48 WD for sale locally - worth?

Have a lead on a 48 model WD, s/n 26xxx, owner passed away and his daughter / son in law want to clean the place up and rent it out.  So all the "stuff" has to go.  I work with a friend of the family.

Hand clutch snaps in and out good, narrow front and steering has between 1/3 and 1/2 a round of play in it.  has an alternator and (I assume) a 12V coil.  Does not have a snap coupler; has been converted to 3 point hitch but does not have a place for a top link.  Drawbar appears homemade, so do the lift arms but they appear stout.

We hooked jumper cables to it and it would hit and run a little when choked - did not have a battery in it.  someone had put fresh gas in it but I don't know how long it had set.  Liquid in the radiator smelled like antifreeze - a good sign I guess.  AFAIK the old gentleman raked hay with it... my buddy from worked seemed to think that he remembered him talking about it being his raking tractor.

Rims are near perfect.  Front tires are new but one was flat; rear tires are up but have the worst dry rot I've ever seen - I'd be scared to drive it further than onto the trailer.

oddly enough, it has WD-45 decals on it.  I didn't meet the owner; a co - worker put me on it.  I talked to the owner (son-in-law) on the phone and tried to explain to him that it's not a WD-45; he may think I'm trying to screw him over but I ain't.  has a straight gearshift, the bolt-on engine cover on the right side of the block, and a WD26xxx serial number.

Anyway; craigslist only lists one WD locally; it's slick painted and ready to work with good tires for $1500.  has been on there for several weeks too; they post it about once a week.  another with an aftermarket wide front but no plug wires and distributor was on and is now gone, asking price was $750 on it.  I think mooboy went and looked at it.  looked like junk he said.

I offered the guy $300 and he said "i've had more than that offered" so I asked him what did he have to have for it; he said he really didn't know and he'd call me back.  I just wish he'd set a price instead of "what do <you> think it's worth?"

WD-45s ready to work around here seem to come on craigslist for $1000-1200 and disappear after a couple weeks or a month. 

Soooo.... what do y'all think this here WD is worth?

Well it's tought to say, since it only kinda runs, I would look at just over iron price to start.  Without ballast they weighed around 3500 pounds, without the tires it probalby weighs 2800lbs.  So Current iron price is between $250.00 and $300 per ton, so scrap price only would be between $350.00 and $420.00, depending on how the yard classifies the tractor.  So there is your starting point.  Since it really doesn't run, and the steering sounds really worn, and the tires are shot, you are not going to get much more, in my humble opinion.  I would ask $750.00, but be prepared to take $500.00 at the most.  Problem is there are a million WDs out there, and many in far better shape, so you are kinda stuck with a pile of scrap iron. Sorry I read that as though you were selling it, sorry.

Edited by Orange Blood - 15 Feb 2011 at 8:20pm

That serial number falls in 1949 I believe.

10-4.  would rather have another 45 personally, so would dad.... might as well stick to my guns at $500, if he can get more from someone who thinks its a 45 then more power to him.  (I have a lead on a fair set of used tires or else I'd be out all the way)

thanks y'all....

in edit:  I misread the s/n table, thought all the ones listed were the beginning number for each year.  whoops.  does look like a 49. 


Edited by cbuttre835 - 16 Feb 2011 at 6:12am

I just saw a WD with a converted blade and a plow on Cl here for 850.00  good runner.