confused

[Anonymous Poster]

Is this a good or bad thing? I really dont know what to do about the "used" verses the "used reconditioned" everyone has talked about the horror stories of the recon tractors but there isnt really anyone giving there personal experience. So are the stories true or just some type of urban legend. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1776631668

 

[Whiskey]

Stlstm8r:
I have never tryed buying from Ebay but I do look all the time. They do not claim the tractor is "factory" rebuilt but they do claim it to be refurbished from ground up. Now here inlies the what each one of us calls "refurbished" to me and remember oppions are like a--holes everyone has one it means that a motor was torn down and new cylinder sleves were installed with rings & pistons, crank was turned if needed & new bearings were installed, water pump is new, all hoses and fuel lines are new, radiator was pulled and cleaned and checked head was pulled resurfaced, vaules were ajusted. all wheel bearings were checked or replaced and seals throught out hyd. pump was checked or rebuilt to OEM gpm injectors are checked or replaced and so forth and so on. Now I don't know this feller selling this tractor but I did see that they have two adds with the same verbage decribing the tractors and I would bet it's just a nice paint job and cosmetics to sell a tractor to someone that knows nothing about tractors.
Now there's are a big hand full of "graymarket" tractor retailers here and and a goob bunch of guy's that I have seen and if one happons to be close to you I would spen my harn earned money with them at least you can sit, drive, ask questions or whatever you want and they will be happy to help you out then again this guy selling this tractor may be close to you and more than happy to let you come look at it before you bid on it????

Whiskey

 

[Whiskey]

Stlstm8r:
welcome to the form, sorry forgot that on the other posting/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Darrell2]

From personal experience I can say that "Refurbished" is an awfully broad term and could mean whatever you or they wish it to. My own "factory remanufactured, everything rebuilt AS NEEDED" Yanmar has a number of examples of pretty shoddy workmanship but it runs like a top. So........take the rebuilt etc. with a large grain of salt. Maybe they were fair tractors to start with or maybe they start as parts tractors like some believe. My guess is they hit the high spots and paint the rest. I wouldn't touch another one.

 

[Soundguy]

My yanmar 1700 was sopposedly a 'refurb'. I got it home and over time found a few reasonable problems. Nothing I couldn't fix.. most notably was a bad charging system that didn't become apparent until quite a while after I had it, as I bought it right before we moved to our new house, so after the purchase, it sat at the old house for 2 months before I could work it. I figured the battery just went dead from sitting.. but turned out to be a bad alternator.. Noting 90 bucks and some wrenches / wire didn't fix.

A few bolts, and a hose, etc.

Soundguy

 

[kayssupply]

I personally saw a load of the "rebuilts" that looked like new. One had a bad piston, one had a cracked block, another was so old it doesn't even show up on any of the model spec sheets I have seen. The dealer that got them was ready to shoot somebody.

 

[tractorlet]

Greetings:
You are right to question an ebay seller and you are right to question what you see on TBN. But what do you do? The answer is to accomplish your own "do dilligence" and do everything you can to find out all the information you need. Excellent tractors and less are bought every day whether on ebay, the internet, on a sellers lot, or from a private party.

What you need to do is ask the seller every thing that has been done to the tractor. Don't accept a conclusion such as
factory reman or factory refurb. Ask what else needs to be done to the tractor. You want to ask for previous buyer recommendations and source. Once you have done that, see if the seller is willing to guarantee the product for six months or a year (if they are a retailer) and ask how long they have been in business at the same location.

On ebay you can do all these things and additionally you can read the quality statements that are posted by auction buyers after purchase on ebay.

Many tractors are sold on ebay weekly and I don't remember any gripes showing up on TBN or other posting places. Be careful but don't be scared off any source except by your own findings.

 

[tractorlet]

Forgot one very important aspect and that is to ask WHO did whatever work is claimed and if isn't the seller ask how they know the work was done.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I agree, if there was a complete rebuild done, there should be an extensive warranty by someone with a valid reputation. Reputations take time to develop, and do not just come from a descriptive term such as "rebuilt". As I've indicated before, there should be a folder on each rebuild showing what was done and by whom and how the warranty should can be excercised.

 

[EFC]

Remanufactured isn’t a magic bullet. You will most likely have the same problems that you would with any 20+ year old grey. As a buyer I wouldn’t be totally afraid of them but I wouldn’t pay more for a remanufactured. Personally I would buy one that I can afford, fix the little things and paint it myself and enjoy the capital appreciation. Your best protection against a bad tractor is your first impression of the dealer. Length of years in business isn’t necessarily a good indicator. I know a guy that has been in business for 20 years and is the biggest crook I have ever met must have been sued a dozen times by now. Time at one location just means they are happy with the rent. The hydraulic shop I use has moved 3 times in four years but they have the best product, best price and they are friendly. Warranty is only as good as the guy you bought it from (refer back to the guy that has been in business for 20 years....he is famous for offering long warranty’s that he wont honor). If you are not comfortable with the dealer or you feel he isn’t upfront or knowledgeable then walk away. Don’t email him and decide, go see the guy face to face. And if he ever says "well that’s what my importer told me"......RUN!