So we had a Memorial Day BBQ and my soon to be brother in law is helping me screw with the track on the 977H and he asks what I paid for it. I told him $5300 and he says " no ****, I thought something this big would be worth a lot more". That raised the question, what did these things sell for new. Mine is apparently a 1964 model 977H. Anyone know where to find out? I've never seen prices on any print ads from that era. I suggested that I may have paid close to original retail price, 49 years later.... Brett
The 977H retailed at about $18,000 in 1964 to 1966, 36,000 LBS @ 0.50/LB.
I was going to guess $25,000 on the new 1964 977 . Back then an average new automobile was around $2,500 . My buddy bought a new JD 450C crawler / loader in the early 1980's . It cost in the $ 30,000 range at that time .
That was the result of the hyper-inflation of that nitwit Carter. I remember interest rates at 21% for loans...IF you could get one. It took Reagan to straighten out the economy in 82.
The public library has books with statistics with years prices corn wheat machine tools etc your price seems right on per ton machine tools
I learn that, not to mention much more, from the two best equipment managers in the heavy construction business, Jim Hamill (S.J. Groves & Sons Co. and Schiavone Construction Co.) and Joe Fitzpatrick (Conduit & Foundation Corp.)
My first boss bought a 966 in 1968/9 he paid $18,000 for it and ran it for 10 years, sold it in the late 80's for $30,000. Those were the days. That will never happen again. He also bought a D6C in 1966 and I ran it in 1990 for him, when he shut in 97 I bet he got almost what he paid for it as well.
Interesting to look back in time what stuff cost . For the most part on large items & fuel we are paying about the same price today with inflation figured in . What I noticed in this 1967 Sears book is smaller items cost allot back then . Lawn mowers , bicycles , home air conditioners , ect .
Don't know about others but this term "antique-machines" gets me. How can they be antique? I remember when they were the shinny new machines in the quarry!
And many of them, 977L, D8H, D8K, 14E, 631, 12G, 14G are over 40 years old and still in daily use.
Nice list, add to that 966C's they use to be a dime a dozen, now a days you'd only get 8 for a dime, but still a lot of them around. I would like to know how many of the first batch of D3's to show up in BC are still working. I know of two early model D3's that are still going strong. I think it was 74 or so when Finning/Cat brought out the 910 wheel loader, 931 track loader and D3. I believe they had 30 of each or so to sell and they sold them pretty cheap,my brother in law bought a 931.
My machines are not shinny anymore but my head makes up for it.
Yes the company I worked for had many 966C's and think they practically gave them away to a local gravel bed operator. Just a couple years back the few left in the company, mostly parts machines, were sold at auction and the prices non-running machines missing tires and other parts brought shocked the heck out of me. Iron Planet Inspector who came out to look at one of our other machines said they are one of the best sellers. The fancy all electronic machines are nice when you have dealer support or trained mechanics with lap top and Cat ET handy but when out in the woods or jungle an old 966C will win hands down.
Every one that comes up on auction around here commands big dollars by the exporters. They claim they all go to the middle east.
I went thru the latest equipment advertiser here in the office. 966c's there is a 1971 - $33,000 , an 80' for $34000 and an 89 for $35,000. Those were dealers/brokers. Some private ads had 2- in the $25K area. 10 years from now they will still be in the same price range $25-35K. Cheers LD