Normally, I wrap up the year by highlighting some of the most interesting iron that never really got much attention on our social media. This year, though, I wanted to do something a little different. Instead, I’m focusing on a handful of my favorite tractors that actually changed hands at auction in 2025. Some were record-setters, some weren’t — but every one of them was cool in its own right.
So let’s kick things off at an estate sale back in January.
1975 John Deere 6030
It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for factory-built hot rods, and I’ve always loved the styling of the 6030 — especially with the big Wheatland fenders. While I never did uncover much of the backstory on this estate, I remember paging through the catalog and being genuinely impressed by the equipment lineup, particularly this tractor.
It was listed as an all-original machine with fewer than 4,800 hours, and it certainly looked like it had been well cared for. The bidders agreed. When the hammer fell, it brought just under $57,000.
I haven’t sat down with the TZPro data to prove it, but it feels like there’s a renewed appreciation for tractors in their work clothes. I’d even hazard a guess that if this one sold later in the year, it might’ve brought an even bigger number.
Auctioneer: Olympus Auctions
Date Sold: January 15, 2025
Location: Woodbine, IA
Price: $56,900
1995 New Holland 8870
The story of the Genesis tractors is one of the great success stories of farm equipment in the 1980s and ’90s. A group of people — many of whom had never worked together — came together and built an absolute world-beater. The Genesis line is tough as nails, and in my opinion, some of the most durable tractors ever built.
Dirk Isley owned this 8870 for more than 29 years, and it may have been the nicest original Genesis I’ve ever seen. Based on the rest of the equipment in the sale, I’m fairly certain it was still wearing its original paint. Good gravy, it was pretty.
It was well optioned, too: four remotes, nearly a full rack of front weights, powershift, quick hitch, 42-inch rubber in the back, and 28s up front.
The bidding got spirited, to say the least. When it was all over, a farmer from Unity, Wisconsin took it home for $75,500. I think we’re going to see more of these tractors come out of barns in the coming years. A lot of Genesis machines were sold over the production run, and they’ve aged extremely well. Don’t be surprised if $100,000 8970s are a reality in five to eight years — and even then, I think they’ll still be a bargain for what they can do.
Auctioneer: Schmid Auction
Date Sold: April 15, 2025
Location: Mode, IL
Price: $75,500
Farmall 856
Man alive, if this 856 doesn’t look like it crossing the scales for the 15,000-pound Super Stock class at the Effingham County Fair circa 1970, I don’t know what does. It’s not set up for tractor pulling, but it sure looks the part.
The tractor was fully restored and sits on relatively fresh Firestone 30.5s, with a full front rack of weights and five turns of wheel weights in the rear. The belly-bar weights are actually plastic — they don’t weigh anything — but they finish off the look perfectly.
Here’s the really cool part: this tractor has a King Brothers turbo kit installed. The King Brothers dealership in Arcola, Illinois engineered these kits in the ’60s by adapting components from the IH TD15 dozer. Back in the late ’60s, if you wanted to hurt feelings and bruise egos at a tractor pull, this was the setup to have. They’re pretty rare today.
On the PTO dyno, this 856 was good for about 220 horsepower, so the turbo definitely made its presence known.
When the dust settled, Bates Auction & Realty reset the auction price record for an 856 at $27,500. From where I’m sitting, that’s a steal for both the looks and the performance. I’m told it stayed fairly local, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see it blowing smoke at local plow days, dragging a 6-16 behind it.
Auctioneer: Bates Auction & Realty
Date Sold: July 5, 2025
Location: Wanatah, IN
Price: $27,500
1982 White 2-70
A red-stripe White 2-70 MFWD is a rare tractor, and this one comes with an especially good story — mainly because it never technically sold. In 1982, a dealer near Albany, New York ordered two of them: one for inventory and one for his own operation. He even picked both up directly from the factory in Coldwater, Ohio.
He set one rule from the start: only he and his son could run it. That changed one summer day in 1985 when he came home to find his hired man raking hay with it. That single moment essentially ended its working career. He unhooked the tractor, parked it in the back of the shed, and never really used it again.
When he parked it, the tractor still wore its factory reminder tags — drain the break-in oil after 20 hours and deflate the tires after delivery, since they shipped overinflated. About 15 years ago, he sold it to the Prissel family in Wisconsin, where it enjoyed an easy retirement among a rather mind-blowing collection of Oliver muscle tractors.
As priorities changed, Chad Prissel and his father chose to part ways with the collection, and Aumann Vintage Power hosted the online-only auction. The 2-70 exceeded expectations and headed to a collection in southern Illinois, where it will likely continue its quiet retirement.
Auctioneer: Aumann Vintage Power
Date Sold: December 4, 2025
Location: Woodbine, IA
Price: $75,600
Oh — and unless there’s an AGCO-White row-crop tractor I missed while checking records, this one now stands as the highest-priced White tractor ever sold at auction.
And last but not least…
1974 IH 1568
Cyrus Wilkie told me he and Chuck Tesch had a strong lineup for their annual December auction, but I didn’t fully grasp just how strong until I saw this tractor. This one-owner 1568 came out of Indiana, and if there’s a nicer, more original example anywhere, I haven’t seen it.
It shows 4,733 original hours and features a full front weight rack, two remotes, three-point, quick hitch, 20.8-38 Firestone Field & Roads, new 11-16 fronts, a clean cab with working air conditioning, and original paint.
Cyrus mentioned he had a good feeling about this tractor going into the auction, and that instinct turned out to be right. When the hammer fell, it brought $90,300 — putting us squarely into uncharted territory for V8-powered tractors.
They say a tractor is only original once, and more buyers seem willing to pay for that every year.
Auctioneer: C.A. Tesch
Date Sold: December 15, 2025
Location: Brillion, WI
Price: $90,300
Wrapping up…
What will the market bring in 2026? That’s anybody’s guess. But based on what we’re seeing in the TZPro database, certain corners of the collector market may be swinging upward again. That could be good news if you’re thinking about selling — and a gentle warning if you’ve been waiting to buy that tractor you’ve always wanted.
At the end of the day, life’s short, and there’s only so much time to start checking things off the bucket list.
As I sign off for the final time in 2025, I hope it’s been a good year for you. Here’s to a great 2026, full of memories made with some Interesting Iron of your own.
