Bought new tractor, broke, disappointed..

[Soundguy]

I gotta agree. The bearing/seal failure was a chance happening... Could have been any tractor, any age. The way the dealer handled it was kinda.. uh.. bad.

While they are probably right, that starting it and trying to move it did not hurt it.. i think i would have opted to just winching it up on the trailer. I mean.. it's not like it was a 5000# beast.. etc.

To the original poster:

I still think I would persue NH.. even if not for money.. but for the dealer issues. I'd also then try to find a new dealer...cause #1, this one ain't good, and #2.. anfter complining to NH about him.. you will likely have burnt that bridge anyway...

As for the issue of someone bring up about new post/ bashing.. .. You've said your piece.. I'm pretty sure most of us look at the situation as presented. and that's that. Not much more needs to be hashed out in that matter.

In the future however.. you might want to post all those details you just gave us, all together.. that way we have a common frame of reference.. and will understand why you feel the way you do.

Have a part fail and getting mad is one thing.. having a part fail and then the dealer becomes a real doofus and idiot, is another..

Soundguy

 

[Billy_S]

In re reading the posts here, it seems to me that the problem is really more one with the DEALER than the tractor. Everyone knows parts break. Manufactured products fail. Everyone knows that too. It was the way the DEALER handled it, IMO, that made this incident taste bad to the OP.

I mentioned breaking my Kubota, with 28 hours on it, earlier in this thread. I was working an old burn pile, wrapped a piece of bailing wire around the rear axle, and shreadded the axle seal. Not Kubota's fault, to be sure.

I ended up being a tad irritated with my dealer too because he COULD have handled this under warranty if he wanted to. It isn't like Kubota was going to send someone out to look at the tractor. He could have handled it under warranty, but he didn't.

Of course, I shoulder more of the blame here than for JUST running over the bailing wire. I bought from the dealer who had the lowest price, KNOWING that his service department left something to be desired. I hedged my bet, on not needing a service department, by buying a Kubota. As I said, the axle seal cost me $300 but the dealer sold me the tractor for $600 less than anyone else's price, so I am still ahead of the game. One thing I did not do after this incident is come on here trashing Kubota.

 

[rback33]

RCL.... Boy I hear your pain... reading that honestly made me laugh because how could so much BAD stuff happen to one guy? I agree with the rest that your dealer sux. Plain and simple. You can tell him we all said so.. I'll speak for the group....Keep plugging away till you get some results...You'll get them eventually.

 

[daTeacha]

Just to throw in a good note about dealers here, the following much abbreviated story happened to me.

After about 30 years service, the 10 hp Kohler engine on my old Cadet froze up. I could get a rebuilt one with a 1 year warranty or a new 12 hp with a 2 year warranty for about $200 more. I opted for the new engine.

The dealer installed it, along with some other serious parts to the tune of about $1700. Due to a variety of circumstances, the tractor sat without much use for a winter. Upon starting to use it in the spring, the thing acted up, no power,etc. Several trips and many hours at the dealership, plus two or three serious breakdowns while working, and it still wasn't right. Dealer said Kohler told them to just keep fixing it. I had talked on the phone and email with Kohler, no luck. I felt it was a lemon engine and wanted a different one or refund. No support from Kohler, who was also stiffing the dealer for about half the hours they had put into fixing the thing.

Dealer was talking with Cub Cadet about other topics, casually mentioned the lack of support from Kohler. Cub Cadet told them to put in a new engine, courtesy of Cub Cadet, and they would talk to Kohler.

The tractor is fine with the 2nd new engine. Bottom line -- your name brand dealer can be your best friend, but sometimes not through the channels you might expect. This tractor was at least 30 years old, bought used about 25 years ago through a different dealer. I bought all my parts and such from the helpful dealer over the years, but never bought anything big from them. They backed me up and went to bat with Kohler, but it was Cadet who saved the day.

 

[RCL]

After listening and thinking more about my predicament I went over the dealers head and contacted New Holland yesterday. I gave them my tractor S/N and the date of the supposed repair and told them the hours on my machine. They pulled up my machine and saw where and when I bought it.

At first New Holland stated I should not be dealing with them but instead go through the dealer I bought the tractor from. :[

I tried not to lose my temper and explained multiple times how I did not trust the dealer and had not been treated very well so far and that was why I wanted New Holland invovled. I also stated clearly that I understood I was over on my warranty time wise but not even close on hours.

New Holland finally stated they would ask thier rep to talk to the dealer.

