Purchase experience with Barlow Equipment

[pburchett]

I just wish they had put it together right so I didn't have to redo half the things they did. FWIW

I am just curious...what was wrong with your tractor?

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Dang John! 20! I was writing in another thread about the "JohnThomas" condition but I didn't realize you were up to 20!

i JUMPED OUT OF kUBOTA TRACTORS FOR A FEW MONTHS DUE TO DISAPPOINTMENT WITH THE BX25d-1 last fall and bought a GEHL skid steer. Big mistake! Traded it for a new B2650 so back in the tractor fold. :cool2: Yep, over 20.

 

[BAP]

Your a little confused. Nothing stays on warranty forever and dealers do get paid for warranty work. After warranty goes off almost every machine needs some type service and that's where a dealership makes their money, service department, not usually in sales department.
The reason he sells for less is he doesn't live an extravagant life style and lives in a modest home and values how much people have had to work to earn their money. He apparently has determined an amount profit to make on each new sale and that's how he prices them, locally or shipped. I'm the locally buyer.
All Kubota dealers get the same machine for the same price on the same day when it is sold and comes off Kubotas inventory. Some times a dealer owns a new machine but not usually. Barlows gladly takes trade ins and sells (services in his large service department) lots of used machines that he does own. I usually trade my machines back to him and he has always been fair to me on the trade in price. (Around 20 buys/trades with Barlows in 12 years).

Actually, John I think you are confused. Service departments cost a lot of money to own and maintain. If a large percentage of your tractors you sell are never seen again because they are too far away, then you don't need to spend as much money on stocking and maintaining a service department to support the amount you sell. Hence, you need less margin in the sales of a new tractor. Also, warranty work does not earn the dealership as much money because they are paid a fixed amount for each job no matter how long it takes. So if you aren't doing as much warranty work because the tractor is too far away and another dealer has to do it, then you can sell for less. As far as all dealers paying the same, that is not entirely true because of shipping costs. I am sure it doesn't cost as much to ship the tractor from the Kubota factory to a dealer down the road as it does to a dealer up along the Canadian border. I am not saying he doesn't do well with his prices, but sometimes what is there fro support after the sale is worth a lot more.

 

[MarkinMass]

They can beat them because they know they will never see the tractor ever again. They don't have to have a service department big enough to handle all the tractors they sell which saves them a lot of money.

I just called Ahearn back today to see the 'best price' they could give me. The best they could do was take another $750 off my quoted price, but that eliminates the $1k gift card that I would have received after I purchased the tractor. Ahearn is still $650 more expensive than Barlows and $850 more expensive than Messicks. The funny thing is the salesman I talked to at Ahearn said the same thing about them not having to service the tractor post sale if I buy from one of those other guys. He also said they probably don't have the nice showroom or great service areas. He was sort of condescending about the low prices elsewhere and how great their dealership was.

At the end of the day service cannot be that big of a factor in the pricing of a tractor. If I back out the delivery charge to ship it to MA, then they are still +$1,400 higher than Barlows and +$1,600 higher than Messicks. On larger tractors than what I am looking at the spread is probably more. I will buy from either Barlows or Messicks and have it serviced at Ahearn. Another funny thing the Ahearn guy said was that you can get the tractor serviced anyplace, but since you did not purchase at Ahearn you will get in line and wait. I can and will do my own service, but anything broken or warranty will need to go to the dealer. If I need to wait an extra day or two, no biggie.

 

[murphy1244]

I think you will be waiting more than a day or two. More if in season with summer coming. Wish you luck all the same.

 

[MarkinMass]

I think you will be waiting more than a day or two. More if in season with summer coming. Wish you luck all the same.

Very possible, but I am just a homeowner with no real rush if there is a legitimate problem. My concern as others have stated above is if the tractor arrives with issues or assembled improperly. That's where purchasing from a local dealer would be beneficial!! Once I commit I will post my experiences (good or bad).

 

[JDL538]

Just my opinion, I would buy local for that small amount of money on a tractor..You may never need service but if you do I doubt that it would be good.

 

[s219]

Money is money, I know, but that's a pretty narrow difference in pricing for that tractor considering the two "cheaper" deals are out of state. I wouldn't have a problem paying $1500 more to buy local and hopefully get better service. Now if it was a $4000 difference, then I'd have a different opinion.

 

[ultrarunner]

Actually, John I think you are confused. Service departments cost a lot of money to own and maintain. If a large percentage of your tractors you sell are never seen again because they are too far away, then you don't need to spend as much money on stocking and maintaining a service department to support the amount you sell. Hence, you need less margin in the sales of a new tractor. Also, warranty work does not earn the dealership as much money because they are paid a fixed amount for each job no matter how long it takes. So if you aren't doing as much warranty work because the tractor is too far away and another dealer has to do it, then you can sell for less. As far as all dealers paying the same, that is not entirely true because of shipping costs. I am sure it doesn't cost as much to ship the tractor from the Kubota factory to a dealer down the road as it does to a dealer up along the Canadian border. I am not saying he doesn't do well with his prices, but sometimes what is there fro support after the sale is worth a lot more.

One would think this but when my brother wanted to buy a Kubota RTV when he was visiting me in Washington the Kitsap Dealer told him they would not sell to him as he was not local... Kitsap had them in stock... his local Dealer will order one but does not stock them.

Right now I'm in the SF Bay Area and Kitsap has ads in the SF Craigslist with pictures advertising Kubota Skid Steers... **** if I know what's going on???

SF Bay Area has go to be 800 miles away and two states.

I bought local and soon after the Kubota Dealer closed down... then the Kubota where I bought parts and supplies dropped Kubota... Alameda and Contra Costa County California.

 

[dstig1]

I am just curious...what was wrong with your tractor?

I posted it all earlier in the thread. They completely hosed up the rear remotes. Crossed plumbing, controls all hosed up, it was a major PITA to fix, at a time when I needed it to work NOW (that was why I bought new). They also did not torque a front wheel correctly and it ended up trashing the wheel before i caught it (I'll cop to not watching close enough, but that isn't the root issue on a NEW tractor). I also asked them to set the rears wide and they left them narrow. Loaded rears are fun to swap around at home. The loader control has been very glitchy since I got it, too. I realize it is not direct like my old one (cables now), but it still doesn't seem right. I'm still living with that one... I can only assume that they slapped it together like everything else and it needs work. Just haven't had time (maybe in 3 or 4 years I will...) Basically a bunch of rookie assembly mistakes caused by inattention, I'm sure.

I saved a bunch of money ($3-4k?) vs local and the sales process went well, but the assembly really stunk. They ended up sending me a service manual for free as a comp. I should have asked for more with all that went wrong.