The New Rural King Tractors

[rekees4300]

Questionable, having a tractor serviced by a Rural King clerk whose other job is stocking shelves/cashier ... caveat emptor

Over the past several years I've read here on TBN where members have taken their brand new name brand tractor back to the name brand dealer where they bought it, and the named tractor dealer threw everything but the kitchen sink at the customer's new tractor, trying, hoping, maybe something would fix the problem, almost sounded like that named brand dealer had the stock shelving guys doing the repair work.

Getting poor service from a name brand dealer is the exception rather than the rule. They are better trained, have access to latest info, and have a vested interest in your repeat business. No difference between Rural King and Walmart, they are mass retailers, if a product doesn't sell it's discontinued be it tractors or toilet paper. That's a big deal if the product is your tractor.

 

[RTBee]

You keep saying they told you this and they told you that about the tractor and what they will do..
I wish you the best with your new tractor, but If they didn't put all that on paper, it was never said.

Yeah, I've got all the paperwork and the warranties and such in writing, but if they go out of business or stop selling/servicing tractors then all of that won't be worth the paper it's printed on, unforturnately. I love Rural King and I think they'll be around for quite a while, but, they sold tractors before and went thru a restructuring. So I just hope they stay with it long term this time. Time will tell.

 

[jwstewar]

I don't know how long RK will truly be in the tractor business, but they sure are spending the bucks to make it seem like they are in it for the long haul. At the store and warehouse in Waverly, Ohio they have a whole building dedicated to the assembly of these tractors. This is also where they will take tractors that need major service - i.e. split or something like that. They've hired several employees from the "big boys" and sent them for training on the new RK tractors and from what I've heard paying them very well to - better than the big boys. Then when I was speaking to tractor manager at the Circleville store, they've sent all of the them to training for the routine fix it type stuff. They bought them all of the tools and equipment they need. I have no reason to doubt him because we were talking more as friend vs a customer type conversation, he says they are selling very well.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Congrats on your new tractor. Sometimes dealer support is a necessary issue for some owners, sometimes not. Having a major issue w/ a tractor requires getting it to a dealer. Most tractors may never need a major repair. I looked at the local green and orange dealers, they wouldn't give me the time of day, and their pricing was 5 grand over my deal with an out of state dealer. The dealer I purchased from is actually 550 miles away. They are an LS dealer and were the closest to me. So far they have shipped both engine oil filter and hydro filters for my first service. When I opened the box, there were 2 OF EACH !! That is service. There were "updates" to the hydro linkage, oil drain, and the 3 point. I received a package today with all the update parts, instructions, and a check for my time (warranty hours for service). I do my own service work and as long as there is no major issues, I will continue to do so. I find it both satisfying to work on MY TRACTOR and giving me the opportunity to KNOW my tractor. When I was shopping, I really considered a LONG road trip to a Rural King to get an RK tractor. I think this time around they're going be in it for the long haul. Like the previous post, they would not invest so much unless they were going to be in it fully. I think the TYM line of tractors are well made and have a good parts availability.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Oh, I'm also still waiting for you to post some pics!

 

[Oldpath05]

Last thing I'd worry about is Rural King going out of business when buying one of these tractors, Kubota or John Deere in not immune from going out of business, all depend if a company dropps the ball like Sears did. I'm sure parts will be available somewhere for TYM tractors, and after the warranty is over they'll be someone somewhere that can fix it or be your own mechanic, hopefully the shop manual wont be in Chinese, in any case these TYM tractors might be better quality than Kubota or JD and their plastic fenders.......

But are these prices really that competitive to other name brand tractors........
RK37 Tractor : Rural King

 

[RTBee]

Oh, I'm also still waiting for you to post some pics!

Busy month! I've put around 20 hours on the RK55 using backhoe and grader box to cut drive for my father-in-law and spread gravel. I love this tractor! The more familiar I get with it, the more I like it! I definitely need to put some hooks on the bucket (bolt-ons or welded) and I think I'd like to add one to the back of my backhoe bucket as well. I ordered a 9" trenching bucket for it (still waiting for that). It seems that Rural King doesn't keep all it's equipment in stock and that, at least some things (like my bucket) are ordered from Korea (so 5-7 week wait). Anyway, here's a pic or two.

 

[conkli48]

I dont see any issue with RK tractors, they are made by TYM, and at the National Farm Show, TYM bought out Kukje ( which makes branson tractors),. So the growth is there. Not to mention they produce for many mahindra models. The tractor is probably rock solid. I can see concerns over whether The line will be held for a long term for parts and service. And while i agree that can be an issue in the future. Rural King, will be around as a retailer for a fairly long time. It only matters for service for the length of the warranty, after that you mine as well go to an independent truck and tractor mechanic, and save on labor. I dont know why people freak out over that part. Parts can be a concern, but TYM is going to be around for a long time. You can cross reference parts easily and i would absolutely not worry about it. Especially with internet retailers nowadays. I had a yanmar ym1500, yes there are dealers around, but there is great online sources for parts, i got parts in 2 days , a new starter, fuel filter, oil filter, and axle seals. Heck my dad has an allis chalmers d15 he used to use for hay, it needed a rebuild. Allis chalmers has been gone since the late 80s. (merged to make agco) But thats besides the point. Do i count on the dealer to stock parts, no. Steiner tractor parts, which is a big company stocks 10s of thousands of parts for old tractors and rebuild kits. Bought a kit, had a neighbor do the rebuild and has ran fine for 15 years now.

Is dealer support important, yes. But when your on your own for footing the bills. independent mechanics can save lots of money.

So in closing RK, may be around for 4 years, may be around for 20 who knows. But i wouldnt let it affect my buying choice. Now if it was some rare guatamalen tractor that is being imported then ya, huge cause for concern. But with these tractors they interchange alot of things anymore. Price and performance are king to me, and RK doesnt have bad prices, i would have looked at them at least if rural king was in my area. instead i went with a kioti again good price good features.

 

[Bud Soda]

Looks just like my LM45H but mine is green. Love my tractor also but hate the computer stuff, just something to give trouble down the road. First thing I did was to remove the DPF. No regen.

 

[kneedeep]

Busy month! I've put around 20 hours on the RK55 using backhoe and grader box to cut drive for my father-in-law and spread gravel. I love this tractor! The more familiar I get with it, the more I like it! I definitely need to put some hooks on the bucket (bolt-ons or welded) and I think I'd like to add one to the back of my backhoe bucket as well. I ordered a 9" trenching bucket for it (still waiting for that). It seems that Rural King doesn't keep all it's equipment in stock and that, at least some things (like my bucket) are ordered from Korea (so 5-7 week wait). Anyway, here's a pic or two.
View attachment 524905

Is the Drawbar attachment part of the Backhoe connection?