Buying through tractorhouse unseen...?

[kirkmcquest]

Hello all. I'm in the market for a tractor and have been shopping around locally for about a year. Up here, there seems to just be a VERY limited tractor market. The only used tractors I've seen are 40 year old models with 7000+hrs on them and the owners want 15k. I'm running out of time. I've been looking on tractorhouse and have seen some good deals through dealers listed there mostly in the midwest. I hate buying anything so expensive without seeing it run. But it seems to be that or I buy an old warhorse for top dollar ( also a big risk ) OR I buy new which will definitely set me back.

Has anybody ever bought through TH? Any advice/criticism/opinions?


Thanks

Kirk

 

[Turbys_1700]

Personally, I would never buy without looking. Shipping charges always add to the cost. My advise is craigslist, search tempest, and patience. Lots of patience. I needed some tires for an older tractor here and waited until a local had a new set at a great price. Gonna go get them today. Saved a lot.

 

[kirkmcquest]

I hear ya. I was patient for a year but now I need a tractor for haying 40 acres this summer. I cant afford to wait much longer as the first cut should be in about 8 weeks.

Even with the shipping, the prices here are about 5k higher. More importantly there just isnt much available.

 

[Creamer]

I would certainly get someone local to the tractor to take a look at it for you. Although I have never done it I know a few people who have bought through tractorhouse and it has been fine but I think it more depends on the seller as tractorhouse makes no representations. You can also look on fastline and ritchie brothers auctions.

 

[Mud Mechanik]

I purchased my 1660 through tractorhouse, sight unseen. I had a very good dealer and the transaction was very smooth. He shipped the tractor 1200 miles and I still saved 2500$ over local (100 miles away) price.

 

[EddieWalker]

Best way to take advantage of somebody is to sell them something without them seeing it. The other way is to find somebody who is in a rush to get it. Both add up to a good way to lose a lot of money.

Why can't you hire the haying out this year? I've never understood how anybody can make money on hay after buying their own equipment. Seems like just running the stuff costs what you get out of it.

I also think you need to spend some time on the road and do some more searching. This is the worse time of the year for buying since people have their tax return money to spend, and spring is when everyone wants to get out there on a tractor. But there is always something out there to look at.

No way I would buy without inspecting it. Even at an auction, I'm going to inspect the heck out of it, start it up, run through the controls to see what's working and what's a problem. What are you going to do if you get it home and you find out it only has one gear that works? or that somebody sealed off a cylinder or two to hide the fact that the piston's wasted? or the brakes are no good, or the hydraulic pump is toast? There are so many things that a seller can do to hide a problem with paint, or just kind of forget to mention it that the only way to know what you are getting it to go look for yourself. What do those parts cost to replace and can you get them?

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[kirkmcquest]

Best way to take advantage of somebody is to sell them something without them seeing it. The other way is to find somebody who is in a rush to get it. Both add up to a good way to lose a lot of money.

Why can't you hire the haying out this year? I've never understood how anybody can make money on hay after buying their own equipment. Seems like just running the stuff costs what you get out of it.

I also think you need to spend some time on the road and do some more searching. This is the worse time of the year for buying since people have their tax return money to spend, and spring is when everyone wants to get out there on a tractor. But there is always something out there to look at.

No way I would buy without inspecting it. Even at an auction, I'm going to inspect the heck out of it, start it up, run through the controls to see what's working and what's a problem. What are you going to do if you get it home and you find out it only has one gear that works? or that somebody sealed off a cylinder or two to hide the fact that the piston's wasted? or the brakes are no good, or the hydraulic pump is toast? There are so many things that a seller can do to hide a problem with paint, or just kind of forget to mention it that the only way to know what you are getting it to go look for yourself. What do those parts cost to replace and can you get them?

Good luck,
Eddie

Can't get anybody to hay it. I've been though this before, its always best to do it yourself. How you make money with hay? The cost of the equipment is not the cost of making hay. The equipment is a capital investment which holds value, redeemed when you sell it. The true cost of making hay is the fuel, maintenance, and depreciation on equipment....not equipment cost. Basically, I can keep my money in the bank where it will earn .05% interest and slowly lose value through inflation... Or I could put it into equipment to produce something of value...and still have the value of the equipment.

 

[George2615]

I guess it depends on what size tractor and what price range are you looking for. There's 3 dealers within 100 miles of me that have a lot of used tractors from 20HP up to 260HP.

