What is Everything Attachments thinking?

[rider0]

I hesitated for some time before writing this post, but decided I could use a little community input.

I purchased a 78" box blade for tractors between 30 and 70hp from Everything Attachments a few months ago. I hadn't even heard of Everything Attachments at the time, but I was searching for a box blade made in the USA, and when their site came up on searches, I did a little research and found that they were a legitimate company. I ordered the blade and it came via freight right on schedule.

I was very satisfied with the apparent build quality, especially for the price, over anything I could source locally. The blade had one small defect; one of the lower 3 point mounts was narrower than the other due to a welding mistake.

I spaced out the narrow side differently, and went ahead and used the blade. I eventually decided I'd drop EE a line and mention that although I really liked the blade, they should be aware that they had a little QC problem and should watch out for it in the future.

Well, I heard back from EE, and they seemed polite enough in acknowledging my email, but then a few days later I get another email saying they thought that I had a stabilizer issue which was letting the box blade swing from right to left and causing the ears to bend. (note that the outer ear is angled inward, which isn't something that could be caused by swinging in the first place).

I sent a few additional pictures showing that the ear was simply not welded square to the center clevis panel when the implement was manufactured, and it was not bent in any way. The ear itself is a perfect 90 degree angle with perfectly straight sides, etc.

What did I get? Another email saying I would "continue to bend the ears" if I continued to use it without a stabilizer.

I'm pulling the 78" box blade with an old farm tractor that makes under 25 drawbar horsepower. The box blade is rated for tractors of up to 70hp. I am using a factory 3 point hitch adapter that has pulled box blades for hundreds of hours without bending them up. In fact, if this blade can be bent - even if it was abused (when in actuality it's doing light work in light soil) - by this old tractor, it's got a problem to begin with.

I don't understand this kind of response insisting that the customer is essentially destroying equipment through misuse when it is clearly a manufacturing defect. I have several other implements on my shopping list, and due to my overall satisfaction with my box blade, I was going to buy them from EE. At this point, seeing their attitude when a defect or quality control issue is pointed out to them, I am concerned about what kind of response I would get if I had a real issue that needed to be corrected!

I'll say it again - this box blade is better than locally sourced blades that cost $500 more -
I guess I'm just looking for some input from someone who's had to deal with Everything Attachments after the sale...



good side:


bad side:


Angle made between the frame and the back of the mounting ear (quite a bit more than the proper 90 degrees):


let's transfer that angle to the good side which is welded at 90 degrees... Oops


side plate of ear is as straight as an arrow:

 

[rider0]

The ear itself is a perfect 90 degree piece of angle:


Here's the 3 point hitch:

 

[rider0]

I know that Everything Attachments employees read this site, and I'm sure they'll immediately know who I am- so no hard feelings guys- I'm just a little disappointed in you.

 

[teampryor]

I met the EA road crew at the Moultrie ag fest. Wasted 20 minutes sweating in their trailer trying to get straight answers. Even left my name phone # and email address for someone with some knowledge to contact me. Well never heard from them, so guess what... I moved on. Is this another case of a company getting too big for its britches?
If you had indeed bent it you would have knocked the paint off the mount.
Dont worry the folks at Taylor Pittsburgh are just as bad.
It seems companies have disclaimers and exemptions for responsibility for the very products they design to fail, then say its your fault it broke. I call it a black list, companies i prefer to not do business with.
Buy local at least they have to look you in the eyes.

 

[joshuabardwell]

I'm no fabrication engineer, but that is clearly a welding error. The ear itself is 100% intact--not bent or deformed in any way. And you can see that the welds themselves are not square to the frame.

 

[mjncad]

Yep, they goofed welding up the ear. You should see how much King Kutter goofed on one of my carryall's legs. It's definitely not square with the rest of the implement.

Is EA's welding goof causing you much hassle operating the implement as designed?

 

[Gordon Gould]

I think his point is that he is able to live with the defect but the attitude displayed by EA, if his story is correct, is unacceptable. And I agree. I think he was trying to help them do a better job by pointing this out to them. All they needed to do was say thankyou, we will take a look at our mfg process in that area and see if we can make it better.

 

[ATP]

interesting thread as i am in the market for a rotary tiller and pallet forks....and have been very much pleased with ted and peanuts how to video's on product uses....
in fact ... i am about to purchase both items....:confused3:

 

[kmassing]

Yep, I've experienced the same 'attitude' issues.

I'm buying local now.

 

[BIG DOOLEY]

I think his point is that he is able to live with the defect but the attitude displayed by EA, if his story is correct, is unacceptable. And I agree. I think he was trying to help them do a better job by pointing this out to them. All they needed to do was say thankyou, we will take a look at our mfg process in that area and see if we can make it better.

A good chance to take customer feedback and improve a quality issue missed.
A thanks for the heads up and we'll send you a ballcap or a coupon for money off on your next purchase would have been just one ... of many more favorable responses.
Instead
Bad P R and word of mouth travels faster that a cheetah an antelopes tail.

 

[gwdixon]

Since EA is a paid advertiser on here we will see how long this thread lasts.

