The planter market remains steady

The demand for used planters remains stable, with a decent number of units available both at auction and through dealers. However, the options for upgrades and retrofitting older units makes this market more interesting as planters can be nearly infinitely customized to meet your farm’s exact needs. 

“In the late 2010s, the planter market settled down,” says Casey Seymour, owner of Moving Iron LLC. “It’s never really gotten out of control since then. One planter comes in, one planter goes out. Every planter out there is in competition with every other planter out there.” 

Month-over-month planter sales increased slowly during the summer and fall of 2023, which is normal as buying ramps up with year-end purchasing, he notes. 

Deere’s machinefinder.com website of dealer-available equipment revealed 100 John Deere 1795 16/31-row planters in model years 2021 to 2023 were available at the end of 2023. Dealer pricing ranged from $405,000 for a 2023 planter in Iowa with 2,500 acres to $179,900 for a 2022 model in Illinois with 9,000 acres. 

Expanding the search to all makes in model years 2021 to 2023 available at online auctions, Auction Time listed 12 16-row planters sold during 2023, with a range of $228,400 for a 2023 John Deere 1775 in Iowa to $87,900 for a 2021 Kinze 3605, also in Iowa. Tractor House had 13 units sold with a 2022 John Deere 1795 in Nebraska grabbing the highest bid of $272,750 and a 2021 Case 2150 in Iowa bringing $99,000. 

The number of acres was less of a factor than how the planter was equipped. The lowest priced unit didn’t have a bulk seed delivery system while nearly all the others sold did. Technology, especially high-speed capability, seemed to be driving the hammer prices on the higher end, along with a variety of custom options that differed with each unit.

Aftermarket upgrades affect the market

Looking at older planter models, specifically 2015 to 2020 model year 16-row planters, Auction Time shows 29 sales in 2023. Sale prices ranged from $8,900 for an incomplete 2017 Great Plains planter in Kansas all the way to $231,100 for a 2019 John Deere 1795 ExactEmerge in Illinois. Nine of the units sold went for more than $100,000, due in part to the availability of aftermarket upgrades, making it possible to create a custom piece of equipment with the latest technology for a fraction of the cost of buying new. 

“We’re starting to see some older planters being bought first,” Seymour says. “Instead of spending $500,000 on a new planter, farmers can spend $150,000 on an older one and add the upgrades. For less money, they still have the technology they would get on a brand-new machine.” 

Not in the market for planter changes this year? Be sure to check out this maintenance guide for tips on keeping your unit in top condition.

A new era in equipment

Traditionally, you’ve had two choices when it comes to upgrading your planter: Buy new or buy used. 

“Now, we’re giving customers a third choice of upgrading their current equipment to get new technology,” says Yancy Wright, precision upgrade marketing manager for John Deere. “There’s a clear differentiation in price for all those scenarios, and the customer can make the right decision for their farm.”

The ability to retrofit and upgrade older units allows more farmers the opportunity to use the latest tech, he adds.

“The idea is not to confine technology to just those customers who purchase new equipment regularly, but to make it available to as many customers as possible,” he says. 

Many options available

John Deere offers upgrades compatible with 2005 model year planters and newer. 

“Key upgrades we have available for planters include ExactEmerge metering and seed delivery technology, the ExactRate fertilizer system, a central tire inflation system that allows you to change your psi to reduce in-field compaction, and a frame weight distribution system, along with smaller upgrades like LED lights,” Wright says.  

Deere rolled out a new Precision Ag Essentials package for the 2024 growing season, which includes a G5plus universal display, a Starfire 7000 receiver, and a modem.

“It’s a lower-cost investment in those three components that allows customers to get into that technology,” Wright says. “They can then choose to pay annually for the amount of precision they want.”

Precision Planting, based in Tremont, Illinois, focuses on aftermarket upgrades. 

“One reason a farmer might want to do a retrofit or upgrade is because new equipment is expensive, and they can get the new technology at a lower cost,” says Bryce Baker, Precision Planting director of marketing. “But the other school of thought from a Precision Planting perspective is the opportunity to get technology that’s not even available on a new piece of equipment.”

Baker says Precision Planting products are typically designed to pay for themselves with improved yield and better mechanical performance within two years, sometimes less.

“If I invest $30,000 and that pays for itself in two years, but I keep my planter for five years, I just made $90,000,” he says. “Or, if you look at it another way, doing nothing in that same scenario would cost me $150,000 over those five years.”

Unless you’re changing the number of rows, row spacing, or going to or from a central fill system, Baker says you’ll likely be better off financially to upgrade your existing planter than buying a different one. 

Condition of a planter

Upgrading versus buying a different machine comes with points to ponder. 

Casey Seymour, owner of Moving Iron LLC, advises you consider the structural integrity of the bar before investing in upgraded technology. 

“If the bar has 150,000 acres on it, there might be some issues,” he says. “I’m waiting for a manufacturer to say, ‘Hey, before you put on this upgrade kit, let’s do an X-ray to make sure the bar is still sound.’ If that bar breaks, who’s responsible for the warranty?”

Baker says Precision Planting’s products can be retrofitted on planters going back 20 years. 

“Planter maintenance is the major thing that would prevent the ability to upgrade,” he says. If key components such as the parallel arm bushings, gauge wheels, and seed tube guards are in good shape, upgrades should be possible and effective. 

“You could have a disaster if those things are out of whack and you put on all new technology,” he adds. “Expecting the best stand you’ve ever had, when the $20 piece at the bottom of the furrow protecting the seed tube was worn and caused it to not function as intended.” 

He believes the upgrade market will continue to provide good return on investment for farmers. 

“As more and more planters continue to have upgraded technology, retrofitting older planters with new technology will increase or maintain resale value,” says Baker.

Resale market

When these retrofitted planters end up at auction or on the dealer lot, how will they be marketed to future buyers? 

“Do I have a 2023 planter because it was upgraded in 2023, or do I have a 2017, when it was originally manufactured?” Seymour asks. 

Baker says there are different ways to look at it. “If I have an 8-year-old planter, and I do the upgrades, maybe it’s new technology or things you can’t even get from the factory, is that still an 8-year-old planter? Or is it an 8-year-old frame and a brand-new planting system? The end of the planter that’s actually determining seed placement is new.”

He suggests a dual-year concept, with one year for the frame and another for the technology.

Installation

Buyers have a choice for installing updates. 

“We have a large amount of customers who choose to do the install on their own, as a winter project,” says Wright. “We also have some customers who go to their dealers and say, ‘Just do it for me.’ I wouldn’t say one is better than the other.”

Baker recommends using the Precision Planting premier dealer network for installation of more advanced control systems and electronics, but says mechanical upgrades such as seed firmers or CleanSweep row cleaners would be possible for a farmer to install at home.