 

[varmint]

Hey Mr. Kirk- on the adjacent "owning and operating" thread, a guy is lamenting his troubles in selling what sounds like a jewel of a used Kubota... He's in Pa., which means you drive down on Sat. with a trailer and come home on Sunday. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/335811-do-we-baby-our-tractors.html
If the link doesn't work, the poster is namesray. If his is too small for you, (I'm thinking it might be for haying!) try using searchtempest.com to track down something. Buying unseen is a sure fire way to disappoint yourself. Or, check out Barlow's in KY- lots of posters here on TbN seem to love them, and they deliver to the NE for reasonable costs, it would seem.
Good Luck!

 

[uglyboywith11fingers]

A farmer friend of mine here in Ontario was spending the winter in Florida. He had been looking for a particular tractor, then saw one on Tractorhouse while in Florida, the tractor was in Wyoming. He said his local farmers co-op has connections through-out the states, and arranged for a nearby farmer in Wyoming to check it out. He bought it, had it shipped, it was in his shop before he himself got home from Florida.

So far he's happy with his purchase.

Pete

 

[newbury]

I second Barlow Inventory | Barlow Equipment and also Messicks in PA.
But 15K is a very low price for a 4WD tractor for haying.

 

[McREBEL]

I found mine on tractorhouse. I asked the dealer what I would have to do for him to hold it for me after I asked a few questions about it. It was a good deal and wasn't going to last long. All he required to hold it for a few days until I could pick it up was my contact info. In this case the risk was low because it was an '08 with only 112 hrs., looked like new except for some bucket scratches and was an extremely low price for the tractor. I asked him to hold it on a Tuesday. I drove approx 4.5 hrs. the next Thursday to pick it up. The great thing was I didn't have to put any money down to get him to hold it. If it wasn't what he said when I went to pick it up I could have left it there and not lost much. If it is within a reasonable distance to pick it up yourself and you don't have to put down a deposit or only a small one(that will be refundable if it isn't what they make it out to be) to get them to hold it the risk goes way down. Paying for one without seeing it and having it shipped would make me a little nervous, but a good many people here have done it (though not all through tractorhouse). I dealt with Joey Johnson, Quality Equipment, Layfayette, LA. Straight up good guy. Called three months or so after I bought the tractor just to make sure I was satisfied. I understand my story may not help you a bit if you can't make the trip to pick it up yourself.

 

[MHarryE]

It's risky to buy unseen but then again it's risky to buy used in any case. I bought my mini-excavator through Tractor House's sister company Machinery Trader sight unseen and got what I consider was the best deal I've got on any of my equipment purchases. Sometimes you just have to take the risk. Our last 3 trade-ins were by pictures emailed to our dealer - that is risky. Private parties are much riskier to do business with.

 

[Coyote machine]

Where are you in VT? I find it difficult to believe you can't find what you need in VT?
My former contractor bought a used tractor, it needed a radiator, a battery, went through 2 cylinder heads and now 3 turbos. Can't remember what company he bought it through; but it was somewhere in the western part of the US. It's just an example, but it or worse could happen to you. Your cost theory is skewed, to the extent IF you buy a bogus tractor, everything else is at risk. You don't have a warranty, no local dealer support, and your money is tied up. Then what?:confused3:

 

[jenkinsph]

Haven't seen this mentioned yet but if you are serious about a particular tractor then the cost of flying over and possibly renting a car might be worthwhile. That would be cheaper than making a bad purchase.

 

[flusher]

I've bought six used tractors off Craigslist.
1945 Oliver 60, 1948 Farmall Cub, 1949 JD B, 1951 Farmall Super A, 1951 Minneapols Moline BF, 1964 MF135 diesel.
I looked at all of these but one before buying.

The one I bought sight unseen was the 1949 JD B.
The Seller had an excellent website with much information on the tractors he had for sale including that B. That B was running and was being used to rake his hayfield. So I figured this was a low risk opportunity.
We negotiated a price and I transferred the money to his bank account.
He helped me find a shipper who needed a load on his return trip to the Sacramento area. Shipping cost was $400 ($1/mile as it turned out).

From what I hear TractorHouse is a reputable outfit that usually provides good and accurate information on the stuff listed there. My advice is to email the Seller with questions until you feel comfortable with buying the tractor sight unseen.

Good luck.

 

[RollingsFarms]

See if the dealer will take more pics and maybe even a video of the tractor. Have him do a complete walk around of the machine, start it up and drive it around through all the gears and work the three point and pto. Lots of dealers on Tractorhouse do this. I bought my Ford 3600 this way on TH and got exactly what I thought I was buying, no surprises at all.

 

[nybirdman]

If you are in Northern VT.;I would try looking in northern NY,Plattsburg-Malone area.Lots of large farms in those areas.

 

[Ed of all trades]

I see used tractors in Pa on search tempest all the time. New old big little, there appears to be no reason not to search the net and take a road trip. If you want a good tractor ti takes some effort.