Buying Advice Looking for a good price

[woodcarver11]

I'm looking to buy my first compact yanmar and I noticed Stormer tractors out of North Carolina has exactly what I want. Is anyone familiar with this company? The 90 day warrnaty seems pretty short compared to many others.

 

[rmully]

Last year when i was looking for a good used tractor I went to Stormers. Nice guy BUT they are VN tractors so it is a pig in a poke as to what you get.

 

[woodcarver11]

Thats to bad,I thought I had found the right one but I guess I'll keep looking,I don't want buy something I have to work on right away.

 

[Smoody]

just because it is a vn doesn't mean you will have to work on it after you buy it, could be a reliable machine for many years. but know the risks before you make the purchase, searching this forum about vn recons will better prepare you in your decision.

 

[Car Doc]

Hey welcome to the Yanmar forum woodcarver!

 

[rmully]

Thats to bad,I thought I had found the right one but I guess I'll keep looking,I don't want buy something I have to work on right away.

There are many good honest dealers on this forum, check into what they have and what shipping would cost you. I bought a tractor in WI and it cost me $600 to ship it to me in NC. The year I have had it I have had no problems. When I got it I changed all the fluids, filters. Starts right up even in the 25 deg weather. Good luck with your search and see if the guys here could help you find what your are looking for. FYI there is a guy in Concord NC that sells VN tractors so i would not shop there either.

 

[Old Hillbilly]

..... FYI there is a guy in Concord NC that sells VN tractors so i would not shop there either.

This is my first post here so I realize I have zero credibility with you folks, but I could not let mention of the "guy in Concord" as somehow being a dealer to avoid just because he sells VN tractors go unanswered since I have dealt with him personally. Last week I purchased an FX32D Yanmar from him after seeing his advertisements on Craigs List. I talked with him by phone several times over several weeks asking questions about the tractor, as well as going to try it out in person.

One of the first questions I asked him was "is it a VN tractor" to which he replied yes without hesitation. I then asked him what the reconditioning process included. He went over the standard list of things that were "suppose to be replaced" then told me since he was not present when it was reconditioned, he could not vouch for what was or was not replaced but was only repeating what he was told by the distributor. He did tell me that once he gets these tractors in he personally goes over them in his shop, replaces all the fluids and oil, including filters to make sure everything is fresh and filled to the correct capacity. He also greases them along with the loader. He then takes each tractor out on his farm and puts it through its paces to make sure everything is working properly.

Does this insure I got a good tractor....no, it does not. But it does tell me he is trying his best to be up front and provide a good machine to his customers...at least in my opinion. I talked to him about the bad reputation the VN tractors have and asked him about how the ones he is selling had performed so far. He said he has sold them for a few years now and so far his customers have had no problems other than the minor glitch here and there, mentioning a leaking fuel shut off and one failed alternator specifically.

I have no idea how many tractors he has sold since going in business but I do know he had probably a dozen in inventory at his place in Concord. I asked who he bought them from and he told me the wholesalers he dealt with saying that over the years he had learned that some of the VN importers are better than others as far as the quality of their product and he had learned which ones to deal with. Don't ask me specifically who he buys from as I cannot remember. I do remember him saying that he gets parts from Hoye if he finds something on one of his tractors that needs replacing before he sells it...and that they are good people to deal with.

One thing he did say that I found interesting is that he told me specifically to not put any trust in the hours showing on the hour meter because the rebuilders always set them back. He said he wished they would leave them alone so they would show the actual hours on the tractor.

Did I get a good tractor? Time will tell and I sure hope so but since I have used it maybe 2 hours I have know way of knowing. It may break tomorrow. If it does, I'll fix it. I just hope it will serve me as well as my John Deere 650 built by Yanmar has since I bought it new in the early 1980's....but if not, as I said, I will fix it. All I know is that the "guy in Concord" seems like a straight up fellow and a man that went the extra mile to answer all my questions and see that I was satisfied with what I received.

I hope this information is received in the vein it was offered...not as an endorsement or condemnation of this or any other dealer or the condemnation or promotion of a VN tractor, but simply one man's experience dealing with this fellow....who droved for almost 3 hours to deliver this tractor to me in a snow storm. Just thought I would pass this along for what it is worth. Good luck in your search.

 

[woodcarver11]

Thank you all for the replies,I live in middle of the country and when I do purchase a tractor I most likely won't be able to travel the dealer to inspect it. I will spend some time with you all before I make any decisions . Maybe I can figure out the good and the less than good dealers. I really don't mind doing some minor repairs but I would hate to buy something that would require some major work.