Not exactly a confidence builder.

If I hear anything in the future good or bad from my perspective I will add it to this thread.
Thanks again

 

[john_bud]

RCL,

Were this situation happening to me, I would also be upset at the response from the dealer. I would not be upset (yet) with the manufacturer. Odds are pretty good that they don't know anything about it at all. Just from reading your side of it, I don't trust the dealer - not a bit.

If you can collect your thoughts and put them into a very calm and objective letter to to the manufacturer with dates, times, observations and other pertinent facts and send it to the director of quality and the director of sales/marketing and toss in a copy for the CEO. You can get their names and addresses from the company's web page. You may have to dig into the financial pages, but it is worth it. Also, don't just lick a stamp, send each letter either certified & registered or FedEx next day air. Include pictures if you took them of the missing bolts. (I always take pics of quality issues)

Don't forget to mention that you are airing this dirty laundry on TBN, one of the largest and most visited sites dealing with tractors...

This will give them an opportunity to make this right, or to show that the dealers actions are perfectly acceptable to them.

Just my approach...

jb

 

[rback33]

Not exactly a confidence builder.


Thanks again

Agreed, but I would still call it a step in the right directon.

 

[aesanders]

Maybe I'm missing something on this, but I do not see what all the hoopla is all about.

From my standpoint you had a bearing go out on your tractor after the warranty expired. Warranties are defined in terms of age and and or hours. It does not matter that the tractor had low hours on it, it was still out of warranty.

The other matter (the left off bolts) seems to be taken care of by the dealer. They screwed up and sent someone out to fix it. What's the big deal with that? I know I mess up and forget to finish things at work from time to time. I'm never happy about it, but stuff happens.

Sounds to me you just ran into some bad luck.


Heck, my wife had her car worked on at the dealer. Wasn't long after the warranty was out. Just a simnple tune up. Went to pick it up the next day and the battery was dead. Just so happens the alternator was going out as well. So I had them replace the alterantor and picked it up a couple days later. Well, that time something was wrong with the air conditioner (would only blow air out of the window vents). Seems they knocked something loose when working on the alternator. Brought it pack to them and they fixed the airconditionor as well after another day or two. Was I happy about the ordeal. No way. It was a pain in the rear. Cost a pretty penny as well, but stuff happens and you got to move on. Do I blame the dealer or manufacturuer. Nope, just bad luck. Other things in life are way more important to worry about (at leat to me).

 

[Soundguy]

Not exactly a confidence builder.

If I hear anything in the future good or bad from my perspective I will add it to this thread.
Thanks again

While i never hold my breath in these situations.. sometimes you can be pleasently surprised. I've actually had good luck contacting the regional rep for TSC before, after they 'boned' me one time a few years back. Same with my local bank I had been with since it opened. New manager was treating me like pond scum... A 4 page -nice- letter tot he bank president got me phone call from the district manager. About a week later that manager went on vacation and never came back...

Good luck... you never know... Be polite with the rep, assuming that he is trying to help.. etc..

Soundguy

 

[PineRidge]

I bought a New Holland TC18 tractor with a loader attachment in 2003. I use it on my big 3/4 acre spread. Well I went to back up and it made a cracking noise, then it hissed from the breather on top of the 3 point hitch and then all the oil leaked out from the right rear axle.
The tractor had 141 hours on it and most of those hours were from snow plowing my driveway.
I approached the dealership I bought the tractor from in Massachussetts and they said that I should get her in so they could take a look at it. I pointed out that I was just over the warranty as far as years owned but well under on the hours used.
Well $800. later I am told the tractor is fixed. They said the right rear wheel bearing had broken! I asked if New Holland had had any other problems like this. The dealer stated no. I asked why did it happen. The dealer said they had no idea and thought it was strange for a bearing to fail like that. So now I am the proud owner of a New Holland tractor which apparently eats wheel bearings every 141 hours. Anyone else thinking of buying a tractor might want to think of another brand with better wheel bearings.

Do yourself a favor sit down and compose a nice letter to New Holland explaining what happened to your tractor. Just state the facts, don't show any anger, but rather frustration. Fire it off to New Holland with a copy of the dealer paid receipt for the repair. Sometimes big corporations make good on repairs especially if the customer doesn't show anger or belittle the product.

If you need the NH corporate address send me a PM and I'll pass it along. BTW I do believe that a nice letter is much better than connecting with some gal that has no authority or won't make decisions over the phone.

Good luck to you!