel system. The IP is almost certainly shot.
Not saying you would have to, but, if you aren't confident doing engine work, pass.
If I needed a tractor and the price was right, I'd get it.
The bush hog looks like rust and worn out gear boxes to me. Price a gear box....

I don't think so ... I'll come down with a trailer and haul it away for you
It can be fixed everything can be it's a matter of time and money but yes it looks to be along the lines of a 4020 (guess) I'd throw some new batteries filters and fresh fuel in and give it a shot you can manually prime the lift pump. And fuel lines are easy to get at so you can drain the old fuel out and look for crap when you drain it save old fuel to start the bonfire after you get it running and have a celebratory beer that you did it by yourself

Are you asking if the Tractor adds value to the property you're looking to buy? If so, no of course it doesn't. It's a crappy old tractor and if they want to include it's value in the price they go for less than 2-3 grand in better shape. 

If you're asking if the tractor adds value FOR YOU if it comes with the property, then yes it does, as those things are pretty tough and worse comes to worse you can get a second one cheap and scavenge for parts. 

Not to hijack, this is what was left on my property. I am planning to start working on in the spring.

If that is a running 4020 it can be used or sold for decent money.  If it is not running it can be repaired.

Those are strong capable (older) machines.

A good running early 4020 diesel around here is a $5-10k tractor.  Still a lot of guys loving them after 50+ years.

It has the toolbox in the seat support so it should be a 4020 (as opposed to the earlier 4010) unless someone changed that.  34" tires were more popular in the 4020's day also, more common to see them on 34's than 4010's.

I would keep that on the down low in the dealings but for sure that thing is worth something to somebody.  Might need everything, might only need batteries... no way of knowing.  Sheetmetal looks good, tires are up, has two sets of weights (on one side anyway) gauges are not knocked out and the engine isn't a greaseball.  Missing the sway blocks for the three point, odd shaped hunks of cast iron that bolt on the sides of the drawbar support and may not have worked with his bale stabber.  Watch for them in the corner of a shed somewhere, still available new either OEM or aftermarket (or used of course)  Loader is worth $1-2k on its own.  If it needs an engine that could be another $10k on its own (but you do know what has for an engine then though)  The mower is probably ok.  Burned out baler is scrap.

IMO the tractor looks like it was parked because the old feller was done moving hay for the day, not because it threw a rod or something major.  That being said rain caps can be blown up in storms for water to get into the engine, they are not a sure thing.  Same for however his straightpipe mates with the manifold, water can get in there too.  Looks like an average well cared for but used 4020 to me, not horribly neglected or abused on the outside.  The serial number tag is on the back, you can see it on the picture of the rear between the center link bracket and the hoses for the loader, places online like tractordata or jensales have serial number lookups and jensales also sells reprinted manuals if you get that far with it.  

My rule though is if it doesn't run, scrap price.  If the family doesn't know or care enough to get it running is is obviously hard to know what it is worth.  Call a salvage yard and see what they get for a dead but clean 4020.  But IMO it sure has a lot of potential.

The 4020 is a hugely popular tractor, like legendary.  Like the 1911 of tractors.  Others may be newer or lighter but it is still in the fight and pretty much a benchmark all other 100hp tractors are compared to.  If this one (or another one) has been taken care of it would be great for 20 acres of haying.

Based on the pictures, the tractor looks to be in very good shape.  If operational, it would be way more than enough machine to hay 20 acres.  I do about 15 acres with much smaller equipment.  If you're getting additional haying equipment to use behind this tractor, pay attention that you don't exceed maximum horsepower ratings of the equipment.

OP here.  Thanks very much for the wealth of information shared.

Turns out that the tractor in question runs just fine and belongs to one of the kids who are selling the estate.  He has since removed the tractor from the property I'm trying to buy (under contract now!), so it's not part of the property purchase negotiation.  But, the kid is in his 70s and may have some health issues and might be willing to sell me the tractor in a side deal.

