Showroom Shock !

[bdhsfz6]

I stopped by my local Kubota dealer this morning for oil & filters. They are one of the largest in the northeastern US. Their large showroom, which usually has more than 2 dozen tractors on display, was mostly empty! There was one lone USED L3010 on the showroom floor with a SOLD sign on it! Their lot, which normally has close to a hundred machines available, had only about a half dozen used tractors!

On a normally busy Saturday morning there are usually 6 sales people available but this morning, there was just one! He just shook his head and shrugged when I walked into his office. When I inquired about a new flexwing finish mower, he shrugged again and said he could put me on the wait list. Right now, the wait is 8 months!

I've seen low stock periods before over the years but nothing like this! Is this happening all over or just here in the northeast?

 

[Rdrcr]

It’s here in the Northwest too!

Tractors, cars, trucks, implements, attachments, etc..

Mike

 

[Fallon]

Front Range Kubota here in Colorado is a bit better off, but not by much. 4-5 Grand Ls instead of the usual 30. Maybe 35 total machines instead of the usuall 100ish.

 

[fried1765]

I stopped by my local Kubota dealer this morning for oil & filters. They are one of the largest in the northeastern US. Their large showroom, which usually has more than 2 dozen tractors on display, was mostly empty! There was one lone USED L3010 on the showroom floor with a SOLD sign on it! Their lot, which normally has close to a hundred machines available, had only about a half dozen used tractors!

On a normally busy Saturday morning there are usually 6 sales people available but this morning, there was just one! He just shook his head and shrugged when I walked into his office. When I inquired about a new flexwing finish mower, he shrugged again and said he could put me on the wait list. Right now, the wait is 8 months!

I've seen low stock periods before over the years but nothing like this! Is this happening all over or just here in the northeast?

Messick's??

 

[4570Man]

It’s about the same here too.

 

[5030]

Just bought a new Kubota Premium Round bailer from my dealer. They are extremely hard to get so he grabbed one from another dealer (in another state) and had it delivered to him and called me and told me if I wanted it to come and buy it like NOW, which I did. I don't need it until late fall so it's residing at the dealer for a while. Trading in my NH 450 on it.

Surprisingly, my dealer gave me top buck on the trade, actually more than I expected but I take excellent care of all my equipment and he knows that, we happen to know each other personally. He had the contract all ready to go when I went in and much to my surprise, besides a very generous trade in. Kubota gave me a 5 grand ag discount and 0 percent financing on the balance, which I could have paid (10 grand) right there.

All in all, I'm trading the NH 450 (2007) for a new Kubota (Kneverland) loaded full electronic bailer with every option but bale slice (I don't need that) for 10 grand. Did the quarterly payment thing (I do that with all the rolling stock) and I've already made a payment though I don't have the bailer but will by the time the snow flies. The bailer includes the full electronic hookup to my tractor (CanBus) and removal of the NH electronic controls which have to go with the trade in. New bailers today are all fully computerized unless you buy a very basic model.

He's been getting a steady supply of Kubota's in every week but accessories are had to get like front loaders and I've had to rework a couple components for him due to sloppy manufacturing. Just did a new Backhoe dipper stick bushing weldment where the pin would not engage the boss. The weldment boss was jigged crooked and I had to line bore the boss to accept the pin.

The new bailer has some very interesting options on it. One I really like is I can vary the density of the bale from the cab so I can start a bale at low density (for easy spearing) and increase the density for volume weight as the bale grows and the Kubota bailer holds 2 rolls of net in the netter at one time and has space for an additional 3 rolls on the side plus 10 balls of twine and I can run the net and the twine together if I want to. Lots of times when bailing wheat straw I like to twine them right away to minimize loss and then over wrap with net for storage. With the NH, I always had to interrupt the wrap cycle to switch. With the Kubota all I have to do is input the parameters in the digital keypad and the bailer does it automatically.

Nice bailer and throughput is 35 rounds an hour in 4x5, maximum weight. My dealer tends to sell more ag tractors (M series Kubota's) than the small ones anyway.

 

[Thomas]

Also from the northeast and it's just Kubota having the same issues.
At fairs dealers show off lot of there pride not so this year.

 

[nybirdman]

It is not just tractors;cars ,trucks,ATV's ,boats/motors.Just the way it is right now.I called four ATV dealers before I found one;he had three in the crate and sold them in a week.
Used truck prices are insane;good if you have one to trade if you can find a new one to buy.I was offered almost what I paid for my 2017 Silverado(only 16K miles).

 

[5030]

Also from the northeast and it's just Kubota having the same issues.
At fairs dealers show off lot of there pride not so this year.

My dealer took my new bailer to the local fair because he didn't have enough equipment to fill his alloted space up. I told him there would be a rental charge and he laughed and told me fingerprints were optional.

 

[LittleBill21]

i have left my search email filters for a used tractor in place since i bought my mahindra, i use to get 1-2 a week. i haven't gotten a email in over 2 months. guess i should feel thrilled i got mine when i did.

 

[s219]

Both my local Kubota dealers have bare lots, just 1-2 tractors already sold. I was up at one of them the other day to buy pallet forks (Land Pride, got the last set) and a Kubota QA bucket (they had 6 of those in stock, sort of surprising since there were no tractors to put them on).

