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Why do the deals show up now?!


LMichaels

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So I recently bought a quite nice Sovereign as I have written about. I think I over paid a bit though it is in very decent condition and the new Command Pro 20 that was installed on it when the previous owner bought it has less than 300 hours on it. But for giggles and grins I have been watching sale ads and so why is it AFTER I buy something like this I see all the "deals" come out of the woodwork. Yesterday for example just saw a Sovereign listed for $250! I am sure owner is having issues with it as it appears from photos to have a Triad engine on it. Otherwise why else would an owner dump a machine like this with accessories (mower deck and snow blade) along with weights and chains for $250?! Heck I could repower that thing with perhaps a Predator on sale and still be quite a few $$$ to the good over what I paid for mine UGH! (although I must admit I was not looking for a project) but there are many other machines being listed for sale (different colors of course) but really nice ones nonetheless many for half what I gave. And when I got it this one was the best deal I could find in 2 states! Oh well

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I know  that it always seems that "the grass is geener on the other side", but, if you're happy with what you have.....enjoy it while you can.

 

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Yes, I know what you mean. Where I am, a fellow just had a compact tractor, a 25 horse Kubota  3 cylinder diesel with 4 wheel drive with front end loader and looked like 4 very recent tires. The whole tractor looked to be in very nice condition. Said it ran and operated well but started weird (whatever that meant). Said he didn't know anything about them and didn't have the time so listed it for $2000.00. It sold in under 5 minutes.

Another fellow had just listed a running Allis B10 that looked quite nice as far as paint etc. It came with a snow blower, tiller and mower. It was listed for $150.00 and didn't last long. Of course I missed both tractors.

 

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When I bought it I was budgeting either $1200 for the Kubota T16600HST diesel or in the vicinity. At the time I was looking everything eas asking well in excess of $1000 and even this one was at $1500. I flat out told the seller I was going to buy the Kubota and offered him the same $1200. He said yes I went back and brought it home on a trailer the next day. In my mind it was a lot of machine for the $$$. Now I am not so sure, though even the guy that bought my old B10 must have been seeing the same thing. I asked $650 for it and he couldn't take the money out fast enough. I wonder if he's slapping himself too? Now I am seeing nice ones listed for $300 though maybe these "deals" I am seeing are not as well kept as what I bought or sold. IDK maybe I should just not look LOL

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Don't second guess yourself on what you paid. If you got a decent tractor and are happy with the purchase, that's what really counts. Sometimes the seemingly better deals turn out to not be such good deals after all.

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Always remember, it is like a law of physics or something.  If you buy something, it will ALWAYS appear for way less very shortly after the purchase.  Amazing as it seems, this law also applies to selling.  Sell something for a decent price, and it will ALWAYS show up being sold for much more very shortly after the sale.  Like the others have said, if I am happy with it, I ignore everything else.  Life is good!  Enjoy!

Steve

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The problem is you live in an area where this tractors are plentiful so your going to find them cheaper sometimes if you keep looking. Down here they are few and far between so $1200.00 for a nice one is a real good deal. You have a late model Sov. with a 20hp kohler, a new kohler sells for $1500.00-2000.00. If it replaced a Triad, it needed a few thing done, wiring, drive shaft, etc. If it was done by a shop then that's a couple of hundred dollars. If the tractor is in decent shape, you didn't say if you got a deck with it, with 300 hr on it, I think $1200.00 is a good deal. Now a lot of the guys here buy and sell these thing regularly, and will probably say you paid to much, but if you weren't a 2000 mile round trip for me I would give you $100.00 more than you paid for it. Like a lot of us

 when we get a new toy, we tend to over think it. You did fine dOd. Now where did I put my coffee. 

Edited by Wilbur643
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I noticed the same thing after I bought my Sunstar. I found more than a few Sunstars for less than I paid, but mine is in really good shape, and has a newer engine (Magnum 20). And none of the deals I saw included a snowblower like mine did. So I didn't feel too bad about paying $1200 for a Sunstar with a 60" deck, a snowblower, and a newer Magnum 20. 

