Too good to be true? Need help

[petrops]

I was just about to plunk down a deposit on a used L35 today when I got wind of a nicely priced 1988 L35 with 3 (three) hrs. The owner is a car dealer who bought this from a finance company along with a large lot of cars. He does not have a lot of background info on the machine other than the hours and observation that the paint is faded in spots. He figures that the rig was repo'd and just sat after reposession.

I worked through a local Kubota dealer to look up the serial # (L3564378). All they could come up with was a sale date of 1988. There was no other information, which they considered to be a red flag. They were not really willing to invest much more time in investigating this for me.

Does anyone know any other way to get more info on something like this. I want nothing to do with it if it has been stolen.

Thanks very much

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Did you see it?

My guess is that the hour meter rolled over, and that the real hours are whatever the hour meter counts, times the number of times it rolled over, plus three...

Bill in Pgh, PA

 

[cchoate]

If it really has only 3 hours, you could probably tell by looking at the motor and transmission. Will it start? Do the hydraulics work? Did it sit outside? How much do they want for it?
If I were looking for info on it, I'd start with Kubota's web sight under "contact us". I've used their email for questions and they always returned answers but it took awhile. (about a week)

 

[Darren]

If you call Kubota in California at (310) 370-3370 and talk to the folks in the warranty group they'll tell you who bought the tractor and where. You should be able to find out the original dealer too. With that info, you might be able to make some calls and find out the history.

If there was any warranty work the hours will be a matter of record. If those are more than what's on the clock, you'll know it rolled over.

I saw a B model Kubota tractor that had sat on a dealers lot for over four years. The only hours on the meter were from running it out front to the display area and back. When I first looked at the tractor I thought it was used the paint had faded so much. Turned out it had never sold. They finally sold it this past year. The owner of that dealership really doesn't discount much. The tractor was left over and then the model was discontinued. He just let it sit until it finally sold.

There are possible explanations for that few hours matched with that old of piece of equipment. You just need to check all the facts.

 

[petrops]

Thanks Daren

Your experience with the B21 is reassuring. The faded paint had me a bit worried. I haven't seen the rig in person but from the sound of it there is no way this is rolled over. The bucket, sheetmetal and tires are too perfect.

I called Kubota in CA to research the serial # but they told me to call my local dealer ... no if's and's or but's. New Holland was the same way when I was researching a used 2120.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Hoeman00]

Someone could have replaced the hour meter.
U will have to go by looks and I would
make them take all the filters off and cut
open to see what u have.
Unless somebody installed new filters

 

[rmc]

You also need to check the belts, gaskets, wires, etc. Most likely there will start to have problems once you start using the machine. I know a purchase a 8 year old truck with very low miles from a estate sale and once I started using it the leaks started. Remeber these machines are made to work (play) not just sit. You need to take this into account, the repairs maybe costly.

 

[Bird]

In 1973, I bought a "new" 1969 Opel Cadet to tow behind my motorhome. It had never been sold, never registered, but had about 7,000 miles on the odometer. It looked brand new except for slightly faded blue paint. The dealer (BIG buick/opel dealer) said they used it to chase parts for awhile, then someone parked it on the back of the lot and it was forgotten for 4 years, and when they remembered it, the engine was seized and they had to put a short block in it. Anyway, within 6 months I had replaced all four badly weather cracked tires (tread showed no wear at all), the rubber boot around the gear shift crumbled, stitching on the seats began to disintegrate, rubber floor mats cracked, the battery had to be replaced, etc./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif, but it ran great! You can imagine what happens with one sitting out in the hot Texas sun for 4 years all locked up./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Couldn't complain, though, since I only gave $700 for it, and I sold it for $750 four years later with 30,000 miles on it./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[cnoel]

Your Kubota dealer should have a list of all tractors that have been reported stolen. If I get the time today I'll try to remember to check.

 

[Darren]

I guess you didn't know the magic password and secret handshake.

That tractor was first sold by Cahaba Tractor in Pelham, AL.

There were two warranty claims:

10/21/99 (1 hour) Axle /clutch pack problem solved by application of silicone.

11/11/99 (11 hours) Seat

To check stolen items, there is a national database that's accessible by the police. After ten years the records become obsolete. At that point you'd have to contact the police in the area where you thought the item might have been stolen.

You might be looking at a deal. FWIW, diesels have another advantage over gas engines. They can set for years and still start. They don't typically freeze up like a gas engine. Take a look at the tractor. If the meter has rolled over you'll know just by looking at the tractor that it has lots of hours.