Importance of dealer proximity

[pmhowe]

Thanks to each of you for your responses. I have been worried about not having a dealer nearby. It is clear that many of you have travelled great distances to purchase your tractors, and have relied upon your own expertise for maintenance and necessary repairs. I like that. I am an old car buff, and of course am used to doing my own repairs and maintenance. When I lived in Colorado, I had a Kubota L4240 (a tractor I loved) that served me well. I enjoyed doing all the maintenance. Never, ever, had a major problem with it.

I am reassured also that many (most?) of you think that the state of the art in compact tractors provides a high degree of reliability. I suspect the problem I will now face is finding a dealer within driving distance that has a tractor meeting my general specs that I can sit in and decide whether it is best for me. Most dealers I have spoken with now have tractors back ordered. The way the world covid- 19 cases are going, this problem is likely to get more serious.

Anyway, thanks to each of you for your input. I learned a lot from it, and enjoyed getting your perspectives. I will let you know what happens, when it happens (with pictures).

Phil

 

[mikester]

Please tell me: 1) How close is your dealer? And 2) How often have you had to use your dealer? Also, of course, your tractor brand. and 3) what would you recommend?
Phil

1. I have 5 dealers within a 20 minute drive of me, 2xK, NH, MF, JD
2. I buy my parts and supplies from the local K dealers regularly.
3. I want and expect good service with parts in stock or readily available at reasonable prices. I don't want a tail light warranty. I'd rather support my local businesses and pay a little bit more if I know I get the service I want and use OEM parts.

 

[savageactor7]

I suppose it depends on your comfort level of mechanical ability. But as long as your dealer will pickup in a reasonable time I suppose all is good.

 

[bearthebruce]

Our dealer is about an hour away - $130 pickup charge each way. We order our parts on line from the them. We have had them do one service and we have been servicing all other things ourselves to date. Our preference is do as much of the maintenance and repair ourselves as possible and use our dealer as our backup.

 

[TheMan419]

New Holland. Dealer is 7 miles away. I have JD and Kubota within 15 miles of me. I went with the NH because I felt I got the most bang for my buck in terms of lift capacity of the FEL and 3 point. I would have had to move into bigger machines with the other dealers to get that capacity.

I buy filters and fluids annually from the dealer. It is only a couple more bucks than ordering from Messicks and I figure it helps keep the dealer open in case I need them for something more dramatic.

I am 6'7" tall. So in addition to the lift capacity of the NH it was more ergonomic for me. Back when I bought Kubota still had that awful treadle style pedal for the HST. It just did not work for my feet. I needed separate pedal for forward vs reverse.

I think a good dealer is important for more than just warranty issues. If you have other issues you need good dealer support.

 

[beowulf]

When you say "used your dealer" I assume you mean for things other than just buying fluids, or minor parts. Anyway, for me it is 35 miles. Since 2003 I have used the dealer once - that was early on for service as I wanted to learn about what I needed to do going forward as this was my first tractor. Now I do the service myself. Likely could have avoided using the dealer for that - now that I know what I know.

But I have had to have repairs done here at home one time by others than myself (to replace front axle seals and a weld on a cracked FEL brace in a difficult area) and for that I utilized a tractor repair guy who mostly services tractors "in the field" for the ag industry around here - he has a truck equipped like a mobile shop. Had to pay for the travel time but entirely satisfied with the service.

 

[Avenger]

My dealer is about 45 minutes away.
Only used him once in person, as in my tractor being there for a small warranty issue. Other things I simply order
LS Tractor

 

[crazyal]

For any other brand not having a dealer close isn't an issue but with Kubota it is. I like their hydro fluid. I can get it for the same price on-line or at the local dealership. The problem is shipping. When you need more than 10 gallons of oil the shipping cost makes all the difference in the world. I think with any of the other brands you can just use good quality oil from a NAPA or Tractor Supply. Personally even if I didn't own a Kubota I think I would still use UDT2. I think I paid just over $50 for a 2.5 gallon jug from the local dealer. Amazon sells it with free shipping for $80. That's an extra $30 for free shipping.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

For any other brand not having a dealer close isn't an issue but with Kubota it is. I like their hydro fluid. I can get it for the same price on-line or at the local dealership. The problem is shipping. When you need more than 10 gallons of oil the shipping cost makes all the difference in the world. I think with any of the other brands you can just use good quality oil from a NAPA or Tractor Supply. Personally even if I didn't own a Kubota I think I would still use UDT2. I think I paid just over $50 for a 2.5 gallon jug from the local dealer. Amazon sells it with free shipping for $80. That's an extra $30 for free shipping.

Here is a typical deal...Kubota Genuine OEM 1 Gallon Super UDT2 Trans-Hydraulic Fluid One Gallon | eBay

So, multiply that x 2.5..... a lot more than $50 for sure!

 

[Texasmark]

Several in the immediate area. How important? Not, unless I am in the buying mood which currently I'm not. The internet and UPS solved the needing a dealer nearby problem for me. You pull up the dealer's www, order your parts, they have them drop shipped to you and that's that. With the www sites, like this one, answering just about any question you could ask no need to physically pay a dealer a visit.

 

[fried1765]

Several in the immediate area. How important? Not, unless I am in the buying mood which currently I'm not. The internet and UPS solved the needing a dealer nearby problem for me. You pull up the dealer's www, order your parts, they have them drop shipped to you and that's that. With the www sites, like this one, answering just about any question you could ask no need to physically pay a dealer a visit.