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Yep thanks everyone. The Command conversion was done by the dealer near Byron IL. They guy I got it from is a friend of the dealer owner. The original owner had the engine grenade on him and the dealer had it in the shop doing the repair. When it was done the original owner went to pick it up and saw a brand new one he liked better so he traded it in and had a new one delivered. Dealer knew this other guy wanted one so he bought it. Now here is the funny thing. He sold it because this same dealer came on to a brand new Sovereign Anniversary edition in the crate and untouched. So he called his friend and the guy could not pass on it and bought it. I saw it sitting there in the garage all fancy with chrome and so on. But my understanding is the 75th anniversary one is a 1997? And has a Triad on it. Correct? So in the end did the previous owner actually get the deal he thought? Honestly there are only 2 negatives I can say about it. First is it's just too big and unwieldy for my property (my B10 was actually "just right" in that regard), and 2 I am not used to the sound of the hydrostatic transmission compared to the old gear type which was pretty silent. As I get more used to it though the issue with being too large is becoming less of an issue. Though it still feels like driving the Titanic compared to the B10 LOL

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20 minutes ago, LMichaels said:

But my understanding is the 75th anniversary one is a 1997? And has a Triad on it. Correct?

Yes and yes.

But if you do all the mods to the Triad, it is my understanding it's a great engine and is more fuel efficient than the Command.  An issue is parts availability.  

22 minutes ago, LMichaels said:

First is it's just too big and unwieldy for my property

I understand.  I have a hilly property and the 7100 series is a bit more top heavy also.  That's why my "favorite" series is the 7000 series, a little bigger than the B series, but a little smaller than the 7100 series.  But the twin cylinder engines and hydro-lift sure are nice. 

 

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They sure are. There is a sweet spot I have found between engine speed, and setting ground speed with the hydro where it's a pretty quiet machine as well. It's just something I notice about hydros. My neighbor behind me has a big 0 turn machine. And I can hear that hydro whine all the way in my house even over the sound of his engine and the mower.

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@LMichaels I didn't know you were so close to me. I saw you mention Byron and I was kind of surprised. Then I looked and saw you are from Cherry Valley. I'm south of you a bit in Rochelle. dOd

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Yep, I actually went to Leaf River to get this Sovereign I bought. Almost bought the farm on the way back with it in tow on the trailer. Coming north on IL2 and a semi began crossing the center line and kept coming at me. I had to go to the edge of the road and it was all I could do to kepp the trailer behind me and upright before that driver woke up and realized he needed to be off his phone. Yeah he was THAT close

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23 hours ago, PhanDad said:

I have a hilly property and the 7100 series is a bit more top heavy also. 

I have found that a set of 26-12-12's fixes this incredibly well.  Very stable and great traction.  Night and day difference.  I run them all summer and 23-10.50-12 ag's for snow removal work in the winter.

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Yeah I have noticed the top heavy nature. I did put the wheel weights on it in an effort to hold it down when mowing my culvert which is so steep the neighbor gave up entirely with his little Cub lawn tractor. I may liquid fill the tires also like I did on the old B10.

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8 hours ago, LMichaels said:

Yep, I actually went to Leaf River to get this Sovereign I bought. Almost bought the farm on the way back with it in tow on the trailer. Coming north on IL2 and a semi began crossing the center line and kept coming at me. I had to go to the edge of the road and it was all I could do to kepp the trailer behind me and upright before that driver woke up and realized he needed to be off his phone. Yeah he was THAT close

I try to avoid traveling on RT 2 if possible. It's the worst. Glad the moron woke up and you lived to tell the tale. 

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56 minutes ago, cwm1276 said:

Wow guys.  I am in Stillman Valley.  

No kidding?  I get up there a fair amount. DL Performance is usually my destination

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