So - new questions.  What's a fair price?  What things should I watch out for and inspect?  I'm inclined to want to buy it.  It seems plenty big enough HP wise to do whatever I need for the 21 acres, and I don't care that much about the cosmetic issues.  Hell, I might even get some paint and make it pretty again.

From one pic I saw it looked to be leaking hydro fluid, that's something to look out for. Also make sure she has all her gears and she doesn't "tighten up" as some people would call it. Check the oil, make sure there isn't enough blow-by to create a smoke screen. Find out whether it starts by itself or weather it needs a shot of Crack in a Can. Make sure all lines are tight and not dry rotted or leaking. All seals are good to go and aren't bypassing. Check wires, make sure none of them are rubbed through or exposed or look just plane awful (Know a guy who lost his 4020 to old/bad wiring). Make sure he PTO functions. Check the clutch and make damn sure both brakes work. Lights....eh, if you think youll be working at night make sure they work. Make sure the Rad is blown free of dirt and free flowing................might wanna consider a turbo kit for shits and giggles

That^

check the 3-point lift arms for capacity/flow,
check the FEL for range of movement and any squeaking/creaking/cracking/snapping/metal on metal noises,
check all the grease zerts to see if they have been getting greese,
check the water trap for the condition of the fuel filter there (not as much of a problem with that tractor but new ones with fancy crap injectors don't like dirty fuel),
could run an oil test at NAPA or where ever for metal shavings in oil or hydro,
check the steering for squeaking/creaking/cracking/snapping/metal on metal noises,
put her up against a tree and see if it'll spin the tires and listen for squeaking/creaking/cracking/snapping/metal on metal noises,
see if you can hook it up to that brush hog and brush hog with it a bit.  

About all I might try and do, but that would be buying a tractor not adding it to a house purchase so depends on how much time you want to spend on the tractor side of the deal.

I have a 3020 about that age runs great. Make sure it's diesel. JD parts cost$$$$$$!  The rest is scrap metal. Value of the tractor about 4,000 as it sits.

Really, I'd suggest a John deere mechanic come look it over before you even consider purchasing it.

Back when I was a kid my dad's boss bought an 8N Ford from a guy only to have it blow the motor the same day he bought it.....so you sure as shit don't want that.

Its almost always fixable it just depends on how much your willing to invest to get it running.

It looks workable.  I have seen worse still in operation.  With that said it would be almost impossible to budget repairs until you start pulling everything apart and looking inside.

I guess it would also depend on if you want a tip/top shape tractor, or don't mind topping of the oil and fluids every fuel up.  

Big budget difference in just getting it running, and repairing things as necessary, vs pulling it into the garage and starting a full rebuild/ refurbish.

If you "just get it running" don't get to down on yourself when something breaks or needs tinkering every other time you use it.  

An old Leader, very cool

Sure it can, but can you afford it? God help you if you have to split the tractor in half to fix something. We had about a 20 year old 4000 series that we just traded on a new JD 4066. The PTO clutch wouldn't engage and they were trying to figure out if it was a switch problem or a clutch problem. It ended up being a switch, but they were gonna dock us for about $2k in trade-in value if they had to break the tractor down just to replace the clutch.

When they delivered our new tractor, it had the backhoe installed and they forgot to bring the top link for the three point. I needed it so I drove up about 30 minutes to the dealership to pick it up. When I walked through the shop, they had several large tractors broken down for various repairs. I just had to stop for a minute and talk to the mechanic they had working on one. Bad synchos. He had that thing split in half and it looked like a major tear down, not only was everything disassembled, but you got these major sections of the tractor split up and stacked on blocks and jacks and hanging from overhead hoists. I remember my grandfather doing the same thing in his shop.

I'm not saying it's not worth it, my grandfather's 4010 is still running at least on a hobby basis and it's older than I am. I've driven it, and as far as old tractors go, it's not bad.

I just sold a Ford 9n last night. It needed to be completely overhauled and I ain't got time for that. $600 and I'll enjoy our new tractor that works.

Yea if syncros go out you can expect it to be split 3 times,cab removed and everything just to get to the powershift packs