Surprised EA hasn't responded - they monitor TBN fairly closely.

 

[s219]

I think they are reasonable people, and it's obvious looking at the pictures that this was a welding issue. The piece was clearly not clamped or held down in the proper position before welding it up.

Does it affect operation in any way? Can you still get the pin to slide in and out easily?

 

[jake98]

'How much will it cost me for you not to see that?' is sometimes the best way. Nobody likes to look at crooked new stuff, but if you're not paying top dollar, and it's not a functional issue, sometimes things are not as perfect as other times. I suppose they could hire more people and jack the prices way up...

 

[rider0]

I think they are reasonable people, and it's obvious looking at the pictures that this was a welding issue. The piece was clearly not clamped or held down in the proper position before welding it up.

Does it affect operation in any way? Can you still get the pin to slide in and out easily?

It does bind a bit as you are getting at. The cat1 lower link pin is 7/8". The implement hole is drilled 0.050" overbore, but the wall thickness of the ear is a hefty 3/8" so it takes a bit of persuasion to get the pin installed. Yes, it can be frustrating when it is cold and windy out. :laughing:

The ears are about 7.5% narrower on that side which is right at the limit of being able to install the pin without enlarging the mounting holes in the implement, whereas the good side slips right in. It does require me to use a stack of washers instead of a 7/8" x 1/2" shaft collar to space the stock 2" bushing on my 3PH to the width of the mount point. It looks rather stupid.

 

[daugen]

My experience with EA on a product purchased was not good. I posted my displeasure online here, albeit perhaps showing my upset too much, and the thread was yanked.
So how one says things here is very important, and the OP has done a great job showing the facts in pictures and not being unnecessarily critical.
The EA folks are a lot more "local" than their marketing presence suggest. With all the videos they make, one could expect them all to be wearing smartphones 24/7 and responding to
issues within hours, not days. But it took me days and days to hear from them. This is fact. The facts speak for themselves. Much of the equipment they sell under their own name is made by others.
Good local Southern companies, and overall I think they offer good value for the dollar spent. But if you expect EA to provide state of the art service and response time, well, things go more slowly down there.

The challenge with mail ordering something heavy like implements is you can't send it back easily or cost effectively. So if your plow comes through with a scratch, you get sent a can of spray paint and are told to fix it yourself.
After all, it's a plow... But if the implement is incorrectly constructed, and welding is always an issue with imported goods, than the original mfg has to make it good, and promptly. And making it good is reimbursing the purchaser for actual costs in getting the item repaired or fixed to original spec, if it can be. If not, a full refund is the only fair solution, and if they want to, the mfg. can pay to ship it back to them on their dime. Shipping eats up all the profit so no one wants to pay for it.

But c'mon EA, you sold it, you refund the repair money, cheerfully and promptly, get your money back from the mfg., and everyone goes home happy. Stall, deny or not aggressively try to make the customer happy and threads like this will continue to pop up. Most of us at TBN want EA to be successful so no one is throwing rocks, but the only way to improve things is to tell the emperor that his clothes are falling off. A smart emperor will tighten up his belt.

I was told by the Moderator that business disputes were not to be discussed online here, particularly those with advertisers. That does put a serious crimp on discussion which I don't think any of us are particularly comfortable with.
So likely this post/thread will disappear in due course. Of course if the post was glowingly positive, I'm sure it would stick around...which ought to be offset by some tolerance of reasonable, honest presentation of facts, even if they don't put the advertiser in the best light. Not a perfect world out there, and we all have to be reasonable, but TBN wants the advertiser to get a chance to resolve things offline first. If that did not work, seems the issue should be fair game from then on out. Our benefit and I suppose protection here is our public voice, not the one that gets deleted with the click of a mouse. Drew

 

[radioman]

looks like that was welded on a friday afternoon and its last unit for the day so to speak. even I can tell its not bent but it was not braced right before welding. I would refrain from "welded wrong" but rather say its not braced/clamped/squared up yet before welding. thats all to it.

perhaps you could go to a local welding shop and get thier opinion and quote to make it right. don't forget cost of paint- you need to repaint it after welding is done so its looks like the way you got it.

 

[murphy1244]

looks like that was welded on a friday afternoon and its last unit for the day so to speak. even I can tell its not bent but it was not braced right before welding. I would refrain from "welded wrong" but rather say its not braced/clamped/squared up yet before welding. thats all to it.

perhaps you could go to a local welding shop and get thier opinion and quote to make it right. don't forget cost of paint- you need to repaint it after welding is done so its looks like the way you got it.

Well lets not let that welder get our test kit.

 

[jake98]

It's not a coffee table, if it attaches and doesn't fall off, it's working.

 

[murphy1244]

It's not a coffee table, if it attaches and doesn't fall off, it's working.

Hope it does more than that...

 

[BuzzardA91]

Where are you EverythingAttachments. Anytime somebody asks about implements you are usually the first responder. I am also looking for a box blade after first of year and am all set to buy from you. I love the videos and Peanut is a hoot. Issue sounds minor, that doesn't bother me. And an unhappy customer is noisy. What concerns me most is why haven't you posted. In the name of Peanut, answer up.....