 

[rmully]

Hill Billy ...I never want to step on anyones toes and the fellow in Concord is a very nice upfront person.... the problem of VN tractors lies with me. Any used tractor is a gamble but I would just rather purchase a tractor that I knew a little move about the history. Welcome to TBN

 

[Old Hillbilly]

Thanks for the welcome rmully. I realize VN tractors can be a crap shoot (as are all used tractors...even the ones you know the history of to a certain degree as you pointed out) but for me, it was a calculated risk I was willing to take based on the price. Others may not want to take that risk. I think I got a lot of tractor for a good price...one that gives me a little leeway should something break. Like I said, if it breaks, I will fix it. I have restored old equipment for years and owned and operated a local power equipment company for many years so I am use to fixing stuff. I hope I don't have to though...time will tell. I just wanted to let folks know that the guy in Concord was very up front with me and seems like a stand up fellow. He is welcome in my home anytime. I have lurked here on the forum for several years and never had anything constructive to offer until now and just thought I would offer my experiences with the guy in Concord in case others were considering buying from him. Thanks again for the welcome.

 

[284 International]

Old Hillbilly, welcome to the forum. It's good of you to speak up and vouch for a dealer, and it's good to hear of someone being upfront and honest about things. I hope he stays in business a long time. I've got what I suspect is a Vietnamese reconditioned 1401D. It's the best machine I've got, and has been the least trouble. There are good ones out there.

As you said, there have been some that aren't good, at all. By reports, the way dealers have sometimes conducted themselves after the sale sometimes makes things worse. For me, if I had a dealer like the one you described, with a history of selling a product and following up well, I would feel much more comfortable doing business with him, especially at a local (or reasonable driving distance at least) level.

Do you have any pictures of your new FX32?

Also, and this is meant with the best of intentions and as kindly as possible, please use paragraphs next time! :laughing: You had a terrific post, but I'm afraid some might skip over it just because it all runs together. No hard feelings, at all, and again, welcome!:thumbsup:

 

[Neat 1500]

i also bought a Vn machine and have had no trouble with it in 2 years. i thought i would have broken something or something would have failed but nothing(hopefully i havent mozzed myself now) i dont treat it kindly(it gets a fair flogging) and it has been brilliant. my dealer was sort of truthful, he said they are good machines but never told me where it came from,i found that out myself.even the literature they gave me mentions nothing of Vn reconditioning.

 

[Old Hillbilly]

Thanks for the welcome 284 International...and the constructive criticism. It has been a long long time since I studied writing but I seem to remember my teacher telling me to not start a new paragraph until I changed thoughts and since my post only covered one thought, I ran it all together. I actually thought about breaking it up as I was writing but it turned out so long I hated to take up more space...anyway, you are right....so I went back and broke it up at random.

I failed to mention that the reason I went with the FX series is that I am diabled and my ability to walk grows less and less each day. Getting on a tractor is extremely difficult for me and I have to use a small ladder to do it. Once on it, I do fine....especially with the platform deck of the FX series which is what attracted me to it along with several built in hand-holds on the tractor and loader. I also love the power shift. Thanks again for the welcome.

Here is a picture of it.

 

[284 International]

That's a terrific looking machine. I'm glad you're able to use it, too. A great uncle built a step/platform that he left beside where he parked the tractor. It was more stable for him than the ladder, and easier to scale. Just a thought.

You paragraphs look good, and flow much better now. It's easy to read. I can't help myself sometimes, so thanks for your patience with me.

This forum, especially the Yanmar portion, is a good place. You will be a good resource, too, for those of us needing advice or assistance restoring some of these things back to working condition. I look forward to it.

 

[Car Doc]

Nice looking tractor there Old Hillbilly welcome to the Yanmar forum! :thumbsup:

 

[Smoody]

I have spoken with that concord dealer as well when I was looking to buy a yanmar, he was upfront about the origin and told me about going through different vn distributors until he started getting quality machines. Even though I didn't purchase a tractor from him I will have to say hillbilly is making correct statements.

 

[Old Hillbilly]

284 International.... Thanks. Thanks to my wife I have already picked out several places here on the farm where I can build something permanent or semi-permanent to act as a step. She thinks like your great uncle. They FX32 has a good step up on it and I thought about even welding one up to place down a little lower.

Car Doc.....thank you sir.

Smoody.... Glad to know I was right in my assessment of him. He told me he actually sells most of his tractors to folks in South Carolina.

 

[KV60]

Old Hillbilly, I bought one from him also for the same reasons you stated. I had a problem with a leaking cylinder on the loader. I called him about it and had a new replacement within 24 hours. I have over 100 hours on the unit now. So far, so good. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Old Hillbilly]

Thanks KV60. He struck me as the type guy that would stand behind what he sells...glad to hear he took care of you. Since you are in Rock Hill he is just up the road for you! He must sell quite a few down that way. Takes me close to 2 1/2 hours to get to his place from up here in the hills. If it ever quits snowing here I hope to get a little work done with mine.

 

[clemsonfor]

In his area in NC there is a lot of money and mini farms, they prolly all buy green or new orange tractors. In SC we seem to have less and do with less, just my assessment. I hate the NC $$ coming down around my place and driving all the deer leases out of us locals reach.