Salesman said they have waiting lists 8+ people deep for all the tractor models they normally keep on the lot. This is a large regional chain with 8-10 stores and he said the stores are pooling their wait lists to help even things out across the region.

Despite the lack of inventory he said last year was their best year ever and this year is on track to repeat or beat it. So I guess they are still selling a lot of equipment despite the fact that there is no inventory. I guess units are flowing to customers without spending time on the lot.

I remember previously, both times I bought a Kubota, you could walk around the back lot of the dealer and see dozens of tractors in crates stacked 5-6 high. There was generally one of everything on the lot to look at and try out, and many more in the back crated up.

Maybe this new situation is forcing customers into an "order and wait" rather than going around and kicking tires before a purchase. Even though I am familiar with Kubota, I'd never order a tractor sight unseen, I still need to look things over, sit in the seat, and make sure it's a good fit for me. Paper specs can only go so far for me.

 

[ptsg]

Same thing around here. The somewhat local to me and only Kubota dealer here, used to have 20+ tractors in the yard. Now all he has is one or two used tractors. Once a truck full of tractor arrives, they send them directly to the shop for the PDI so those get delivered in the next couple days.

The exact same thing happens with all the other brands though.

I'm still waiting for this Kubota dealer to call me back as promised to check the two tractors I had to trade in and for a quote for a Kubota L3560 up till this day... This was back in 2017.

 

[Jchonline]

Front Range Kubota here in Colorado is a bit better off, but not by much. 4-5 Grand Ls instead of the usual 30. Maybe 35 total machines instead of the usuall 100ish.

WTC Wickham Longmont, Fort Collins is also really low. Almost nothing on the lot that isn’t sold.

 

[k0ua]

Yes, pretty much the same everywhere. And people wonder why sales-guys don't call them back and are not treated with the customer care they deserve. It is a sellers market, not a buyers market. Not the time to be trying to buy a tractor. If I didn't need my tractor, I would be selling it. I bet I could get every penny of what I paid for it about 9 years ago. The local Kioti dealer here in Branson had 1 CK series on the lot. Nice female sales lady came out and talked with me. I mentioned I wasn't really looking to buy, I just wanted to see what they had, and she asked if I wanted to sell! It was a fun trip. she was very nice looking too!

 

[Grandad4]

Had my Toyota truck serviced the other day at the dealer. I've seen mortuaries with a higher energy level than that place. Showroom bare, lot normally full of hundreds of cars now down to maybe 25 used ones. Salesmen staring at their computer screens.

 

[MoKelly]

And yet, I keep seeing car commercials on sporting events. Seems like wasted money.

MoKelly

 

[5030]

Tractor House is loaded with used ones of all makes but the asking prices are high and justifiably so. Most buyers want a pre 4 tractor because they don't want to deal with a common rail ECM controlled engine with after treatment.

I could get what I paid for (new) with both my Kubota's (M9's) but neither are for sale because it would cost a premium price to replace them and it would most likely be an ECM emission compliant unit and I have no desire to ever own one.

My open station, my dealer offered me 30 for it. I paid 18 and put 5 in it. Not for sale.

 

[fried1765]

Yes, pretty much the same everywhere. And people wonder why sales-guys don't call them back and are not treated with the customer care they deserve. It is a sellers market, not a buyers market. Not the time to be trying to buy a tractor. If I didn't need my tractor, I would be selling it. I bet I could get every penny of what I paid for it about 9 years ago. The local Kioti dealer here in Branson had 1 CK series on the lot. Nice female sales lady came out and talked with me. I mentioned I wasn't really looking to buy, I just wanted to see what they had, and she asked if I wanted to sell! It was a fun trip. she was very nice looking too!

Perhaps you should go there a few more times,..... just to "look".

 

[5030]

Buddy waited 4 months for his Silverado pickup because of the chip shortage and I see the chip deal is now having a trickle down impact on second and third tier suppliers as in they are cutting hours and laying off unnecessary people.

Fords just had a big no-no at the Flat Rock assembly plant (where the Mustang is built.

Gasoline storage tank sprung a leak and dumped 1500 gallons on gasoline in the city's storm sewers and there were evacuations and a huge costly cleanup. read that the cleanup alone will be in the millions and Fords is 100% liable. Bet someone got canned over that deal.

 

[Torvy]

Tractor House is loaded with used ones of all makes but the asking prices are high and justifiably so. Most buyers want a pre 4 tractor because they don't want to deal with a common rail ECM controlled engine with after treatment.

I could get what I paid for (new) with both my Kubota's (M9's) but neither are for sale because it would cost a premium price to replace them and it would most likely be an ECM emission compliant unit and I have no desire to ever own one.

My open station, my dealer offered me 30 for it. I paid 18 and put 5 in it. Not for sale.

While I agree that many, not necessarily most, buyers want a pre 4 tractor...many who need a tractor now probably don't care as much as you about the emissions hassle. The prices are high for all of the stuff. I cannot even get to test drive a tractor because there is nothing in stock...feels like 1960s USSR around here.