Buying a 1531 TLB

[3dayfunk]

I've been in the process of buying a 1531 TLB for about 3 or 4 weeks. My dealer ordered it and informed me that it was "new in the crate" and being shipped from Texas. Two days ago he called and said he was putting the finishing touches on it and that it would be ready for pick up in a day or so. I drove by to see it. The tractor is very brand new. It has that new car smell about it. But as I examined the tractor, I noticed the backhoe had some minor scuffs. The loader had some scuffs and minor scratches also and it appeared the paint on the loader was slightly, very slightly, faded. I asked the dealer about these things and he said that the tractor was new in the crate but that the backhoe and loader were already in stock. He assured me that this is how it is done in the world of equipment dealers. I don't know. This is my first time buying a tractor and I guess I just assumed it was like buying a brand new truck...buying new means...flawless...brand stinking new, right?? So that's my question. Is this how tractors are bought new? With minor scuffs and slightly faded paint? BTW, I played with the backhoe and loader a bit on their backlot and I loved it. Ithink it's the perfect tractor for my needs.

 

[AndyMA]

"buying new means...flawless...brand stinking new, right?? "

Not in the real world. Loaders, backhoes etc. come strapped to palets and scratched result. Tractor equipment sits outside and paint fades.

Yes that is the way it is with equipment. Tractors are something to use, not fondle.. Scratches and dents are a badge of honor on a tractor and shows that you are a real user and not just a yuppie that managed to get one. Just kidding, Enjoy it you will get many more scuffs.

Andy

 

[dodge man]

There have been a couple of posts where people were not happy with that kind of thing. One guy who had his rims scratched, another who had some scratches and some really poor welds on his end loader. Some people will let that stuff slide, others won't. If it's an area that would get scratched up anyway, I would probably live with it.

I bought my endloader at a latter date, and it came on a pallet, and it's easy to see how it would get scratched up during shipping. Mine was pretty clean, but that's more luck than anything else.

 

[DmansPadge]

Here is a very lengthy thread about flaws on a new tractor. I guess I am kind of on the fence about it. It is not very uncommon for new equipment to have minor flaws and I personally wouldn't care about minor ones. I would probably put more scratches on it in the first week than whatever it came with. Although I can see the point of "I want to be the one to scratch it up" because they are new and they definitely aren't cheap.

 

[CurlyDave]

Hopefully you are going to use this to move dirt, rocks, tree stumps, logs, maybe even manure.

If you wanted to drive down to the local watering hole and impress hot chicks you should have bought a BMW sports car.

My feeling on this kind of stuff is that if you are reasonable about having a piece of construction equipment that looks like it might have to work for a living, your dealer is going to be reasonable with you if something goes wrong with it. If you make him shine the paint & wax it, he might not be quite so quick to help with warranty issues.

My TLB had 13 or 14 hours on the clock when it was delivered. At the time I though that was excessive, but after 3 years I am just over 200 hours and don't even remember the exact number. My bucket has no paint in many places, some paint in others, and rusts when I don't use it. A couple loads of rock, dirt, etc. and the rust is gone. This is the way equipment is supposed to look. Well-maintained, but not waxed and polished.

And, the dealer has given me some nice deals on accessories -- not sure he would have done that if I had complained about the initial hours.

 

[plowking]

I keep M/F paint on hand. I'll touchup my 1531 after a few jobs. I do keep it clean,I don't want to show up at a job with a dirty machine. Some of my jobs are in nice yards. My machine wasn't that bad appearance wise,the dealer mounted a backhoe on it for me. One thing to check on the backhoe is the turnbuckles to the subframe, located below the three point hitch. I retightened mine a few times until it had some hours on it. plowking

 

[JoelD]

I get where you are coming from.

My thought is, enjoy your new tractor, don't sweat the small stuff, before you know it you'll have trouble remembering which scratches you made versus which scratches resulted from shipping and handling.

I've seen posts of new machines, one with a loader that looked like someone learned how to weld while putting it together, to me that's a different story from handling scratches.

Try not to let that sort of thing get to you, will make the first time you drop some gravel on the hood a little easier to take.

Have fun and post some pictures of your new machine.

sincerely,
Joel