Yup !!

 

[rademamj1]

One comment with having a really distant dealer is for those who do not own or cannot borrow a transport trailer required to haul their tractor to the dealer. Pickup and delivery charges could exceed $350. I have heard $425 transport charge from one unhappy tractor owner. However, if you own a very reliable tractor brand, and do much of your own maintenance, then this becomes not an issue.

 

[fried1765]

One comment with having a really distant dealer is for those who do not own or cannot borrow a transport trailer required to haul their tractor to the dealer. Pickup and delivery charges could exceed $350. I have heard $425 transport charge from one unhappy tractor owner. However, if you own a very reliable tractor brand, and do much of your own maintenance, then this becomes not an issue.

Two (and possibly only one) of those $425 charges over 10 years would likely add up to actual trailer depreciation over those years.
Having a trailer always at your disposal for 10 years is a very nice thing.

 

[Buggs67]

I have a 25hp tractor , Kioti CK2510H and I love it. At the time I bought it the nearest dealer was 14 miles away but I got a better deal from a dealer in NYS. That was a mistake.

I have since moved and am lucky that there is a Kioti dealer 15 miles/20 min away. He ignores the fact that I didn't buy from him since I moved it there but dealers prefer to service what they sell. I've had it there once for some repairs and diagnosis on hydraulic issues with the FEL and BH. Since I am close they charge $125 to pickup/deliver, but I borrowed a friend's trailer. The Kioti was more tractor for the money than Kubota which was my only local alternative.

My BIL just bought the LS MT225H with back hoe. It's a nice tractor and has many features my 6 yr old does not have. He's loving it. I don't know how much he spent. He also considered the Kioti. He has many dealers near him.

I do my own maintenance/service. My Kioti dealer does not mark up the filters or fluids like many do and since it's family owned they will be there for a long time. And when I wanted a ZTM they were good to deal with as we have a relationship.

 

[shooterdon]

LS tractor. Been to the dealer twice. 50 hr service and an oil leak.

Dealer had been to my place twice. Once for a regen issue and once to replace a cab door. Dealer is about an hour away. He does not charge to pick up or return tractor and uses an older retired gentleman to provide the service. I am fortunate my dealer is a family run business that cares and does a great job.

I am 70 and not interested in wrenching on a tractor so dealer support matters to me. The only "critical" work I need done is snow removal but I have a guy who will plow me out if the tractor pukes. I put on about 100 hours a year.

 

[hube2]

1) how close - 15 minutes
2) how often - rarely, but then the tractor is only a few months old and has only about 25 hours on it.
3) Massey Ferguson GC

My dealer is only 15 minutes away and the reason I bought the tractor I have is because of the dealer, not because of proximity but because of experience with them and experience of people I know with them. The important part for me is that they will come and get it or send someone to look at it if I have a problem that I cannot deal with myself.

Regular maintenance I plan on doing myself. I will also likely buy all of the things I need for it online, more than likely if I go down there I'll end up needing to order anything I need and waiting for it and then go back to pick it up so may as well have it shipped right to the house if I can get free shipping, usually can if you buy enough and I don't mind having the extra supplies on hand. They don't seem to keep a lot of MF parts and supplies in stock.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I normally don't have any issues finding JD and Kobota Dealers in my travels. Coming home yesterday from the BIG City and needed some JD Synthetic Oil. One town used to have a JD dealer but no more and found myself in a pretty large area devoid of any JD dealers. Funny how you can take things like that for granted.

And although I prefer to deal with certain dealers to show activity if I need their help, and I don't like the accross the board pricing, if I do go to another dealer, I know it won't cost me anymore.

 

[pmhowe]

It happened! And I promised you an update. I wasn't able to look at the Massey Ferguson 1526, as the dealer didn't have one in stock. I wasn't able to look at the BobCat CT2025, either. No local BobCat dealers had any BobCat Tractors in their inventory. Nonetheless, BobCat has been doing a lot of advertising, so I filled out their forms, requesting that a dealer get in touch. Never happened. Did it a second time. Same result. I decided that, while BobCat (Corporate) might be eager to sell me a tractor, BobCat (Local Dealers) weren't.

I found a local dealer (30 miles away, 45 minute drive) for Kioti and LS. I ended up looking at a Kioti CK2610H and an LS MT225EH. I have read that some people found that the HST tractors had a high pitched squeal from the hydraulics when in operation. My old (2012) Kubota L4240HST did have an obnoxious squeal. Neither of these small tractors did, nor does the tractor I ended up buying. Both had smooth bucket behaviors. Both had slightly jerky three point hitches. I didn't operate the hitches with implements attached, but decided not to worry about it. Certainly they were less jerky than the Kubota Standard L-series tractors I operated in 2012 to 2015, with or without implements. I liked both the LS MT225EH and the Kioti CK2610. I think either would work well for my current needs. However, I found the Kioti a little bit more comfortable for me. I also liked the dealership very much. It is a small, family owned business, very accommodating, very helpful, with a couple of old-school mechanics.

My Kioti was delivered today. I spent only about 3/4 of an hour seat time on it, but I am looking forward to putting it to use. I have attached a picture of it being delivered and a picture of it in my driveway, ready to get to work.

Phil

 

[K5lwq]

Very nice tractor! Congratulations and I hope you get many trouble free years service!

 

[MossRoad]

:thumbsup: