This 1988 John Deere AMT 600 can be found posted here on craigslist in Maynardville, Tennessee, and the seller is asking $3,200. Here is the original listing. It’s my fault that the above tip went away, but thankfully, Rocco B just sent in this same exact tip, and the listing is active again. So thanks to both Jack M. and Rocco B. for tracking down this five-wheeler farm find!
“$3,200?! It didn’t cost that much new!!!” Well, according to this 1988 John Deere AMT 600 ad, it was $3,399. You’re saving $199! The dump box has been repainted black; you can see some green coming through in a few areas. We don’t know why that happened, but the graphics are spot-on, so maybe it was a factory thing, or maybe whoever painted it got new decals or something. There’s no mention of it in the listing. The green portion appears to have been repainted, as some of the factory striping isn’t shown.
AMT stands for All Materials Transport, but this John Deere AMT 600 brochure says to remember it by its nickname: Almost a Truck. The seller says this example has the optional hydraulic-assist dump bed option, and they provided a photo showing the bed/box in the up position. That’s a nice feature for sure; otherwise, you’re dumping 600 pounds of stuff by lifting the bed by hand. It also looks a little rusty under there, and you can see at least surface rust in many other areas.
Speaking of surface rust… But this is a tough workhorse; I wouldn’t let a little surface rust or missing paint worry you too much. We saw another AMT 600, the unusual ATV-looking five-wheel model, a decade ago here on Barn Finds. There were a couple of other models, which we have also seen here: the two-seater five-wheel AMT626, and the two-seater AMT622 Transporter. My oddball three-wheeler Commuter Industries TE-380 is an ancestor of John Deere’s AMT series. I think of these things as tough farm and ranch vehicles, not anything to use to go camping. JD must have wanted to tap into the recreational market with this ad.
The 8.5-horsepower Kawasaki four-stroke single-cylinder engine powers the AMT600, and a centrifugal clutch system with a belt provides power to all four rear wheels. The AMT600 has a thumb throttle and a hand brake on the left grip, whereas the two-seaters have a steering wheel and floor pedals. If anyone is interested in a wealth of cool brochures on the AMT series, here you go! I’m sure a few of you have owned or currently own John Deere AMTs like this one or similar. I’m not surprised this one hasn’t sold yet, with the unusual paint, surface rust, and high price. Please let us know your thoughts on them in the comments!
This looks neat. I’ve never ridden one. But I’d imagine that this would be welcome on a large piece of property. 600 pounds for around the house is more than plenty. Looks solid overall I wouldn’t change a thing.
Driven this one and a 6 wheeler. Enjoyed the 6 wheeler much more. Great workhorses these are either way. Turf tires leave practically no marks.
A UTV is more comfortable and practical. A small work horse, like a 401cc Kawasawki Mule is the best little worker. Better seating position, plus a work partner can sit next to you.
I owned one for about 5 years. Mine came without the hydraulic dump-box lift, and was nearly impossible to lift when heavily loaded. I added a hydraulic cylinder, and used a marine hydraulic trim pump to solve that problem. The mechanical disc brakes on these are notorious for 2 reasons: They are relatively ineffective (even when “working”), and the parts are very expensive ….if you can get them. I solved that problem with a trip to a motorcycle wrecking yard. For about $100 I got the parts I needed to convert to a hydraulic system: Handbrake/master, lines and calipers. Don’t ask what bike the calipers came from – I got them from a big bin, and they bolted on. The brakes worked great after that. The AMT did not steer particularly well when loaded, and took alot of effort. When both axles were engaged it tended to plow forward, especially in mud/snow. My wife hated driving it.
We sold it when we moved about 5 years ago, and bought a Kubota diesel side by side. My wife loves the Kubota.
I see AMTs pop up for sale locally (within an hours drive) a once or twice a year. The one for sale here is overpriced. The AMTs were painted JD green, so someone has painted the box black.
If you need something like this around your rural property, I suggest getting a rig with 4 or 6 wheels. If you like JD, consider a Gator.
If you live somewhere that gets nasty winters (like us), I strongly suggest something with a heated cab.
Everything today is overpriced no matter what someone is selling especially cars.Here is a example FB Marketplace Phoenix.89′ Ford Festiva with 348,000 for only $ 3,000.00 or a 1990 with 243,000 miles for $ 3,800.00
I’m in the process of writing a book on an operation we conducted in 2002 on Vozrozdeniya Islan in the Aral Sea to remove some left-over anthrax from the Soviet era test facility that was there and we had one of these as our “camp vehicle” – you could NOT kill it! It was an absolute lifesaver! Hauled lumber, people and equipment for “days” without ever skipping a beat!
What were they thinking? Got to start somewhere. I read, not technically called a “Gator”, but they evolved from this. Looking at reviews, it was a very poor design. With rear axles locked, the steering was useless, and slow. These topped out at FIFTEEN(15) mph, so roll overs were not an issue. Not to poo-poo this entirely, for what it was designed for, it did a lot of work. The Gator really was the improved version, with 28 mph possible. I still think this is a great find for any farm, home or municipal use. I can’t find any legal ramifications on these or Gators, for that matter, so people who bought these, generally knew what they were doing. Not like those crybaby 3 wheelers. Stuff like this doesn’t stay for sale long.
AMT History:
A small company called Commuter Industries in Iowa had been building 3 and 5 wheel versions starting in about 1975. Someone in management from Deere saw one at a farm show in the mid-eighties, and bought the rights.
There was also a similar vehicle sold in the 70s and 80s, called the “Heald Hauler”. It was only available in kit form from the Heald Company of Benton Harbor.
Cam W and Howard A are all mostly right. Top speed on the 4 wheel Gator is around 28 mph and on the 6 wheel Gator is 15 mph. I own a 6 wheel version and trust me (the old Pro-Rally driver that can’t get enough of speed on dirt and gravel roads) you don’t want to go any faster on a 6 wheel Gator. As the only rear suspension is the tires! So hitting any kind of bump over that speed WILL toss you out! (don’t ask me how I know!) And they are completely right about steering with all 4 rear drive wheels locked in. You only need 1 acre to turn around in. But, with all 4 wheels locked in, it would probably climb a tree. When I can pry my wife’s hands off the steering wheel. I have used the Gator to haul a dead car through the sand to the garage for refurbishment with no trouble. There have been times even on concrete that it runs out of traction. When in that case it starts to burn rubber, all 4 at the same time! We have 10 acres in the desert and this is a fantastic “hired hand!”
Cam W is spot on with his remarks. I have one . If you have hilly property its dangerous with one wheel up front. The Plastic fenders are gone on this one . Forget about getting new factory ones . Discontinued by J Dear and the ones listed on ebay are dried up broken plastic. This is twice the $ money its worth. I know I have one on farm.
I’ve had an 87 AMT 600 since 1999 and find it very handy for hauling leaves and dirt. Bought it for $2500 at the time. It is currently a 3 wheeler and is easier to turn on 3 wheels. Some years ago one of the brake cables broke and they are not available due to a design change in the cable ends, so it has brakes on one wheel only. Wish I knew what motorcycle calipers “just bolt on”; I’d like to have two wheel brakes again.
Forgot to mention that I also have a JD AMT 600 pedal car. It was so cute I had to have it.